Harold Buchman Movies

Tailor-made for the talents of fast-talking James Dunn, Come Closer, Folks stars Dunn as sidewalk pitchman Jim Keene. Our hero manages to wangle a "legitimate" job as a small-town department-store sales clerk, instantly falling in love with boss's daughter Peggy Woods (Marian Marsh). When the store is threatened with bankruptcy, Jim enlists the aid of his fellow street hucksters to drum up business with their patented hard-sell methods, a strategy that gets him promoted to assistant manager. Eventually he runs afoul of the law, but Jim manages to smooth-talk the jury into letting him off the hook. Come Closer, Folks is another of those Columbia "B"-pictures which showed up incessantly on TV in the 1950s and 1960s then suddenly vanished when audiences demanded "newer" pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Back in 1936 it was assumed that, once perfected, television would be a two-way device, enabling viewers to transmit as well as receive. In Trapped by Television, such a device is developed by inventor Fred Dennis (Lyle Talbot), who needs financial backing to complete his experiments. He is financed by crooked businessman Curtis (Thurston Hall), who has his own evil plans for television. A gang of crooks get into the act by attempting to steal Dennis' invention, intending to auction it off to the highest bidder. Wielding a futuristic television camera, heroine Bobby Blake (Mary Astor) manages to foil the crooks, while Dennis moves in to finish the job. Long unavailable for TV showings, Trapped by Television is currently and happily available on the home-video market. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The seventh of RKO's Fred Astaire--Ginger Rogers musicals, Shall We Dance casts Astaire as a world-renowned ballet dancer and Rogers as a musical comedy headliner. Rogers' manager Jerome Cowan concocts a phony romance between his client and Astaire in order to garner publicity for them both. Eventually, of course, the twosome falls in love for real, but not before a cornucopia of confusion, complications and misunderstandings. Highlights include a number performed on roller skates and Astaire's dance solo in the art-deco boiler room of an ocean liner. The George and Ira Gershwin score (their last for Astaire and Rogers) includes "Slap That Bass," "Beginner's Luck," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "They All Laughed," "They Can't Take That Away From Me," and the title number. Shall We Dance was slated as the last of the Fred-and-Ginger romps, but within a year they were together again in Carefree. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the fine tradition of And Sudden Death, Columbia's The Devil is Driving tabulates the dangers of drunken driving in an exciting, unabashedly melodramatic fashion. In his first true portrayal of a "little creep," Elisha Cook Jr. stars as Tony, the spoiled-rotten son of the wealthy and influential Mr. Stevens (Henry Kolker). Forever climbing behind the wheel after one too many martinis, Tony strikes and kills an old woman and later forces his sweetheart Kitty (Ann Rutherford) over an embankment. By rights, this blatant vehicular homicide should earn Tony a stiff jail sentence, but he is constantly bailed out by his father, who even buys off juries and judges to keep his son out of prison. After helping Stevens spring his son once too often, guilt-stricken district attorney Paul Driscoll (Richard Dix) joins forces with crusading reporter Eve Hammond (Joan Perry) to keep repeat offenders like Tony off the road. Be assured that Tony will receive his comeuppance in spades by fade-out time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Hero for a Day is elderly night watchman Frank Higgins (Charley Grapewin), still basking in the memories of his long-age college football triumphs. To stir up publicity for a crucial post-season game, his alma mater plucks Higgins out of obscurity and once more showers him in glory. The old man's triumph turns to tragedy when he drops dead during the Big Game, but at least he goes out secure in the knowledge that his protégé Brainy (Dick Foran) has scored the winning touchdown. Critics in 1939 were amused by the inconsistencies during the gridiron sequences (the scenes appeared to have been shot at several different stadiums, then haphazardly patched together in the cutting room) and by the lavish wardrobe sported by "humble" stenographer Sylvia Higgins (Anita Louise). Featured in the cast of Hero for a Day is Richard Lane, who seems to have been in every sports movie ever produced between 1935 and 1945. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this newspaper drama, a female reporter and a newsreel cameraman are both assigned to cover the Sino-Japanese war. They meet on the boat ride over and decide to team up. They are further assisted by a Chinese cameraman. The three of them manage to expose of spy ring operating out of the Shanghai office of the woman's newspaper. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This "Jones Family" entry does without the services of Pa Jones, inasmuch as actor Jed Prouty was having contract problems with 20th Century-Fox. When Mr. Jones is hospitalized by a heart attack, the rest of the Jones clan must figure out a way to pay the ever-mounting medical bills. They head to California, where they open up a bungalow court. Hoping to improve their business (which is virtually nonexistent), the Joneses open their doors to families with children and pets. As a result, a rival landlord sues the family for "noise pollution", leading to a raucous courtroom finale. On Their Own was the last screen appearance for Florence Roberts (Grandma Jones), who passed away two days after the film's release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Throughout most of the running time of Universal's Double Alibi, it looks as though ostensible hero Stephen Wayne (Wayne Morris) really is guilty of three murders. Even so, girl reporter Sue Carey (Margaret Lindsay) falls in love with Wayne, despite the fact that she also thinks he's guilty. This causes no end of discomfort for city editor Walter Gifford (William Gargan), who is in love with Sue himself, and police captain Orr (James Burke), who has a vested interest in seeing Wayne delivered to the executioner. By film's end, of course, Sue has helped to prove Wayne's innocence, through the simple expedient of stumbling upon the identity of the real killer. With so much going on, it's surprising that Double Alibi could squeeze in the traditional comedy relief of Roscoe Karns, cast once more as a wisecacking photojournalist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Virginia Gilmore stars as Jennie, the daughter-in-law of German-born shoe manufacturer Ludwig Stossel. The stubborn manufacturer refuses to grow with the time, continuing to run his business and his household with outmoded and oppressive "old country" methods. Jennie counters this attitude by encouraging Stossel's employees to go on strike--a job action that extends to his family members. The old man stages a fake heart attack to bring his lost sheep back to the fold, then apologizes for his previous bullheadedness and promises to change his ways. Though released by 20th Century-Fox, Jennie is not mentioned in the otherwise thorough Tony Thomas/Aubrey Solomon volume The Films of 20th Century-Fox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cesar Romero plays an outwardly tough bookie with the proverbial golden heart. Romero falls in love with Carole Landis, an art shop proprietor who introduces her raffish romeo into the world of fine art. Utilizing his gambling skills, he amasses an impressive collection of valuable paintings, only to discover that there are just as many crooks and phonies in the art world as there are at the race track. At first attempting to cash in on the clever forgeries of a duplicitous painter (J. Carroll Naish), Romero is redeemed by the love of Carole Landis and ends up scamming the scammers. Gentleman at Heart includes a brashly amusing performance by Milton Berle as Cesar Romero's chief flunky. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This French Underground melodrama stars George Sanders as a seemingly apolitical Parisian doctor who is actually a resistance leader. Sanders' nurse (Brenda Marshall) is likewise a French patriot--less so the nurse's husband (Philip Dorn), who has become disillusioned after two years in a POW camp. The husband changes his mind and joins the Resistance, though he and several other freedom fighters lose their lives to German bullets. Worth noting in Paris After Dark is the fact that several of the personnel involved were actual French refugees, including director Leonide Moguy and husband-and-wife supporting actors Marcel Dalio and Madeleine LeBeau. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A game show provides the backdrop for this drama that centers on an earnest young husband who desperately needs $1,000 to pay for his wife's obstetrician. To get it fast, he brings his wife and best friend to a radio station where the game is broadcast. He is chosen for the show. Unfortunately, the prize is only $64. The good-hearted host sympathizes with the poor contestant's plight and so ups the prize considerably. The category in which the young man excels is the "Scenes from Famous Movies" category. Scenes from 27 Fox movies are then presented. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide