CinemaInternational Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 So, I've caught up with everything, and all the retrospectives done so far have been archived at this site: https://hollywoodhistoryinpictures.wordpress.com/blog-feed/ Now, lets see here, UA in 1933, we have an Oscar winner this year, careers going into retirement or hiatus , and of course, pre-codes. Al Jolson started the year with the musical Hallelujah, I'm a Bum. The Adventures of Don Quixote was a European made take of the Spanish perennial that was directed by GW Pabst. Yes Mr. Brown was a comedy that has been lost to time, although the BFI wants to find it. Gloria Swanson went into semi-retirement after the amusing Perfect Understanding which paired her with a young Lawrence Olivier. She would be back several times afterwards, famously with Sunset Boulevard, but this marked the end of the main part of her career. Secrets though did mark the end of an on-screen career. The story of a long-suffering wife who puts up with years of her husband's indiscretions, it was the final film for Mary Pickford. She remained a wheeler-dealer behind the scenes, but she never made a film again, not even when she was almost lured out of retirement for the 1956 film Storm Center. Claudette Colbert was the daughter of a prime suspect in I Cover the Waterfront. She fell for the investigator on the case. Samarang was a pre-code romance adventure. Noel Coward's play Bitter Sweet came to the screen for the first time. This version is more faithful to the original play than the McDonald/Eddy version of a few years later. Ronald Colman had a double role in The Masquerader as both a member of Parliamenty felled by drug addiction and as a look alike enlisted to take his place. Charles Laughton won an Oscar for playing the notorious king in The Private life of Henry VIII Paul Robeson had the lead in The Emperor Jones, an early example of cinema with black leads. It should be said at this point that UA handled some films made by an upstart company called 20th Century. Yes, the same 20th Century that would become part of Fox a few years later. But originally, they were UA titles, and The Bowery with Wallace Beery, George Raft, Jackie Cooperm, and Fay Wray was the first of them. Broadway Through a Keyhole was a saucy musical Blood Money was the saga of a crooked bail-bondsman. Lee Tracy was in charge of a lonelyhearts column, a proposition that seems rather shocking. Roman Scandals closed the year and was another Eddie Cantor musical. This time, his support was given by Ruth Etting and Gloria Stuart. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 The Emperor Jones The Private Life of Henry VIII I've also seen Don Quixote, I Cover the Waterfront, and The Masquerader. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Lots of good ones this year. THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII is at the top for me, followed by THE BOWERY and BLOOD MONEY. I also like PERFECT UNDERSTANDING and SECRETS. These 20th Century Pictures, produced by Zanuck, are now owned by Fox. So I think he just used UA for distribution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polly of the Precodes Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 Hallelujah, I'm a Bum: My favorite Harry Langdon talkie and Jolson musical. Secrets: Sad to see Pickford's on-screen career go out on such a meh title. The Masquerader: A dress rehearsal for The Prisoner of Zenda? Advice to the Lovelorn: A barely recognizable adaptation of Nathaniel West's Miss Lonelyhearts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsan404 Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 I've seen only The Private Life of Henry VIII, a very good film with great performances by Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts