MY FAVORITE FILMS OF 1937

I’ve seen many movies in 1937; ones that I like a lot. But “like-a-lot” and “favorite” are two different things.

( What, no Garbo? Yeah, no Garbo. )

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THE AWFUL TRUTH –  (  Leo McCarey  )

       Cary Grant, Ralph Bellamy and Irene Dunne

What a great premise. Because of a misunderstanding ( well, actually…he lies ) Cary Grant and wife Irene Dunne go through divorce proceedings. And then do everything possible for THAT not to work. It’s flat out funny and oh so clever. Haven’t you seen this one yet?

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HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT –  (  Frank Borzage  )

 
           Charles Boyer and Jean Arthur            I know this is just a publicity still, but WOW!!

This has GOT to be one of the darkest movies I’ve seen from the 30’s. Jean Arthur is sleeping with the enemy, her husband, a man who is dangerously obsessed with her. She falls for a man who’s rescued her from a sticky situation. Both husband and paramour go through much lengths to get and try to keep her. Jean Arthur, Charles Boyer are very good in this romantic drama. And Colin Clive dazzles giving the most sadistic performances I’ve seen in the 30’s. And yeah…that includes Laughton in “Island of Lost Souls” ‘cuz he’s really up close and personal with Arthur. Love and obsession…they’re really not the same thing. And no one can get to the heart of the matter, like director Frank Borzage.

Colin Clive: “Well, what do you think of your portrait? I had it painted from a cherished photograph, and I’m going to hang it in the royal suite of The Princess Irene.”

Jean Arthur: “By the neck until it dies?”

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MARKED WOMAN  –  (   Lloyd Bacon   ) 

 
                                              Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart

“I’ll get you, even if I have to crawl back from the grave to do it!”

Bette Davis and her gal pals work for a crime boss as “hostesses”. They want to break out of the business,  but there’s only one way to leave that business. When Davis’ kid sister
( Jane Bryan ) is killed by one of the henchman, all Hell breaks loose when Davis starts squawking to the Law. A Warner Bros. crime drama with the best of the bad they got. Bogie’s a good guy this time as the State’s District Attorney. And Eduardo Cianelli snarls his way as the bad guy.

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STAGE DOOR  –  (  Gregory LaCava  )

Wonderful. Wonderful. Young women in a rooming house all sharing a common bond: to work in The Theatre. They travel different routes with varied results: dancing, bit parts, getting chummy with theatrical agents. Both sides of the railroad tracks are represented
( Ginger Rogers/Katharine Hepburn ).  And that cast! WHEW! Here: IMDB it and see the number of talented actresses that Gregory LaCava has slinging one-liners with the speed of light.

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STAND-IN  –  (  Tay Garnett  )

Joan Blondell and Leslie Howard

( I know…who even thought to put these two together? )

Leslie Howard, Joan Blondell, Humphrey Bogart? What kind of mish-mash casting is this? Yeah, I can see Blondell, but Bogie? He’s a hard-core gangster. And Howard? He’s a stiff upper lipped stiff upper Brit. This’ll never work.

Then I saw this screwball comedy from Hollywood ABOUT Hollywood and I was stunned, surprised and bowled over.  It’s a must-see, y’all. A must-see about an accountant trying to figure out what’s wrong with a Hollywood studio and getting caught up in all type of Hollywood shenanigans. Nice send up of ol’ Tinsel Town and the cast is great! It works. It rocks.

( H O M E )

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