Aggie Herring Movies

In this drama, a woman is betrothed to a district attorney. When a man is falsely convicted of murder and condemned to death, the woman postpones her wedding to prove him innocent. She enlists the help of a former gangster and eventually succeeds in saving the innocent man's life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Guy Kibbee, moviedom's archetypal small-town bigshot, stars in RKO Radio's Don't Tell the Wife. On this occasion, Kibbee, playing Malcolm Winthrop, has greatness thrust upon him when he buys a few shares of supposedly worthless mining stock. Though it looks as though he and the entire town will be ruined financially, Winthrop emerges triumphant when he manages to outwit up a gang of stock swindlers. Lynne Overman has some good moments as one of the crooks, Steve Dorset by name, who intends to go straight for the sake of his spouse Nancy (the "wife" of the title, played by Una Merkel), but he can't resist trying to pluck a fat goose like Winthrop. The supporting cast of Don't Tell the Wife is filled to overflowing with familiar faces, none more familiar than RKO contractee Lucille Ball. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The great wilderness explorer Daniel Boone has many exciting adventures in this family-oriented outdoor actioner that primarily centers on the big man's attempts to quell an Indian uprising and capture the ornery villain who has been stirring up all the trouble. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The independently produced Stolen Sweets was lensed in a hurry on standing sets at Universal. Future western star Charles Starrett plays a poor insurance salesman who falls in love with wealthy Sally Blane. The girl's parents would prefer that Sally marry a man of her own class, the insufferable Jameson Thomas (who made a career out of playing "the wrong man"). Eventually, however, Sally's parents realize that Starrett is the right choice for her little girl. The film's comic highlight is the old "walk this way, please" bit. Watch for Sally Blane's younger sister Polly Ann Young as one of Charles Starrett's low-born pals (Sally's other sister, Loretta Young, was busy on more expensive projects). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on an idea by Will Rogers, the story concerns the efforts by the President of the United States to get the public's mind off the Depression. To this end, he appoints Broadway impresario Lawrence Cromwell (Warner Baxter) to the new cabinet position of "Secretary of Amusement." Wasting no time, Cromwell sets about to nationalize the entertainment industry, organizing singers, dancers, actors and other variety artists into batallion-like touring units. Cromwell is fought at every turn by a cartel of wealthy industrialists, who've been profiting from the Depression and have no desire to see America pull itself upward. Happily, every effort to bribe or cajole Cromwell into giving up his mission is thwarted and the Department of Amusement goes on to help the the country at a time when its citizens most needed it. Among the highlights are an energetic "revival-meeting" musical number by Aunt Jemima (Theresa Gardella), and 6-year-old Shirley Temple's rendition of "Baby Take a Bow." Originally released at 80 minutes, Stand Up and Cheer was edited to 69 minutes for reissue, then to 65 minutes (removing most of Stepin Fetchit's scenes) for television: it was this last version which was computer-colorized in 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Quitters was typical of the curiously uninviting titles frequently bestowed upon the Chesterfield-Invincible productions of the mid-1930s (other examples include Cross Streets, Stolen Sweets and Fugitive Road). The grand old trouper Charles Grapewin heads the cast as vagabond journalist Ed Tilford, who leaves his wife Cordelia (Emma Dunn) behind to manage his newspaper when he's seized once more by Wanderlust. The Tilford sons, Russell (William Bakewell) and Eddie (Glen Boles), are raised to believe that their father died in WW I. Lacking most of Ed's business acumen, college-educated Russell suggests that his mother convert her weekly newspaper to a daily, resulting in a financial disaster. It's up to the prodigal Ed, returned from the nowhere and into the now, to save the day with the help of his nouveau riche old crony Zack (Lafe McKee). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"I'm the finest woman who walked the streets," declares bejeweled, hip-swishing Lady Lou (Mae West) at the beginning of She Done Him Wrong. Lou works as a singer at the Gay Nineties saloon of Gus Jordan (Noah Beery Sr.), who plies her with diamonds to keep her by his side. She runs afoul of stalwart mission captain Cummings (Cary Grant), who warns her that she's on the road to perdition. Mae West's first starring film, She Done Him Wrong literally saved Paramount Pictures from bankruptcy. It would remain the best of her feature films, most of which were severely watered down by the Production Code (whose renewed stringency of 1933 was brought about in great part by West herself). She Done Him Wrong was based on West's own stage play, Diamond Lil, which ran on Broadway for 97 weeks. West sings "Frankie and Johnny," "I Like a Man Who Takes His Time," and ""I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Gone."" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Class distinction rears its ugly head in this otherwise tuneful little musical from the pens of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Ona Munson plays Julie Hunter, a society belle who falls in love with Hap Harrigan (Ben Lyons), a lowly construction worker. But their different stature in life makes a romance difficult and Julie takes to claiming that Hap is an architect. Slick Clay (Walter Pidgeon), who is in love with Julie, discovers the truth and an angry Hap leaves her after an argument. But Julie is determined and eventually proves that she is perfectly willing to live on Hap's salary. Although Rodgers and Hart reportedly were so disappointed with the outcome of The Hot Heiress that they broke their contract with Warner Bros./First National, there is nothing wrong with their score, which includes "You're the Cats," "Riveter's Song," and "Too Good to Be True." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Ten cents a dance, that's what they pay her -- "her" being downtrodden taxi dancer Barbara (Barbara Stanwyck). The only thing Barbara sells is her time, or at least that's the story she gives her jellyfish husband Eddie (Monroe Owsley). But when wealthy Carlton (Ricardo Cortez) starts making goo-goo eyes at Barbara, Eddie accuses his wife of infidelity. This, in Eddie's mind, provides him with an adequate excuse to steal money from Carlton, which action leads to the no-good husband's downfall. Barbara's fate is more merciful: she ends up with Carlton, with whom she has fallen in love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Clancy (Charles Murray) is a pugnacious Irish-American plumber in partnership with parsimonious Scotsman Andy MacIntosh (Lucien Littlefield). Though tight with a dollar himself, Clancy accidentally begins playing the stock market, and before he knows what's happening he's become a millionaire. His efforts to entertain the cream of high society are both disastrous and hilarious, and by the time he's lost all his money in the Wall Street crash, Clancy is more than happy to team up with MacIntosh again. The obligatory romantic subplot is handled as unobtrusively as possible by Miriam Seeger and Edward Nugent. Clancy in Wall Street represented little more than an extension of Charlie Murray's standard Hibernian characterizations in the "Cohens and Kellys" series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This thriller begins in 1889 as a lover kills another in a mansion. The film then jumps ahead to 1929 as an eccentric antique dealer, his daughter, maid and butler are moving in to the same mansion. Upon the arrival of the daughter's fiance, a reporter, a series of strange murders start. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Children of the Ritz was based on a serialized magazine story by future suspense specialist Cornell Woolrich. Spoiled heiress Angela Pennington (Dorothy Mackaill) falls in love with impoverished chauffeur Dewey Haines (Jack Mulhall). Subsequently, their respective social standings are radically changed when Angela's family goes broke and Dewey wins $50,000 at the race track. After their marriage, Angela reverts to her spendthrift ways, quickly depleting her husband's bank account. Disgustedly, he walks out on her and takes a cab-driving job. After several further complications, Angela catches up with Dewey and promises to reform. A silent film, Children of the Ritz was released with synchronized sound effects (mostly honking horns) and a Vitaphone musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Unable to utilize the original George Gershwin score, this silent version of the Broadway musical Lady Be Good concentrates on the "book" by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson, which in itself was pretty good. Vaudeville magicians Jack (Jack Mulhall) and Mary (Dorothy Mackaill) split up, whereupon Mary teams with dancer Murray (John Miljan). But when Murray tries to put the make on our heroine, she walks out on him, only to find herself stranded in a one-horse town. As luck would have it, Jack is doing his magic act at the local opry house, bombing disastrously before a spectacularly unenthusiastic audience. Mary secretly arranges to take the place of Jack's current partner. The act is a hit once more, prompting Jack to ask Mary to be his teammate again -- both onstage and off. Pickle-nosed James Finlayson of Laurel and Hardy fame has a funny part as an inveterate "radio bug." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide