Tuesday, December 12, 2017

1001 NIGHTS AT THE MOVIES: PART 2



                The 1930’s were the period in which sound consolidated its status as the only game in town movie-wise. The period from '27 to '32 was full of sound-centric experimentation.  Early talkies tended to be static, clumsy affairs – stiff and claustrophobic when compared to the fluidity of the great silents, where cameras were free to wander and soar and directors didn’t have to limit their ambitions to suit the needs of a mic. Some visionary moviemakers  did manage to combine sound with visual flair (Rouben Mamoulian in “Applause”, King Vidor in “Hallelujah!”,both 1929). But they were the exceptions. Movie screens of the day tended to be full of Lina Lamonts desperately trying to remember which flower pot the mic was in. And – like Lamont – some of the great silent stars simply didn’t have voices to match the romantic images they’d created. Legend used to have it that glamorous Norma Talmadge and livewire Clara Bow, silent superstars both, were undone in talkies by low-brow Brooklyn accents. Not true. Talmadge’s voice (as evidenced in 1929’s “New York Nights”) was perfectly fine. It was only when Hollywood tried to pass off the stubbornly modern sounding Norma as a bewigged milady in the turgid “Dubarry, Woman of Passion” that fans started jumping ship.  She retired immediately.  Bow also quickly developed into a fine talkie performer ; it was shoddy scripts and personal tumult that did her in, career-wise. By ’33, she too called it quits. Silent diva Mae Murray really did turn out to be terrible in sound films. Watch her jaw-dropping antics in 1931’s “Bachelor Apartment” and you’ll know why talkies catapulted her into immediate  bee-stung oblivion.  Emil Jannings, Vilma Banky and Pola Negri were among those whose thick foreign accents proved unintelligible to English speaking audiences. They soon decamped – back to Europe or into early retirement. But others (William Powell,Loretta Young,Jean Arthur,Joan Crawford) made the transition smoothly. Even – in some cases – triumphantly (Ronald Colman,Greta Garbo, W.C. Fields - all of whose voices spectacularly enhanced  the stellar appeal  they’d already achieved in the 20’s).
                Most famous historical event of the early and mid-thirties was the world-wide depression. And movies of the period definitely did their part to pull audiences through it. For many who found little to smile about or even hope for, movies provided an eagerly sought escape into dreams, excitement and laughter.  A temporary outlet in one sense.  But  permanent in another -  because movie theaters  were open almost every day and night, with programs changing twice weekly. And  the presence and development of a constellation of stars and supporting players supplied a comforting sense of continuity. These were the days before television – when movies were the national pastime. Radio and the press were on the scene, of course. But even they expended a great deal of energy enticing people to go the movies.
                The genre that really blossomed with the coming of sound was – of course – the musical.  The one type of film that silents couldn’t – by definition – provide.  Early musicals tended to be heavy-footed affairs, little more than crudely filmed stage shows.  With limited camera movement and clumsy, uncoordinated flailing masquerading as choreography. Still, the public was initially so enamored of the idea of song on film that even these sorry spectacles were often box-office biggies.  A plethora of all star revues (essentially just onscreen traffic jams) and lumberingly rendered operettas (built to try the patience of even the staunchest Romberg & Frimlite) eventually led to a collapse in the genre’s popularity. Help started emerging in Germany where directors like Wilhem Thiele and Erik Charell found wonderful new ways to integrate song and film into a lively, witty, visually alive whole. “Die Drei von der Tankstelle”(Three from the Filling Station,1930) and "Der Kongress Tanzt"(Congress Dances) were groundbreaking harbingers of what movie musicals might achieve. Both starred Lillian Harvey and Willy Fritsch, two silent stars whose popularity skyrocketed when sound revealed their full musical abilities, not to mention their witty, romantic way with dialogue. Though American audiences were largely denied the Harvey-Fritsch magic, these two were the true precursors of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, lighting up a series of operetta style vehicles that enchanted the German speaking world. “Die Drei” had a modern setting – and was as up to date as the latest  art deco skyscraper. "Der Kongress" was set in 19th century Vienna  and  - under Erik Charell’s guidance - the whole thing danced in ¾ time. Lubitsch’s much praised American hit “Love Me Tonight”(1932) owes much to the innovations of these German films. Lillian Harvey’s “Congress Dances”  carriage ride through city and countryside, carrying the song ‘Das gibt’s nur einmal” from location to location and from singer to singer is virtually recreated in the Lubitsch film's “Isn’t It Romantic” number . Two further events in the development of movie musicals and their popularity both occurred in 1933. First, the rise of Busby Berkeley’s surreal, hallucinogenic choreographic style, as cameras swooped and darted to capture battalions of dancers arranged in swirling, ever-changing geometric patterns. He’d already shown signs of what he could do in films like Eddie Cantor’s “Palmy Days”(1931). But “42nd Street” really sent Berkeley’s stock soaring, Of course, it didn’t hurt that the film offered a perfect example of the wise-cracking, streetwise style Warner Brothers was already developing. “42nd Street” was quickly followed by gems like “Footlight Parade”, “Dames” and “Gold-Diggers of 1935”, each outdoing the last in choreographic splendor and fast-talking fun. In their wake, affable crooner Dick Powell  became one of the era’s biggest names. The non-Berkeley development that created movie musical history in 1933 was the first teaming of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in “Flying Down to Rio”. The film’s excitingly photographed fun. Its nominal stars are Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond. But Astaire and Rogers (as comic relief sideliners) take charge even before they dance. Their non-stop banter and instantly obvious chemistry are a joy. But when they take to the  floor for “The Carioca”, all bets are off. The teaming had been almost accidental. But when audiences saw them dance together they went wild. From then on – for many seasons to come – RKO supplied fans with a steady stream of joyous treats, propelling the pair through a series of art deco ballrooms. For sheer poetry in motion they’ve never really been matched. Filmed during the Great American Song Book’s palmiest years, 30’s and 40’s musicals tend to be full of wonderful songs. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the magnificent scores for the Astaire-Rogers movies. Gershwin, Porter, Kern and Berlin all gave of their best. And – interpreted by the fleet-footed duo - those songs took on a whole new level of shimmer. “Swing Time” is probably their most sublime but “Top Hat” “Follow the Fleet” – even the direly scripted “Shall We Dance” – all reach rapturous levels of achievement whenever the starring pair hit the dance floor.  Less celebrated now, but at the time equally  popular, were MGM’s Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy.  Their string of lavishly appointed MGM vehicles brought operetta back with a vengeance. Most critics prefer the Jeanette of the brittle Lubitsch period in the early part of the decade. I concur with the 30’s public who didn’t fully embrace her till she teamed with Eddy. Modern commentators – those who even acknowledge the pair – generally refuse to see anything beyond lace doilies and valentines. But I find the duo’s chemistry – in most of their films, but especially in “Rose-Marie” -   irresistible. She may have been the team’s main light source – but she always brought out the best in Eddy. They shared a kind of mutually teasing merriment that was contagious. Bing Crosby, Shirley Temple and ice skating movie queen Sonja Henie were all major attractions in 30’s musicals – and all are represented in my list. Britain and Germany also had thriving movie musical scenes during the period. Wonderful Jessie Matthews was Britain’s leading cinematic light for a while in the 30’s. She was hailed – justifiably - as the Dancing Divinity, the female Astaire.  Even beyond the swing era grace of her dancing, Matthews was a beguiling presence.  With charm, comic flair and charisma to spare. Check her out in this magical sequence from “Head Over Heels”. Time and again, Hollywood tried to orchestrate a teaming with Astaire. And both stars were eager.  One can only dream of how wonderful they’d have been together. How much better, say,  “A Damsel in Distress” would have been with her in the role eventually defaulted to that most unequal of Astaire’s dancing partners, Joan Fontaine. Unfortunately a series of illnesses, personal problems and bad business decisions kept Matthews from the Hollywood stardom she deserved.  Her not so slow fade from movie screens seemed to signal  the end of British attempts at making musicals that rivalled Hollywood’s.
Beguiling Jessie Matthews
                             
          Germany had a thriving movie musical scene throughout the era – full of wonderful songs and  captivating stars (like Zarah Leander and Marta Eggerth). But the language barrier kept these from  any kind of American success. And – of course – once WW2 broke out, German musicals were  – like all things German - strictly verboten. 
                Horror films were the special province of Universal Pictures in the 30’s, with Karloff and Lugosi jointly installed on terror’s throne. The studio’s gifted art directors, heavily influenced by German expressionism, created splendidly spooky visual settings – fog swirling, castles looming while psyches crumbled within them. The effect of Jack Pierce’s stunning makeup for Karloff’s Frankenstein monster can hardly be overstated. That  face stands as one of the twentieth century’s most enduring images. To my mind, the look Pierce created for Karloff in “The Mummy” is every bit as brilliant. The way the actor inhabits both, of course, is transcendent. My favorite Universal chillers from the era are “The  Mummy”, “ Bride of Frankenstein” and “The Invisible Ray”. Karloff’s in all three, with Lugosi joining him for the third.  Increased censorship in the mid-30’s and complaints that the subject matter was too strong for the juvenile audiences that had been devouring it, led Universal to halt its horror schedule for a couple of seasons. But the public’s appetite apparently would not be denied. When the studio dipped its toe back into the pool for “Son of Frankenstein” in ’39, box-office results were so massive that a whole new horror cycle was unleashed, one that lasted through the war years and beyond.  
                For me, the king of 30’s comedy has got to be W.C. Fields. “You’re Telling Me” and “Man on the Flying Trapeze” are both terrific. But “It’s a Gift” remains his crown jewel. I wish he could have reteamed a dozen more times with Kathleen Howard, his perfect female foil – the Sarah Bernhardt of  imperiously exasperated wives.  Comedy icons Chaplin, Keaton and Laurel & Hardy each get one nod in my 30’s list. I came close to including Wheeler and Woolsey’s “Silly Billies” and the Ritz Brothers’ “The Gorilla”. Though that would be not for the brothers but rather for the haunted mansion atmospherics of the piece and the deadpan comic timing of Lionel Atwill and Bela Lugosi, both masterful at putting noisy Patsy Kelly in her place. The Marx Brothers have never been my thing. Certainly, Groucho’s a unique and highly effective dispenser of zingers. But - for me - the other  brothers are just annoying distractions.
                  I’m generally not a fan of screwball comedy, a genre that’s practically synonymous with the 30's. Hate all the foot-stamping temper tantrums from spoiled heroines who hold their breath to get their way. Carole Lombard’s a prime offender. Oh, how I hate “Twentieth Century” and “Nothing Sacred”! Don’t like her in “My Man Godfrey” either, though William Powell and Gail Patrick  both work superbly around her. The thing is I think Lombard’s really wonderful in drama. And I Iove how she uses instinctive, understated  comic touches to enrich her work in melodramas like “Made for Each Other, “In Name Only” and “No Man of Her Own”.  I’m not much for the celebrated Lubitsch touch. But I love William Dieterle’s wonderful  “Jewel Robbery” with Kay Francis and William Powell. Saucy, sophisticated and creative –fully deserving the kind of praise people still heap on Lubitsch’s “Design for Living” and “Trouble in Paradise”, both flat cocktails in my estimation. “Jewel Robbery” ’s  script dynamics are so sturdy that a budget conscious British remake in 1943 (retitled “The Peterville Diamond”) was itself a delight.
                The eternally chirping Billie Burke, definitive exponent of the dithering she accused Roland Young of in “Topper”, refined her dizzy technique to heavenly heights in that famous film and in the barely remembered “Remember?” from 1939. I find myself chuckling whenever lovably addled Hugh Herbert comes on the screen, whatever the film. Same goes for Etienne Girardot, that frail little person who always looks like the merest gust of wind would blow him right off the set. Between the two of them, he and Donald Meek pile up a mountain of laughs in the John Ford comedy “The Whole Town’s Talking”.
"What about the McIntire account?" Etienne Girardot's mantra in "The Whole Town's Talking"
                                                      
Other 30’s standouts include fast-talking Warner Brothers fillies Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell. Blondell’s sunny, but wised up persona almost defined Warner Brothers’ house style in the early  30’s. And Farrell, who frequently did duty as  Blondell’s sidekick, was perfection in her own right, The dire “Torchy Blane” series wasted her shamelessly. But she’s priceless in titles like “Gold-Diggers of 1935”, “Girl Missing” and – of all unexpected places for her to turn up – “Mystery of the Wax Museum”. It’s always a treat listening to her land dialogue with that unique brand of verbal side-eye she more or less patented
                Anyone who’s read this blog probably knows I’m partial to B westerns. Especially ones starring Bob Steele, scrappy, heart-on-his-sleeve star of scores of westerns from the soup-kitchen end of the Hollywood spectrum.  His best  were pretty much all made in the 30's. And lots of those titles grace my list. I just can’t quit him. Also multi-represented are sagebrush names like George O’Brien, Smith Ballew and Dick Foran. Their films were economy class too – but with the backing of major studios (RKO, Fox and Warner Brothers respectively), usually boasted more polished production values                 
                There are lots of classics missing from my list. Don’t exactly know why I can’t quite bring myself to love “Stagecoach” and “The Wizard of Oz”. They’re both admirable accomplishments. But somehow stop just short of moving me the way they do so many others.   And I’m certainly impressed with France’s “La Grande Illusion”. Yet I never seem to be in the mood to watch it again. Maybe one more viewing will turn it into a genuine favorite. That will never happen for another Renoir film, “Les Regles du Jeu” from 1939. I’ve always  found this picture so annoyingly proud of itself it, smugly shooting fish in a barrel with its elitist attack on easy social targets. Of all the 30’s films that perennially turn up on Sight and Sound’s Best List, this sour apple's probably the one I like least. 
                                I’m not much of an animation fan. But I love, love, love Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The whole thing’s edited with lightning precision, overflowing with glowing  images, music and sentiments; I’d still rank it as my favorite animated film. I remember my first exposure to it, as a small child in the 50’s. Hiding my face in the sleeve of my grandmother’s fur coat every time the Wicked Queen (in her scary/beautiful incarnation) appeared.  Now, of course, I think she’s awesome. And I’ve long ago come to terms with Adriana Caselotti’s bleating nursery-school vibrato – though why couldn’t Disney have sprung to hire Deanna Durbin for the dubbing? I read somewhere that was briefly an option). Snow White herself remains my favorite Disney heroine. Haven’t really loved any of the post-50’s animated Disney’s.  And that certainly includes everything from the supposed artistic/commercial rebirth that began, I believe, with “The Little Mermaid”. Right up to the latest, these have all been slickly pandering animated spins on the bombastically uninteresting Webber and rock opera Broadway musicals. A  universe I can do without.  I suppose Disney’s pre-60’s animated films are just as sentimental  and idealogically unchallenging. But they’re riffs on the old-style musicals of the Jerome Kern/Richard Rodgers era. And since I tend to love those, I guess I’m inclined to be fond of their animated counterparts. 

Anyway, long preamble over. On with the list:

                  PART 2: The 1930's                               

53. All Quiet on the Western Front(’30)      Lewis Milestone
              Lew Ayres.Louis Wolheim,William Bakewell
54. Back Pay(’30)                                 William A. Seiter
              Corinne Griffith,Grant Withers,Montagu Love
55. the Big Trail(’30)                                 Raoul Walsh
              John Wayne,Marguerite Churchill,Ian Keith
56. Die Drei von der Tankstelle(’30)          Wilhelm Thiele
               Lillian Harvey,Willy Fritsch,Heinz Ruhmann
57. Free and Easy(’30)                          Edward Sedgwick
              Buster Keaton,Anita Page,Trixie Friganza
58. Headin’ North(’30)                          J.P. McCarthy
              Bob Steele,Perry Murdock,Barbara Luddy
59. King of Jazz(’30)                            John Murray Anderson
              Paul Whiteman,Bing Crosby,Nell O’Day,John Boles
60. the Land of Missing Men(’30)              J.P. McCarthy
              Bob Steele,Al St. John
61. Menschen am Sonntag(’30)   Robert Siodmak,Edgar G. Ulmer
              Wolfgang von Waltershausen
62. Morocco(’30)                               Josef von Sternberg
              Gary Cooper,Marlene Dietrich,Adolphe Menjou
63. Near the Rainbow’s End(’30)              J.P. McGowan
              Bob Steele,Perry Murdock,Louise Lorraine
64. the Oklahoma Cyclone(’30)                J.P. McCarthy
              Bob Steele,Al St. John
65. Sweet Kitty Bellairs(’30)                 Alfred E. Green
              Claudia Dell,Walter Pidgeon
66. A Nous La Liberte(’31)                    Rene Clair
              Henri Marchand,Raymond Cordy
67. the Black Camel(’31)                   Hamilton MacFadden
              Warner Oland,Robert Young,Bela Lugosi
68. Blonde Crazy(’31)                         Roy Del Ruth
              James Cagney,Joan Blondell
69. Der Kongress Tanzt(’31)                 Erik Charell
              Lillian Harvey,Willy Fritsch,Conrad Veidt
70. Dishonored(’31)                           Josef von Sternberg
              Marlene Dietrich,Victor McLaglen
71. Palmy Days(’31)                           Edward Sutherland
               Eddie Cantor,Charlotte Greenwood
72. the Ridin’ Fool(’31)                       J.P. McCarthy
              Bob Steele,Frances Morris,Ted Adams
73. Safe in Hell(’31)                         William Wellman
              Dorothy Mackail,Donald Cook,Nina Mae McKinney
74. Susan Lenox {Her Fall and Rise}(’31)   Robert Z. Leonard
              Greta Garbo,Clark Gable
75. Svengali(’31)                              Archie Mayo
               John Barrymore,Marion Marsh,Bramwell Fletcher
76. the Big Broadcast(’32)                   Frank Tuttle
              Bing Crosby,Leila Hyams,Stuart Erwin
77. Blonde Venus(’32)                        Josef von Sternberg
              Marlene Dietrich,Herbert Marshall,Cary Grant
78. the Crash(’32)                            William Dieterle
               Ruth Chatterton,George Brent,Paul Cavanagh
79. Downstairs(’32)                          Monta Bell
              John Gilbert,Virginia Bruce,Paul Lukas
80. the Fighting Champ(’32)                  J.P. McCarthy
              Bob Steele,Arletta Duncan,Kit Guard
81. Freaks(’32)                               Tod Browning
              Wallace Ford,Olga Baclanova,Harry Earles
82. the Heart of New York(’32)           Mervyn LeRoy
              George Sidney,Ann Appel
83. Hot Saturday(’32)                     William A. Seiter
              Nancy Carroll,Cary Grant,Randolph Scott
84. Jewel Robbery(’32)                    William Dieterle
              William Powell,Kay Francis,Helen Vinson
85. Law of the West(’32)                 R.N. Bradbury
              Bob Steele,Nancy Drexel
86. Love is a Racket(’32)                 William Wellman
              Douglas Fairbanks,Ann Dvorak,Frances Dee
87. the Mummy(’32)                         Karl Freund
              Boris Karloff,Zita Johann,David Manners
88. Night After Night(’32)                Archie Mayo
              George Raft,Constance Cummings,Mae West
89. No Man of Her Own(’32)             Wesley Ruggles
              Carole Lombard,Clark Gable,Dorothy Mackail
90. Rain(’32)                               Lewis Milestone
              joan Crawford,Walter Huston,Guy Kibbee
91. Red-Headed Woman(’32)              Jack Conway
              Jean Harlow,Chester Morris
92. Roar of the Dragon(’32)             Wesley Ruggles
               Richard Dix,Gwili Andre,C. Henry Gordon,Arline Judge
93. the Texan(’32)                          Cliff Smith
              Buffalo Bill Jr.(Jay Wilsey),Bobby Nelson,Lucile Brown
94. Texas Buddies(’32)                    R.N. Bradbury
               Bob Steele,Nancy Drexel,George Hayes
95. This is the Night(’32)                 Frank Tuttle
              Lily Damita,Roland Young,Cary Grant,Thelma Todd
96. Union Depot(’32)                      Alfred E. Green
              Douglas Fairbanks Jr.,Joan Blondell
97. 42nd Street(’33)                      Mervyn LeRoy
              Warner Baxter,Ruby Keeler,Dick Powell,Bebe Daniels
98. the Big Chance(’33)                   Albert Herman
              John Darrow,Merna Kennedy,Mickey Rooney
98. the Bitter Tea of General Yen(’33)   Frank Capra
               Barbara Stanwyck,Nils Asther,Toshia Mori
99. Deluge(’33)                              Felix E. Feist
              Peggy Shannon,Sidney Blackmer,Lois Wilson
100. Ekstase(’33)                           Gustav Machety
              Hedy Keisler(Hedy Lamarr),Aribert Mog
101. Flying Down to Rio(’33)             Thornton Freeland
              Dolores Del Rio,Gene Raymond,Ginger Rogers,Fred Astaire
102. Footlight Parade(’33)                Lloyd Bacon
              James Cagney,Joan Blondell,Dick Powell,Ruby Keeler
 
103. the Ghoul(’33)                         T. Hayes Hunter
              Boris Karloff,Sir Cedric Hardwicke,Ralph Richardson
104. Girl Missing(’33)                      Robert Florey
              Glenda Farrell,Ben Lyon,Guy Kibbee
105. Goodbye Again(’33)                   Michael Curtiz
              Warren William,Joan Blondell,Genevieve Tobin
106. I’m No Angel(’33)                     Wesley Ruggles
              Mae West,Cary Grant,Edward Arnold
107. Let’s Fall in Love(’33)               David Burton
              Edmund Lowe,Ann Sothern,Gregory Ratoff
108. Mystery of the Wax Museum(’33)   Michael Curtiz
              Lionel Atwill,Glenda Farrell,Fay Wray
109. Night Flight(’33)                      Clarence Brown
              John Barrymore,Clark Gable,Helen Hayes,Myrna Loy
110. Peg O’ My Heart(’33)                 Robert Z. Leonard
              Marion Davies,Onslow Stevens,J. Farrell Macdonald
111. She Had to Say Yes(’33)              Busby Berkeley
              Loretta Young,Lyle Talbot,Regis Toomey
          
112. Supernatural(’33)                     Victor Halperin           
              Carole Lombard,Randolph Scott,Alan Dinehart
113. the Brand of Hate(’34)               Lew Collins
              Bob Steele,Lucile Brown,Mickey Rentschler
114. Crime Without Passion(’34)   Ben Hecht,Charles MacArthur
              Claude Rains,Whitney Bourne,Margo
115. Dames(’34)                            Ray Enright
               Dick Powell,Ruby Keeler,Joan Blondell,Guy Kibbee
116. Dangerous Corner(’34)              Phil Rosen
              Virginia Bruce,Conrad Nagel,Melvyn Douglas
117. Evergreen(’34)                       Victor Saville
              Jessie Matthews.Sonnie Hale,Barry Mackay
118. the Firebird(’34)                      William Dieterle
              Verree Teasdale,Ricardo Cortez,Etienne Girardot
119. Frontier Days(’34)                   Robert Hill
              Bill Cody,Ada Ince,Bill Cody Jr.
120. Hide-Out(’34)                        W.S. Van Dyke
              Robert Montgomery,Maureen O’Sullivan,Mickey Rooney
121. House of Rothschild, The(’34)      Alfred L. Werker
              George Arliss,Loretta Young,Robert Young
122. It’s a Gift(’34)                       Norman Z. McLeod
              W.C. Fields,Kathleen Howard,Tommy Bupp
123. Laughing Boy(’34)                   W.S. Van Dyke
              Ramon Novarro,Lupe Velez
124. Little Man, What Now?(’34)       Frank Borzage
              Margaret Sullavan,Douglass Montgomery
125. Merry Frinks, The(’34)              Alfred E. Green
              Aline MacMahon,Guy Kibbee,Frankie Darro
126. the Painted Veil(’34)               Richard Boleslawski
              Greta Garbo,Herbert Marshall,George Brent
127. the Private Life of Don Juan(’34)   Alexander Korda
              Douglas Fairbanks,Benita Hume,Merle Oberon
128. the Scarlet Empress(’34)             Josef von Sternberg
              Marlene Dietrich,John Lodge,Sam Jaffe
129. Secret of the Chateau(’34)         Richard Thorpe
               Claire Dodd,Clark Williams,Alice White
130. Success at Any Price(’34)          J. Walter Ruben
              Douglas Fairbanks Jr.,Genevieve Tobin,Colleen Moore
131. Tarzan and His Mate(’34)          Cedric Gibbons
              Johnny Weissmuller,Maureen O’Sullivan
133. Way of the West(’34)           Robert Emmett Tansey
              Wally Wales,Bobby Nelson
134. You’re Telling Me(’34)              Erle C. Kenton
              W.C. Fields,Joan Marsh,Adrienne Ames
135. Alice Adams(’35)                     George Stevens
              Katharine Hepburn,Fred MacMurray,Fred Stone
136. the Bishop Misbehaves(’35)          E.A. Dupont
              Edmund Gwenn,Maureen O’Sullivan,Lucile Watson
137. the Black Room(’35)                Roy William Neill
              Boris Karloff,Marian Marsh,Katherine DeMille
             
138. Bride of Frankenstein(’35)         James Whale
              Boris Karloff,Colin Clive,Valerie Hobson,Una O’Connor
139. Captain Blood(’35)                 Michael Curtiz
              Errol Flynn,Olivia de Havilland,Lionel Atwill
140. the Clairvoyant(’35)              Maurice Elvey
              Claude Rains,Fay Wray,Mary Clare
141. the Crusades(’35)                  Cecil B. DeMille
               Loretta Young,Henry Wilcoxon,Ian Keith
142. the Devil is a Woman(’35)       Josef von Sternberg
              Marlene Dietrich,Lionel Atwill,Cesar Romero
143. First a Girl(’35)                   Victor Saville
              Jessie Matthews,Sonnie Hale,Griffith Jones,Anna Lee
144. Goin’ to Town(’35)              Alexander Hall
              Mae West,Paul Cavanagh
145. Gold Diggers of 1935(’35)      Busby Berkeley
              Dick Powell,Gloria Stuart,Alice Brady,Hugh Herbert
146. Life Begins at Forty(’35)       George Marshall
              Will Rogers,Richard Cromwell,Jane Darwell
147. Man on the Flying Trapeze(’35)   Clyde Bruckman
              W.C. Fields,Kathleen Howard
148. Music is Magic(’35)              George Marshall
              Alice Faye,Bebe Daniels,Ray Walker,Thomas Beck
149. Naughty Marietta(’35)         W.S. Van Dyke
              Jeanette MacDonald,Nelson Eddy
150. Party Wire(’35)                 Erle C. Kenton
              Jean Arthur,Victor Jory,Helen Lowell,Robert Allen
151. the Pay-Off(’35)                  Robert Florey
              James Dunn,Claire Dodd,Patricia Ellis
152. the Rider of the Law(’35)    R.N. Bradbury
              Bob Steele,Gertrude Messinger,Si Jenks
153. Smokey Smith(’35)               R.N. Bradbury
              Bob Steele,Mary Kornman,George Hayes
154. Steamboat Round the Bend(’35)   John Ford
              Will Rogers,Anne Shirley,John McGuire
155. Sylvia Scarlett(’35)             George Cukor
              Katharine Hepburn,Cary Grant,Brian Aherne,Edmund Gwenn
156. Top Hat(’35)                     Mark Sandrich
              Fred Astaire,Ginger Rogers
157. Traveling Saleslady(’35)        Ray Enright
              Joan Blondell,Glenda Farrell,Hugh Herbert
158. the Whole Town’s Talking(’35)    John Ford
              Edward G. Robinson,Jean Arthur.Donald Meek,Etienne Girardot
159. Absolute Quiet(’36)                George B. Seitz
              Lionel Atwill,Irene Hervey,Louis Hayward
160. Cheer Up(’36)                      Leo Mittler
              Stanley Lupino,Sally Gray,Roddy Hughes
161. Colleen(’36)                        Alfred E. Green
              Dick Powell,Ruby Keeler,Joan Blondell,Hugh Herbert
162. the Cowboy Star(’36)             David Selman
              Charles Starrett,Iris Meredith,Si Jenks,Wally Albright
                        
163. Craig’s Wife(’36)                  Dorothy Arzner
              Rosalind Russell,John Boles,Billie Burke,Thomas Mitchell
164. Crown V Stevens(’36)            Michael Powell
              Patric Knowles,Googie Withers
165. Dancing Pirate(’36)               Lloyd Corrigan
              Charles Collins,Steffi Duna,Frank Morgan
165. Dodsworth(’36)                  William Wyler
              Walter Huston,Ruth Chatterton,Mary Astor
166. Follow the Fleet(’36)          Mark Sandrich
              Fred Astaire,Ginger Rogers,Randolph Scott,Harriet Hilliard
167. Fugitive in the Sky(’36)         Nick Grinde
              Jean Muir,Warren Hull,Howard Phillips
168. Go West, Young Man(’36)       Henry Hathaway
              Mae West,Randolph Scott,Warren William,Alice Brady
169. God’s Country and the Woman(’36)  William Keighley
              George Brent,Beverly Roberts
170. the Golden Arrow(’36)           Alfred E. Green
              Bette Davis,George Brent,Eugene Pallette
171. the Invisible Ray(’36)           Lambert Hillyer
              Boris Karloff,Bela Lugosi,Frances Drake
172. Keep Your Seats, Please!(’36)    Monty Banks
               George Formby,Florence Desmond
173. Klondike Annie(’36)              Raoul Walsh
              Mae West,Victor McLaglen,Phillip Reed
174. the Man Who Changed His Mind(’36) Robert Stevenson         
              Boris Karloff,Anna Lee,Frank Cellier,John Loder
175. Modern Times(’36)               Charles Chaplin
              Charles Chaplin,Paulette Goddard
176. Poor Little Rich Girl(’36)      Irving Cummings
              Shirley Temple.Alice Faye,Gloria Stuart,Jack Haley
177. Public Enemy’s Wife(’36)        Nick Grinde
              Pat O’Brien,Margaret Lindsay,Cesar Romero
178. Ramona(’36)                     Henry King
              Loretta Young,Don Ameche,Jane Darwell,Katherine DeMille
179. Road Gang(’36)                 Louis King
              Donald Woods,Kay Linaker,Carlyle Moore Jr.
180. Rose-Marie(’36)                W.S. Van Dyke
              Jeanette MacDonald,Nelson Eddy,James Stewart
181. Secret Agent(’36)              Alfred Hitchcock
              John Gielgud,Madeleine Carroll,Robert Young,Percy Marmont
182. Stowaway(’36)                 William A. Seiter
              Shirley Temple,Alice Faye,Robert Young,Allan Lane
                        
183. Swing Time(’36)                George Stevens
              Fred Astaire,Ginger Rogers,Helen Broderick
184.Tarzan Escapes(’36)            Richard Thorpe
              Johnny Weissmuller,Maureen O’Sullivan,John Buckley
185. These Three(’36)              William Wyler
               Merle Oberon,Miriam Hopkins,Joel McCrea,Alma Kruger
186. Things to Come(’36)          William Cameron Menzies
              Raymond Massey,Ralph Richardson
187. Treachery Rides the Range(’36)   Frank McDonald
              Dick Foran,Paula Stone,Craig Reynolds
188. the Walking Dead(’36)        Michael Curtiz
              Boris Karloff,Marguerite Churchill,Edmund Gwenn
189. Angel(’37)                     Ernst Lubitsch
              Marlene Dietrich,Herbert Marshall,Melvyn Douglas
190. Arizona Days(’37)            John English
              Tex Ritter,Eleanor Stewart,Tommy Bupp
191. the Arizona Gunfighter(’37)    Sam Newfield      
              Bob Steele,Jean Carmen,Ted Adams
192. the Awful Truth(’37)          Leo McCarey
              Irene Dunne,Cary Grant,Ralph Bellamy,Esther Dale
193. Bulldog Drummond Comes Back(’37)   Louis King
              John Howard,Louise Campbell
194. Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge(’37)       Louis King
               John Howard,Louise Campbell
195. Charlie Chan at the Olympics(’37)    Bruce Humberstone        
              Warner Oland,Keye Luke,Pauline Moore,Katherine DeMille
196. the Cherokee Strip(’37)          Noel Smith
              Dick Foran,Jane Bryan,Tommy Bupp,Robert Paige
197. Confession(’37)                   Joe May
              Kay Francis,Jane Bryan,Basil Rathbone
198. Empty Holsters(’37)             B. Reeves Eason
              Dick Foran,Glenn Strange,Wilfred Lucas
199. Feather Your Nest(’37)         William Beaudine
              George Formby,Polly Ward,Enid Stamp-Taylor
200. the Firefly(’37)                  Robert Z. Leonard
               Jeanette MacDonald,Allan Jones,Warren William
201. Flight from Glory(’37)         Lew Landers
              Chester Morris,Whitney Bourne,Douglas Walton,Van Heflin
202. the Good Earth(’37)            Sidney Franklin
              Paul Muni,Luise Rainer
203. Heidi(’37)                        Allan Dwan
              Shirley Temple,Jean Hersholt,Mary Nash,Marcia Mae Jones
204. La Habanera(’37)           Detlef Sierck{Douglas Sirk}
              Zarah Leander,Karl Martell,Ferdinand Marian
205. Lost Horizon(’37)               Frank Capra
              Ronald Colman,Jane Wyatt,John Howard,Thomas Mitchell
206. Mr. Dodd Takes the Air(’37)   Alfred E. Green
              Kenny Baker,Jane Wyman,Alice Brady
207. Non-Stop New York(’37)       Robert Stevenson
               Anna Lee,John Loder,Francis L. Sullivan
208. the Prince and the Pauper(’37)   William Keighley
              Billy Mauch,Bobby Mauch,Errol Flynn,Montagu Love
209. Sailing Along(’37)               Sonnie Hale
              Jessie Matthews,Barry MacKay,Jack Whiting
210. She’s Got Everything(’37)       Joseph Santley
              Ann Sothern,Gene Raymond,Helen Broderick
211. the Singing Marine(’37)           Ray Enright
               Dick Powell,Doris Weston,Lee Dixon
212. Slim(’37)                          Ray Enright
              Henry Fonda,Pat O’Brien,Margaret Lindsay
213. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs(’37) David Hand
              animated
214. Thank You Mr. Moto(’37)    Norman Foster
              Peter Lorre,Thomas Beck,Philip Ahn,Pauline Frederick
215. West of Shanghai(’37)        John Farrow
              Boris Karloff,Beverly Roberts,Sheila Bromley
216. Young and Innocent(’37)      Alfred Hitchcock
              Nova Pilbeam,Derrick De Marney,Percy Marmont
217. Alexander Nevsky(’38)        Sergei Eisenstein
              Nikolai Cherkasov,Varvara Massalitinova
218. Border G-Man(’38)            David Howard
              George O’Brien,Laraine Day
219. Born to be Wild(’38)        Joseph Kane
              Ralph Byrd,Doris Weston,Ward Bond
220.Bulldog Drummond in Africa(’38)  Louis King
               John Howard,Heather Angel
221. the Childhood of Maxim Gorky(’38)  Mark Donskoi
              Aleksei Lyarsky,Varvara Massalitinova
222. Convict 99(’38)                 Marcel Varnel
              Will Hay,Moore Marriott,Graham Moffatt
223. Cowboy from Brooklyn(’38)   Lloyd Bacon
              Dick Powell,Priscilla Lane,Pat O’Brien
224. Danger on the Air(’38)        Otis Garrett
              Nan Grey,Donald Woods,William Lundigan
225. Frontier Scout(’38)            Sam Newfield
              George Houston,Beth Marion,Al St. John
226. the Girl of the Golden West(’38)   Robert Z. Leonard
              Jeanette MacDonald,Nelson Eddy,Walter Pidgeon
227. Gold is Where You Find It(’38)   Michael Curtiz
              George Brent,Olivia de Havilland,Tim Holt
228. the Great Waltz(’38)          Julien Duvivier
              Fernand Gravet,Luise Rainer,Meliza Korjus
229. Happy Landing(’38)            Roy Del Ruth
              Sonja Henie,Don Ameche,Cesar Romero,Ethel merman
230. Hawaiian Buckaroo(’38)      Ray Taylor
              Smith Ballew,Evalyn Knapp
231. He Couldn’t Say No(’38)     Lewis Seiler
              Frank McHugh,Jane Wyman,Cora Witherspoon
232. Jezebel(’38)                   William Wyler
              Bette Davis,Henry Fonda,George Brent,Fay Bainter
233. Little Miss Broadway(’38)   Irving Cummings
               Shirley Temple,George Murphy,Ena May Oliver
234. Marie Antoinette(’38)        W.S. Van Dyke
              Norma Shearer,Tyrone Power,RobertMorley
235. Midnight Intruder(’38)       Arthur Lubin
              Louis Hayward,Barbara Read,Irving Bacon
236. Of Human Hearts(’38)       Clarence Brown
              Walter Huston,James Stewart,Beulah Bondi
237. Rawhide(’38)                 Ray Taylor
              Smith Ballew,Lou Gehrig,Evalyn Knapp
238. the Road to Reno(’38)       S. Sylvan Simon
              Hope Hampton,Randolph Scott
239. Sing, You Sinners(’38)       Wesley Ruggles
              Bing Crosby,Fred MacMurray,Donald O’Connor,Ellen Drew
240. Suez(’38)                     Allan Dwan
              Tyrone Power,Loretta Young,Annabella,Joseph Schildkraut
241. Sweethearts(’38)            W.S. Van Dyke
              Jeanette MacDonald,Nelson Eddy
242. Volga-Volga(’38)           Grigori Aleksandrov
              Lyubov Orlova,Igor Ilyinsky
243. the Young in Heart(’38)    Richard Wallace
              Janet Gaynor,Douglas Fairbanks Jr.,Paulette Goddard
244. the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes(’39)   Alfred L. Werker
              Basil Rathbone,Nigel Bruce,Ida Lupino,George Zucco
245. Babes in Arms(’39)          Busby Berkeley
              Mickey Rooney,Judy Garland,June Preisser
246. Blondie Takes a Vacation(’39)     Frank R. Strayer
              Penny Singleton,Arthur Lake,Larry Simms,Donald Meek
247. Bulldog Drummond’s Bride(’39)    James Hogan
              John Howard,Heather Angel
248. Charlie Chan at Treasure Island(’39)  Norman Foster
              Sidney Toler,Cesar Romero.Victor Sen Yung,Pauline Moore
249. Cheer Boys Cheer(’39)            Walter Forde
              Nova Pilbeam,Edmund Gwenn,Graham Moffatt
250. Cisco Kid and the Lady(“39)    Herbert I. Leeds
              Cesar Romero,Marjorie Weaver,George Montgomery
251. Day-time Wife(’39)                Gregory Ratoff
              Tyrone Power,Linda Darnell,Warren William
252. Destry Rides Again(’39)          George Marshall
              James Stewart,Marlene Dietrich,Irene Hervey
253. Drums Along the Mohawk(’39)  John Ford
              Claudette Colbert,Henry Fonda,Edna May Oliver
254. Fifth Avenue Girl(’39)           Gregory La Cava
              Ginger Rogers,Walter Connolly,Verree Teasdale
255. First Love(’39)                   Henry Koster
              Deanna Durbin,Robert Stack,Helen Parrish,Eugene Pallette
256. Flying Deuces(’39)               Edward Sutherland
              Stan Laurel,Oliver Hardy,Jean Parker
257. Gone with the Wind(’39)       Victor Fleming
              Clark Gable,Vivien Leigh,Olivia de Havilland
258. Halalos Tavasz(’39)            Laszlo Kalmar
              Pal Javor,Katalin Karady
259. Hallo Janine(’39)                Georg Jacoby
              Marika Rokk,Johannes Heesters
260. Honeymoon in Bali(’39)         Edward H. Griffith
              Madeleine Carroll,Fred MacMurray,Allan Jones
261. Honolulu(’39)                   Edward Buzzell
              Eleanor Powell,Robert Young,George Burns,Gracie Allen
262. the Hunchback of Notre Dame(’39)  William Dieterle
              Charles Laughton,Maureen O’Hara,Sir Cedric Hardwicke
263. In Name Only(’39)              John Cromwell
              Carole Lombard,Cary Grant,Kay Francis,Charles Coburn
264. Jamaica Inn(’39)                Alfred Hitchcock
              Charles Laughton,Maureen O’Hara,Leslie Banks
265. Jesse James(’39)                 Henry King
              Tyrone Power,Henry Fonda,Randolph Scott,Nancy Kelly
266. Juarez(’39)                      William Dieterle
       Paul Muni,Bette Davis,Brian Aherne,John Garfield
267. King of the Underworld(’39)  Lewis Seiler
              Kay Francis,Humphrey Bogart
268. Lady of the Tropics(’39)       Jack Conway
              Robert Taylor,Hedy Lamarr,Joseph Schildkraut
269. Made for Each Other(’39)    John Cromwell
              Carole Lombard,James Stewart,Lucile Watson
270. the Man in the Iron Mask(’39)    James Whale
              Louis Hayward,Joan Bennett,Joseph Schildkraut
271. the Man They Could Not Hang(’39)   Nick Grinde
              Boris Karloff,Lorna Gray,Roger Pryor
272. the Marshal of Mesa City(’39)       David Howard
              George O’Brien,Virginia Vale,Henry Brandon,Leon Ames
273. the Mikado(’39)                     Victor Schertzinger
              Kenny Baker,Jean Colin,Sydney Granville
 274. the Old Maid(’39)                  Edmund Goulding
              Bette Davis,Miriam Hopkins,George Brent,Jane Bryan
275. Only Angels Have Wings(’39)     Howard Hawks
               Cary Grant,Jean Arthur,Thomas Mitchell,Richard Barthelmess
276. Over the Moon(’39)               Thornton Freeland
              Merle Oberon,Rex Harrison,Robert Douglas
277. Remember?(’39)                    Norman Z. McLeod
              Robert Taylor,Greer Garson,Lew Ayres,Billie Burke
278. the Return of Doctor X(’39)    Vincent Sherman
              Wayne Morris,Dennis Morgan,Rosemary Lane,John Litel
279. Second Fiddle(’39)                Sidney Lanfield
              Sonja Henie,Tyrone Power,Edna May Oliver,Rudy Vallee
280. Secret Service of the Air(’39)   Noel Smith
              Ronald Reagan,James Stephenson,eddie Foy Jr.
281. Son of Frankenstein(’39)         Rowland V. Lee
              Basil Rathbone,Boris Karloff,Bela Lugosi,Lionel Atwill
282. Stand Up and Fight((’39)        W.S. Van Dyke
              Robert Taylor,Wallace Beery,Florence Rice
283. Stanley and Livingstone(’39)   Henry King
              Spencer Tracy,Nancy Kelly,Richard Greene,Sir Cedric Hardwicke
284. the Story of Alexander Graham Bell(’39) Irving Cummings
              Don Ameche,Loretta Young,Henry Fonda,Charles Coburn
285. There Ain’t No Justice(’39)     Penrose Tennyson
              Jimmy Hanley,Edward Rigby,Mary Clare,Michael Wilding
286. Waterfront(’39)                Terry Morse
              Dennis Morgan,Gloria Dickson,Sheila Bromley
287. Young Man’s Fancy(’39)        Robert Stevenson
              Griffith Jones,Anna Lee,Seymour Hicks,Martita Hunt
 

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