Spent some time with old films this week, from a pre-code Hollywood favorite to a few random British flicks. (All are available on YouTube.)
The Crowded Day (aka Shop Spoiled) (1954): A day-in-the-life snapshot of working class employees at a department store. A strange mix of romantic comedy (most of the girls’ lives) and noirish melodrama (one girl is pregnant out of wedlock). Thanks to great acting and a happy ending, I loved it. RECOMMENDED.
The Cheaters (1945): A somewhat laboriously plotted Christmas melodrama/comedy. Billie Burke and Eugene Pallette do their utmost to carry the rest of the cast, but it’s not easy. A high point is down-and-out actor Mr. M’s (Joseph Schildkraut) speech about the role of Jacob Marley’s ghost in A Christmas Carol. Better editing and stronger supporting actors would have made this so much more festive. NOT RECOMMENDED.
(For a strong recommendation of The Cheaters, check out Sister Celluloid‘s review, which inspired me to see the movie in the first place.)
Rain (1932): Before the Hays Code and Joan Crawford’s trademark eyebrows, she played Sadie Thompson, the tough but loveable prostitute in an adaptation of a story by M. Somerset Maugham. The face-off between our hooker heroine and the arrogant and intimidating preacher Davidson (Walter Huston) keeps you glued to the screen from start to finish. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Dangerous Afternoon (1961): In this odd little British drama, Miss Letty Frost (Ruth Dunning, not shown in above poster) is an ex-criminal who went straight after an accident which has left her wheelchair-bound. She runs a boarding house for older ex-criminal women (the primary source of comedy in the film). When her safe haven is invaded by a former criminal colleague bent on blackmail, Letty must protect the others and her own personal history–at any cost. Were this noir or comedy, we’d be cheering Letty until the closing credits. As it is, the melodramatic ending is just preachy and unsatisfying. NOT RECOMMENDED.
December 22, 2015 at 1:16 PM
The Crowded Day is one that I have been meaning to watch for so long now, maybe fit it in this week. Like you I was interested in ‘The Cheaters’ after reading Sister Celluloid’s review and provisionally have that pencilled in for this afternoon. Have ‘Rain’ on DVD and it is one of my favourite Joan Crawford films although Walter Huston pretty much steals the film. This time last year I enjoyed the slightly odd ‘Christmas Holiday’ 1944 a film-noir with a seasonal flavour, seems to have been removed from youtube although I think it is still available on archive.org
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December 22, 2015 at 3:16 PM
I’m so grateful to find so many films available at archive.org or at least temporarily on YouTube. We seem to share similar tastes 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
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December 22, 2015 at 6:25 PM
I watch an awful lot of films at Jimbo Berkey’s website which is apparently the largest privately owned website in the world, the beauty of that website is that all movies are genuinely public domain so if one catches your eye it is still going to be there months from now which is often not the case with youtube. I am sure you know Jimbo’s website but in case you don’t: http://free-classic-movies.com/
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December 24, 2015 at 10:18 AM
I wasn’t aware Rain was available online – have been wanting to watch it for ages but it’s not too easy to find in the UK. Thanks for flagging that!
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December 24, 2015 at 10:23 PM
Here’s a link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9nGSKlk_cvw
Hope it works in the UK.
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