Reviews

Buddy is running a local theatre single handed, and as in Buster Keaton's 1924 silent "Sherlock Junior" joins in with the the action on the screen, saving his girlfriend Cookie from the clutches of the evil gorilla. On the way there are many comic swipes at the Hollywood of the time ( Warmer Pictures present,A phoney vitamin production,Pass'e News,smash hit, 3 years in the remaking,it's colossal, it's stupendous, it's super colossal,in fact it's almost mediocre,don't fail to see James Backnee in "Here come the Gravy" 15 features for 15cents, come & spend a quiet weekend with us! are a few of the gags) Catch this 'toon if you can, it's well worth a look.

A very fast paced 'toon from the master of mayhem, Tex Avery

Nothing is sacred as fun is poked at all the wartime shortages as 2 buzzards search high and low for something to eat, fighting over the rabbit they have caught, the stone painted to look like a rib eye steak resorting to even eating each other, watch out for the "drooling time" allowed for the picture of the steak dinner. The 'toon is probably not politically correct in these modern times so it is doubtful if it will get shown on t.v today, but keep an eye out for it, it is available in the DVD format as part of a Tex Avery box set issued in France where Tex has a big following......Enjoy !

Had me hooked right from the opening credits, a great little thriller that never lets you go. Barbara Stanwyck excells as the wealthy,cruel and dominating woman who has a strangle hold on a small town.

In an early role for Kirk Douglas who plays the cowardly D.A husband of Stanwyck(a real departure from the tough roles he would play later in his career) Douglas thinks that Stanwyck`s old lover( a solid role for Van Helfin)has returned for only one reason.....blackmail. The film builds up to a fine state of suspense with all the main characters unaware of the hold that they have over each other. One film that I can come back too again and again.....enjoy!

Down and out variety magician gets his own back on haughty opera singer, by changing everything the tenor can sing, technically this is really brilliant, with a soundtrack that must really stretched the MGM orchestra. Unfortunatly the cutbacks in the cartoon department at MGM at the time really show in the lack of backgrounds in this late Avery 'toon, but the quickfire sight gags fall thick and fast to make up for this. As a projectionist working in the cinema, the can containing the print of the film carried a warning that the scene where the hair gets stuck in the gate was an integeral part of the film and should be ignored. Enjoy this great 'toon, and watch out for the rabbits!!!!

Got to be the funniest and fastest Avery cartoon there is, the best "modern" slant on the red riding hood story, with the wolf lusting after Red Hot at every opportunity. Note the reference to the wartime car tyre shortage with the line...."I can even get you a set of white wall tyres!" I,ve seen the 'toon loads of times and it always never fails to make me laugh long and loud. Working as a projectionist in the cinema I have also shown the toon, and on examining the print it is really noticeable that many frames have been cut out when "Red" makes an appearance. Enjoy the toon!

Ida Lupino,s first film. The part was actually cast for her mother and Ida went along to the audition with her mother who was around 35 years old although still a girlish type. When Allan Dwan saw Ida he said she was perfect for the part and so 19 year old Lupino got the part as the young girl who seduces the older man. A fast moving film for the early 1930,s Dwann directs his cast of established english actors with his customary adeptness,drawing a sparkling performance from Lupino as the skittish Anne who seduces(in a nice clean english way)the middle aged author Brian(Arnold Riches) with support from Diana Napier as the slightly disaproving mother Mrs Merton. There are some wearying comic interludes from the popular music hall artist at the time, Harry Tate as the Major,and the 2 gorgeous Blackburn sisters make a small appearance but it is Lupino who sparkles throughout the film, contrasting greatly to the roles that she would play in Hollywood in later years. I saw this picture at a private screening, but would recommend it to anyone who would want to witness how Lupino developed into one of the greatest, but sadly underrated actresses of the 1940,s

The definative pairing of Lorre and Greenstreet as they chase Dimitrios(the always charming and underated Zachary Scott) all over a studio bound Europe, moody and atmosheric catch it on tv if you can, always worth a repeat showing!