Billy Mitchell Movies

In this touching drama, city-slicker Sparke Thorton goes to live on his aunt and uncle's horse farm in the country. The couple have basically retired from horse-breeding and only have one trotter left. Sparks fly when the young man meets the lovely Char and Cri-Cri, the two farm girls who introduce him to the finer aspects of country life including the cool pleasures of the swimming hole. He soon decides that he wants to raise a filly and become a champion racer. His uncle and the handyman help him. Much of the film was shot on location on racetracks in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. There is also a sequence depicting the filly's birth, but it is sensitively handled. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In This Our Life is not a "for the ages" classic of the Golden Age of Cinema, but as a highly effective and entertaining melodrama, it more than fits the bill. Howard Koch's screenplay is a trifle predictable, but it's well structured and provides the requisite juicy roles for its pair of female stars. It also provides a number of little surprises -- a sympathetic and (for the time) non-stereotypical portrayal of a black character and two characters living not only in sin but adulterously so -- that give it some distinction. The script's main drawback is its initial lack of focus; it doesn't seem to quite know exactly what its story is and where the real conflict will lie. Ultimately, this doesn't really matter, for John Huston knows where it's going, and he shepherds the story along very efficiently, throwing in a little social commentary here, heightening the atmosphere there, tossing in a hint of the unsavory elsewhere. Although he doesn't really know what to do with the male actors (save for Charles Coburn and Frank Craven, each of whom is just right in entirely different ways), he handles the women in exactly the right way, including Billie Burke as the coddling, neurotic mother. It's Bette Davis, of course, who gets the showiest role, and she sinks her teeth into it and plays it for all it's worth. It's a great Davis performance, but she's still outdone by Olivia de Havilland, whose quiet, understated work anchors the film and ultimately makes the greater impression. It's terribly fine film acting, and immensely satisfying. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

My Life with Caroline is a dizzy boy-chases-girl affair with a twist: the girl being chased is the boy's own wife. Wealthy publisher Anthony (Ronald Colman) weds dizzy socialite Caroline (Anna Lee, in her first Hollywood film), who sees nothing wrong with seeking out new boyfriends even after her marriage. Caroline thoughtfully informs Anthony that she can't make up her mind between De Valle (Gilbert Roland) and Paul (Reginald Gardiner), obliging Anthony to work overtime to win his wife back. The film is cleverly framed in a flashback, with Anthony's voiceover narration providing the audience information on a "need to know" basis. Based on the French stage farce Train for Venice, My Life With Caroline was co-produced by Ronald Colman and William Hawks (Howard's brother). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Misbehaving Husbands was intended as a comeback vehicle for silent-film comedy great Harry Langdon, who after his fall from grace in the 1920s had to content himself with cheap 2-reelers, featured roles and screenwriting assignments. Langdon plays henpecked store-owner Henry Butler, who decides to save money by designing his window displays himself. When Henry's wife (Betty Blythe) spots him in an innocent but compromising situation with one of his underdressed models, she walks out on him and files for divorce. Making matters worse, poor Henry is accused of murder when he's seen carrying a store dummy into his house. It's all strictly short-subject material, but Langdon carries off his assignment with finesse, proving that he was still capable of carrying a feature film if given half a chance. Others contributing to the general merriment are statuesque Esther Muir, Langdon's longtime screen partner (and close friend) Vernon Dent, Ralph "Dick Tracy" Byrd and veteran western heavy Richard Cramer (who'd previously appeared in the Langdon-scripted Laurel&Hardy vehicle Saps at Sea). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

W.C. Fields plays Egbert Souse, a bibulous denizen of Lompoc who supports his family by winning radio contests. When a fleeing bank robber is knocked cold upon tripping over the park bench where Egbert sits, Souse is hailed as a hero and offered the job of bank guard. The next day, he is approached by one J. Frothingham Waterbury (Russell Hicks), who offers to sell Egbert shares in the Beefsteak Mines. Souse raises the necessary money by convincing bank clerk Og Oggilby (Grady Sutton), the fiance of Egbert's daughter Myrtle (Una Merkel), to "borrow" some funds from the bank; it isn't really embezzling, explains Egbert, because the mine is bound to pay off. Unfortunately, bank examiner J. Pinkerton Snoopington (Franklin Pangborn) comes calling, spelling possible trouble for Souse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide