Thirteen Women (1932)

A “half breed” (Myrna Loy) uses her exotic eastern powers to punish the girls who bullied her back in school.

Loy appeared in The Mask of Fu Manchu the same year, also wearing ‘asian face’. I suppose she was the go-to girl for ‘exotic other’ characters. Hey, it was the 30’s. Our protagonist is played by Irene Dunne, less foolish than the other women. Because of production code edits, thirteen minutes and two of the women landed on the cutting room floor. One whose role was greatly shortened was Peg Entwistle.

Some readers have heard the story of Peg Entwistle, the young British actress whose stardom was cut short by suicide. Days after the release of Thirteen Women, she jumped from the H sign in the Hollywood hills. There is lots of speculation why, but nothing concrete. And the Steely Dan song was likely not inspired by her story.

Thirteen Women is an interestingly weird pre-code film. Shortening to a mere 59 minutes may have had the side benefit of tightening the story and quickening the pace. A lot happens in a very short time. Still, a fully restored version would really be something, if just for the lesbian subplot. AMRU 3.

I Love You Again (1940)

Boring businessman Larry (William Powell) gets konked on the head during a water rescue and wakes up as George (William Powell), a charismatic con man who lost his memory after a similar konk nine years earlier. Larry was a tight-fisted t-totaller who chairs community organizations, leads scout troops, and stuffs wildlife. George is as appalled by this as wife Kay (Myrna Loy) is bored with it. He goes about trying to fleece his former life and hometown, and to patch things up with his hot wife.

Not too bad of a premise for a rom-ish comedy, and Powell and Loy’s on-screen chemistry is second to none, Tracy/Hepburn included. Powell’s Larry/George cleverly navigates his mysterious former life, looking for scams to pull, and trying to re-woo his wife.

Edmund Lowe played Larry/George’s co-conspirator from his previous con-man life. He was in a ton of things but I only saw him as the luke-warm hero from the otherwise interesting Chandu the Magician. But let’s talk about his other co-conspirator Doc, played by Frank McHugh. He too was in an absolute ton of things and I remember him from a few of them. He was the go-to guy for a particular type of wisecracking sidekick. He was great in this role and I must pay closer attention in the future.

Two Little Rascal actors had small roles as scouts. Carl Switzer, better known as Alfalfa, and Robert Blake, better known for murdering his wife. Carl would be killed at age 31 over a $35 argument. Blake beat his murder charge and is pushing 90. There is no god.

I Love You Again is a charmingly good member of the genre, if not among it’s very best. We know Powell will be witty, Loy will be adorable, and both will be charming. We care about the leads and thus about their situation. It was reasonably funny and a very enjoyable watch. AMRU 3.5.

“Boy! Eighteen days alone on a boat is certainly a long time to be alone on a boat for eighteen days!”

Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House (1948)

Jim Blandings (Cary Grant) grows tired of life in the big city so he decides, against the advice of his lawyer (Melvyn Douglas), to buy a farm in Connecticut. It’s an overpriced pile of junk, of course, so he and his wife (Myrna Loy) decide to sink even more money and build the house of their dreams.

Mr. Blandings touches on the post-war dream of owning a home. America moved in droves from urban areas into the suburbs, setting the stage for the 50’s sitcom. Here the humor is in how dysfunctional the Blandings' tiny New York apartment is for them and their two girls. See Jim try to get dressed and ready for work before noontime. See Jim try to find things in their tiny closet. Comedy gold. Still had room for a live-in maid. Oh, hi Louise Beavers.

Later, the humor is how dysfunctional they are in making rational decisions. In addition to being oversold on a 35 acre farm by the realtor (oh, hi Ian Wolfe), they are taken by every contractor they hire. This is compounded by their insistence of making ridiculous design choices pushing the final price skyward. Douglas’ Bill is the Casandra, his dire warnings being ignored at every turn. Fun, fun. Let’s add in a possible love triangle.

I did not find Mr. Blandings charming, nor did I find it funny. All of the problems stem from the stupidity of the main characters, and I didn’t want Grant and Loy to be dumb. Simply put, they were too old to be this naive. And Grant, what with his fancy Manhattan advertising position, had to be at least a little savvy. I mean, he earned enough for him to afford the spiraling costs, even if he had to do a little tizzy act each time the price went up. I love the actors, but the story falls flat. AMRU 2.5.

Wife vs. Secretary (1936)

A publishing executive (Clark Gable) and his wife (Myrna Loy) are madly in love, but odd circumstances lead her to question his relationship with his secretary (Jean Harlow). After all, she’s Jean Harlow.

I selected this film because it sounded like silly nonsense. Nonsense with huge start power. But Larry Karaszewski did a Trailers from Hell video on it saying it was far smarter than the title implied. And it was.

We can forgive Loy’s Linda for reaching her conclusion. She isn’t jealous by nature and we see the bits of misinformation that leads her astray. Even though it’s all innocent (not a spoiler), her conclusion is quite reasonable. And it doesn’t help that her mother-in-law doesn’t doubt it for a moment. Plus, Gable’s Van is terrible at explanations. Even the perfect wife can have doubts.

Gable is exuberant and energetic as young Gable was. Always fun to watch. I was always mystified with the collective infatuation with Jean Harlow, figuring it mostly a product of her early demise. Here, though, she is quite charming as the dedicated secretary. Maybe I found her so much more likable because she wasn’t playing trashy. Jimmy Stewart was her would-be fiance. Gloria Holden had a small role. She always gave me that weird feeling.

If I were to criticize anything about the film it would be that they didn’t stick the landing. Not totally. I suppose Linda realized that she was wrong. I wish that point was more clear, but that’s picking nits. Wife vs. Secretary is clever, witty, and charming all the way through. The leads bubble with chemistry and its a fun ride. Way better than its title. AMRU 4.

“You’re a fool, for which I am grateful.”

Libeled Lady (1936)

A newspaper editor (Spencer Tracy) is about to be married when his newspaper accidentally sends out an early edition with an unconfirmed story that Libels a Lady (Myrna Loy). Rich lady threatens to sue for five million bucks and put the paper out of business. So he hatches a plan. He hires a playboy ex-reporter (William Powell) to marry his own fiancee (Jean Harlow) then has him seduce the rich lady and get caught. Then she’ll have to drop the suit, because, reasons. Things don’t go according to plan.

What this all adds up to is a fairly generic 30’s rom-com except for a few things. First, it’s funny. Very funny. Secondly, the cast all seemed to be having a great time, and that’s because they were. The four principles became fast friends on the set and that easygoing atmosphere transferred well to the screen. This was the fourth pairing of Loy and Powell (of fourteen), so their chemistry was well known. Additionally, Powell and Harlow were dating (the old dog), so you got that there. Plus, everyone liked Tracy.

There is fairly little to say about Libeled Lady. Standard Rom-com story, but it was well crafted, well written, and funny. And it works. Better than some better known ones. If that sounds good, and you don’t have an aversion to the transatlantic accent, then it won’t disappoint. AMRU 4.

“Driver, can't you go any faster?
I can, lady, but the cab can't.”

The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)

Stuffy British types mount an expedition to find the mask and sword of Genghis Khan before the nefarious Doctor Fu Manchu (Boris Karloff) does. They fear he will use it to rally his minions to rise up and wipe out the white race.

Before I go on, let me point out that The Mask of Fu Manchu was actually considered racist BY 1932 STANDARDS! In a strange way, that's kinda impressive. The Chinese embassy in Washington filed an official complaint. And not just the Chinese (or Yellow Beasts, as they prefer to be called) are maligned, but also Indians and Africans. Come to think of it, the English don't really come out looking all that smart. More on that later.

Old stuffy British type wants Asian artifact before Asians can get it because they're British, sends second old stuffy British type. But he's kidnapped BEFORE HE CAN EVEN LEAVE THE BUILDING, so hysterical daughter convinces first to all go on a rescue mission. While second is being tortured, our crew of heroes find the loot .. I mean historical artifacts. They hide in a fancy house because Fu Manchu spies are everywhere. Hysterical daughter convinces her beau to take the artifacts to Fu Manchu to bargain for papa's life, but that don't work out too well.

First old stuffy British type find out then decides to ALSO go into Fu Manchu's palace because that worked out so well the first time. First he goes to an opium den for reasons that escape me, then there's a fire, I don't know why. Beau returns, his mind controlled by spider blood and the love of Fu Manchu's hot hot daughter (Myrna Loy) and convinces the rest to ALSO enter the palace (because three times a charm). The decide to go EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIM! Deus ex machina and everyone lives happily ever after.

Sure, Asians are depicted as conniving and treacherous, and his palace is filled with Indian and Black "servants", all shirtless and buff. But the Brits come off as completely stupid! If they didn't posses the magic of random luck they wouldn't have stood a chance. Add to this the scenes of one hero being hung shirtless while large bare chested black men whip him, the group that comes out on top is the BDSM crowd.

Despite itself, there is a lot of fun in The Mask of Fu Manchu. The sets, action, and effects worked well, the story doesn't lull, and the cheesy parts are fun to laugh at. Karloff and Loy agreed the only way to intelligently play their rolls is tongue-in-cheek. Today I am overlooking the racism. Not everyone will. AMRU 3.

"Would you have maidens such as these for your wives? Then conquer and breed... kill the white man... and take his women!"

Cheaper by the Dozen (1950)

Mr and Mrs Gilbreth pack up their twelve children and move from Providence, RI to Montclair, NJ. I bet they have a lot of crazy adventures along the way. Yea. Well, that sums up the story.

This movie is a fairly faithful adaptation of the book by the same name, written by the actual eldest Gilbreth daughter. Old friend Myrna Loy plays the Missus Gilbreth and Clifton Webb plays dad. Frank is some sort of process engineer and work has dictated he move from a post-industrial, mafia run city to, well, New Jersey. Not exactly culture shock. The book and movie were successful enough to spawn sequel book and movie called Belles on their Toes (1952). Most of the cast came back.

Cheaper by the Dozen is a well produced, well acted, first class work and I was about a half hour into it when I decided that I wasn't enjoying it much. 50's family comedies aren't my thing, I suppose. I watched too much Brady Bunch growing up. That's not to say it was hard to watch. I just didn't find their predicaments all that funny and I kinda didn't care what happened to them.

Speaking of the Brady's, I went into it thinking this was the movie that inspired the series. It's not. That movie was 1968's Yours, Mine, and Ours.

Well, who should show up as a lesser daughter but Barbara Bates, fresh from her Inspector General success and still years away from her tragic suicide. I wasn't sure if I could believe Webb as the father of twelve, but he managed to pull it off. It was nice to see Myrna again, looking very matronly, almost unrecognizable from her Nora Charles. In fact this encouraged me to see if I couldn't find some of her later work. I found the Burt Reynolds comedy The End (1978). She had a small part as Burt's mom and I had to pause it on her face to take in the fact that this was the same person.

Well, as the great-grandson of a Providence couple who managed thirteen children (twelve to survive into adulthood), I am guessing my ancestors life looked little like the onscreen Gilbreth clan. But 50's cinema wasn't about reality. Contemporary audiences didn't care, so why should I? AMRU 3.

Man on street: Hey Noah, what are you doing with that Ark?

Frank Gilbreth: Collecting animals like the good Lord told me, brother. All we need now is a jackass. Hop in!

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Veterans returning from World War II faced difficulties adjusting back to normal life. Huh. All this time I thought only 'nam vets had that problem.

This story documents three returning vets, a crippled young sailor unsure how his handicap will be received by his family and girlfriend, an older flier who seems to not have many skills apart from bombing, and an older Sargent who barely recognizes his own kids. The three meet when they share a transport plane home.

Homer Parrish is a sailor who's hands were burned off in a fire during WWII while doing a training exercise. He was played by Harold Russell, who's hands were burned off in a fire during WWII while doing a training exercise. Funny how life imitates art ... or is the other way around? Despite not being able to act, Russell won two awards for the same role.

Homer has two hooks for hands and gets very upset when everyone looks at him funny. Cathy O'Donnell, his equal as an actor, plays girlfriend Wilma. Hoagy Carmichael plays his uncle Butch. Homer copes by getting blind, stinking drunk.

Dana Andrews is officer war hero Fred Derry. He was a big shot in the war but now learns he has no marketable skills on the outside. To make matters worse, the hoochie mama wife of his (Virginia Mayo, who went on to marry Cody Jarrett) doesn't see the point in being married to a war hero if she can't parade him around town every night of the week. Ah, trouble in paradise. Derry copes by getting blind, stinking drunk and making passes at girls much to young for him.

Fredric March is Sargent Al Stephenson, banker. He returns to the bank to learn that his new job is to deny loans to servicemen. He has two children, the forgettable Rob and the hot Peggy (Teresa Wright). His wife is played by Myrna Loy, who earned the nickname The Perfect Wife because of this role. In real life Myrna was married and divorced four times and never had children. Myrna had top billing because she was considered the greatest female actor of all time. Al copes by getting blind, stinking drunk.

This movie reminds me a little of Cavalcade (1933) in that the subject matter touched a nerve with the audience. But unlike Cavalcade, The Best Years of Our Lives stands up to the test of time. The acting was better, the script was better, the subject matter was better, it was all around better storytelling. Seldom in old movies do you see an unflinching treatment with something like a disabled veteran. Russell's handicap was in no way glossed over.

Also touched on is the controversy of using atomic weapons and conspiracy theories about the war. They had the luxury to touch on these topics as the movie was over two hours 45 in length. For scheduling reasons I had to watch it in two separate segments a day apart, but the movie never dragged. In addition to Best Picture, it also won the academy award for best actor, supporting actor, director, editing, music, and writing. It was also nominated for best sound. I give it an AMRU of 3.5.

Song of the Thin Man (1947)

Here is where I intended on posting about Laura (1944), the great Otto Preminger detective mystery. Of the twenty chapters, I saw (with limited interruption) thirteen of them. I moved from the bedroom to the newer DVD player in the living room, and watched chapter fourteen. And that was it. Kaput. There was a thumb print on the disk that could not be washed off. Clear enough to get a conviction. You'd think people who rent classic movies would have a clue.

Song of the Thin Man is the last of the Thin Man series, although Myrna Loy and William Powell would go on to make one more of their fourteen films together. Nick and Nora are on a gambling boat and there's this band leader who is in need of money to pay off some thugs. His boss (secretly marrying the daughter of a rich tycoon) is playing hardball with his pay. Also this clarinet player who is mooning over the girl that left him for said band leader. Naturally, the band leader is murdered and everyone is a suspect. Nick Charles is dragged into it.

The story is not as complex as the earlier films, Myrna (starting to look her age) doesn't sizzle and pop. And one of the jokes was that Nick and Nora were becoming ... old. Keenan Wynn played a hipster musician who lends a hand. He introduces them to the music scene, using hip, mod language that Nick and Nora are too square to understand. Not funny.

I recognized the name Keenan Wynn but could not figure out where I knew him from. He played Winter in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, but I wasn't going to recognize him from that. Then I discovered his dad was Ed Wynn, who I recognized by sight. Photos of Keenan in his later years showed he was "oh, that guy". Dean Stockwell (Quantum Leap) played Nick Junior.

It's rather bittersweet to know I've seen the last of the Thin Men, and sad it was the least interesting of the films. Dashiell Hammett wrote, as far as I can figure out, only five novels, all between 1929 and 1934. The Thin Man was his last. He concentrated on being a commie, war hero, and writing short fiction. I picked up the book on my last trip to the library. I'm a slow reader (which might be why I do films - I can watch an hour film in 58 minutes), but finished the book in three days. William Powell's character was dead on. Nora was less in the book, and Asta almost not at all. Way, way, way more complex than the film. I enjoyed it. My wife is reading it now and might make her want to see the first movie again.

Ten years after this was a TV show that lasted two seasons. I saw an episode when I did Forbidden Planet. Robbie the Robot had a cameo in an episode so they put it on the disk. Peter Lawford was all wrong as Nick and Phyllis Kirk was awful as Nora.

I enjoyed the swan song of the Thin Man and when deciding if I should buy the box set, it won't be the deciding factor. Periodically amusing, fairly interesting, but otherwise unremarkable. AMRU 3.

The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)

In this, the second to last Thin Man movie, the Charles visit Nick's parents. Nora is offended by Nick's father's dismissive attitude towards her husband's career choice, so she decides to take action. Everyone in town seem to think Nick is working on a case anyhow, so she decides to "shake the tree" a bit. A case will present itself, and if his father sees how great of a detective Nick is, all will be right in the universe. 

A case is presented when a man is shot to death at their door. Lots of suspects, lots of side stories, lots of hidden information that proves critical. Typical Thin Man stuff. Except, Nick is off the sauce. Apparently the Senior Charles doesn't approve of the Devil's tonic, so Nickie is on the cider. Gone too is Nickie Junior. He stayed home because he loves kindergarten so much. That's right. When visiting the grandparents, they leave the grandchild behind and bring the dog. 

This movie was supposed to have been filmed in '42 but Myrna decided to get married instead. They took up filming when the war and Myrna's marriage were winding down. Here, Loy's character openly pokes fun at the genre, first when describing one of Nick's cases to Dad. She tells how Nick tricked a suspect into revealing that he wasn't really crippled. Dad (a doctor) asked why he just didn't have a doctor check him out, which is what would have happened in real life. Also at the end, when Nick gathers all of the suspects together, Nora chats excitedly about the big pay off. She did that in earlier movies, but it seemed more overt here. 

I think I liked this one more than the previous few. Nothing tops the first, but I do feel the need to see it again. Someday, when feeling rich, I may buy the complete set and watch them back to back. Loy was still hot at the cusp of 40 and Powell was still witty even without the sauce. The move from a stuffy mansion or cityscape to anytown, USA made for a nice change of scenery. It's sad to know there's only one left. AMRU 4.0.

Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)

William Powell is still a witty drunk. Myrna Loy is still a hottie. Baby Nickie is a little older. Same kind of story, different details. Nick keeps walking into a murder investigation, and tries as hard as possible to avoid getting involved, but it's no use. First, a jockey is shot while in the shower. Then there's this binder that everybody is trying to get their hands on. Another murder and way more characters than I am able to keep track of. 

Maybe I started the movie when I was just too tired. Maybe I'm growing tired of the series, but the charm factor was gone. About an hour into the film I shut it off and went to bed. 

More awake after work, I watched the end. Guess what? Detective stories are way more entertaining when you have enough brainpower to actually follow the story. The characters and format are basically identical to the first three movies, but here are my observations: 

A 20 year old Donna Reed was basically forgettable in the second role of her career. Asta again provided comic relief. The joke here being that he was afraid of everything. To illustrate the point there were sequences of sped up film of Asta running and hiding. Funny stuff. The cops are incompetent, of course. 

Maybe I will watch it again. I really enjoyed the last twenty or so minutes. I have a busy weekend, we'll see. I'm curious to see the mystery when you know who the murderer is. And it'll be nice to see it while awake. AMRU 3.5.

Another Thin Man (1939)

Nick and Nora are back with all of the booze and sarcasm intact. This time the executor of Nora's estate is convinced someone is out to kill him. Well, guess what ...

Anyhow, with the loving encouragement of Nora, Nick is on the case. Is the murderer Phil Church, who the victim suspected? One of his accomplices? The adopted daughter or her nere-do-well fiance? The Charles' nanny (they have a baby now, you know)? The housekeeper? Lots of suspects and like the previous two, you are kept guessing.

Not much to say without spoiling the story. Shemp Howard had a small, uncredited role as a thug. The nanny was from Providence, RI. The actor who played the Charles' baby died at age 35. This was his only acting role. I saw about two thirds of the movie before my player in my bedroom stopped reading the disk. I finished off the film in the living room in the morning. Part of one chapter was skipped because of damage. The disk didn't look in too bad compared to some I get from the library.

I love the police work in these old movies. I know this is before the Miranda law, but come on. They shoot at every opportunity, contaminate every crime scene, allow witnesses to walk away without questioning them. Best thing I can say is I didn't notice them drinking while on duty.

The mystery was mysterious. The dialog was sharp and witty. Loy is still hot. The liquor still flowed. I noticed that the Thin Man movies have decreasing IMDB ratings, but I was not disappointed. The first is still my favorite, but this may be better than the second. AMRU 3.5.

After the Thin Man (1936)

This is the first sequel to The Thin Man (1934). Nick and Nora return home to San Francisco to find trouble in her family, and in need of a good detective. The husband of Nora's cousin has disappeared and once again she urges Nick to take up the case. Nick is irreverent and urbane once again, and Nora is charming and witty once more.

First off, the Thin Man from the first movie was the murder victim, not good 'ol Nick, though the description does fit. Here we are talking about stuff AFTER the Thin Man case. I'm curious at what point did Powell become his title character.

One odd scene has to do with their dog, Asta. Asta is also returning home. Here we meet Mrs. Asta. And, she has puppies! Lots of them. If this wasn't enough of a shock for poor Asta, one of them (gasp!) is ... BLACK! It was that damn black terrier! Ya let one in the neighborhood ...

Hollywood racism? I can't tell. I'm a baloney sandwich on white with mayo, myself. But it makes you think. And feel sorry for Asta. Everything is resolved for the humans in the story, but with poor Asta's marital troubles, we are left hanging.

Did I mention that a young Jimmy Stewart is in the film? I saw him in a slightly later movie I haven't written on yet. Even though he was pushing 30 he could have played a teen. Not quite ready for leading man status.

Sequels almost never live up to the original. In this case, it has less to do with what we see onscreen and more with the fact that we already know what Nick and Nora are all about. The script is funny, the story surprisingly complex, and the chemistry is still there. But I suppose nothing could live up to the original.

This was a nice, funny movie I may see again. AMRU 3.5.

The Thin Man (1934)

Myrna Loy, William Powell, Maureen O'Sullivan, and a very young Cesar Romero (Ya know, the Joker ...)

I knew of this film, but little about it. Witty, urbane, this movie was quite a surprise. Recently married Nick and Nora Charles stumble upon a mystery when visiting New York. Nick was a  detective prior to meeting Nora, so she urges him to help. She thinks it'll be fun. And fun it was.

A commenter on IMDb called it the booziest movie in Hollywood, and they may be right. Like how some old movies feature a ton of smoking (Maltese Falcon, anybody?), this was a non-stop drink-fest. Not just the main characters, but many of the background characters as well. It makes me thirsty just thinking about it.

But the success to this film lies in the great dialog (Nick: I'm a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune. Nora: I read where you were shot 5 times in the tabloids. Nick: It's not true. He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids) and the chemistry between Powell and Loy. So fun and charming they were on screen together, it spawned five sequels. I can't wait to see the rest!

I give it 4.5 AMRU's!