Video Link: The Big Store - Piano Scene - The Marx Brothers

 

Bugs Bunny is TCM's Star of the Month for February

 

As a massive fan of both Looney Tunes and TCM, I have long been hoping that these two would cross paths more often. After all cartoons are an important part of film history as there was a time when cinema goers couldn't image a trip to the movies without a cartoon. Recently I found some amazing news that I am very excited about. Starting February TCM will now host the classic Looney Tunes shorts. This is being kicked off by making Bugs Bunny, February's star of the month. From February 2nd to the 9th, the channel will be showing 45 selected Bugs Bunny shorts, that include many long-time favorites of Looney tunes fans.  In the spirit of a classic night at the movies these shorts will be grouped by themes and will be followed by a live action feature of the same theme. For instance, Rabbit of Seville (1950) and What’s Opera Doc (1957) will play before the Marx Brothers classic, A Night at the Opera (1935). And this is only the beginning doc; classic Looney Tunes cartoons will become a staple of the channel for the foreseeable future. 

So, Overture, curtain, lights. This is it tonight of nights. No more rehearsing and nursing a part. We know every part by heart. Overture, curtain, lights. This is it; we'll hit the heights and oh what heights we'll hit. On with the show this is it. Tonight, what heights we'll hit. On with the show, this is it.

Walter Woolf King on Stage, Screen and Radio

 

Motion Picture Daily, 1938

Walter Woolf King is best remembered today for his work with two of the movies' greatest comedy teams. He appeared with The Marx Brothers in A Night at the Opera (1935) and Go West (1940), as well as Laurel and Hardy in Swiss Miss (1938). He is perfect as the villain in the two Marx Brothers movies, truly making us want to hiss at him whenever he comes on screen. Unfortunately, he is much weaker in Swiss Miss. This is not because of his acting but rather the role he is given. He is supposed to be the romantic lead in this film but the way his character is written makes him seem much more like a villain. Swiss Miss has some great comedic bits for Laurel and Hardy but whenever the attention drifts away from them, it becomes much less interesting.  

Motion Picture, 1935

However, Walter Woolf King's career was so much more than these three films. He also appeared in such movies as Golden Dawn (1930), One More Spring (1935), Call It a Day (1937), Melody for Three (1941), Smart Alecks (1942), The Helen Morgan Story (1957) and Rosie! (1967). He also appeared in two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Our Cook's a Treasure (1955), The Percentage (1958)) and three episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (The Dark Pool (1963), A Nice Touch (1963), Isabel (1964)). 

King was also a quite successful stage actor, who was especially known for his baritone singing voice. Here is a list of some of the plays he was in and when they ran.

Florodora (Apr 05, 1920 - Aug 14, 1920)

The Midnight Rounders of 1920 (Jul 12, 1920 - Nov 27, 1920)

The Last Waltz (May 10, 1921 - Oct 29, 1921)

The Lady in Ermine (Oct 02, 1922 - Apr 21, 1923)

The Passing Show of 1923 (Jun 14, 1923 - Sep 15, 1923)

The Dream Girl (Aug 20, 1924 - Nov 29, 1924)

Artists and Models (Jun 24, 1925 - May 07, 1926)

Princess Flavia (Nov 02, 1925 - Mar 13, 1926)

Countess Maritza (Sep 18, 1926 - Jun 25, 1927)

The Red Robe (Dec 25, 1928 - May 20, 1929)
/

Ladies All (Jul 28, 1930 - Dec 13, 1930)

The Great Man (Apr 07, 1931 - Apr 1931)

Experience Unnecessary (Dec 30, 1931 - Feb 1932)

Red Planet (Dec 17, 1932 - Dec 1932)

Melody (Feb 14, 1933 - Apr 22, 1933)

May Wine (Dec 05, 1935 - Jun 06, 1936)

As well as appearing in movies, TV and stage, King also hosted the CBS radio show Flying Red Horse Tavern. Here is a 1936 article about that from Radio Mirror. If you have trouble reading the following pages click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here. 

Resources Used

https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/walter-woolf-king-48149

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

Silent Film of the Month: Too Many Kisses (1925)

 

Run Time:  60 minutes. Studio: Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. Director: Paul Sloane. Writer: Gerald C. Duffy. Based on a story by John Monk Saunders. Producers: Jesse L. Lasky, Adolph Zukor. Main Cast: Richard Dix, Frank Currier, Albert Tavernier, Frances Howard, William Powell, Paul Panzer, Arthur Ludwig, Joseph Burke, Harpo Marx. Cinematographer: Harold Rosson. 

One of the few good things to come out of 2020 was the resurfacing of the delightful silent movie, Too Many Kisses. 

In this movie, Richard Gaylord, Jr. is the son of a successful businessman, but his playboy ways make his father doubt his ability to take over the family business. The son is sent on a trip to Basquea region of France, where it is believed that woman would never be seen with a man outside of their own culture to rid him of his playboy ways. However, there he meets a local girl who falls for him, but he is afraid that starting a relationship with her would cause him to lose the opportunity to take over the company in the future. 

With only an hour-long runtime, this movie is fun from start to finish. The whole film moves at a fast pace and even if it isn't laugh out loud funny, it keeps a delightful comic momentum going throughout. The story itself may be slight and silly, but the movie never takes itself seriously enough for that to bother us. In fact, it just adds to the unpretentious charm. Also helping is Richard Dix in the main role. Dix multiple times has proven himself to be very adept at this type of light comedy. He adds such an effortless charm to this role that makes even the corniest moments a lot of fun. 

Those who know this movie mostly know it for being the film debut for Harpo Marx. In his autobiography Harpo would remember only appearing extremely briefly in this movie claiming that if you blinked you missed him. While this is still a supporting role, it is still more substantial than he gave it credit for. He even receives his only cinematic line of dialogue in this movie, though because it is a silent film, we only see it via intertitle and don't hear his voice.  

Another actor who had an early film role here was Willaim Powell. In contrast to his later movie roles, in the silent era he often played villains. Yet he adds so much to role as he clearly enjoys playing this villainous role very much. 

Paul Salone is a rather unknown director and most of his films are those that even the staunchest film buffs may not have heard of. Some of his "best known" movies include two movies starring the comedy team of Wheeler and Woosley: The Cuckoos (1930) and Half Shot at Sunrise (1930). He would direct Richard Dix again in The Shock Punch (1925). 

This film's writer Gerald C. Duffy was better known as a short story writer with many popular short stories that appeared in various magazines. IMDB states that he wrote more than 200 short stories by the time he was 23. However, he did do quite a bit of film work during the silent era, starting as a title writer and working his way up to a story writer. He would suddenly die at the age of 32, in the middle of dictating a script. Some notable screenplays include the Mabel Normand features, The Slim Princess (1920) and What Happened to Rosa (1920) as well as the Mary Pickford vehicle Through the Back Door (1921). 

Exhibitor's World, 1925

The following is a review from a 1925 issue of Exhibitor's Trade Review (there are spoilers in this review but since this is such a lighthearted romp, this should not matter much). 

"A crackerjack comedy drama that should pack them in wherever it is shown! Richard Dix more than makes good in 'Too Many Kisses,' a great attraction to the needs of all classes of theatres.

"The feature is a laugh getter from beginning to end and mingled with its crisp, brisk humorous situations, a generous measure of romance and spirited melodrama. Director Paul Salone has balanced his story values neatly, the action buzzes along at a merry clip and there isn't a slack moment in the entire six reels.

"We are all familiar with the handsome young American screen hero who does to a foreign country, performs wonderous deeds of valor and winds up carrying off the prettiest girl in sight. Such is the principal theme of 'Too Many Kisses,' but it's treated in an altogether new fashion, with such excellent comedy effects, unlimited dash and vim that it never lands in a conventional rut or ceases to grip and hold the spectator's attention. 

"Hero Richard Gaylord is such a confirmed lady's man that his anxious papa ships him to Spain in order to dodge any more breach of promise cases on the part of his fair country women. But the first thing Dick does is to fall head over heels in love with a Spanish beauty and then the fireworks start. For the said beauty, Yvonne, is much desired by the captain of the guards. Julio who is framed for his skill as a knife thrower and general ferocity and naturally objects strenuously to Richard's intrusion.

"The thrill's pile up in lively style from the moment Julio steps into the picture. Richard is handicapped because he promises Yvonne not to fight, but when she releases him from that promise what he does to the pugnacious Julio is plenty. He whips the latter in as dynamic a scrap as has even been filmed, and a happy climax is attained when Gaylord Senior arrives and gives Yvonne his OK. 

"Richard Dix has gone ahead with giant strides lately but has never done anything quite as good as his portrayal of the vivacious young Gaylord. By refraining from overstraining the 'heroics' he gets all the fun possible out of the role, without neglecting the romantic angle, an exceedingly fine performance. Frances Howard shows up as well as the heroine Yvonne, is attractive and wins universal flavor. The support is excellent." 

I highly recommend you get the Blu-ray from the Film Preservation Society. This Blu-ray has musical accompaniment for the feature by Bill Marx, Harpo's son. As well as the main movie the Blu-ray also features the Paramount publicity film, The House That Shadows Built (1931), which features a Marx Brother skit that was only performed on film for this one film. It also features the silent short, A Child's Impulse directed by D.W. Griffith and starring Mary Pickford. 



 

REsources Used

https://www.jbkaufman.com/movie-of-the-month/too-many-kisses-1925

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

Some Cartoons for Saturday Morning #248

 Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons. 

Today's cartoon selection starts off with Bugs Bunny in Prince Violent (1961). This film would later be renamed, Prince Varmint for TV airings, because I guess seeing the word violent written out would make kids want to be violent. 

Now for the Fleischer screen song cartoon, Down Among the Sugar Cane (1932). The title song was originally published in 1908 and was written by Dan Avery, Chas. Hart, Cecil Mack and Chris Smith. Cecil Mack and Chris Smith wrote multiple songs together including You're in the Right Church but the Wrong Pew, It's Hard to Love Somebody (Who's Loving Somebody Else) and He's a Cousin of Mine. Singing the song is Lillian Roth, whose movie career included such films as The Love Parade (1929), The Vagabond King (1930), Madame Satan (1930) and Animal Crackers (1930, with the Marx Brothers).

Next is the Aesop's Sound Fables cartoon, Singing Saps (1930). In 1931 Walt Disney would take the Van Beuren studio to court because two of their mice characters too greatly resembled Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The characters in this film bare more than a passing resemblance to the Disney characters. 

Now we join the man (or the mouse) himself, Mickey Mouse in Galloping Gaucho (1928). This was the second Mickey Mouse cartoon ever made (it was preceded by Plane Crazy (1928)). After completing the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, Walt and Roy Disney were trying to sell their new cartoon series to major studios. At the same time, work on the mouse's second film quickly went underway. Since Walt had completed the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons, he was contractually obligated to make before setting off on his own, unlike Plane Crazy, The Galloping Gaucho was no longer made under a veil of secrecy. Because of this rather than animating the whole film by himself (as he had done with Plane Crazy, Ub Iwerks (the head Disney animator at the time and co-creator of Mickey Mouse) was now working with other Disney animators such as Les Clark, Johnny Cannon and Wilfred Jackson. Historians J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein commented (in this must own book on Mickey Mouse) that this cartoon shows the influence silent era action Douglas Fairbanks had on the animated mouse. They also pointed out that Fairbanks had even starred in a movie called The Gaucho (1927) and this cartoon was both a tribute to and a parody of that film. These first two Mickey Mouse cartoons were originally made as silent films. However, after the success of Steamboat Willie (1928), as a sound cartoon, these films were issued to theaters with new musical scores by Carl Stalling (who is probably best known for his work on Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies).  

Now it is time for a commercial break. 

Next comes one of the most famous and important of Disney's Silly Symphonies cartoons, Flowers and Trees (1932). This film was the first Silly Symphony in color, and it is obvious that even from this first attempt the Disney cartoons had a mastery of color in a way few films would ever reach. Walt knew that color was not just a novelty or a way to make films look pretty but could be a vital part of storytelling. The colors in these cartoons often added to mood of the scene in a way an audience can feel. Walt was alone in believing Technicolor would help boost the quality of his cartoons and many tried to talk him out of it but as was always true of Walt, he stuck with his instinct, and it paid off. The short received much praise (including an academy award) and it still remains a great cartoon to this day. Walt signed a contract with Technicolor for three years, giving them exclusive right to the process in the field of animation. This is why some of the other studios would soon use less famous and less effective color processes for their cartoons of this period. The cartoon itself was directed by Burt Gillett, who would soon direct the most famous Silly Symphony, The Three Little Pigs (1933). J.B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt's book, Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series states, "David Hand animated most of the film, partly by himself and partly with apprentices."  David Hand would later be supervising director on the Disney features, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Bambi (1942). The following is a short article from The Film Daily (dated Sept. 17, 1932), "As a result of the tremendous reception at the Grauman's Chinese in Los Angles and the Roxy in New York of the first Silly Symphony, in natural color, Walt Disney, its creator says all the Symphonies released this year  by United Artists will be done in Technicolor and that later the Mickey Mouse may also be photographed in natural color. The first Silly Symphony in Technicolor 'Flowers and Trees,' was in the nature of a feeler. It was made to touch [sic] out the public reaction to color in an animated short feature. After the first showing in Hollywood, in conjunction with MGM's 'Strange Interlude,' Disney had decided that he hit upon one of his most popular moves. Sid Grauman also was highly enthusiastic about 'Flowers and Trees.' The same thing happened at the Roxy. And now the second Silly, 'King Neptune' will have its premiere at the opening of 'Mr. Robinson Crusoe,' Douglas Fairbanks new feature, at the Rivoli next Wednesday." 

Now for the Pink Panther in Forty Pink Winks (1975). 

Next is the silent Fleischer Brothers cartoon Koko on the Run (1925).

Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Bart's Hiccups (1988). This was one of the shorts made for The Tracey Ullman Show before the animated family got their own TV show. 

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry. 


Resources Used

Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin

Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman.

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein 

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/sheetmusic/1856/

The Great Movie Comedians (1978)

 

Well written and well researched Leonard Maltin's 1978 book remains essential reading for all fans of classic movie comedy. 

The book starts with an introduction that discusses the work of silent film comedians that do not receive their own chapters later in this book. This introduction is just as much essential reading as what follows. Offering a brief history of some of these forgotten clowns and how they contributed to the broad history of screen comedy, while also explaining what keeps them from entering into the pantheon of "Great Movie Comedians" like those that receive their own chapters here makes for compelling reading. Quotes for those who worked with these comedians firsthand provide even greater insight to who these comedians were and what comedy filmmaking was like in the silent era. This is one of the rare books where I wish that the introduction had gone on longer. 

The actual chapters cover 22 of the best comedians (or comedy teams) to ever grace the silver screen. These are Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon, Charley Chase, Raymond Griffith, Marie Dressler, Laurel and Hardy, Will Rogers, Joe E. Brown, The Marx Brothers, W.C. Feilds, Mae West, The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Red Skelton, Jerry Lewis and Woody Allen. Each of this chapters provides a brief history of the comic's career, some critical insight and a filmography. The critical insight truly shows Maltin's talent as a critic and a writer. He has great admiration for the talent of each of these performers, while also allowing himself to critique the flaws in some of their work. While I may not agree with all his critical opinions (I have a much higher opinion of Harry Langdon's self-directed efforts), they are all well written and insightful. Naturally the history may not be as in depth as what you might read in an entire book dedicated to one of these comics, but for the brevity of these chapters, they are surprisingly insightful. The quotes from those who worked with these comics are invaluable even to film buffs, who may know the majority of the information in this book. Though today, we may take the filmographies for granted it is important to remember how in the pre-internet days, how valuable a simple list of each of these performer's films was to any film buff. 

If I were to find fault with any of these chapters, it would be the one about Harry Langdon. This is the rare occurrence where Maltin gets his film history wrong. He gives too much credit to Frank Capra and too little to Langdon himself for the creation of Langdon's screen character. However, this is not completely Maltin's fault. One must remember that at the time this book was written there was still a lot of research to be done on Langdon, and his films were not easy to see. Because of this it is easy to have believed Frank Capra's claims to have been instrumental in the creation of Langdon's character. I can't say that I wouldn't have made the same mistake at the time. Today one can see that Langdon's character was already on his way to being formed by the time that Frank Capra began working on Langdon's films. Yet even with this, I am very grateful to Leonard for calling attention to Langdon at this time period. 

This is a truly excellent book.         

   

Harpo Speaks (1961)

 

Though Groucho Marx had a reputation as an extremely well-read individual who spent much of his free time reading, the best book written by a Marx Brother was by his silent brother Harpo. This is one of the very few autobiographies that can truly be called indispensable. Many entertainer autobiographies are either overly self-congratulatory or simply prove that the author is a better entertainer than a writer. Neither is true here. This is a well written book that is addictive to read from start to finish. 

What it is not however is a history of the Marx Brothers movies. The only film Harpo really speaks about is A Night at the Opera (1935) and he only provides basic information that most Marx Brothers fans already know. Instead, he spends much of the book talking about his life outside of his work. The early chapters speaking of his childhood are wonderful. Harpo (with the help of his co-writer Rowland Barber) paints an incredibly vivid picture of this time and place. These chapters are so well done, that any reader can picture the time and place in their heads as if they are watching a movie. Though the rest of the book was also excellent, I was almost sad when Harpo grew up because I didn't want to stop reading about his childhood. 

The later chapters are compelling reading as well and through them we get to truly know and understand who Harpo was as a person. For a man that most of us have never seen outside of the character he played in movies, TV and on stage, this gives us a whole new look at Harpo. He comes off as a lovely person without an ounce of pretention. At the same time, he is not afraid to speak about his own flaws. Yet these flaws and his honesty just endear him even further.

He also spends quite a while telling various anecdotes from his life. As well as painting a great portrait of himself, Harpo also paints a great picture of his various friends and family. Harpo was a rare person to be accepted into both the intelligentsia of his time (despite not considering himself as anywhere near an intellectual) as well as among non-intellectual entertainers and he has wonderful stories to tell about both these groups of people. One of his closest friends was Alexander Woollcott, one of the leading intellectuals of the time, and he paints a very fair, honest and complex picture of the man and this book also provides one of the best looks at Woollcott that I have ever read. 

Harpo does speak in depth about his love of the harp though. Anyone who has watched a Marx Brothers movie can tell that is silly and comedic as Harpo is for most of the runtime of one of these films, he becomes serious when he sits down and plays the harp. Reading this book, it becomes even more obvious the true love Harpo had for this instrument. Though he was a great comedian, the harp was his first love, and he writes about it in this book the same way he would write about a close friend.  

Though this book may be light on information about the Marx Brothers films, it is still a truly wonderful read that I found hard to put down. 

-Michael J. Ruhland

Classic Movie Comedians Tackle Football

 For some reason or another, many people seem to be talking about football today. Personally, I couldn't care less about football (or any sport for that matter). I do however love classic comedy. So, I feel this is a great reason to look at some of the great movie comedians takes on this popular sport. 

Probably the most famous example of a classic movie comedian playing football is the classic Harold Lloyd film, The Freshman (1925). 

A close second is The Marx Brothers take on the sport in their classic feature film, Horse Feathers (1932). 

Football based comedy also appeared often in short films. Harry Langdon and The Three Stooges have two of my personal favorite football themed shorts. 

I also enjoy the Our Gang (or Little Rascals) short, The Pigskin Palooka (1937) very much. 

Speaking of the Our Gang kids, once Oliver Hardy got into trouble when he kicked Tommy Bond's football. This clip comes from the feature length movie, Block-Heads (1938). 

Football would later play a major role in the Laurel and Hardy feature, Nothing but Trouble (1944). 

Let us close this post with a couple classic Disney cartoons about football. 

TCM Film Festival 2024

 

This past weekend was one of the highlights of any movie fans year, the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, CA. 

While unfortunately it is impossible to see every film at this festival (as many of them play at the same time at different theaters), I am very satisfied with the great selection (and great variety) of films I saw this year. 

I started this festival on the right foot, watching one of the greatest crime movies ever made, White Heat (1949). This film (featuring one of James Cagney's best performances) looked simply incredible on the big screen at the historic Egyptian Theater. Speaking of looking incredible on the big screen, a new restoration of the great John Ford and John Wayne western, The Searchers (1956) on 70mm film was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen projected on a screen. As the film started my jaw dropped at how beautiful it looked. Having an introduction by one of the great modern-day directors, Alexander Payne made this only better, especially as he mentioned that members of the Wayne family were in the audience. That was not the only great western I saw there as I also saw the very underrated and unjustly obscure pre code western, Law and Order (1932) starring Walter Houston and Harry Carey. I had not seen this movie before and to say I was impressed, would be an understatement. If you stretch the definition of a western, I also saw a great 35mm nitrate print of the really fun musical Annie Get Your Gun (1950). I also saw a great 35mm nitrate print of the underrated film noir (starring Edward G. Robinson), The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948). Being a huge Hitchcock fan I had to see the two Hitchcock screenings. They were of two of his greatest classics, Rear Window (1954) and North by Northwest (1959). I was also pleased to see a classic foreign picture, Fredrico Fellini's La Strada (1954), one of my favorite movies of all time. 

Naturally for someone like me the highlights of the festival were the animation and silent film screenings. On the animation side there was Disney's 101 Dalmatians (1961) and a screening of various newly restored theatrical cartoon shorts. 101 Dalmatians was made more impressive by having an interview with the great classic Disney animator Floyd Norman. In my mind he is one of the coolest guys living today. His insights into the Walt Disney animation studio at this time period where simply fascinating to listen to. The classic cartoon shorts (mostly from the Fleischer studio) were introduced by Family Guy creator, Seth MacFarlane (who does sound just like Brian Griffin), whose passion for these classic cartoons (and film history in general) could be felt throughout. He also helped fund the restorations of these films. Speaking of the restorations they looked simply incredible. 

The first of the two silent film screenings began included the Edward Evert Horton short film, Dad's Choice (1928) and the Raymond Griffith feature Paths to Paradise (1925). To see such little-known silent gems on the big screen felt like heaven to me. The laughter of the audience during the climax of the feature showed why these films should be seen with a full audience. Great accompaniment by Ben Model didn't hurt either. The other silent film screening ended the festival on a high note for me. It had two classic Buster Keaton films, the short The Goat (1921) and the feature Sherlock Jr. (1924). These films had the whole audience in hysterics. Even though I have seen these films countless times, seeing it with such an appreciative audience made me laugh myself silly too. The live accompaniment by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra was simply beautiful and helped make these 100-year-old and 103-year-old films feel completely new and fresh. 

Also adding to the fun was a wonderful panel by Arthur Marx, grandson of Groucho Marx (on his dad's side) and songwriter Gus Kahn (on his mother's side). He not only talked about both of his great grandfathers but performed many of Gus Kahn's songs asking the audience to sing along with him. It is also wonderful to talk to many of the others at the festival. There is something about old movie fans when they meet. They have a true kinship with each other that shows just why these movies are so important. 

If you have not been to the TCM Film Festival yet, it is a must for every classic movie fan. 
    

Kitty Carlisle Throws Her Mask Away

 To many movie fans today, Kitty Carlisle is best known for being the leading lady in The Marx Brothers film, A Night at the Opera (1935). Fans of old TV will probably recognize her for appearing in tons of episodes of To Tell the Truth. She also worked with Bing Crosby in She Loves Me Not (1934) and Here is My Heart (1934). Much later she would appear in Woody Allen's Radio Days (1987), as well as Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and the made-for-TV movie Kojak: Flowers for Matty (1990). 

The following is a 1935 article from Silver Screen about Kitty. If you have any trouble reading the following pages click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. 

Marx Brothers on Leo on the Air

YouTube is a treasure trove for old movie fans. Not only are there plenty of old films including some great hidden gems, but there are also some other wonderful treats from film history. One of these treats is clips from some episodes of the radio show Leo's on the Air. Leo's On the Air was a radio show that existed to promote MGM's new feature films. It often featured stars from the MGM movie it was promoting as well as songs for the musicals. The following are clips of The Marx Brothers on the radio show to promote their feature films, Go West (1940), A Day at the Races (1937) and At the Circus (1939). 

Video Link: The Woodpecker Song (From Go West (1940))

Honoring Eric Blore

 Eric Blore is one of the greatest character actors in the history of the movies. He is certainly one of my favorites. Whether appearing with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in such great musicals as Flying Down to Rio (1933), The Gay Divorcee (1934), Top Hat (1935), Swing Time (1936) and Shall We Dance (1937) or alongside Laurel and Hardy in Swiss Miss (1938), with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in Road to Zanzibar (1941), The Marx Brothers in Love Happy (1949), voicing Mr. Toad in the Disney animated feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) or in the Preston Sturges classics The Lady Eve (1941) and Sullivan's Travels (1941), he is always a delight to see (or hear) in any movie. 

The following is a page from a 1936 issue of Screenland magazine paying tribute to the wonderful character actor. If you have any trouble reading the following page simply click on it and use your touch screen to zoom in.

Come and Visit Tony Martin

 If you are like me, you first became aware of Tony Martin, though The Marx Brothers movie, The Big Store (1941). In that film Martin even received equal onscreen billing with The Marx Brothers. However this was only a small part of Martin's career. Besides appear in many more films, he was also a very popular singer. He scored dozens of hits beginning in the 1930's and going through the 1950's. However he continued his singing career clear into the early 2000's, when he was in his 90's. For 60 years he was married to movie actress and dancer Cyd Charrise (who pretty much any classic film fan should know). They remained married until her death in 2008. 

The following is a 1951 article about Tony Martin from Radio Television Mirror. If you have any trouble reading it click on the following pages and use your touch screen to zoom in. 

The Merry Eatons

 Though Mary Eaton appeared in only a few films, she is immortalized in movie history as the leading lady in The Marx Brothers' first feature film, The Cocoanuts (1929). Before her brief movie career, she had a much more successful career on stage. On stage she appeared with Fred and Adele Astaire and in three editions of The Ziegfeld Follies. She had what is said to be a very impressive dance number in her Ziegfeld Follies appearances. 

Now to take a look at the life of this often-overlooked stage and movie star with a 1929 article from Screenland Magazine. This article mentions her getting engaged to Millard Webb, who directed her in the film, Glorifying the American Girl (1929), which featured many Ziegfeld Follies performers and was produced by Flo Ziegfeld, himself. Though they would separate Mary and Millard would remain married until his death in 1935. If you have any trouble reading the pages below, click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. 

Here she is singing Irving Berlin's When My Dreams Come True in The Marx Brothers movie, The Cocoanuts (1929).

 

Your Movie News With Mickey Mouse.

 Ever wonder what Mickey Mouse thought of his Hollywood contemporaries back in his heyday. Well wonder no more. Here is Mickey Mouse with all your movie news. 

The following is from a 1933 issue of The New Movie Magazine. If you have any trouble reading it, click on the following pages and use your touch screen to zoom in. 

Video: The Marx Brothers Contract Skit (from A Night at the Opera (1935))

Video: The Password is Swordfish (From Horse Feathers (1932))

 

Video: Lydia the Tattooed Lady (from At The Circus (1939))

 

My Top Classic Comfort Movies

Hello my friends, The Classic Movie Blog Association is having a blogathon in which various bloggers are posting their top 5 classic comfort movies. I personally would like to weigh in on my personal comfort movies. Three things first. Since this is about classic movies, I will include nothing after the 1950’s here. Also since cartoons and two reel comedies are such easy go-to films for comfort movies and would take up too much of this list, I will be limiting this list to only feature films. Last since this is my blog and I can do whatever I want I will be making a top ten list instead of a top five. Keep in mind that these are comfort movies. They are not what I consider the best films ever made and how though provoking or how impressive the filmmaking techniques are will have nothing to do with this list. These are simply movies, I watch when I feeling down and want a quick simple lift me up.

10. The Yodeling Kid From Pine Ridge (1937)

This movie is everything you could want from a Gene Autry film and in my opinion is one of his finest works. The story is rather slight but of course all we want from a film like this is fast paced action and good old fashioned country music. This movie gives us both of those in spades. Gene Autry gets to show just why he was known as the singing cowboy, perfectly crooning these old school country songs, and the band The Tennessee Ramblers also delight with their few performances in this movie. Comic relief and singer, Smiley Burnette gets one of his finest roles here as well.

9. My Pal Trigger (1946)

Being a lover of both horses and old B westerns, a Roy Rogers movie where Trigger in in the titular role of course has great appeal to me. It doesn't hurt that this is one of Roy's best films with fast paced action, great songs and more heart than you'd find in any other Roy Rogers movie. This is a treat.

8.  Buck Privates (1941)

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Hold That Ghost and The Time of Their Lives are in my opinion Abbott and Costello's finest films, but Buck Privates holds a special place in my heart that those don't. It was the movie that turned me on to classic film comedy. I was a small kid and watching Abbott and Costello perform some of their great routines with such great youthful energy was the funniest thing I had ever seen. If I hadn't fallen in love with this movie perhaps I wouldn't have discovered Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, The Marx Brothers, Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin, Harry Langdon and so many more. The Andrew Sisters' musical numbers also taught me how great music was around before rock and roll. Whenever I watch this film, it brings me back to childhood and discovering my love of classic film comedy.

7. Sherlock Jr. (1924)

If The General is Buster Keaton's best made film, than Sherlock Jr. is his funniest. This barely feature length movie moves at a brisk pace and brings us gag after gag. What is incredible with this break neck pace and never stopping gags is that all of them work. This is the definition of a laugh out loud funny comedy and it has me doing that for its whole length.

6. The Gay Divorcee (1934)

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers never fail to brighten my mood. Their art is pure escapism at its finest and all of their movies put a smile on my face. These films exist in a world completely separate from ours. They do for urban life what Roy Rogers and Gene Autry movies did for western life. They romanticize it to a point where the films exist in their own reality that all of us wish we could live in and for the length of their movies we do live in it. It is hard to pick for a favorite among these movies, but The Gay Divorcee might be mine.  

5. Duck Soup (1933)

What do you get when you combine one of the great film directors (Leo McCarey) and one of the great comedy teams (The Marx Brothers)? One of the all time classic comedies. If there is a movie I can quote from beginning to end and do so often, it is Duck Soup. The Marx Brothers are at their best here and I laugh through the entire film each time I watch it. This movie will pick me up every time I feel even slightly down.

4. A Chump at Oxford (1944)

There is something initially heartwarming about Laurel and Hardy films. The friendship between these two characters is honestly quite lovely and because of this their movies never need to try for pathos or touching moments because it is already there in the relationship. This movie highlights the friendship between the two and the ending always makes me feel all warm inside. Despite this the rest of the film is completely made of classic slapstick comedy of the highest order. This feature has Stan and Ollie at their funniest and is one of my favorite features from the duo.

3. Dumbo (1941)
This is by far my favorite Disney animated feature film. As a huge cartoon fan I love that this movie is completely and unashamedly a cartoon. This is like a feature length Silly Symphony and I love every second of it. The world is so bright and colorful, the gags and musical numbers are so much fun and the emotional moments are so incredible effective. This is perfect filmmaking (animated or otherwise) at its finest.

2. For Heaven's Sake (1926)
Out of all of the Harold Lloyd films, this is the one I have watched more than any other. Yet I never get tired of it. This to me is one of the finest feature length silent comedies ever made. The jokes come fast and furious and all of them hit home perfectly. This movie has so many perfect silent comedy moments, such as how Harold gets all the drunks into the church building and the fantastic race to the chapel at the end. This is a film that once you see you will never forget. 

1. Show People (1928)

One of my favorite movies and a perfect mixture of comedy and romance. Marion Davies and William Haines receive their best roles in this movie and have perfect chemistry together. King Vidor is one of the all time best movie directors and gets to perfectly show why here. The humor here is absolutely perfect and I laugh out loud often whenever I watch it. Scenes such as Peggy trying to cry as well as her showing her range of acting emotions are as funny as anything done in any of the great silent comedies. As well as one of the all time great romantic comedies this is also a lovely tribute to silent film, not long before the silent era would be over. As a silent movie fan there is so much in this film from the cameos to the view of the classic studios to the excellent tributes to Mack Sennett and Keystone. A movie as delightful and fun as this is something that should be celebrated and no matter how many times I watch this film, I am never going to get tired of it.


-Michael J. Ruhland