1,536 film titles from 1932

[FredCDobbs]

I want to thank rayallen for posting a link to IMDB's list of 1,536 films from 1932. I thought it might be a fun idea to discuss some of these films. Many on the first page of the link have already been shown on TCM.

 

http://www.imdb.com/search/title?year=1932,1932&title_type=feature&sort=moviemeter,asc

 

Here is an IMDB link to films of every year, including the future. Wow! Maybe TCM could show some of those future films now!

 

http://www.imdb.com/year/

 

Here's a good 1932 mystery pre-code film, "The Phantom of Crestwood":

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023335/

 

Old AMC used to air this, and I think TCM aired it about 15 years ago, and it's an early RKO film, so TCM might already have this in its Turner Film Library.

 

It's about a gold-digging lady who blackmails several wealthy men. With Karen Morley, Ricardo Cortez, Anita Louise, and H.B Warner.

[scottman1932]

I like THE PHANTOM OF CRESTWOOD, I found it a fun little who done it.

It is interesting that this film was part of a radio serial and contest. Another way RKO was trying to compete with radio during the depression. Ricardo Cortez is good as the detective. I do hope that TCM does run this one again some time in the near future.

[PrinceSaliano]

1932 was truly one the great years for movies (way better than '39, thank you very much). Let's get some 1932 Universal features on TCM...AFRAID TO TALK, NIGHT WORLD, SCANDAL FOR SALE, et al.

[thomas_meighan]

Look at all the jewels that Paramount released in '32:

 

Blonde Venus

Broken Lullaby

A Farewell to Arms

Horse Feathers

If I Had a Million

Love Me Tonight

Make Me a Star

Million Dollar Legs

Movie Crazy

One Hour With You

Shanghai Express

The Sign of the Cross

This Is the Night

Trouble in Paradise

 

They had some impressive directorial talents under contract that year too: Ernst Lubitsch, Rouben Mamoulian, Josef von Sternberg, an up-and-coming Henry Hathaway, the neglected and under-rated Stephen Roberts and Frank Tuttle--and (after a seven year absence from the studio) C. B. DeMille.

[ziggyelman]

> {quote:title=thomas_meighan wrote:}{quote}

> Look at all the jewels that Paramount released in '32:

>

> Blonde Venus

> Broken Lullaby

> A Farewell to Arms

> Horse Feathers

> If I Had a Million

> Love Me Tonight

> Make Me a Star

> Million Dollar Legs

> Movie Crazy

> One Hour With You

> Shanghai Express

> The Sign of the Cross

> This Is the Night

> Trouble in Paradise

>

> They had some impressive directorial talents under contract that year too: Ernst Lubitsch, Rouben Mamoulian, Josef von Sternberg, an up-and-coming Henry Hathaway, the neglected and under-rated Stephen Roberts and Frank Tuttle--and (after a seven year absence from the studio) C. B. DeMille.

 

Just looking at this Paramount list, it's interesting that TCM has run most of those films

[Ray Faiola]

> {quote:title=FredCDobbs wrote:}{quote}

>

> Here's a good 1932 mystery pre-code film, "The Phantom of Crestwood":

 

Not only is it a terrific film, it is actually the finale to a radio serial. How I would LOVE to hear the radio episodes that lead up to the picture!! Long gone, I'm afraid.

[countessdelave]

The Phantom of Crestwood is a great little film. It hasn't been shown on TCM for a long time. I've been waiting for this to be scheduled for a long time.

 

Also Night World is fun. A little sleeper with Boris Karloff and Mae Clarke and a Busby Berkeley number.

[redheadedwoman]

I love the 30's, my favorite film decade and I do really enjoy the Pre-Code era. A lot of films I really enjoy from that year including Trouble in Paradise, Love me Tonight, One hour with you, Redheaded woman and Red Dust etc.

Great year, I agree!

[markbeckuaf]

> {quote:title=redheadedwoman wrote:}{quote}

> I love the 30's, my favorite film decade and I do really enjoy the Pre-Code era. A lot of films I really enjoy from that year including Trouble in Paradise, Love me Tonight, One hour with you, Redheaded woman and Red Dust etc.

> Great year, I agree!

 

I totally agree as well! Totally groove to the 30's and especially the pre-code era!

[LonesomePolecat]

I too adore the precode era--- well, the early '30s. The late '20s are still trying to iron out the sound kinks. But 1932 is a great year! American Madness, Number 17, Grand Hotel, Horse Feathers, Red Dust, etc, not to mention classics like I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang that I still haven't seen yet.

[FredCDobbs]

6 Hours to Live (1932)

 

A murder victim is brought back to life by a scientific experiment. However, the effects only last for six hours, and he must find his killer in that time.

 

Warner Baxter, Miriam Jordan and John Boles

 

The plot sounds a little like D.O.A.

[FredCDobbs]

Ladies of the Jury (1932)

 

Society Matron, Mrs. Crane, is selected as a juror in the trail of an ex-chorus girl, Yvette Gordon, who's accused of murdering her rich elderly husband. In court, Mrs. Crane is your unorthodox and disruptive juror. During the first ballot, Mrs. Crane brings in the only "not-guilty" vote, inspite of Evelyn Snows damning testimony. Mrs. Crane and the other jurors are sent back to the jury room. Mrs. Crane persuades the other juror to take a closer look at the case and re-enact the night of Mr. Gordon's demise...

 

Edna May Oliver, Jill Esmond and Ken Murray

 

Sound like the same plot as "12 Angry Men".

[scottman1932]

The plot of LADIES OF THE JURY is somewhat similar to 12 ANGRY MEN, but is a bit lighter film.

Edna May Oliver is delightful in this film. TCM does run this film from time to time, so for those that have not see LADIES OF THE JURY, catch it when it runs again.

 

Edna is also in another excellent 1932 RKO film, THE PENGUIN POOL MURDER.

She plays Hildegarde Withers, a school teacher who ends up solving a murder at a city aquarium.

There is some great banter between Withers and Inspector Oscar Piper (James Gleason).

Robert Armstrong, and Mae Clarke are also in the cast.

[Swithin]

Ladies of the Jury is a delight! TCM screened it last year. They also screened We're on the Jury (1937), with the great Helen Broderick, based on the same play as Ladies but not nearly as good.

[FredCDobbs]

This morning I saw the last half of THE ROADHOUSE MURDER (1932). It was delightful. No stars in it, but it was a well-made fast-paced film about a young reporter about to go to the chair for a murder he didn't commit.

[PrinceSaliano]

32 FROM '32:

 

THE MUMMY

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE

AFRAID TO TALK

SCANDAL FOR SALE

THE IMPATIENT MAIDEN

NIGHT WORLD

BY WHOSE HAND?

THE NIGHT CLUB LADY

AS THE DEVIL COMMANDS

ATTORNEY FOR THE DEFENSE

THE BIG TIMER

DECEPTION

THE FAMOUS FERGUSON CASE

MISS PINKERTON

DOCTOR X

ARE YOU LISTENING?

FREAKS

THE PHANTOM OF CRESTWOOD

THIRTEEN WOMEN

IS MY FACE RED?

STATE'S ATTORNEY

THE THIRTEENTH GUEST

WHITE ZOMBIE

THE DEATH KISS

STRANGERS OF THE EVENING

CHANDU THE MAGICIAN

THE SILENT WITNESS

ISLAND OF LOST SOULS

THE MIRACLE MAN

MILLION DOLLAR LEGS

70,000 WITNESSES

WAYWARD

[LsDoorMat]

I recently got a copy of and really enjoyed 1932's "The Night of June 13th". It's about a group of families living on the same suburban street. Their lives are all intertwined in strange and sometimes scandalous ways and then one resident is found shot to death and another resident is accused. Different members of the small community could verify parts of the story of the accused, but they'd have to reveal something embarrassing about themselves plus they're not sure that the piece of the puzzle that they alone know about is enough to verify the person's innocence - so everyone stays mum. If they all came forward it would be obvious the accused is innocent. The film also shows the beginning of urban commuting as a trend since a big part of the plot line has to do with the fact that all of the bread winners take the train into New York City each morning. Catch it if you can for it's quite gripping.

[Swithin]

What a great list, it was a particularly good year for horror. Also, Million Dollar Legs is a CRAZY film about a country -- Klopstockia -- where all the women are named Angela and all the men are named George. W.C. Fields has a thankfully minor part; one of the real stars is Lyda Roberti "the woman no man can resist," who sings one of the craziest songs in the history of film.

 

Wikipedia says:

 

"After a June 2010 screening in Tribeca, New Yorker writer David Denby called the movie 'about as close as Hollywood (in this case, Paramount) ever came to the spirit of Dada'. The movie is so silly that it seems both artless and weirdly avant-garde, a style that the studios never quite explored again."