Movie Reviewed: We're rich again (1934) starring Billie Burke

Movie Reviewed: We're rich again (1934) starring Billie Burke

A Wedding in the family

This is the story of a prosperous man who tries to extricate his wealthy family from the doldrums. This movie is based on the play by Alden Nash in which Reginald Denny played a vacillating matrimonial object (groom) and Joan Marsh the prospective bride and Billie Burke as her mother and Grant Mitchel as the depressed ex-millionaire father. Veteran actress Edna May Oliver is really cracking as the polo playing grandmother, who is also very interfering and sometimes annoying in a funny sort of way. They are in finer mettle and everyone pitches in to “rescue” them from a court clerk who wants to serve legal papers for the bills Grant Mitchell owes. The film is supposed to be off-beat comedy and a screwball slapstick but it does not go well and the film falls short of a first rate comedy.

Movie Reviewed: Love Crazy (1941), starring William Powell and Myrna Loy

Movie Reviewed: Love Crazy (1941), starring William Powell and Myrna Loy

An off-beat comedy and a real screwball slapstick

This is Pando Berman’s second production at MGM and a box office hit, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, also costarring Gail Patrick and Jack Carson. This is a real screwball slapstick, an absolute knockabout farce that makes viewers laugh all the way. The script writers, David Hertz, Ludwig and Charles Lederer did magic that made William Powell feigning madness to prevent his wife, played Myrna Loy, from divorcing him. This premise made no more sense than the madcap mishaps that follows this debacle. Director Jack Conway certainly does his best to keep audiences in a laughing mood. This is very engaging movie and keep you glued to the screen to know what happens next.

Powell and Loy had great chemistry working together on screen, and their success was illustrated by a list of 14 movies made as a team including the 1936 lavish production of “The Great Ziegfeld” which won the best Academy Award. This movie is a real treat for all fans of Myrna Loy and William Powell.

Movie Reviewed: The Silver Streak (1934)

Movie Reviewed: The Silver Streak (1934)

In this RKO pictures, the crew of the Pioneer Zephyr diesel train has 19 hours to deliver an iron lung to a town in NV who needs urgent medical attention. Who can arrange for such an extravaganza display of power and action, yes, it has to be a rich father paying everything he has for saving his son. This is a most courageous plot fabrication belonged to the Silver Streak (1934). Based on Roger Whatley’s story, and scripted by him and Jack O’Donnell demonstrates a breakneck 2000 mile train trip which must be made in 19 hours (with available technology in 1934 to build that train). This is the only solution to the curing an epidemic of infantile paralysis. Sally Blane, Charles Starrett, Hardie Albright and William Farnum topped director Thomas Atkins cast which also included Irving Pichel, Arthur Lake and others. The Burlington Zephyr Also received prominent credit for portraying the Silver Streak. There is enough of high speed excitement, drama and the love story to make audience overlook the story’s rampant implausibility. It earned $107,000 in profits, a substantial sum for 1934 value of money. The 20th century Fox film released its 1976 version starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor bore no relation to this movie except for the express train. The latter was also a huge box office hit and a fun movie to watch.

Movie Reviewed; Sally (1930)

Movie Reviewed; Sally (1930)

Sally, the Broadway star

This is a no expense spared effort by Warner Brothers Studio to bring Guy Bolton and Jerome Kern's 1920 stage musical, "Sally" to the screen. Petite Marilyn Miller recreated the role she played on Broadway with 150 beauties in the largest indoor scene ever photographed in color. 36 Albertina Rasch girls who toe-dance more than other choruses can clog, and an orchestra of 110 to play the hit songs that made Sally famous. The songs included; Look for the silver lining, Wild Rose and Sally (all by Jerome Kerns) and five other songs. Apart from a great performance by Marilyn Miller, the film is strongly supported by Alexander Gray, Joe E Brown, Pert Kelton and T Roy Barnes. I very much enjoyed watching this Cinderella story of a waitress becoming a Broadway sensation. Miller made only three movies and sadly passed away due to surgical complications at the age 37. A sculpture of Miller can be seen atop the former I. Miller Shoe Company Building at 167 West 46th Street in Times Square, Manhattan

Movie Reviewed: Christmas in July (1940)

Movie Reviewed: Christmas in July (1940)

Christmas in July is a real screwball slapstick

The story of the movie is riotous in that it depicts the dilemma of an impecunious clerk who mistakenly thinks that he has won $25,000 in a coffee slogan competition and goes on a spending spree on credit. He mainly purchases early Christmas gifts for his friends and family and then proposes to his sweetheart played by Ellen Drew. This movie confirmed that Preston Sturges as the phenomenal one-man hit movie maker. He was the author, scripter and director. This is Dick Powell’s first movie after eight years at Warner Brothers Studio. He displays a lively sense of comedy, and the chemistry between Powell and Ellen Drew is near perfect.

Part of the movie reminds me of the 1960 movie “The Apartment,” especially the office where the Dick Powell works. The scene of Dick Powell celebrating his lottery winnings with friends in the office reminds of the Christmas party in “The Apartment.” This is absolutely a screwball slapstick that is highly enjoyable to watch.

Movie Reviewed: Our Blushing Brides (1930)

Movie Reviewed: Our Blushing Brides (1930)

The pre-code version of “How to Marry a Millionaire”

In this movie (1930), the script of Bess Meredyth and John Howard Lawson describes the amours of three department store girls; Jerry, Connie and Frankie. Connie and Frankie are fun loving girls who throw themselves at rich playboys in an attempt to marry them. Jerry, played by Joan Crawford is the sensible girl and warns them about playboys who are not interested in serious relationship. The girls ignore her and then end up being hurt. This movie is somewhat similar to the highly successful 1953 film “How to Marry a Millionaire.”

There are a lot of fun instances, and one I particularly liked is when Joan Crawford wears a blonde wig and tests the patience of her suitor played by Robert Montgomery. The fun-loving Anita Page dates Raymond Hackett and Dorothy Sebastian dates John Miljan in this flapper epic. Director Harry Beaumont staged a big fashion parade to make sure that the film is appealing to the female audience just like his 1928 movie, “Our Dancing Daughters." I think this is an enjoyable movie and I am sure you will like it too.

Movie Reviewed: The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

Movie Reviewed: The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

Paul Muni brings Emile Zola into real life

This film is a masterpiece of Hall B. Wallis’ brilliant production, Paul Muni’s monumental performance as Emile Zola, and William Dieterle’s exceptional direction. No expense was spared in the re-creation of this tumultuous period in France. The film was the first ever to win an Academy Award in the best film category for Warner Brothers Studio. The re-creation of the “J’accuse” courtroom scene is especially very powerful part of the movie. The supporting cast included Joseph Schildkraut as Dreyfus who was also awarded an Academy Award in best supporting actor category. Gale Sondergaard, Gloria Holden and Donald Crisp gave brilliant performance which added some depth to this great movie. Paul Muni was nominated in the best actor category but only lost to the strong challenge by Spenser Tracy for “Captain Courageous.”

The gist of the story is about Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a French-Jewish artillery officer in the French army. When French intelligence found information about someone giving the German Embassy military secrets, anti-Semitism caused senior French officers to suspect Dreyfus, though there was no direct evidence of any wrongdoing. Dreyfus was court-martialed, convicted of treason and sent to Devil's Island in French Guiana. Emile Zola, a leading thinker and writer of the day in France wrote a letter on January 13, 1898 called "J'accuse" in the Paris daily L'Aurore. He accused the French Army of obstruction of justice and anti-Semitism by having wrongfully convicted Alfred Dreyfus. Zola was brought to trial for criminal libel on February 7, 1898 and was convicted and removed from the Legion of Honor.

Movie Reviewed: The reckless hour (1931)

The reckless hour (1931)

Unashamed

This is melodrama about a hapless unworldly girl who falls for a lying cad (Walter Byron) whose promises of happiness are as empty as his wicked personality. Eventually she is rescued from total ruin by a kindly artist (Conrad Nagel) in a happily-ever-after story. This is another controversial film of the pre-code era, where a young model is used by a young man, and then spurns her despite the fact that she is pregnant. The movie is strongly supported by Joan Blondell as the baby sister of Dorothy MacKaill, and H.B. Warner as her poor poverty-stricken father. Ivan Simpson and Joe Donahue also perform splendidly in the supporting roles. The screen writing by Florence Ryerson and Robert Lord was based on a book by Arthur Richman. I enjoyed watching this movie, and as expected, Dorothy MacKaill is outstanding in her role as a struggling young woman living in New York.

Movie reviewed: Bright Lights (1930)

Movie reviewed: Bright Lights (1930)

Bright Lights ahead for Luanne

Dorothy MacKaill gave a stunning account of herself doing the hula in this musical with a backstage setting. This is the story of an actress who forsakes all the footlights for the sake of martial responsibility, but finds in all sorts of troubles on her way to happiness. How can she marry a man when she is in love with another man, and it is further complicated by a Portuguese smuggler who wants to “steal” her. Frank Fay plays the role of Wally Dean, the real love of Dorothy MacKaill. It also featured Inez Courtney, and Frank Hugh as a drunken reporter. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz and Robert North; the musical numbers were staged by Larry Ceballos. There are some good songs in the movie that includes; “Nobody cares if I’m blue,” “I’m crazy for cannibal love,” “Chinatown,” Song of the Congo, and “You are an eyeful of heaven.” The story is rather tame, but sure is a real treat for the fans of Dorothy MacKaill who had a brief career during the pre-code era. I love watching all her movies.

Book Reviewed: Mindful work, by David Gelles

Meditating in the corporate boardroom

The author defines "Mindfulness" as the ability to see what's going on our heads without getting into it. He defines mindfulness as means of being aware of our experiences, observing without judgment and responding from place of clarity, compassion rather than fear, and insecurity and corporate greed. In short, he proposes mediation as a way to lower stress, increase mental focus, and alleviates depression among workers. He cites many examples where companies like Aetna have saved health-care costs to the ways Patagonia has combined leadership in its market with a pervasively mindful outlook.

Steve Jobs was America's mainstream meditating CEO and a disciple of Zen Buddhism. He was a keen student of Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism, According to the author, mediation is now practiced widely in corporate America. He recalls that Steve Jobs' business approach was not a fringe movement when he addressed Apple Fest in 1981. Meditation was not a new age movement but an increasingly a prominent part of the cultural landscape of corporate America. Mediation is a powerful tool, says the author, and Zen, a school of Mahayana Buddhism translates into deep absorption in a meditative state and control of the mind. It emphasizes insight into the nature and the personal expression, and deemphasizes knowledge and favors direct understanding through concentration and achieving peace through a meditative state. In chapter 7, the author discusses that many companies are embracing social responsibility for improving conditions of workers and health benefits and boosting morale of the workforce through meditation. He takes us inside the leading companies like Google, General Mills, Aetna, and Patagonia and show how meditation is transforming workplaces. This is a powerful alternative message for profit-oriented corporate America