Stanwyck Before the Code

Much has been written about the classic Barbara Stanwyck film "Baby Face" since the newly restored version complete with previously censored footage has been making the rounds of the repertory theaters. Just as entertaining are two other Warner Brothers films featuring a young Stanwyck: "Night Nurse" with Clark Gable as a heavy and Joan Blondell as Stanwyck's roommate, and the women in prison flick "Ladies They Talk About."

All three pre-code dramas play over the next week at the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square, one of my favorite places to see classic films. Don't miss them if you are in the Boston area. Each movie contains the hallmarks and joys of the best of the pre-code films. This review from the Boston Phoenix sums up the appeal and raw emotion of Stanwyck who seemingly is restrained from jumping off the screen at times. Stanwyck had a long career, with success on the small screen as well. But her early work shows what made her such a hit with audiences - there was no one quite like her.

2006 San Francisco Silent Film Festival Preview

"True art transcends time." That's the slogan of the popular San Francisco Silent Film Festival, held annually in July at the Castro Theatre. Though these films predate pre-code, it is always a treat to see them the way they were meant to be seen - in a grand movie house with live music. It is amazing to me that many of these films evoke more true emotion and feeling without saying a word than many of today's cookie-cutter movies. Last year's "The Sideshow" was just such a film, a B-picture in its day, but still powerful, funny, and poignant.

Four of the films on this year's program have been announced:

Frank Borzage's Oscar winner "Seventh Heaven," with Best Actress Janet Gaynor.

Tod Browning directs Lon Chaney in "The Unholy Three," another sideshow tale!

A brand new 35mm print of "Sparrows," with silent film queen Mary Pickford.

"Show People," a satire of Hollywood starring Marion Davies and gay film star William Haines and lots of cameos from other big names of the era.

Five more features will be announced later this spring. The 11th annual festival runs the weekend of July 14th-16th.

The Great Lover

Silent film star John Gilbert was bigger than Valentino at the height of his fame in the '20s. He made four films opposite Greta Garbo, including their first hit "Flesh and the Devil." But the dawn of sound seemed to spell the end of his career. Though legend has it that audiences laughed when they heard his milquetoast voice in the talkies, most agree that arguments with MGM studio head L.B. Mayer helped seal his fate. Though he made a comeback of sorts in 1932's "Downstairs," based on a short story Gilbert wrote, the studio sent him lousy scripts as he was out of favor with Mayer. Sadly, he hit the bottle and died of a massive heart attack in 1936.

Judge for yourself whether Gilbert's voice is cause for amusement in two pre-code films featured on TCM early tomorrow morning (all times Pacific) :

Monday, March 20
4:45 AM
The Phantom of Paris (1931)

A magician is charged with killing his fiancee's father.

6:00 AM
Fast Workers (1933)

Tod Browning ("Freaks") directs Gilbert in his last film under contract with MGM. Also stars Mae Clarke and Robert Armstrong ("King Kong").

She Took the Yellow Ones...

We interrupt this blog to bring you news of a long-awaited DVD releases of two classic films (though they are not classic in a pre-code sense). Yes, the camp classics "Valley of the Dolls" and "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" are finally coming to DVD. Amazon has both films up for pre-order, with a release date of June 13th. It appears they both will be special editions - so we can hope each will be packed with extras (Judy Garland's work on VotD before she was canned from the production, anyone?). Perhaps Patty Duke has been persuaded to participate. She used to disown the film, but in recent years has had a sense of humor about it. I will never forget seeing the wonderful Barbara Parkins in person at the Castro about 7 years ago in a Q&A session before a screening. She said Susan Hayward was "hyper," but had nothing but good things to say about the late Sharon Tate.

As Helen Lawson might say, "Get outta my way - I got a DVD waitin' for me!"

WB Home Video HTF Chat

The folks at the Home Theater Forum recently hosted a chat with Warner Home Video executives regarding upcoming DVD film releases in 2006 and beyond. Many exciting plans were discussed, there was not much news on pre-code titles. This is perhaps explained by the fact that very few of the chat attendees asked specifically about films from that period. What we do know:

* There is the potential for some early Norma Shearer pre-codes to be released, along with a few of her silent films.

* The original camera negative for the 1932 horror film "The Mask of Fu Manchu" has been found and the DVD release (most likely late in 2006) will be the uncensored version.

* The earliest surviving Charlie Chan film, "The Black Camel" (1931), will be released as part of a Chan box set containing the Monogram Films entries in the series.

* June 2006 brings us a Clark Gable Signature Collection, featuring his second film with Joan Crawford, 1933's "Dancing Lady." There will also be more box sets in 2006-2007 devoted to such pre-code stars as Crawford, Jean Harlow, and James Cagney.

* The Lon Chaney Collection, Volume II is on the way, featuring his only talkie, the 1930 version of "The Unholy Three," restored from the original camera negative.

Of course, this does not represent the studio's entire output for 2006-2007, and as always, plans could change.

TCM Archives: Forbidden Hollywood

Though there has been no official announcement, The Digital Bits is reporting news about Warner Home Video's plans to finally start releasing some of its pre-code films on DVD. For months, we have known that the newly restored, unedited "Baby Face" would be sold on DVD once it made its way through the theaters. At one point, it appeared there would be a big box set coming our way in 2006.

Now comes word that Warners will releasing a series of Pre-Code sets under its TCM Archives label. The "Forbidden Hollywood Collection" series will start with a bang with Volume 1 set to feature the aforementioned "Baby Face," along with Jean Harlow in "Red-Headed Woman" and the long unseen "Waterloo Bridge," directed by James Whale. This first collection will also include a new feature-length documentary. No release date has been announced, but it would most likely be in May at the earliest, since Warner Home Video's press releases are just now trumpeting May product.

The previous TCM Archives releases have mostly focused on silent film, but they have received high marks from reviewers. Time Warner owns the rights to some of the most well-known Pre-Code films, so even if they came out with new Forbidden Hollywood volumes every quarter, they would not run out of material for some time. They released at least 20 titles on VHS in the early 90s.

Though this is great news, I am a little disappointed we aren't getting a big box set this year with 10 titles over five discs, etc. But if sales are good for this first volume, surely Warner's will release many more.

Naughty Gems

Pre-code film series continue to pop up on rep schedules around the country. This January and February, Pittsburgh Filmmakers is showing a Sunday night series featuring some of the better-known films of the period, including "Tarzan and His Mate" and "Blonde Venus" (soon to be released on DVD).

And in February in San Francisco, the Mechanics' Institute CinemaLit film series will shine the spotlight on Pre-Code Hollywood on Friday nights. Curator Michael Fox presents "Baby Face" (Feb. 3rd), "Design for Living" (Feb. 10th), "Downstairs" (February 17th, with former Roxie programmer Elliot Lavine as special guest) and "I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang" (Feb. 24th).

Speaking of the Roxie (or should I say, the Roxie Film Center), SF Weekly had a good piece about the changes taking place at the theater in order to the cinema from closing its doors forever.

Glamour Girls Gussy Up for DVD Collections

Good news on the DVD release front: NBC/Universal is finally starting to open their vaults to release some of their classic library of Paramount and Universal films. DVD Times announced the April 4th releases of three two-disc "Glamour Collections" devoted to three of Paramount's biggest female stars: Mae West, Marlene Dietrich, and Carole Lombard.

Here are the lineups:

Mae West:
- Mae's first film, "Night After Night"
- her pre-code classic "I'm No Angel," arguably her best movie.
- "Goin' to Town"
- "Go West Young Man" with Cary Grant's roommate Randolph Scott
- and Universal's "My Little Chickadee" with W.C. Fields (which also appears on the "W.C. Fields Comedy Collection").

Marlene Dietrich:
- 1930's "Morocco," her first American film which paired her with a very young Gary Cooper.
- Another Josef von Sternberg pre-code collaboration, "Blonde Venus."
- "The Devil Is a Woman," with pre-code favorites Alison Skipworth and Edward Everett Horton.
- Universal's "The Flame of New Orleans," a period comedy-drama in which director Rene Clair sends up Dietrich's scandalous persona.
- and Mitchell Leisen's WWII romance "Golden Earrings."

Perhaps most exciting to me is the Carole Lombard set, since many of these titles are rarely seen anymore:

- 1931's "Man of the World" - Carole would end up marrying her co-star William Powell.
- Pre-code musical "We're Not Dressing," with Bing Crosby and Ethel Merman.
- Three screwball comedies opposite Fred MacMurray, "True Confession," "The Princess Comes Across" and Mitchell Leisen's "Hands Across the Table."
- The 1936 Universal release "Love Before Breakfast"

The only extras are a few original trailers, but it's nice to see Universal give these ladies their due on DVD. MSRP for each set is $26.98, a bargain for five (or in the case of Carole, six) films. Let's hope this means Universal will open the floodgates this year and follow with more classics.

Happy New Year!

Just a quick note before raising a glass of champagne to 2006: Ben Ohmart of Bear Manor Media emailed me with the news that Scott O'Brien's "Kay Francis: I Can't Wait to Be Forgotten" ships today! Looking forward to reading that along with my copy of Mick LaSalle's "Complicated Women" I received for Christmas.

Also, in case you missed it earlier in 2005, the Balboa will be running the newly restored "Baby Face" along with another Barbara Stanwyck pre-code classic, "Night Nurse" in early February. Kudos to the Balboa for putting together some wonderful schedules sure to please film buffs in the Bay Area.

Young Loretta Young

TCM is offering quite a few pre-code treats in January, including a bevy of Loretta Young's early films on the anniversary of her birth on Friday, January 6th.

(all times Pacific)

3:00 AM Road To Paradise (1930) Loretta plays a dual role in this early talkie thriller.

4:15 AM Big Business Girl (1931) How far can Loretta and Joan Blondell go in business - on brains alone?

5:30 AM The Right of Way (1931)
A married lawyer with amnesia falls in love with another woman.

6:45 AM Life Begins (1932)
First National/Warner's favorites Aline McMahon and Glenda Farrell add some witty retorts to this drama set in a maternity ward.

8:00 AM Play-Girl (1932)
Early Vitaphone singing sensation Winnie Lightner shares the bill with Loretta in this romantic drama.

9:15 AM Weekend Marriage (1932)
When her husband loses his job, a woman risks her marriage to become the breadwinner.

10:30 AM The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933) One of TCM's January Cult Movie Picks - with Aline McMahon and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

TCM is also showing Young's famous "The Bishop's Wife," while Fox Movie Channel is showing some more Young pre-codes in January: 1933's "The Devil's in Love" and "Born to Be Bad" (1934) with Cary Grant and The Aldrich Family's Jackie Kelk.

Merry Christmas!

It's a White Christmas here in Maine at the parents' house. Not much news on the classic movie front lately, but Amazon has posted the Busby Berkeley box set for preorder. Also, a reminder for those in San Francisco that the Castro Theatre will be showing many Busby films during the holiday week, so enjoy the season!

Happy Holidays and happy movie viewing!

"The Busby Berkeley Collection" DVD Box Set Due in March

As expected, Warner Home Video has officially announced a six-disc "Busby Berkeley Collection" box set dancing your way on 3/21/06. Joining "42nd Street" on DVD and exclusive to the set are the classics "Gold Diggers of 1933," "Footlight Parade," "Dames," and "Gold Diggers of 1935." Each disc is chock full of extras, including new featurettes showcasing the behind the scenes stories of the films themselves, in addition to trailers, radio promos, and vintage cartoons and featurettes from the Warner Brothers library. And the sixth disc? It contains a compilation of 20 Busby Berkeley musical numbers and rarities (nearly three hours of his signature showstoppers), including "The Lady in Red" from 1935's "In Caliente," and the finale from "Gold Diggers of 1937." MSRP is $59.95, but most stores will discount to around $40-$45. Don't miss these restored and remastered dancin' feet!

Busby Berkeley for the Holidays

Some holiday treats are coming soon to The Castro: Busby Berkeley's greatest all-singing, all-dancing extravaganzas. From Dec 26 through the 30th, we'll see his eye-popping choreography in a series of films from Warner Brothers, MGM, United Artists, and Fox.

Schedule highlights include:

The classic backstage musical "42nd Street"

His celebrated pre-code "Gold Diggers" films.

And perhaps the most exciting feature, the rarely seen 20th Century Fox three-strip Technicolor production "The Gang's All Here." Carmen Miranda's "Tutti Frutti Hat" number is a camp classic.

Though Berkeley's larger-than-life production numbers demand to be seen on the big screen, Warner Home Video will be coming out with a Busby DVD box set sometime in 2006. And it also appears Fox will be issuing "The Gang's All Here" on DVD in the near future as they start to mine their library of musicals.

In the meantime, don't forget to buy tickets for another all-singing, all dancing spectacular at the Castro: the SFGMC Home for the Holidays concerts on December 15th and the 24th!

The Notorious Gertrude Michael

One of the lesser known stars of the pre-code era has been featured in six of the films in the Balboa's Paramount series - and once you see Gertrude Michael, you immediately want to know more about her.

I first saw Gertrude Michael in "Search for Beauty" which plays the Balboa November 16th. Her sharp tongue, comic flair and somewhat manic energy make her a standout in the film. I soon discovered she had a long and varied career spanning the stage and screen, even scoring several lead roles while at Paramount in the 1930s. She appeared most often as a hard-edged woman who was not to be tangled with (see "Murder at the Vanities.") Perhaps her best starring role was the title character in "The Notorious Sophie Lang." She plays a glamorous master jewel thief trying to one up a male rival from across the pond. Good pacing, clever dialog, and a touch of risque humor made this comedy a big enough hit to spawn two sequels. "Sophie Lang" was the mystery feature mentioned in my last post, and I have a feeling Gertrude gained a few more fans after the screening. Though bouts with the bottle may have hurt her career, she continued to work into the '60s. A manuscript for a Michael bio exists, so let's hope that it will be published someday to shed some further light on this versatile performer.

Michael also appears in DeMille's "Cleopatra," playing this Saturday at the Balboa and turning up from time to time on TCM.

Billion Dollar Scandal (1933)

I finally got my first look at the Balboa's Sin in Soft Focus series featuring Paramount pre-codes last Monday night. The rainy and foggy weather seemed fitting for the evening's mystery and crime thriller theme.

First up was a very rare 16mm print of 1933's Billion Dollar Scandal. The plot meandered a bit, but it revolved around a lovable ex-con named Fingers Partos (King Kong's Robert Armstrong), who tries to make good by working for an oil baron (Frank Morgan in a sinister role). Said oil baron is up to no good, working with his bigwig government pals in a scheme to take control of America's oil reserves. Partos decides to take on the corruption by testifying his against his boss in Senate hearings. One can't help comparing the drama on screen to the today's reality as Partos says, "What this country needs right now is a few good squealers!" The plot takes quite a few twists and turns, but everything is tied together in the final minutes, though, refreshingly, the ending is not necessarily storybook. Great acting leavens the story, with Sydney Toler (later famous as Charlie Chan), a young Frank Albertson ("Chico and the Man"), and Russian actress Olga Baclanova ("Freaks"). Baclanova authority and local film collector Paul Meienberg did the introductory honors for all three films on Monday. The female lead, lovely Constance Cummings, is one of the few remaining living female stars of the era.

The next film on the marquis was "Guilty as Hell," a macabre 1932 murder mystery with a sense of humor. The audience sees who commits the dastardly deed in the opening moments, but we don't know if he will get away with it. There is some very entertaining banter between the police detective (Victor McLaglen) and the newspaper reporter (Edmund Lowe) at the crime scene. The wonderful Elizabeth Patterson (known to many as Mrs. Trumbull from "I Love Lucy") plays a dotty employee of the murderous Doctor Tindal. There is some inventive camera work from Oscar-winning cinematographer Karl Struss in this surprisingly engrossing crime drama. Problem is, the 16mm print the Balboa obtained was riddled with problems, and after several stops and starts, the theater decided that the remaining 20 minutes of the film could not be shown (just as the mystery was being solved!). Balboa management handled it nicely, though, and offered to schedule a special screening of the film for Monday ticketholders if a better print could be found in the future.

Most of the remaining films in the series are 35mm prints and in better shape than "Guilty as Hell." This series is getting some great press (listen to Mick LaSalle's podcast) and it's worth a trip (or two) to the Balboa. If the attendance is good, maybe they will be persuaded to make it an annual event (like the extremely popular Noir City fest).

More tomorrow on the "special mystery bonus feature" screened Monday night.

TCM Schedule, November 1-12

There's always something to watch on Turner Classic Movies, but here are some pre-code highlights coming your way in the first part of November:

THIRTEEN WOMEN (1932), Sunday, 11/6, 2:00 am - Irene Dunne, Ricardo Cortez, and a pre-Nora Myrna Loy. Atmospheric RKO horror film.

BACK PAY (1930), Saturday, 11/12, 2:00 am - Grant Withers, Corrine Griffith. Directed by the reliable William Seiter, this early talkie melodrama is based on a novel by Fannie Hurst (Imitation of Life, Back Street).

All times Pacific.

Ann Carver's Profession (1933)

As we look forward to another bevy of rare pre-codes at the Balboa, I wanted to add a belated note on "Ann Carver's Profession," a Fay Wray vehicle that played the Castro a couple weeks ago. This Columbia picture about a law school grad (Wray) who marries her college football star boyfriend (Gene Raymond). Ambitious Ann can't stay away from the law, however, and soon gets drafted into taking a high-profile case. When Ann's jaw-dropping courtroom stunt earns a victory in the courtroom, she becomes the toast of the town and a media sensation. Meanwhile, Ann's husband, reluctantly relinquishing breadwinner status to his wife, is forced to bear the shame of appearing as a second rate crooner in a local nightclub. Apparently, this is almost as embarrassing as it was for Mildred Pierce to be (GASP) ... a waitress! When he becomes mixed up in the death of his co-star on the nightclub marquis (a boozy and over-the-top Claire Dodd) , it's up to Ann to save the day by defending her estranged husband.

The film is typical of the genre in spotlighting a career girl rising to the top of a male-dominated profession. But it wants to play it both ways - Ann seems to be punished for her success in that her marriage crumbles as soon as she hits it big. The finale has Ann promising the jury she will give up her career should she succeed in clearing her husband's name. So much for girl power.

Raymond perfected playing the weak, ineffectual male throughout his early films (check out "Red Dust"). Wray is pleasant, if not particularly forceful, in the title role. Check out Wray in her most famous pre-code film, "King Kong," coming soon in an eagerly awaited Warner Home Video special edition DVD loaded with extras.

The Virtues of "Virtue"

Film buffs convened on the Castro Friday night as the Columbia Before the Code series continues. On the double bill: the 1932 comedy/drama "Virtue" and an unusual Depression drama from director Frank Borzage, "Man's Castle."

"Virtue," though typical of the era, sparkles with snappy dialogue from frequent Frank Capra collaborator Robert Riskin. It helps that the film stars two fast-talking actors, Pat O'Brien and the wonderful Carole Lombard, who make the most of his script. Lombard plays Mae, a tough prostitute who the cops try to run out of town. She ignores orders to leave New York City, and while she lies low, she meets another tough but lovable sort, cab driver Jimmy (O'Brien). They fall in love and marry with a promise that her past is behind her. Money troubles and a murder threaten to break up the union half past "just married." Lombard is perfect, adding some trademark vulnerability to her "just one of the guys" act. O'Brien has never been a favorite of mine, but his bluster also fits well in this role. Mayo Methot (third wife of Bogie) is a standout as Mae's heart of gold pal with bad taste in men.

Frank Borzage is not particularly well-known as a director among the general public, but he directed some of the most interesting, socially relevant films of the Depression era. His romantic drama "Man's Castle" is an unusual film in that it deals frankly with issues of class and poverty that were plaguing the country at the time the film was made. Loretta Young (playing the most beautiful homeless person you've ever seen) meets equally down and out Spencer Tracy. He invites her to live with him in a shantytown overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge. The set for this sea of shacks (including a stylized skyline in the background) gives us one of the most interesting shots of the movie. It's charming yet ugly at the same time. Borzage wants us to see the dignity and beauty in the homeless people's lives, but he's not afraid to show us the warts as well. It's hard to like or understand Spencer Tracy's character when he cheats on the devoted Loretta Young, and seems to be threatening violence against her for most of the movie. Young becomes pregnant, and Tracy begrudgingly decides to marry her. But he considers robbing a toy factory to leave her some money before he rides the rails to leave her to single motherhood. After the code, nearly everyone in the film would have to be "punished" for their misdeeds and flaws. Though the film seems disjointed in that it is trying to be too many things at once, it offers a far more realistic picture of the time than the escapist fare about well-to-do people that was drawing audiences in the early 30s.

"The Cocktail Hour" and "Child of Manhattan"

The Castro's "Columbia Before the Code" series got off to a great start last night with a couple of vintage romantic dramas with two very different female stars. "The Cocktail Hour" featured Bebe Daniels as a working girl artist "making $60,000 a year" and enjoying her independence. Her boss, played rather unconvincingly by Cary Grant's then-roommate Randolph Scott, has other ideas - namely that she should get married to him and ditch the career. Bebe goes on a transatlantic cruise to escape his chauvanistic ideas and promptly meets the suave but oily Sydney Blackmer. That's about as forward thinking as this film gets - Bebe's character is seemingly punished as it turns out her new man (Blackmer) is a married cad who ditches her before disembarking. The movie starts out with some clever dialogue and a nicely handled deck chair flirtation scene, but it gets increasingly heavy-handed with its message. Bebe Daniels has an easy charm and confidence, which makes it all the more distressing to see her lose her backbone and beg Randolph Scott for forgiveness at the end. Kudos to the Castro for getting a great print of the film.

"Child of Manhattan" was actually the more shocking of the two. Nancy Carroll plays the part of a naive and fun-loving dance hall girl Madeleine McGonegal. John Boles plays debonaire millionaire Paul Vanderkill, who is leasing part of his estate to the dance hall. The two fall in love after he pays a visit to his tenant. Madeleine and Paul realize they are from two completely different social circles, but they plan to marry. Madeleine then learns she is pregnant, and she is worried that it will appear she trapped Paul into marriage for his money. Abortion is hinted at, but Paul won't hear of it and arranges to get married right away. Shortly after, Madeleine goes into labor, but the baby dies shortly after birth. Distraught, Madeleine tries to spare Paul from any social embarassment by rushing to Mexico for a quickie divorce. Further complications ensue, but as with most pre-code pix, there is a neat happy ending.

The script is not particularly sharp-witted, even though it is based on an early Preston Sturges play. But the cast and performances make this a standout. I must confess I had never seen a Nancy Carroll film before. Not only is she luminously beautiful, but she shows an astonishing range. The hospital scene in which she finds out about the death of her child is heartbreaking. She has a nice chemistry with both Boles and his rival for her affections, Western star Buck Jones. Nice to see Nat Pendleton and Betty Grable in small roles.

Looking forward to seeing more of these rarities on Friday...

Counting Down to the Columbia Series

While we eagerly await the start of the Castro's pre-code series this Wednesday, the Chronicle's pink pages preview the coming attractions. Nice to see these rare films getting some early press.