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.
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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