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Reviews
The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932)
Three women in search of a sugar-daddy.
THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM has a good cast, a good director, and a good idea for a story, but you would never know it from watching this film. Ina Claire, a renowned actress from Broadway, displays not one ounce of subtlety in her role as the gold-digging, throat-cutting Jean. Joan Blondell tries her best as the warm-hearted Schatzi who attempts to keep order and harmony in her group of three women seeking wealth through marriage with a wealthy man. Given the script she has to work with, her task was next to impossible. Madge Evans, as the nice showgirl, rounds out the trio, but is unfortunately over-shadowed by the antics of Claire who dominates every scene with her over-acting.
David Manners plays Madge's nice and wealthy, though unbelievable boyfriend, while Lowell Sherman, who directed the film, plays a renowned pianist Claire runs after. This film is classic proof of the old adage that a film's principal seldom can step outside of their role to direct the proceedings and do a good job.
This film is so bad, one has to wonder who Sam Goldwyn had in mind when he began this production. The women are the worst stereotypes one could imagine, while the men have absolutely no redeeming qualities. No doubt Goldwyn saw this as some sort of a roaring twenties exercise in loose morality, but he only succeeded in creating a caricature of life in the jet-set.
I rated this a 3 only because of the presence of Joan Blondell and Madge Evans who are worth watching. Evans has been described as a "wooden" actress by another writer. In this film, she is the only one with any fire in her demeanor when standing up against Claire busy demonstrating how to chew up the scenery. Evans projects poise, grace, and class... no easy task in this scenario.
Riders of the Purple Sage (1941)
Zane Grey's West on a budget but still flavorful
Twentieth Century Fox's 1941 version of Zane Grey's hit novel, RIDER'S OF THE PURPLE SAGE, is visibly low on production values, and yet entertaining because of a fine cast assembled around a very young George Montgomery... an actor obviously being groomed and developed for bigger roles to come.
This particular Zane Grey novel has been made into at least five different films during the past eighty years. It's appeal lies in the unfolding story of a loner, a self-sufficient man, but one who is somewhat apart from the rest of society. The plains and prairies of the old west are a perfect setting for a man such as this. If George Montgomery seems at home in this role, it's because he literally grew up on a horse in Montana. His riding skills are evident in some early scenes where he is seen stopping a cattle stampede.
Paramount cast the veteran actor Robert Barratt in the antagonists role, Judge Dyer. The part has been sanitized since in the original novel the character was a leader of the Mormon church... not a judge. Barratt always brought authenticity to his parts and he does so here. You may remember him as the last Mohican in THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS with Randolph Scott.
Kane Richmond, a 30s character actor in "A" films and a leading man in some "B" films plays Adam Dyer, the judge's son. He is more than annoyed when Montgomery shows up to interfere with his pursuit of Jane Withersteen, played by Mary Howard. Richmond brings some fire to his role mixed with just enough sympathy that the viewer might wish he wasn't such a bad fellow after all.
Mary Howard is adequate, which is enough when it comes down to the women shown in 30s and early 40s westerns. Richard Lane and Lynne Roberts round out the other major parts.
This film was a favorite of George Montgomery's, who possessed the only copy I've ever seen. I recommend watching this one because it is both entertaining, and a well-told tale.
Grand Canary (1934)
The censor kills the canary.
GRAND CANARY by A.J. Cronin suffers from the misfortune of being produced during the changeover to the Hollywood Code imposed by the infamous Hays office which the studio producers meekly accepted, fearing a governmental censorship if they refused. It's a shame, for this might have been a better movie.
In 1932,before the code, it was possible to tell a story of two people meeting and falling in love even if one of them was getting a divorce from an earlier marriage. In 1934, William Hays, under the guidance of the Catholic Church's Legion Of Decency, forbid any script involving divorce on the grounds that such action was immoral. Reality went underground for almost thirty years in stories dealing with the relations between men and women. Needlees to say, the censor's blackout fell on the script for GRAND CANARY which dealt with a disgraced doctor who meets and falls in love with a beautiful but married woman while on a voyage. She loves him too, but can their love be consummated. Not with Mr. Hays. This is 1934.
Another critic on these pages, Mr. MacIntyre, has already described the end of the film. I can only assume that he may have seen a print made for foreign distribution since the domestic print has a totally different ending. The ending he describes is faithful to the book but is not the one seen in the United States. Indeed, the American version is so jarring that one wonders if the director and producer just washed their hands at the end and walked away from the whole thing. I would have rated this two points higher if the ending were faithful to the book.
It's a shame because the cast is very good in this film. This is one of Madge Evans' few outside films during her tenure at MGM. It offers her a sympathetic and touching role as the unhappy wife whose fate, after she has been struck by yellow fever, lies in the hands of the very doctor she has fallen in love with. Madge is beautifully photographed in this film and carries her "privileged class" role with an air of authority.
Warner Baxter does seem a little stiff, but when wasn't he? It's his style of acting. He never seems to be able to become really angry... not just upset, but angry. Even so, his scenes with Madge are tender and touching, as they play two troubled people who fate brings together.
H.B. Warner has a very minor role and Marjorie Rambeau is somewhat off key but Zita Johann performs admirably as the jealous nurse who is also enamored of the good doctor.
If you can find a good print, and I haven't, I recommend watching this simply to see the romance develop between Baxter and Evans... but be ready for the censor at the end.
Charlie Chan in London (1934)
A superb detective story well told.
CHARLIE CHAN IN London is a good example of a well-produced, lower budget "B" film from Fox studios in 1934. Three earlier films seem to be lost, so this is the first in the line-up that remains today. As such, it stars Warner Oland, Swedish by birth, as the Chinese detective, Charlie Chan. Today's film historians grant Oland much credit for creating the screen persona of Chan. This film lends support to their belief. Oland presents Chan as a detective who looks for even the smallest of clues in his search to find the killer. His euphemisms during the hunt are so engaging that they draw the viewer in even closer until, by the end of the film, one is convinced that Chan is without peer in his chosen profession.
CHARLIE CHAN IN London also stars Drue Layton as the distraught woman who pleads with Chan to save her brother from execution for a murder she believes he never committed. Layton only made ten films in her entire career. She is well cast in this one.
Ray Milland supplies the star quality as Layton's fiancée. Milland bear's that quality of sincerity that characterized him in later years.
Not to be overlooked is that fine British actor, Alan Mowbray. Mowbray excelled at comedy and, in fact, became quite a favorite with audiences of the 30s and 40s. This is an example of his earlier work where he excelled in straight dramatic roles.
The action takes place in a British mansion. Included in the goings-on is a fox hunt, an attempt on Charlie's life, and other events guaranteed to keep the audience guessing. Missing is Charlie Chan's number one son, Keye Luke. Luke makes his first appearance in the next production, CHARLIE CHAN IN Paris.
Twentieth-Century Fox pulled these programs from their broadcast schedule because of the political pressure exerted by today's Asian-American actors in Hollywood who object to a non-Asian playing an Asian character. Accordingly, you will not find CHARLIE CHAN IN London, nor any other Chan film for that matter, on your television set. It's a shame, for this is an authentic piece of motion picture history. However, CHARLIE CHAN IN London can be purchased as a DVD release from Fox in the retail stores. This motion picture is well worth the purchase price.
Lovers Courageous (1932)
A charming old-fashioned love story between members of two social classes.
This adaptation of a Frederick Lonsdale play is ground in the social mores of the very early twentieth century wherein a quite poor working young man meets a charming, beautiful and wealthy admiral's daughter. Stories of poor men meeting and wooing wealthy women are difficult to write convincingly for the simple fact that such pairings are unlikely at best. This adaptation succeeds quite admirably because the two principals, played by Robert Montgomery and Madge Evans, are both likable and charming. Evans and Montgomery reveal every nuance of two people who meet and fall deeply in love. This is easily one of Madge's finest acting efforts, and certainly the best of the five films in which she appeared with Montgomery. The screen simply lights up when she and Montgomery are seen cautiously pursuing one another. Their romantic moments are so real that one has to remind oneself that they are acting. It is a fact that, in their private lives, they remained close friends until their death.
LOVERS COURAGEOUS has one serious flaw... the selection of Reginald Owen to play Madge's fiancée. He is far too old for the part. Worst yet, he plays the role much too broadly. Whether this is the director's fault (Robert Z. Leonard) or Owen's fault is difficult to fathom. I tend to see more of the director's hand in this, although Pop Leonard, as his casts fondly nicknamed him, may have left Owen to his own acting instincts. Whatever, it is a stretch to think that Evans would be engaged to him.
If Owen seems off-key, Roland Young more than makes up for it. His is a refreshingly light-hearted interpretation of his role of the Admiral's aide. His scenes with Evans are a delight. It might have proved better to have him play Owen's role.
Frederick Kerr plays the crusty old Admiral who judges people by their social class. His character is really an indictment of the social upper classes who displayed their utter disdain for the working class. Kerr plays it to the hilt.
His social counterpart, Montgomery's father, played by Halliwell Hobbes, is a classic example of some members of the working class who felt it improper to try to mix with the upper class. Hobbes is also well cast. His scenes where he tries to convince his young boy that he should work hard to become a postal worker and not advance his station in life are all too real when one remembers social customs and beliefs through World War 1. It was the time when ocean liners held rigid to the class system, mirroring their passengers beliefs. In wiping out a good portion of the upper class, the war also wiped out the lingering Victorian beliefs and customs.
LOVERS COURAGEOUS runs a little over just 76 minutes, short for an "A" production. It is not an important film. With a little more development effort it could have been... but it is easily one of the most romantic films ever produced in Hollywood and well worth the time to watch.