Heard of most of these. Joan Blondell's career was really catching fire. If Robinson were to give a yellow face performance today, it would at the least cause riots.
Some really good films here. This version of Babes In Toyland, later renamed as The March of the Wooden Soldiers, is one of the best fantasy films of the era. Essentially written and directed by Stan Laurel. This version of She is a great adventure film with striking visuals and a lot of surprising action. From the few clips on Youtube from Night After Night, it looks like Mae West, aged 40 at the time, was trying out her famous one line, sexually suggestive zingers in this film, made a year before her own script of She Done Him Wrong was filmed. Paramount had her wait around for that time as they watered down her play for the screen. They seemed to have given her a test run in this George Raft film. Her character is the same, but she's not the focus of this film. Nor is she in any other films or plays until she was allowed to film this tame version of her hit Diamond Lil. And here it is 1932, and we're seriously into the first great horror film cycle with Karloff as The Mummy,which was a remake of Dracula, MGM making a grand misstep with Freaks, and even Warner Brothers dips their toe in with Doctor X. An early technicolor mystery thriller directed by Micheal Curtiz. And don't forget those early pre-code classics American Madness directed by Frank Capra, and that great cast in Melvin Leroy's Three On A Match.
Heard of most of these. Joan Blondell's career was really catching fire. If Robinson were to give a yellow face performance today, it would at the least cause riots.
ReplyDeleteI'm really digging all the old Blondells on TCM. Haven't heard much kickback about yellowface yet. Is it coming?
ReplyDeleteI just can't see White actor playing an Asian anymore. If David Carradine tried it today, the wokesters would run him out of town.
ReplyDeleteBARNUM is the French title of FREAKS, or should I say retitling?
ReplyDeleteSome really good films here. This version of Babes In Toyland, later renamed as The March of the Wooden Soldiers, is one of the best fantasy films of the era. Essentially written and directed by Stan Laurel. This version of She is a great adventure film with striking visuals and a lot of surprising action. From the few clips on Youtube from Night After Night, it looks like Mae West, aged 40 at the time, was trying out her famous one line, sexually suggestive zingers in this film, made a year before her own script of She Done Him Wrong was filmed. Paramount had her wait around for that time as they watered down her play for the screen. They seemed to have given her a test run in this George Raft film. Her character is the same, but she's not the focus of this film. Nor is she in any other films or plays until she was allowed to film this tame version of her hit Diamond Lil.
ReplyDeleteAnd here it is 1932, and we're seriously into the first great horror film cycle with Karloff as The Mummy,which was a remake of Dracula, MGM making a grand misstep with Freaks, and even Warner Brothers dips their toe in with Doctor X. An early technicolor mystery thriller directed by Micheal Curtiz. And don't forget those early pre-code classics American Madness directed by Frank Capra, and that great cast in Melvin Leroy's Three On A Match.