scottman1932

I do hope that if Warner Home Video does decide to relase THE UNHOLY THREE, that they change out the horrible "canned" musical score that TCM shows. Three of Chaney's films suffer from these cobbled scores; HE WHO GETS SLAPPED, THE MONSTER and THE UNHOLY THREE. The music does not alwys fit the scenes in these movies and suffers from abrubt edits when there is a scene change. You might say that these scores would be the "unholy three" of Chaney film scores!

It would be nice. DESIGN FOR LIVING is now out on DVD (part of a Cooper Box set). i just bought it since it had Deisign and also THE GENERAL DIED AT DAWN (1936), an interesting Lewis Milestone directed film. I would love for Cooper's CITY STREETS (1931), and IF I HAD A MILLION (1932) to come out on DVD. Maybe one day.

I also liked him in THE DARK HORSE(1932), one of my favorite politcal satires. He could play such a wonderful stinker.

I was lucky enough to buy the Forbiden Hollywood laser disc sets when they first came out, but would love to be able to see them without having to turn over the disc to see the rest of the film. I would hope that maybe TCM might add PROFESSIONAL SWEETHEART (1933), and THE HALF NAKED TRUTH (1932) either to a "Forbdden Hollywood" set or at least run them again on TCM. Both are very funny pre-code gems. I have a movie herald (an ad handed out by theaters promoting upcoming films) for PROFESSIONAL SWEETHEART, it has Ginger Rogers on the cover wearing a teddy with high heels and a garter. It has the tag line "The Girl Who Wanted To Be Bad!" The inside has a couple of quotes from the movie by Rogers' character, "I want to be like other girls...to smoke and drink and swear and love and...EVERYTHING!" "I want to sin and suffer! And all I do is suffer!" Fun stuff!!!

On the plus side, they did include a good pre code film in their Design/Archetecture series, SKYSCRAPER SOULS (1932) with Warren William. I hope that the box set sell well enough for more pre-code releases like BLOND CRAZY (1931) with James Cagney, and I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER (1934) with Pat O'Brien, or BLESSED EVENT (1932) with Lee Tracy....

I enjoyed THE MAN IN POSESSION (1931), and LOVE IN THE ROUGH (1930), and THE BIG HOUSE (1930).

ALIAS NICK BEAL is an excellent film, I taped it 10 years ago when The Movie Channel used to show more old films. Sadly, I have never seen it shown since. I would add NIGHT WORLD (1931) with Boris Karloff, and PAROLE GIRL (1933) with Mae Clarke, also RAMONA (1936) a beautiful three strip Technicolor Fox production with Loretta Young.

PEOPLE WILL TALK is an excelent Cary Grant film that is seldom spoken of. Thankfully, it is out on DVD! It has such a great cast Walter Slezak, Jeanne Crain (one of my favorites), and Hume Cronyn (he plays such a stinker in it).

RILEY THE COP (1928) is a really fun obscure John Ford silent, also BAD COMPANY (1932), a neat but obscure gangster film. FRIENDS OF MR. SWEENEY (1934) and THE MILLOINAIRE (1931) are excellent but not too well remembered Warner's comedies as well.

I just got my December "Now Playing", and haven't searched it yet, but it would be nice if TCM could show some of Gary Cooper's Paramount films like THE VIRGINIAN (1929), or CITY STREETS (1931), or even his cameo appearence in IF I HAD A MILLION (1932). I'd love to see CHILDREN OF DIVORCE (1928), with Cooper and Clara Bow!

Yes, THE GREAT MAN VOTES is a fun movie too! John Barrymore does a very good job in it (all things considered).

There is also an excellent book by Frank Thompson titled "LOST FILMS:IMPORTANT MOVIES THAT DISAPPEARED" . It lists 27 films from 1911 -1929 with a brief synopsis on each film (in some cases from original treatments or shooting scripts).

There is also an excellent book by Frank Thompson titled "LOST FILMS:IMPORTANT MOVIES THAT DISAPPEARED" . It lists 27 films from 1911 -1929 with a brief synopsis on each film (in some cases from original treatments or shooting scripts).

To me, the things that make pre-code films so much fun to watch are exactly what was already mentiond, the gritiness, cloudy morals, etc. The production code of 1934 tamed all of the racey dialogue (example: in THE LITTLE GIANT (1933), Edward G. Robinson's character asks one of his assocites his opinion of a painting he had recently bought. The painting is a mish mash of designs that are supposed to be "modern art". "Have you ever seen anything like it?", he asks. The assocites replies, "Not since I gave up cocaine!". Or in LOVE ME TONIGHT (1932), Jeannette Mac Donald has just fainted,there is a search of the estate for a doctor. Charlie Ruggles asks Myrna Loy, "Can you go for a doctor?". She replies, "Sure bing him in!" This line had to be cut out of the film when Paramount wanted to re-issue it a few years later.) In the Production code of '34 if you commit a crime you must be punished. In TROUBLE IN PARADISE (1932), the main characters are jewel thieves who not only get away with bilking rich Kay Francis out of lots of money (an she thanks them too!), but they are living together without being married. When the Production code of 1934 went into affect, Paramount could not re-issue this movie. There were other films just as notorious (BABY FACE, CONVENTION CITY, THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE, etc.), but most often when these films did deal with realism, it was done with a bit more style. They still had to get around the "hays office" when all above mentioned films were made, so the had to be more creative in how some of the "sin" was portrayed.

FIVE STAR FINAL is one of my favorite pre code Warner's films. The last 10 minutes of the film still packs quite an emotional punch some 75 years later! What a film!

TUMBLEWEEDS (1925), THREE BAD MEN (1926), HELL'S HEROS (1930), POWDER SMOKE RIDGE (1935), also, SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON , OUTLAW JOSIE WALES, UNFORGIVEN rank up there too.

A couple of good WW1 film are THE BIG PARADE (1925) with John Gilbert, and BARBED WIRE (1927) with Pola Negri. Also THE BETTER 'OLE (1926) with Syd Chaplin is pretty good too.

I really liked THE DARK HORSE (1932), a really great political satire with Warren William and Bette Davis. THE GREAT MCGINTY is also one of my favorite political satires. James Cruze's WASHINGTON MERRY GO ROUND (1932) is a very good serious politcal film. It has many of the elements that Frank Capra would use in MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON.

Along with all of the other great titles already mentioned, I would like to add THE BITTER TEA OF GENERAL YEN (1933), also an excellent film.

A few of other pre code gems would be "The Little Giant" (1933), "Love Me Tonight" (1932), This Is The Night" (1932), "Trouble In Paradise" (1932), 'Women They Talk About" (1933), "Skyscraper Souls" (1932), "Beauty And The Boss"(1932). Some of these can even be seen on TCM. By the way, what makes a pre-code film "racy" is not just the visuals, many times it's the dialogue that sets the tone. The visuals would be the icing on the cheesecake (so to speak!).

All things condiered, the MGM library has the best survival rate of silents. Of the 178 silent films they made from 1924-1929, 122 still exist of those 107 exist in a complete form. Which is better than Universal from 1912-1929 there were 950 releases only 180 survive, 145 are complete. I would like to see TCM start to show some of the First National silents they have 31 still survive complete, a good number of those are from 1928 and 1929, some may even still have sound discs surviving.

Sad to say "So Big" (1924) is lost as is "Excess Bagage" (1928). I believe "The Duke Steps Out" (1929) is also lost. "Chasing Rainbows"(1930) is incomplete (Technicolo finale is lost), TCM hasn't shown it in several years.

As Keaton films go, I really like "Seven Chances"(1925) and "Three Ages" (1923) "Sherlock Jr" is a hoot with the right musical accompniment. The Vince Giordano score that was used when it was shown 10 years ago on AMC was great. The one on the DVD set, not so much...

I agree. Universal should have made it all talking (or in this case singing). It's not a bad film for its time. The only thing I never understood was the Braodway cast prologue (only sound discs survive). It seems odd that you would want to show the broadway cats singing the vocal "gems" from the show, and then have a cast that had never played in the show now sing and act in it. Universal fixed that in 1936 with the much superior remake. All of the principles in this version had played in either the Broadway or raod show company verisons of the stage show. Plus James Whale's excellent direction didn't hurt either! But as a transitional film, the 1929 verison is still well worth watching.

I would love to see Fox release some of the John Ford silents and early talkies. "Four Brothers", "Hangman's House" "Riley the Cop", would make a wonderful set.