Reviews

Beyond Tomorrow is a film that should be considered a Christmas classic, but sadly is film which has slipped through the cracks. This film began production in 1939 at General Service Studios which was rented out by Academy Productions, Inc. The film was released in May 1940, certainly not during the Christmas season. The film was distributed by RKO. This film was considered to be a second feature, or B picture. The cast, which are excellent in the roles, are all supporting players in other films, but here they are given the lead. This film was known as an "orphan" film. The copyright on this film was allowed to expire when Academy Productions went out of business. Because this film didn't have major stars in it, the film was not widely replayed during the Christmas season, except in smaller local markets. Interestingly, "It's A Wonderful Life" really only became the classic film it is, because it too slipped into the public domain, and repeated TV viewings around the holidays insured that film would become a classic.

In the age of DVDs "Beyond Tomorrow" would soon find a new life, and would appear on any of a number of DVDs from various film studios. Most of these DVDs, regardless of price, would use the same source material, mainly the print stored at the Library of Congress as part of it's copyright deposit collection. The film print that most people are used to is very dark, with cuts and splices throughout.

In 2005 the film was put out in a colorized verison on DVD. The distributer of the film is listed as 20th Century Fox, however the film was colorized by a different company. The colorization, though a major improvement over techniques used in the 1980s, still has its limitations. The color is muddy, very unrealistic, and even distracting. The print that they colorized, while a different print then the ones used on most other DVD releases of this film, was still poor, and that is reflected in the colorized version. Additionally several short scenes were cut from the color verison, but these scenes are included as "deleted scenes" on the DVD. Had these scenes been left in the film the movie would have made a bit better sense.

Being an avid film restoration film, I was eagerly awaiting the chance to see this film. This film is made up of random bits of film, from various film archives around the world, which has been spliced together at random. The one connecting feature of this film is that all film used is rotting, decaying, faded, bubbling...in other words the film is decomposing. Kudos to the filmmaker for salvaging some of this film and letting the public see what can happen to film if it has not be stored or cared for properly. The footage is totally random, some nature films, newsreels, features...countries featured include the United States, Turkey, Japan, Morocco....scenes of stars like William S. Hart, Larry Semon, Mary Pickford....scenes of dignitaries arriving aboard ships from 1920s newsreels; 1950s educational films.....a really vast array.

However the film can be agonizing to sit through, especially because it is in incredibly slow motion, and most of the time we get only a fleeting glimpse as to what is actually in the film frame, most of the time the entire image is distorted. I watched the movie in fast forward, and even then it was too slow. The movie has very haunting music, and this film could easily be shown in October as part of a scary movie festival.

Saratoga was not a great film. It has some clever and witty moments, such as the scene where Harlow is caught smoking a cigar, but on the whole the film is not among the best work of the wonderful cast which includes: Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore and Walter Pigeon. Harlow died before she completed filming this movie after a supposed illness which lasted 10 days. Watching the film you can see how unenergetic she looks, how puffy and tired and knowing that she does not live to finish the film casts the film in a poor light. When Harlow died, it was reported in the press that the film would be scrapped and left unfinished....but Louella Parsons reported in the press a few days after Harlow's death that the public outcry had been so great that MGM had decided to release the film. Being realistic here, it is hard to believe that MGM would ever seriously consider scrapping the film....the film had already cost millions and had other big name stars in the film. Parsons reported that the role played by Jean Harlow would be filled by actress Rita Johnson, and that at the point in the filming where Harlow died, co-star Lionel Barrymore would film an introduction announcing that Harlow had passed and that the film would be completed by another actress. None of this happened. There was no intro by Barrymore, and the role was taken over by actress Mary Dees. Dees was described in the press as having been both a $55 a week dancer at Warner Brothers, and also was said to have been pulled from a picture that she was shooting at Paramount with Bing Crosby to finish the role.

It is laughable to see the new actress in the role. At the point at which Harlow dies in real life, her character on the screen seems to almost vanish too. When she is shown, she is shown from the back, or with binoculars to her face, or a laughable scene with Hattie McDaniels where she is wearing a huge hat with a wide gauzy brim which obscures her face. This all makes what already was not a stellar film, get even worse. It is hard to say how the film would have been had Harlow lived. There is no question that her role would have been much larger.

In a macabre twist, in the scene where Jean Harlow is being examined by the doctor played by George Zucco, the gown she is wearing, white and with puffy sleeves, was the gown she was buried wearing.

This was a three part series that aired on the History Channel of footage, all of it in color, that was culled from various film archives and home movie collections. While some of the color footage of Hitler has been seen before (the footage from Hitler's home movies) the rest of the footage has not been seen. It is amazing to see this footage in bright color. While the series only three parts, and not enough time to go through the entire War in depth, there apparently are hundreds of more hours of footage left on the cutting room floor, and one can only hope that there will be future shows.

This documentary is available on DVD and VHS.

Mr. Bug Goes to Town was one of those films that I grew up hearing about, however a copy could never be obtained until now. I just watched this film on DVD and thought it was a delightful and charming film, with wonderful animation, a good plot and great songs. If this film was made by Disney then the film would be considered a classic, however because it was made by a little known film studio that is long gone, the film has slipped through the cracks.

The film was made by the Max Fleischer studios at their Miami, FL studios and was released through Paramount Pictures. The film was to have had its premiere on Dec. 7th, 1941, the date of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Though this probably did hurt the release of the film, the film did play at some movie theaters for up to a year as evidenced by doing some research. The film was called a family favorite by most of the major American newspapers. The film continued to be re-released about every year or so, usually around holidays like Easter, at least in major cities.

In the mid 1950s, this film was re-released under a new name "Hoppity Goes to Town," named after the lead character in the film.

The film is a true period piece, capturing a slice of Americana as it was back in the late 30s and 1940's. The animation is great, and many of the characters are very cute. The animation of the humans in the film is via the rotoscope process, meaning that actors were filmed and then that footage was traced over by animators, giving the movement a very real look.

The Fleishcher studios were one of several animation studios making animated cartoons back in the 30s and 40s. While some of the Fleischer characters like Betty Boop, Popeye and the Superman cartoons are better known, the work of the studio is more or less forgotten.

Almost as a whole the body of work of the Fleischer studios are in the public domain. All of the Superman cartoons are public domain, all but one of the "Color Classics" series are public domain, and the film "Gulliver's Travels" is also in the public domain. This film never appears to have been released in the US on VHS or DVD but was released in Europe. However some looking around on the internet can very quickly produce you with a copy. I recommend the search.

"Convention City" is one of those fabled films that seems to have grown with time. This is supposedly one of the films that brought about the production code and the censorship of movies under Will Hays. The film today is thought to be lost, and a user on this site states that Jack Warner himself, about a decade after the film was made, ordered that all prints of the film be destroyed, along with the negative. While I have yet to read that anywhere, it does appear that the film is no longer in the Warner Brothers archive.

From what I can best tell, the movie was filmed in the summer of 1933 and was released around Christmas of 1933, playing into the early months of 1934. Reviews of the film noted that it was very funny, and that the audiences wee roaring with laughter. Adolphe Menjou was singled out as the best actor in the film. The reviewers note that if you are a fan of drunks, then this movie has more then enough drunk scenes, that after a while can become tiresome.

So apparently the film was shown publicly as there were reviews in the paper. I own a copy of the script as well as several original stills from the film. A copy of the movie however appears to be lost. Now lets, talk about the film being "lost" for a moment.

When a film is shown, hundreds of prints could be made of the movie to be shown at various theaters across the country. The films usually open in a larger market first, then the films are packed up and shipped from one theater to another, until at the end of the run, the films are shipped back to the studio. The studio would tend to destroy most copies of the film, and keep just a few. There is always the chance that a copy of the film never made it back to the studio and is in private hands.

If Warners does not have the prints of negatives, there is a chance that the film might exist in a foreign country. Many US made films were shown overseas after having been dubbed into a foreign language. This is probably the case, though not definite, for this film. A copy of the film might reside in a small unchecked film archive in some other corner of the globe.

So, what does remain from the film. The shooting script, the dialogue script, stills. I have also read that some musical scores from the film remain, as well as establishing shots and scene shots, that show Atlantic City, where the film took place. This footage does not show any actors.

For many people this film is considered to be a Holy Grail...and I am sure a copy of the film exists out there somewhere as of yet undiscovered.

This 2000 documentary was made for American Movie Classics and is hosted by Raquel Welch. It tells the story of the history of Grauman's Chinese Theater located in Hollywood, and the story behind the famous hand and foot prints in cement. The documentary features interviews with several people who have been immortalized in cerement at Grauman's, including Michael Keaton, Jane Withers, Donald O'Connor and Charlton Heston. The best thing about the film is the footage of the ceremonies themselves. Snippets are shown from color home movies and newsreels of stars like, Tom Mix, Kirk Douglas, Marilyn Monroe, Clifton Webb, Susan Hayward, Ava Gardner, Bette Davis, Joanne Woodward and so many more. This is a must see if you have even the slightest interest in Hollywood history.

This documentary was apparently one of the first to examine Leni's life with her actually being interviewed at great depth. The film is broken up into two parts, her films as an actress and her relations with the Nazi party, and then her later films and the rest of her life. The film is fascinating, showing many lengthy clips from all her films. There is no questions that she was a very, very talented filmmaker, and very innovative for her time. Many of the camera angles and shots that she used were invented by her, and are still in wide use today.

It is very clear that at the time the film was made, that Leni was still used to being in control. She is apparently difficult as an interview subject, and is seen in many shots refusing to do what the cameraman tells her. She is also very highly defensive of our association with the Nazi party. At one point, the interviewer asks her about her relationship with Goebels. She replies that she knew him only casually and then had a falling out, after which they never spoke again. However, when she is confronted with the diaries of Goebels, and according to them, they both saw each other at numerous social and political functions, Leni becomes mad and walks out.

My own personal belief is that she has tried to whitewash her association with the Nazi party in her later years.

Supreme Pictures movie studio PR man Frank Albertson comes up with a great and inventive new movie angle, cast a real life gangster in a new up and coming gangster film called "The Racketeer." The director is chosen, as is June Clyde, the leading lady, now all they need is a real life gangster. Going to a notorious nightspot where gangsters are known to hangout they spot one, played by Jose Crespo, after a fight breaks out at the club. The studio signs him and alerts the newspapers that a real life gangster has been cast in the role, only won't provide anymore information then the gangsters name, thereby making the press eager for more news. It turns out however that the man Crespo fought at the nightclub is also a gangster and he wants Crespo dead. I can't tell more without giving away the plot.

This is a pure B picture, running under an hour, the film today is in the public domain and can be found on DVD and VHS. Beware however of the version that is available on DVD as the film's picture is very heavily cropped.

Pamela Blake and her boyfriend Tom Neal run a detective agency that has been in some financial trouble. When Tom Neal gets an assignment out of town a well dressed fellow approaches Pamela Blake to ask her to get photos of his cheating wife for a divorce. The camera is to be hidden in a hat box. When Pamela goes to snap the photo of the cheating wife it is not a camera she is pulling the trigger on, but a gun that has been rigged inside the box. Pamela is arrested and it is up to her boyfriend Tom Neal and others to clear her name.

This is a strict and tight programmer film, running just under 45 minutes. The movie in the public domain and can be found on many VHS and DVD versions put out by various companies.

The opening of the movie is also interesting. The 4 main stars all introduce themselves and the characters they play before the opening credits begin.

This film was made by Paramount Pictures during the war for the U.S. Navy. The biggest star in the film is Keefe Braselle, who never was a major star. The film has nice sets and was a bigger budget production for a war training film.

Basically the Navy ship is going into port for a few days of leave and the sailors all wind up getting a venereal disease, all of which could have been prevented had they listened to the ships doctor, or used protection. There is a great deal of nudity in this film, which was never made to be seen by anyone but those in the Navy. It is a gem, especially when you realize that a major movie studio helped to put this film out.

This film was originally called "Wild Weed." The star of the film is Lila Leeds, a promising starlet who had very minor roles in earlier films, but achieved worldwide notoriety when she was arrested along with Robert Mitchum and other for smoking pot in 1948. She spent several months in jail, and when she was released this was one of the few film roles she was able to get. On the contrary, Robert Mitchum, who was also arrested, came back to resume a hotter then ever film career.

Leeds is beautiful, a sort of young Marilyn Monroe lookalike. The film is not one of the better "exploitation" films, but is notable for its cast of authentic Hollywood actors, though they were at this point well past their prime. Perennial B-movie actor Lyle Talbot, Alan Baxter and Michael Whalen, among other round out the cast.

The film has attractive leads, but the plot of the film is clumsy and confusing. Essentially Alan Curtis is a private pilot who is contacted at the last moment to fly a group of people to Las Vegas. It turns out that the people on the plane are attesting to sell atomic secrets, and it also turns out that Alan Curtis is a retired FBI agent. The film print was quite good considering that the movie is in the public domain, and the film appeared to have been shot entirely on location, no actual film sets at all, giving the film a somewhat low-budget feel. The film has a good leading cast: Alan Curtis, a former model turned actor, and Evelyn Ankers, Universal Studios horror queen. Jerome Cowan also has a good role as one of the crooked businessmen.

One of the better known "how to" films of the era, this film focuses on how a woman should undress for her husband. The elegant young woman is Elaine Barry, the then wife of move heart-throb John Barrymore. The other woman, Trixie, is a large, heavyset woman, who is the complete opposite of Elaine Barrymore. The film I saw seems to have been re-cut with scenes films in the late 40s or early 50s, showing a man with a camera, a peeping Tom, or paparazzi photographer climbing on rooftops to get the candid shots of the two celebrities. The premise of the film is to show the right, and wrong way for a woman to undress before going to bed. Elaine is cool and collected and takes care of her clothes once she removes them. Trixie, on the other hand, grunts and huffs and throws her clothes down once removed. A funny film to be sure, and a most definite period piece.

This film is believed to be in the public domain, and can be found on the DVD set called "Sex and Buttered Popcorn."

This 1934 exploitation documentary film shows a reporter assigned to write a article on a nudist camp. The film was designed to be shown at small movie theaters as a shocking, exploitation type movie. Movies of this type were frequently shown at circuses, sideshows and other traveling shows. The 35 minute film is basically a tour of a nudist camp, showing the people at meals, playing volleyball, baseball, hiking, jogging, playing leap-frog, and other daily activities, except they are all nude. A somewhat amusing and funny film, especially when watched today.

This movie is believed to be in the public domain, and can be found on the boxed set "Sex and Buttered Popcorn."

Thsi film is one of those Old Dark House murder mystery films that Hollywood was so fond on in the 1940s. This B movie stars Wallace Ford as a popular newspaper columnist and Marian Marsh as his secretary/girlfriend.

A rich old lady (Sarah Padden) is claimed to be insane by her family and is taken to court. The court declares her sane. Shrotly thereafter she invites all her family members to her mansion in upstate New York to spend the week so that she can watch over them to decide who to leave her $3 million estate. One by one family members are murdered, with the killer seemingly hiding and watching from hidden passageways that are throughout the house.

A typical second feature film, this movie is somewhat enjoyable, but for those of you who are used to suspenseful spooky house movies, this is not what you are looking for. This movie is in the public domain and as such can be easily found on DVD and VHS.

"Chained for Life" is the story of two Siamese twin sisters, who at this point appear to be in their late 40s, as one sister falls in love. The film stars real life Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton. The twins are connected at the lower back, and are able to function as normal people except that they are connected. It makes one wonder that if they were to have been alive today, would they have been able to be separated? The sisters made a living as vaudeville singers, not actors, and the best parts of this film are the musical numbers, both sisters had beautiful voices. When the sisters act, well lets just say its very fake and stilted.

The plot is simple, as a publicity stunt a trick shooter in the same vaudeville show as the sisters decides to marry one of the sisters, only to divorce her the next day. As revenge the other sister shoots to death her ex in law, and the film is told in flash back as a courtroom trial.

It is an interesting question posed to the audience, and one that I wonder how it would be answered in real life. If one conjoined Siamese twin commits murder, a crime punishable by death, the other sister will die too, meaning the state is committing murder. An interesting questions, and one that the audience is asked to answer. Sadly, its one answer I don't have.

The film is not quite exploitation, as the sisters are not exploited as freaks. This film is in the public domain and is available on VHS and DVD.

This is a hard to watch film because the subject manner is one which for todays audiences would be taboo. A popular radio singer, tall handsome, and a huge flirt has his own radio show, women adore him and he has tie ins with criminals. The only thing is the singer is not actually singing, his piano player is the actual singer, played by Ralph Forbes. Forbes is also a vocal teacher and has been told that he will never be a star because he has a deformity. His deformity causes several people in the film to call him derogatory terms. The film is not really a mystery either, as it is never a mystery as to what happens, which is best explained by watching the film. Gail Patrick, on loan from Paramount Studios plays the romantic lead in the film.

The film is in the public domain and can be found on VHS and DVD.

This movie, known also as "Wayne Murder Case" is a typical drawing room murder mystery. A rich old man is sickly and dying, and before his death he decides to have a reading of his will to his family members. As he is about to read the will, in a room full of family members and police, he is murdered, but who did it? This film is a typical old dark house murder mystery, with Regis Toomey playing the lead detective. June Clyde plays the nosy reporter who will do anything to get the story. Dwight Frye has a very small role as a family member. Look for a degrading role played by Snowflake, of a black manservant.

This film was made in 1932 and is in the public domain and as such can be found on VHS and DVD.