Remember the Night should have been a great comedy. It was written by Preston Sturges and directed by Mitchell Leisen. Three years earlier they had collaborated on Easy Living, one of the classics of the period. But this one is a mess. There’s hardly a trace of Sturges’s sophisticated wit and cynicism, and Leisen’s directingContinue reading “Remember the Night (1940)”
Author Archives: Istvan Csicsery-Ronay, Jr.
Ball of Fire (1941)
For some reason Ball of Fire doesn’t figure in the Grand Canon of classic Hollywood sound comedies. Film historians who write endlessly about its director, Howard Hawks, and its screenplay writers, Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, rarely mention the film, except maybe in footnotes. Apparently it isn’t dazzling enough when compared with Hawks’s ground-breaking motormouthContinue reading “Ball of Fire (1941)”
Broadway Gondolier (1935)
I’m very fond of Broadway Gondolier. It’s probably more responsible for my getting into this blogging project than any other film. I recorded it from TCM one night many years ago for later watching. When I got around to seeing it, I was thoroughly charmed. I’d never heard of it before — but that’s noContinue reading “Broadway Gondolier (1935)”
Happy Landing (1938)
Happy Landing was the third film Sonja Henie made for 20th Century Fox. She was a monster star in her day, the first female professional skater to become an international sensation. 20th Century Fox was a maverick studio in the 1930s that tended to make low-budget musical comedies that featured some unusual, and unusually good,Continue reading “Happy Landing (1938)”
Café Metropole (1937)
Café Metropole is one of the odd, original movies you often encounter in this zone. It doesn’t seem to be very well known. There’s almost no historical or critical writing on it. There are some warm, affectionate comments about it on IMDB — they’re fun to read after you’ve seen the film. But I feelContinue reading “Café Metropole (1937)”
Canons and Neglected Gems
I’ve arrived at a tentative list of the films that I am most interested in exploring. It’s strict: nothing before 1929 or after 1945. It’s also fluid — I expect to discover different films that I have ignored or underestimated, and others on the list that turn out to be less interesting than I initiallyContinue reading “Canons and Neglected Gems”
Sweetheart of the Campus (1941)
Some folks won’t be surprised, but I’ll bet some you will be mind-blown by this. I adore this movie, a true unappreciated little gem. This was the last film that starred Ruby Keeler, now without Dick Powell. I have no love for Keeler as an actress or dancer, but lo and behold, the center ofContinue reading “Sweetheart of the Campus (1941)”
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Christmas in Connecticut is a puzzle I will never solve. It’s apparently very popular with nostalgic audiences. There are at this writing almost 90 viewers’ reviews of it on IMDB, and they are overwhelmingly positive – glowing, even. It was apparently successful when it came out, and it’s treated as if it were a niceContinue reading “Christmas in Connecticut (1945)”
Roberta (1935)
The second of the Astaire-Rogers star vehicles, Roberta has its fans. I’m not one of them. Although, admittedly, many of its fans admire the duo’s dances as if the rest of the film did not exist. If those are the terms, then I’m on board, too. The film contains some memorable chemistry between Astaire andContinue reading “Roberta (1935)”
The Gay Divorcee (1934)
The Gay Divorcee was the first true Astaire-Rogers film. Impressed by the way they had stolen the show in Flying Down to Rio the year before, RKO Studios hired them to be marquee stars. They also hired Mark Sandrich, who had directed the dance sequences of Rio, to helm the pictures. Folks differ in theirContinue reading “The Gay Divorcee (1934)”