Edward Everett Horton heads the cast as a small-town businessman, under the thumb of his aunts, who falls for the pitch of oilfield swindlers who then proceed to dupe the whole town by trading on his reputation. He loses his reputation and his friends but gains his independence as he sets out to make things …
Read the full post →“<em>Let’s Make a Million</em> (Paramount, 1936)”
When the lead in the remake of a studio’s big silent hit is murdered, there’s plenty of suspicion to go around, particularly as the director was jealous of the star’s closeness with his wife (Gail Patrick), herself another star at the studio. Reginald Denny plays the studio PR man and the amateur investigator as this …
Read the full post →“<em>The Preview Murder Mystery</em> (Paramount, 1936)”
A radio engineer ends up unknowingly working for Axis spies who are using a stolen new shortwave transmitter to supply information to a Japanese sub targeting U.S. ships. Richard Arlen is fine as the lead, a man who has lost his job and takes what he can, and Wendy Barrie has a good role as …
Read the full post →“<em>Submarine Alert</em> (Paramount, 1943)”
This excellent historical adventure stars Ronald Colman as the vagabond poet François Villon, made Marshal of France on a whim of King Louis XI (Basil Rathbone) while Paris is under siege and likely to fall to the Burgundians. As ever, Colman does well with the costumed part, giving appeal to the character — a character …
Read the full post →“<em>If I Were King</em> (Paramount, 1938)”
An inventor of a new submarine (Harry Houdini) helps a woman whose uncle wishes to ignore her captive father’s pleas for help and instead steal a map to an island near a treasure-filled wreck. There are perils aplenty for both hero and heroine, and costar Lila Lee shows herself a game sport. Although unfortunately the …
Read the full post →“<em>Terror Island</em> (Paramount, 1920)”
Drifting cowboy pals Dare and Dinkey (John Wayne and Syd Saylor) head into Wyoming, where they first pick the wrong side in a battle between rustlers and the folks after them and then get a less-than-enthusiastic welcome from Dare’s cousin Tom (Johnny Mack Brown), who is a settled ranch owner and contemns Dare’s irresponsible ways. …
Read the full post →“<em>Born to the West</em> (Paramount, 1937)”
Anna May Wong delivers a good performance as a dancer who learns she is the daughter of the evil Fu Manchu and vows vengeance for his death and thereafter struggles mightily within herself when that revenge conflicts with love. Warner Oland appears once again as the fiendish doctor (his fourth time in the role, including …
Read the full post →“<em>Daughter of the Dragon</em> (Paramount, 1931)”
