feaito

Nope... Clue # 13: Two of the films "guessed" in these thread, feature as leading player the female lead of this Movie

Thanks Spencer I've just voted...and it was fun!!

BTW...after thinking it over & over for years...I bought a second-hand copy of "Letter from an Unknown Woman", at a decent price...the out-of-print VHS of this wonderful film, which I've never seen, have always been too pricy!!

Thanks for the info Tom...this site will be a nice "companion" to my Quinlan's Dictionnary of Character Actors.

Yeah Bracken...I know I am...but dreams may come true! (sighing)...When in my life I would have thought 15 years ago, that I would be able to watch "Female", "Torch Singer", "Love Me Tonight", "The Smiling Lieutenant", "Baby Face"....and so many more...and they're being shown here on TCM, commercial free...and above all, good copies!!

A Jeanette MacDonald-Maurice Chevalier Paramount ("The Love Parade", "One Hour With You" and "Love Me Tonight") Box Set, which should include some of their solo work as well (i.e.: "Monte Carlo", "The Smiling Lieutenant",...), and it would also be nice to include their last film, MGM's "The Merry Widow", the complete, uncensored version, TCM has in its vaults. It'd be nice to include the french version of those flicks ("La Veuve Joyeuse", "Une heure Pres de Toi", etc). Also it would be nice a Nelson Eddy-Jeanette MacDonald Box Set. I'd like Box Sets of DeMille's early '30s films, from MGM and Paramount: "Dynamite", "Madam Satan", "The Squaw Man", "The Sign of The Cross", "Cleopatra", "Four Frightened People"...which could include the Documentary aired by TCM a couple of months ago. A Box Set of his early 20's marital sex-farces would be cool too! "Manslaughter", "Male and Female", "Why Change Your Wife?"... A Norma Shearer set with all her Pre-Codes. And lots of Bonus of her life, screen tests, background stories, shorts, premieres attended by Norma and Irving Thalberg, etc. A Warners Pre-Code Set including Kay Francis', Ruth Chatterton's films. An early 30's Box Set of Frank Capra movies, like "The Bitter Tea of General Yen", "Ladies of Leisure". Box Sets of Irene Dunne and Ann Harding; Gary Cooper... Dreaming....

Nope... Clue # 12: A Corpse in the back of a car

Nope Lolite... Clue # 11: The husky-voiced deadly blonde of the film, gets to sing once more, in her former Club, now a guest...

I Just ended watching Ruth Chatterton's "Frisco Jenny"...she gives a tough, hardboiled perfomance, of a woman who rises from the slums to notoriety as the Madam of a sort of huge "institutionalized" Bordello...well, that after losing her father, lover and everything she had because of the 1906 huge Frisco earthquake....she has to suffer the estrangement from her son, etc...Louis Calhern is good as a corrupt politician...and Donal Cook impersonates the grown-up son...Helen Jerome eddy plays a chinese lady who's loyal to Jenny until the end of the picture...and the plot has some reminiscences of "Madame X", filmed in 1929 with Chatterton on the title role, this time, at MGM...also being shown here at TCM. In all, a well-done Warners-First National 75 minutes? programmer, with some nice special effects and good performances...sincere acting by Miss Chatterton, rises this above the level of mere soap-opera. Recommmended for early thirties soapers fans....although not as daring, risqu? and "pre-codish" as "Female"...still worthwhile.

"The Devil's Brother" aka "Fra Diaviolo" is a highly amusing comedy-operetta. You'll enjoy it for sure! Laurel & Hardy, Thelma Todd and Dennis King are in top form! Recommended.

Thanks Mary Lou!...

Excellent movie...somewhat, again on the right "path" (I'll explain this later)...but not that one Clue # 10: A bartender who's got some "information" is murdered...and our hero is tried to be blamed for that...

Nope, but somehow you're in the right path... Clue # 9: A shooting scandal of some years ago...in which the real murderer/ess was not convicted..someone else took the blame....

I dont know if "Hips Hips Hooray" is a Pre-Code or was filmed after the full enforcement of The Hays Code, but with a cast including the wonderful Thelma Todd, Ruth Etting and Dorothy Lee...it must be something!! Today on the afternoon I watched "Female" with Ruth Chatterton...For your info, I'm gonna copy-paste what I wrote today at Amazon.com, my feelings after watching it: "Love these early '30s Pre-Codes Reviewer: Fedo. Ruth Chatterton, an actress which I had only seen in one of my very, very fave films of all time, William Wyler's masterpiece, based upon Sinclair Lewis' novel, "Dosworth", carries this picture, which stands remarkably well the "test of time"...in a very different role...not only that...in "Dodsworth" she was the wife of small-town automobile tycoon...here she is the ruthless, sexually liberated, female automobile Co. Tycoon, herself. Well, recalling better, I had also seen her in MGM's early 1929 soaper "Madame X" (OK) and would love to watch her Paramount Flicks (1928-1931). Universal, who has the rights to them...any chance of releasing them?? In this flick, she manages her company, with no holds-barred, with a hand of steel, surrounded by handsome young men, who are discarded, one after the other, when they have served "her leisure purposes". A refreshing role-reversal (an very daring then), with a woman "on top". She has all the POWER. But then comes (then husband in real life) George Brent, who impersonates an independent-minded executive, who changes Chatterton's life...as she were expecting such dominant male?. Nice support by Johnny Mack Brown, Gavin Gordon and Philip Reed (a "very naive" young man or something "else"? (as stated in Vieira's book "Sin in Soft Focus", a must read for Pre-Code Fans), as some of the men, who are invited to "have dinner with her", at her lavish, very luxurious house. Ravishing clothes by Orry-Kelly. In all, a compelling, entertaining film, with fast-talking entrepreneur Chatterton in top form....I also could obtain her "Frisco Jenny" film, which I'm going to watch right away. You won't regret buying this great Pre-Code.(I don't have to buy it, since I taped thanks to TCM, an excellent, pristine copy) P.S. Look for Ferdinand Gottschalk as her (Chatterton's) elder assistant, who gives a very funny performance and delivers some highly-amusing lines.

Nope...would like to see that one: Clue # 8: A Shot inside a car

Hi M.L. I've been missing you!!...Sadly its not that one (chuckles)... Clue # 7: The Blonde has a sexy-husky voice

I have many, many hours of TCM "specialties" taped, waiting "in line" to be seen...stuff ad old, as two years ago. When "The Complicated Women" Documentary aired more than a year ago, I taped a lot of saucy and juicy Pre-Codes....some I've already seen (i.e.: the wonderful "Faithless")...but yesterday I watched two of them in a row: The wonderful Claudette Colbert "Torch Singer" and Stanwyck's "Baby Face" To begin with, "Torch Singer" is such a greatly acted and excellently done film, unseen (thanks TCM for borrowing/leasing it from Universal), sophisticated early '30s Paramount, with Miss Colbert transforming herself, from a disgraced-fallen woman into a notorious, sizzling, sexy, chanteuse, extravagantly dressed, with outstanding outfits by that master of design: Travis Banton. She's a helluva an actress Claudette Colbert, great at dramatics, irony, comedy, what a joy! This picture is a-la-par with her more famous "Imitation of Life" (1934), I'd even say I liked this one even better. Ricardo Cortez is great as her good-natured lover-mentor; David Manners, very good, as the rich man who (unknowingly) disgraced her (-BTW, talking about disgraces, it would be great to watch Helen Twelvetrees 1933 Paramount "Disgraced!"), Ethel Griffies as Manners's stubborn, cold-hearted, aristocratic Aunt; Lyda Roberti as Colbert's pal "in disgrace", at the beginning of the movie ("punchy" Roberti, would love to watch her again in Eddie Cantor's "Kid from Spain") and last but not least, the wonderful Charley Grapewin, as the very funny (he delivers some really funny lines) sponsor of Miss Colbert's Radio Program, which she uses as "Aunt Jenny" (unaware the "innocent" public that she's notorious Club Singer, Mimi Benton (ex-Sally Trent)) to find her lost child. On the other hand, IMHO, "Babyface" must be one of the greatest Pre-Codes ever; when I watch such good & entertaining movies, I go either to www.us.imdb.com (if them movies are not released in any format) or to www.amazon.com (if they are), to write immediately a review, I just feel the "urge" of doing it so...'cos I need to share my amusement...my joy ...of watching these wonders...and upon doing these, I was appalled to read some negative comments about "Babyface"...'cos I think that really Stanwyck gives a grand performance, and her rising from the slums to the highest "kept-woman" positions, "money" can buy, is great!...Well, we all know the script changes, the cuts, and the contrived ending the censors imposed to this great movie....Stanwyck demonstrated the stuf she was made of, later to become a Hollywwod icon in films like "Stella Dallas", "Ball of Fire", "Double Indemnity". Mention apart deserve the two lovely & beautiful-ebony-skin actresses, who impersonated the heroines's pals and maids in both movies: the great Mildred Washington as Carry or Carrie in "Torch Singer" and Theresa Harris as Chico in "Babyface", they give great performances, and one think what might have became of them, in "more tolerant" times like ours, when people, because of the color of their skins, are not forced into typecasting. Great Pre-Codes!! in the same time I've got taped Ruth Chatterton's "Female" and "Frisco Jenny"...more about it later!

Nope...another good one! Clue # 7: A "Confession" to a Priest

Well Lolite..let's continue tomorrow...too sleepy..bye! have a nice sleep...sweet dreams

Nope...yes the world is a "handkerchief", as they say here in my country.. Clue # 6: betrayal

By the way....incidentally, Lolite....my wife, whose names are Barbara Loretto....is called by most of her family and me too: "Lolita"...and you are Lolite...what a coincidence!

Nope...good to hear that Lolite!! Clue # 5: Murders

Wow!! lucky guy!! "Whipsaw" is a film I'd love to see...It's like obtaining Myrna and Cary's first collaboration together, the 1935 Paramount "Wings in the Dark"....vintage stuff!!

Nope...good film Clue # 4: A Club

Hope Baby is fine by now Lolite....No it's not that one Clue # 3: A "false" identity