Princess Yang Kwei-Fei (1955)

Machiko Kyō and Masayuki Mori star in the stunning historical drama, Princess Yang Kwei-Fei (1955), available for streaming on Filmstruck.

This is a Japanese film based on the beautiful poem "The Song of Everlasting Regret", written by Bai Juyi, which details the relationship between Emperor Xuanzong (Masayuki Mori) and serving girl Yuahan Kwei-Fei (Machiko Kyō) during the Tang Dynasty (6th century). 

The emperor - still mourning the loss of his beloved wife - has become neglectful of his duties, which causes much concern with his ministers. In an effort to make him forget his sorrow, the ministers begin a search for a shiny new concubine whom they hope will prove just the thing to set him straight.

In their search they discover a serving girl who just happens to be the spitting image of the emperor's late wife, so she is immediately dolled up and presented to the emperor. At first he is uninterested and a bit peeved at such an obvious manipulation, but as time passes he comes to care for her and before long the two are in love. As the story unfolds their happiness is threatened by political upheaval, corruption and misguided loyalties, which ultimately lead to tragedy.

Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi and co-produced by Japan's Daiei Film and Hong Kong's Shaw & Sons, Princess Yang Kwei-Fei was released in 1955. This is one of Mizoguchi's final films (followed only by Street of Shame in 1956) and is one of just two films he shot in color. The film is gorgeous in every way and the period costumes and decor of the time especially benefit from the director's choice to film in color. 

Both Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō were prolific actors during the 1950's and the two had starred together in another Mizoguchi film two years earlier, the fantastically unsettling drama/ghost story Ugetsu (1953). Their performances in Princess Yang Kwei-Fei are understated yet incredibly moving. 

Also among the talented cast are Mizoguchi favorite Eitarô Shindô, along with Sô Yamamura and Haruko Sugimura, who appeared in many of Yasujirō Ozu's films. 


(By the way, if you're interested in reading the poem on which the film is based, you can find one translation here.)

Lady of the Night (1925)

I just happened to turn the channel to TCM last Sunday evening and I'm so glad I did because I was able to catch Lady of the Night, which aired as part of their regular Silent Sunday Nights feature.

Released by MGM in 1925, the film stars Norma Shearer in a dual good girl/bad girl role. The first few minutes of the film introduce us to "bad girl" Molly Helmer who is born into a poor family with a convict for a father. Coincidentally, the judge who sends Molly's father to prison (Judge Banning played by Fred Esmelton) becomes a father at the exact same time when his wife gives birth to "good girl" Florence.

Fast forward eighteen years and the two little girls have grown into two young ladies: Molly is just leaving reform school at the same time Florence graduates from a ritzy private school. Florence has a lovely house and well-to-do father waiting for her, but Molly must take care of herself, so she takes a job as a taxi dancer at a local dance hall.

One night at the dance hall, Molly is harassed by an aggressive dance partner and her boyfriend, Chunky (George K. Arthur) attempts to defend her honor, but he is knocked down to the floor. Chunky's friend David Page (Malcolm McGregor) quickly steps in and saves the day, earning Molly's admiration in the process.

It doesn't take long for Molly to fall for David, and although he remains oblivious to her feelings, Chunky is very much aware of the situation and all he can do is sit back and watch his ladylove pine for another. The three spend quite a lot of time together and we learn that David is an inventor who has just put the finishing touches on a device that can unlock any safe. Chunky suggests David sell his invention to a criminal gang he knows, but Molly urges him to sell the device to a bank instead.

David does as Molly suggests and meets with a group of bank directors, one of whom is Judge Banning, Florence's father. In fact, the meeting takes place at the judge's home and at the conclusion of the meeting, David bumps into Florence on his way out. The two are instantly smitten with each other. From there we must wait and see how this mess of a love triangle (quadrangle, really) will play out...

Norma Shearer is a delight as Molly Helmer, the bad girl with a heart of gold. The role really suited her well. Florence's character was a bit colorless by comparison - a good girl with a heart of gold isn't nearly as interesting as a bad girl with a heart of gold! Seeing Shearer as a vamp with dark hair, dark makeup, painted-on beauty marks and a giant plumed headpiece was a lot of fun to watch.

Malcolm McGregor makes a handsome David (even though he is somewhat dense in his ignorance of Molly's very obvious feelings) and I enjoyed George K. Arthur in the role of Chunky Dunn. Chunky is loyal and sweet and you just feel so bad for him! 

Lady of the Night was Joan Crawford's first movie appearance and if it weren't for Ben Mankiewicz's intro at the beginning of the film I would never have known she was in it. She acted as Norma Shearer's body double - the "other Norma" whenever Molly and Florence are in a scene together - so we never see her face, just the back of her head a handful of times!

Overall I really liked Lady of the Night and found it to be surprisingly moving, especially considering the film is only about an hour long. I look forward to revisiting this one soon. 

In This Our Life (1942)

Released in 1942 by Warner Bros. and directed by John Huston, In This Our Life is a drama adapted from the novel of the same title written by Ellen Glasgow. The film stars Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland as sisters - Stanley and Roy respectively - two very different women born to the wealthy Timberlake family of Richmond, Virginia.

We learn at the onset that the sisters' father, Asa (Frank Craven) has just lost his portion of a successful tobacco company to his wife, Lavinia's (Billie Burke) brother, William (Charles Coburn).

Roy is married to Dr. Peter Kingsmill (Dennis Morgan) and runs a successful operation as an interior decorator, while Stanley is just days away from marrying her fiance, Craig (played by George Brent).

The evening before her wedding Stanley runs off with Peter and it becomes apparent to everyone that they've been having an affair for some time now. Roy is devastated, but her hurt quickly turns to anger and she vows to move on with her life. She divorces Peter and he and Stanley marry and move to Baltimore soon after.

Stanley's betrayal forms a sort of bond between Roy and Craig and the two become friends then, over time, their friendship turns into romantic love.

Of course, while things are starting to look up for Roy, Stanley's situation has grown progressively worse. Her wild nature and Peter's hard drinking have resulted in an unhappy marriage and soon word reaches the Timberlake clan that Peter has killed himself, which means Stanley is moving back to Richmond...



Bette Davis initially pursued the role of Roy, but was forced to take the role of Stanley instead. She felt she was too old for the role and was dissatisfied with the script and the film, which she thought was a watered-down version of a powerful and moving novel that shed light on racial injustice.

I haven't read the novel, so perhaps my opinion of the movie would be different if I had, but I enjoyed the film and found it to be an entertaining diversion. Bette Davis is always interesting, even if I do think she was miscast - I had no problem with her age, but I didn't find her entirely believable as a femme fatale.

Olivia de Havilland is lovely, as usual. She had the "woman of quiet dignity" part down pat, didn't she? The role of the "good sister" suits her well in the film and she looks absolutely gorgeous.

Charles Coburn is sufficiently creepy as the sisters' uncle who has an unnatural interest in niece Stanley. George Brent and Dennis Morgan are nice additions to the film, though there isn't a lot of dialogue for either of them, which I found disappointing. It was interesting to see Morgan in an unflattering role as a cheating husband.

The film also features Hattie McDaniel as Minerva Clay, Parry's mother and the Timberlakes' maid. Unfortunately, it's a very small role for her. (I was also disappointed with Billie Burke's very boring role as the sickly mother.)

In an effort to avoid spoiler alerts, I won't go into specifics, but I will say that I really enjoyed Ernest Anderson's portrayal of Parry Clay, a young African American man who aspires to become a lawyer. It was so refreshing to see a film from this time period portray a person of color in a positive and realistic light. Anderson won the 1942 National Board of Review award for Best Actor for his performance.

Overall I enjoyed In This Our Life and found it to be a solid drama with a fine cast. An extra ten minutes might have helped to flesh out the characters a bit and I think the film would have been more powerful if we had been given more time to truly understand and care about the characters and what happens to them.

First a Girl (1935)

Once you get past the improbability that anyone could fail to notice Jessie Matthews's obvious...female charms,
First a Girl is an enjoyable and entertaining British musical comedy.

Matthews stars as Elizabeth, a big city delivery girl who dreams of being a stage actress. One day while out on a delivery she meets Victor (Sonnie Hale), a female impersonator who longs to be a serious Shakespearean actor. Elizabeth soon finds herself out of a job, then Victor comes down with a bad cold and as he is unable to perform, he enlists Elizabeth to stand in for him (naturally).

Dressed in a gaudy gown, she impersonates a man impersonating a woman singing and dancing in a truly disastrous performance. Despite this, the audience loves her and seems to think the mishaps are all part of the show. Victor, seeing an opportunity here, urges her to take on the job full time, while he acts as her manager.

Mix in love interests and a suspicious reporter and soon we're wondering how Elizabeth and Victor will ever be able to fix the mess they're in (and get their happily-ever-after!)...

Released in 1935 by Gaumont British Pictures, First a Girl was one of many films directed by Victor Saville and starring Jessie Matthews. (Evergreen was another of their hugely popular films, released the year before in 1934.)

The dance sequences were especially entertaining for me, particularly the scene in the beginning of the film which has Elizabeth (in her delivery uniform) dancing to a South American tune, which is absolutely adorable. Jessie Matthews is always fun to watch, even though (in my opinion) she is a somewhat awkward dancer. She seems to be "all limbs" at times, especially when compared with other female musical film stars of the thirties like Eleanor Powell.

Matthews's singing in the film is lovely as always, though! The film features many wonderful songs written by Al Goodhart, Al Hoffman and Maurice Sigler, including "Say the Word and It's Yours", "It's Written All Over Your Face", and "Everything's in Rhythm with My Heart".

Anna Lee and Griffith Jones are also in the film. Lee plays Princess Miranoff, a spoiled, rich woman who seems willing and able to do just about anything if it will bring her some amusement, and Jones plays the understandably confused Robert, who is disturbed to discover that the female he finds so attractive is in fact a female impersonator. I found both of their performances very enjoyable.

"Darling, getting engaged is like being vaccinated...
sometimes it takes and sometimes it doesn't."

Other highlights include the Busby Berkeley-esque scene featuring a chorus of female dancers sporting striped, sequined costumes that create a kaleidoscopic effect against the mirrored floor and shots of the gorgeous beach resort in Nice.

Of course, the scene wherein Elizabeth, in an attempt to keep up her charade as a man, drinks hard liquor and smokes cigars like a seasoned pro. Jessie Matthews in a tuxedo is just too cute.

I highly recommend this film, especially if you like films from the thirties. This is one of the best British musicals ever made (better than Evergreen, in my opinion) and there is a lot to enjoy here.

Tippi: A Memoir by Tippi Hedren

Alfred Hitchcock is known mainly for his impressive catalog of films (including Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo, and my personal favorite, Shadow of a Doubt), but anyone with even a mild interest in the director is likely familiar with the term "Hitchcock Blonde"...and just how questionable (often-times indecent) his behavior really was behind the scenes.

Tippi Hedren was, of course, one of those "Hitchcock blondes" and as I am a big fan of her and her work both as an actress and as a wildlife advocate, I knew I wanted to read her story in her own words.

Tippi: A Memoir was published in November 2016 by William Morrow and Company. The book begins with Hedren's childhood experiences growing up in Minnesota in the 30's and early 40's and how those experiences helped to shape her.

Her modeling career began in 1945 when, after school one day during her sophomore year of high school, she was approached by a woman from Donaldson's Department Store who expressed an interest in hiring Tippi to model in their Saturday fashion shows.

Her stint with Donaldson's came to an abrupt end when her father announced the entire family would be moving to Southern California (with the hope that the milder weather would improve his poor health). Teenaged Tippi was understandably devastated, but as she had no choice in the matter, she and the family headed out west to Los Angeles.

Two years later in 1947, Tippi graduated from Huntington Park High School. A few years later, after a brief stint at college, she found she still had the modeling bug, so she sent her portfolio to Ford Modeling Agency and shortly after, in 1950, the agency sent their new model out to New York.

During the next ten years, she married (then later divorced) Peter Griffith, gave birth to their daughter, Melanie, and moved back to L.A. in the wake of her broken marriage. Upon her return to Los Angeles, she took the odd modeling job, including an appearance in a television commercial advertising a meal replacement shake named Sego. This commercial was seen by Alfred Hitchcock and thus began her meteoric rise to fame...

At 355 pages (with large font size) Tippi: A Memoir is not a lengthy book, but it is an interesting read. She details some of the ups and downs of her three marriages (nearly four), as well as her relationship with her daughter, which clearly is the most important relationship of her entire life. She describes Melanie as the greatest love of her life and the best thing that ever happened to her. 

The book does mention Hedren's complicated (and often horrible) dealings with Hitchcock, but she does not go into great detail (obviously thinking about that time of her life could not have been a pleasant experience). She mentions that there were many positive moments and experiences with filming The Birds and Marnie and I think the chapters pertaining to those films would have been more detailed had Hitchcock's obsession with her not cast such a pall over it all.

A large portion of the book is dedicated to the events leading up to and including the making of the film Roar. In 1969, Hedren traveled to South Africa to film a movie and there she had her first experience with lions. From then on she and her husband at the time, Noel Marshall, became absolutely obsessed with big cats and the idea of making a film about them, which took them nearly eleven years to complete. 

I really enjoyed this section of the book (even though I haven't seen Roar) and I was amazed at Tippi Hedren's dedication, passion and resolve throughout this time of her life. The film was not easy to make, with injuries, money troubles and a failing marriage, but she never gave up. She seemed most driven by her desire to use the film to raise awareness for the preservation of wildlife and to ensure that she'd be able to keep and care for the big cats (and a variety of other animals) that she'd adopted during those eleven years. (I was more tickled than I probably should have been to read that I share a name with a tigon cub named Noelle and I learned that a tigon is different from a liger. A tigon is the offspring of a male tiger and a female lion, and a liger is the offspring of a female tiger and a male lion.)

As an animal lover myself, I was touched by the respect and love she developed for big cats (all animals, really) and that those feelings led her to become an advocate for animal rights. She formed a non-profit organization called The Roar Foundation, which supports Shambala Preserve, her wildlife sanctuary (which was initially the "set" for the film). Shambala, located in Acton, California, is open to the public one weekend each month (by reservation) and I would love to visit someday.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and Hedren's way with words. She tells her story in a succinct, friendly and humorous way. Even with everything she went through over the years, she strikes me as a generous and kind person and after reading her memoir I have even greater respect for her. I think my only complaint is that I wish the book had included more photos of the animals! 

The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927)

I'm a relative latecomer to silent movies. I really only began watching silents a few years ago and, of course, I started with the biggies: Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, etc.

Recently I've begun to explore a wider variety of silent movies, and since I usually enjoy Ernst Lubitsch's films, I figured I'd give The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg a whirl.

Released by MGM in 1927, this romantic drama primarily takes place in the early 1900s and tells the story of young Crown Prince Karl Heinrich (Ramon Novarro), heir to the Kingdom of Karlsburg, currently under the rule of his uncle, King Karl VII (Gustav von Seyffertitz).

He is sent to live with his uncle as a young boy and he is forbidden to play with children his own age (presumably due to the class-difference). He's isolated and lonely until the arrival of Dr. Friedrich Jüttner, a kind, mild-mannered gentleman hired on as the boy's tutor.

Dr. Jüttner is Karl Heinrich's only companion throughout the years and he helps him with his studies, from boyhood all the way through to his final high school exam. Shortly after graduation, Karl Heinrich's uncle arranges for him to continue his education at Heidelberg University located in Heidelberg, a town near Frankfurt which is also home to Heidelberger Schloss (Heidelberg Castle, a gorgeous Gothic structure built sometime before the 12th century). 

Karl Heinrich arrives at a roadside inn run by the family of Ruder: Old Ruder (Otis Harlan) and his niece, Kathi (Norma Shearer).  Karl Heinrich's personal servant inspects the rooms and objects, stating the establishment isn't good enough for the prince. This insult will not stand with Kathi and she launches into a passionate defense of the inn and of the rooms, which she herself situated.

Karl Heinrich is instantly infatuated with her and he promptly agrees to stay. Not long after he meets some of Heidelberg University's students when they gather for a pint of beer (or, more accurately, several) at the inn. He receives an enthusiastic welcome and becomes fast friends with the other young men.

It doesn't take him long to settle into his new life with his new friends...and with Kathi, whom he grows to love very seriously. 

Of course, it isn't long before his "real world" duty rears its ugly head...

---

Evidently Ernst Lubitsch was not the first choice to make The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, and by the time he was brought on as producer/director, the studio had settled on Ramon Novarro and Norma Shearer as the romantic leads. Lubitsch was apparently unhappy with these casting choices, but I liked their performances, particularly Novarro's. Clearly he is a very good looking man, but he also brings a boyish charm and enthusiasm to the role of Karl Heinrich that I found appealing (although some viewers will likely find his enthusiasm a bit too enthusiastic). 

Norma Shearer is lovely as Kathi. I enjoyed the character's moxie. She's good-humored and hardworking, but she isn't a pushover or a simpering idiot, even after she learns that Karl Heinrich is a prince.

I really enjoyed the shots of the castle (which look to me to be genuine footage of Heidelberg Castle, but I could be wrong) and this led to extensive reading on the history of the castle and of the college-town. Heidelberg University is Germany's oldest university, founded in 1386, and I really wish the film had included actual footage of the school. (Lubitsch apparently sent a team to Heidelberg to shoot location footage for the movie, but none of it made it into the final cut for reasons unknown to me!)

The film has many lovely scenes, both in look and in material, but the story is more sentimental and traditional than I expected, without much of the "Lubitsch Touch" but I still enjoyed it and would recommend the movie to anyone interested in silents (or Ramon Novarro 😍). I would love to see the film restored; the copy I watched was quite grainy and it would be great to re-watch it with a sharper, clearer look.

Shanghai Express (1932)

I've been a classic film fan all my life, but it's only in the last few years that I began to develop an appreciation for Marlene Dietrich. I never disliked her. It was more that I couldn't see what the fuss was all about.

Then I saw her in A Foreign Affair and I was blown away by her performance. She is glamorous and just plain sexy. Since then I've made a concerted effort to see as many of her films as I can get my hands on, so when I saw Shanghai Express was airing this month on TCM I set that bad boy to record straightaway.

Released in 1932 by Paramount Pictures, the film stars Dietrich as Shanghai Lily, a notorious courtesan of sorts who books passage on the express train from Beiping to Shanghai accompanied by a fellow "fallen woman" named Hui Fei (played by Anna May Wong).

Also aboard the train is Captain Donald "Doc" Harvey (Clive Brook), a British Army doctor with whom Lily was romantically involved some years earlier. Their relationship ended badly, though we discover that both are still very much in love with each other.


We're introduced to a motley crew of passengers: Mrs. Haggerty (Louise Closser Hale), a prim and proper boarding house proprietor; Mr. Carmichael (Lawrence Grant), an English Christian missionary; Sam Salt (Eugene Pallette), a crass American gambler; Eric Baum (Gustav von Seyffertitz), a German opium "supplier"; and the inscrutable Henry Chang played by Warner Oland.

Everyone on board knows who Shanghai Lily is...except for Doc Harvey. Imagine his surprise when he first lays eyes on the famous "fancy woman" he's heard so much about only to discover that she's actually Magdalen, his former flame whom he hasn't seen in five years. The two reconcile...and then China's civil war intervenes, leading the couple and their fellow passengers into a dangerous situation.

Will the train reach Shanghai? Will Magdalen and Doc get their happily-ever-after?

The role of Shanghai Lily was perfect for Marlene Dietrich. She is strong and sensual, yet vulnerable and she manages to convey this without a lot of dialogue. I enjoyed her chemistry with Clive Brook quite a bit. Their characters both feel betrayed by the other and they have very different ways of expressing those feelings. Lily's wry humor pairs well with Doc's quiet dignity. (I've made a note to see more Clive Brook films.)

Anna May Wong is interesting to watch, as usual, but there isn't much to her role. I wanted more screen time for Wong and I think a bit of back story for her character, Hui Fei could have made her actions later in the film even more powerful.

Shanghai Express was the fourth of seven films Dietrich made with director Josef von Sternberg, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Director.

Fury (1936)

Spencer Tracy is an icon for a reason. His film career spanned over four decades and in that time he portrayed every type of character imaginable: priest, fisherman, politician, father, newspaper man, lawyer...and, perhaps most beloved, male lead opposite Katharine Hepburn in a string of fantastic comedies.

In Fury, Tracy stars as Joe Wilson, a decent, hardworking young man of modest means living in Chicago. He and his fiancee, Katherine (Sylvia Sidney), haven't enough money to marry straightaway, so Katherine takes a better-paying job on the west coast while Joe remains in Chicago.

Months pass and finally their hard work pays off. Joe and his two brothers, Tom (George Walcott) and Charlie (Frank Albertson), purchase a gas station which the three will operate together.

Ecstatic that he's finally reached his goal, Joe hits the road to meet Katherine and bring her home. On the way there he drives through a small town where he is apprehended by the local police and brought into the police station for questioning. Apparently there has been a recent local kidnapping and the police and townspeople are eager to find the culprit and save the abducted young woman.

Of course, Joe had nothing to do with the kidnapping, but circumstantial evidence and being in the wrong place at the wrong time lead to his arrest. He maintains his innocence throughout the interrogation, but since he's the only viable suspect the police have they hold him in a jail cell while the investigation continues.

Word gets out that the police have a suspect in custody and the news quickly spreads through town, losing accuracy with each re-telling. Add booze and a loudmouthed rabble-rouser to the mix and the situation quickly escalates into a mob of angry townspeople gathered outside the police station with lit torches in hand.

A confrontation ensues until, inevitably, the police station is set ablaze...with Joe still locked up inside. Katherine learns of Joe's arrest and arrives just in time to see the horrible scene unfold. She, and everyone else, believes Joe died in that fire.

Of course, not long after, the real kidnapper is apprehended and Joe's name is cleared, but...there's something no one knows. Joe is alive. His brush with death has changed him into an angry, embittered man hungry for revenge.

He meets with his two brothers and persuades them to convince the district attorney (Walter Abel) to take the case to court. In Joe's mind, dead or alive, that mob is guilty of his murder and he won't rest until he sees every last man and woman fry...


Fury is director Fritz Lang's first American film and it's a powerful one, which uses a fictitious story to criticize and condemn anyone who has participated in or supported a real-life lynching. The script is fantastic and I really enjoyed Spencer Tracy's performance. He brings something so raw and so real to his portrayal as poor Joe.

I truly think this is a great movie (despite the cringe-worthy depiction of small-town women as bloodthirsty busybodies, which I'm choosing to overlook) and I have every intention of re-visiting it again someday.

P.S. I LOVE reading original movie reviews and found the New York Times' review of the film quite fascinating!

Romance in Manhattan (1935)

Romance in Manhattan is an absolute treat.  As a big Ginger Rogers fan, I expect to enjoy everything she's in, but this film proved to be so much more than I thought it would be. The story has a lot of heart and I was completely charmed by the characters.

Released by RKO Radio Pictures in 1935, the film stars Frances Lederer as Karel Novak, a Czech immigrant who makes the trip to America with his life savings and the expectation of a chance at a better life.  He's managed to save up the $58 he needs to obtain citizenship, only to find out upon arrival that the price has gone up to $200.  Desperate, he offers to work off the balance owed, but to no avail. He is ordered to return to Czechoslovakia.

Heartbroken, he reluctantly boards the ship, but as he watches New York City grow smaller in the distance he finds it impossible to leave after all he went through to get there, so he jumps ship and swims to shore. He doesn't realize until later that he has lost all of the money he had, leaving him flat-broke and homeless in a strange city.

Enter Ginger Rogers as Sylvia Dennis, a spunky chorus girl who happens upon Karel sneaking food left out for her and her fellow chorus girls outside of their club. She permits him to eat his fill and even offers him money, but he refuses, insisting all he really wants is a job. She offers to speak with her brother to see if he knows of anything available. Her brother, Frank (Jimmy Butler) is only about thirteen years old, but he agrees to share his gig selling newspapers with Karel until he's able to find a better job, and Sylvia provides Karel with blankets so he can sleep on the roof of their building.

Everything is rosy...for a while. From there we see the trio suffer through unemployment and trouble with the law, but nothing is so bad it can't be fixed, right? (Especially in a romantic drama released during the Depression!)

Primarily the story focuses on Karel's journey as an illegal immigrant trying to make it in Depression-era New York City. It's wonderful to see him triumph in spite of the many obstacles in his path. Sylvia's close bond with her precocious little brother is also a delight, as is the expected - but very sweet - love story with Karel.

Jimmy Butler is adorable as Frank. He appeared in several movies from the early thirties through the early forties (including Stella Dallas and Boys Town) before joining the army during World War II. He died in combat on February 18, 1945 - two days before his 24th birthday.

(The film's director, Stephen Roberts, died from a heart attack at age 40 the year after Romance in Manhattan was released. This was his final picture.)

The film also features J. Farrell MacDonald as a no-nonsense, kind-hearted police officer and the wonderful Donald Meek doing what he does best as a nervous judge.

Overall, I found a lot to enjoy in Romance in Manhattan. It's short and sweet with a great script and characters to root for - I highly recommend it. If you love Ginger Rogers and films made in the thirties, this one is a must.