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.

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.

Dark Victory (1939)

Released in 1939, Dark Victory is a Warner Bros. film starring Bette Davis, George Brent and Geraldine Fitzgerald. I had seen the movie before, years ago, and remembered that it had impressed me, so I was curious to find out if I would still find it as wonderful as I had then.

Well, let me just say, I was glued to the TV and cried like a baby. I was not disappointed.  



Bette Davis stars as Judith Traherne, a young, carefree Long Island socialite with a wild streak and an indulgent lifestyle. 

Judy has been feeling poorly for a while now - headaches, dizzy spells, double vision - but she stubbornly refuses to seek help.  A scare while racing her horse and a tumble down the stairs lead Judy's friend Ann (Geraldine Fitzgerald) to call the family doctor, Parsons (Henry Travers).

Judith is uncooperative, refusing to admit that there is anything the matter with her. Still, Dr. Parsons is worried and feels that she requires a specialist.  He visits fellow colleague Dr. Frederick Steele (George Brent), a brain surgeon who has just closed his practice so he can move to Vermont and devote his time to brain cell research.  Dr. Steele is reluctant to meet the patient, but Dr. Parsons' obvious concern finally convinces him to see her.

Judy is cavalier, even rude, during her meeting with Dr. Steele, responding to his questions with answers intended to shock.  But Steele isn't fooled - he can see that she is scared and it's this fear that is driving her to pretend everything is fine.  He calls her out on it and his directness helps her accept that she is ill and needs help.

"I'm accustomed to a reasonable quantity of tobacco and alcohol..."

Judy is tested thoroughly and the results are not good: she has a malignant brain tumor, just as Steele had suspected.  She agrees to surgery to remove the tumor and puts on a brave face.  Steele performs the surgery and, although Judy survives the procedure, it is not a true success.

The doctors were unable to remove all of the tumor and it will grow back over time. A second surgery is impossible. Judy  has only months to live.  

Dark Victory is filled with emotion - tragic, hopeful and quietly powerful. Many of its most potent and poignant moments can be attributed to a single expression - Davis could say more with one look than many actors could with a hundred words.  

Davis' role as Judith Traherne was her own personal favorite and garnered a nomination for a Best Actress Oscar, but she and the film were up against tough competition that year and the award instead went to Vivien Leigh for her role as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind.  The film was nominated for Best Picture (but lost to Gone With the Wind) and the score, which was composed by Max Steiner, also received an Oscar nod.  In fact, Steiner received two nominations that year for Best Original Score, one for Dark Victory and the other for Gone With the Wind, but the award went to Herbert Stothart for The Wizard of Oz.

Overall, the supporting cast is good.  George Brent’s Dr. Steele is self-possessed and kind, the perfect steadying influence on Judy.  I was particularly touched by his performance during the scene where he explains his reasons to Ann for keeping Judy’s prognosis from her.  It was evident even then that he had already fallen in love with Judy.  I was surprised to discover that Brent appeared in many films - thirteen of them - with Bette Davis.  I remember him best for his role in The Spiral Staircase.

I loved Geraldine Fitzgerald in this film  – her performance as loyal, caring Ann is fantastic.  She embodies the ideal friend. It was a real treat for me to see Fitzgerald once again as a young woman - I am a rabid fan of The Golden Girls, so I see her two performances in that show as an elderly woman often.  She was a wonderful actress all throughout her career.  In fact, her role as Anna in the Mother's Day episode of The Golden Girls earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series.  (I adore that episode!)

Henry Travers has a small role as Dr. Parsons and he is solid, as usual.  Humphrey Bogart's part as Irish stablemaster Michael O'Leary seemed unnecessary to me.  I don't know if it was just the role or if it was Bogart's performance, but I felt the film would have been better without his role.  (And I'm a Bogie fan, so that's saying something.)  Another notable part was that of Alex, one of Judy's society pals, played by a very young Ronald Reagan.  The role was one of his earliest and one he apparently hated.

So, I guess all I can say is: if you like Bette Davis (and crying your eyes out), watch this movie!  It is, simply put, beautiful.

Roberta (1935)

I'm a big Ginger Rogers fan, so it's surprising me to that this was the first time I had seen Roberta (1935).  Irene Dunne gets top billing for this film, so it isn't a true Rogers/Astaire musical, but it should have been, considering that the two of them contribute the best parts of the film.

The first scene opens on a ship headed for Paris.  John Kent (Randolph Scott), a former college football hero, is traveling there with his good friend Huck Haines (Fred Astaire), a bandleader who has booked a gig in the city for his dance band, the Wabash Indianians.

Unfortunately, when their client (an excitable club owner played by Luis Alberni) discovers that they're a dance band - not a band of American Indians - he fires them immediately, despite their attempt at changing his mind with a fun, creative performance in which Huck plays the "organ".

Randolph Scott as John and Fred Astaire as Huck

Astaire et al performing The Pipe Organ Number

Now in Paris with no job, the group has nowhere to stay and no idea what to do next, until John reveals that his aunt Minnie (played by the fabulous Helen Westley) lives in Paris - and happens to be the famous, wealthy dressmaker "Roberta".  He thinks maybe she can help the band land a gig, so he pays her a visit at her dress shop.

Helen Westley as Aunt Minnie

There John meets Aunt Minnie's assistant Stephanie (Irene Dunne).  He is instantly charmed by her and she seems to think he's pretty adorable, too.

Irene Dunne as Stephanie

While John is talking with his aunt, he meets Countess Scharwenka (Ginger Rogers), a fiery Polish nightclub entertainer who has taken Paris by storm.  Wanting to impress John, she tells him she can get his friend's band a job at her nightclub - assuming they're good - so, since Huck and the Indianians happen to be at Roberta's, he forces her to hear them play right then.

Huck and the Wabash Indianians perform Let's Begin

To Countess Sharwenka's dismay, she discovers that John's friend the bandleader just so happens to be an old boyfriend of hers - and the one person in Paris who knows her true identity: not as a Polish Countess, but as Lizzie Gatz, a small town girl from Indiana.

Lizzie convinces Huck to keep her identity a secret in exchange for a gig for his band at the nightclub where she performs.  (She manages to get it for him, too - even though her boss is the same nightclub owner that fired the band when they first arrived in Paris.)

Lizzie and Huck renew their friendship and reminisce about old times.

Then Lizzie, as Countess Scharwenka (Polish accent and moxie galore) performs I'll Be Hard to Handle, my favorite song of the film:

A wonderful dance number follows:

Meanwhile, John grows more and more interested in Stephanie, but he hasn't quite gotten over Sophie (played by gorgeous Claire Dodd), a girl who just recently dumped him because she felt he wasn't sophisticated enough for her.  Huck thinks that Sophie is a self-involved snob and John is probably better off without her, anyway.

Things seem to be going swimmingly...and then Aunt Minnie suddenly passes away.  Everyone knows Minnie intended to leave the shop to Stephanie (who, we find out, has secretly been the shop's head designer all along), but because she didn't leave a will, the shop goes to her next of kin, John.  John has no interest in running the shop by himself, so he and Stephanie agree to a partnership.  All the while their attraction continues to grow.

Unfortunately, Sophie learns about John's inheritance in a recently published newspaper article and decides she wants her old country bumpkin boyfriend after all, so she heads to Paris intent on winning him back.

What little plot that follows is mostly uninspired and contrived, with only the Rogers/Astaire song-and-dance scenes to save the film.  Ginger Rogers looks positively gorgeous in every scene and she is hands-down my favorite part of the movie.

Rogers and Astaire sing one of my favorite duets of all time, I Won't Dance, followed by a fantastic tap solo performed by Astaire.

Irene Dunne, who is usually so smart and funny and striking on screen, is dreadfully boring in this film. Anyone would have been with the lackluster lines she was given.

I did enjoy listening to Dunne sing - she performed four solos in the film, all beautiful ballads, and three of them were written by genius composer Jerome Kern: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Yesterdays and Lovely to Look At.

Irene Dunne performing Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

The song and dance numbers were definitely the best scenes of the movie, but another highlight for me was the fashion.  There are a TON of glamorous dresses in this movie, so that was fun to watch, especially then-unknown Lucille Ball in a non-speaking role as one of the fashion models.

Overall, Roberta is a cute movie.  Lots of laughs (courtesy of Rogers and Astaire), musical numbers and beautiful gowns kept me entertained, but the silly plot kept getting in the way.

Rogers and Astaire make it worth a watch, though!