Tom Ricketts Movies

This first film version of Ernest Hemingway's novel A Farewell to Arms stars Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes. Cooper plays Lt. Frederick Henry, a World War I officer who falls in love with English Red Cross nurse Catherine Barkley (Hayes)-after first mistaking her for a woman of ill repute. Henry's friend, Major Rinaldi, is envious of the romance, and pulls strings to have Catherine transferred to Milan. When Henry is wounded in battle, he ends up in the very hospital where Catherine works. They resume the affair, which reaches an ecstatic peak just before Henry is returned to the front. The now-pregnant Catherine remains in Switzerland, sending letters by the bushelfull to Henry. But the jealous Rinaldi sees to it that Henry never receives those letters, leading Catherine to conclude sorrowfully that Henry has forgotten her. As the Armistice approaches, Henry makes his way to Switzerland, hoping to find Catherine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the most technically accomplished and sophisticated movie musicals of the 1930's, Rouben Mamoulian's Love Me Tonight (1932) had a profound effect on the shape of the musical genre (especially the films of Vincente Minnelli), and remains a candidate for best movie musical ever made, some seven decades after its release. And that distinction is based entirely on its style and structure -- it doesn't even take into account a hit-laden score by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, or a raft of delightful performances, several of them totally unexpected in their range and wit. The movie opens with an amazing double audio/visual montage sequence, in which the sleeping city of Paris awakens to a slowly rising chorus of sounds, street by street, house by house -- forming what the script describes as a "symphony" of sound -- which coalesces into a song. It is through the latter that we meet Maurice Courtelin (Maurice Chevalier), a young Parisian tailor who has just completed his first big job, an order of 15 suits for the Viscount de Varese (Charlie Ruggles), who has promised to pay him on delivery. He then discovers that the Viscount is little more than an upper-class ne'er-do-well who, among his other faults, has no money of his own -- being completely dependent on his crusty old uncle the Duke (Sir C. Aubrey Smith) -- and never pays his bills. In one of a half-dozen remarkable musical scenes, as Maurice's friend Emile (Bert Roach) ponders the matter of love in the new suit he has made for him, Maurice begins singing "Isn't It Romantic?", causing Emile to hum the tune as he strolls onto the street; the song is picked up by a taxi driver (Rolfe Sedan), and passed to his passenger (Tyler Brooke), a composer, who carries it aboard a train, humming it, where a group of soldiers hear it and end up singing it as they march across a field, where a young gypsy hears it and carries it to his camp on his violin, where the whole clan is soon singing. And the song is finally wafted across the surrounding fields to the estate of the Duke and the Viscount de Varese, where it is heard and sung by the Duke' niece, Princess Jeanette (Jeanette MacDonald). The two characters, Maurice and Jeanette, are linked for us in this way even before they meet, and the stage is set for the rest of the plot. For the Princess, living under her family's tradition-bound hand, romance is a source of unhappiness; there's no one at the chateau to interest her, and even if there were, she couldn't dare to be interested; already a widow from an arranged marriage at age 22 (her first husband was 75), she must marry someone of equal royal rank, and the only two known candidates in all of Europe are ages 85 and 12, respectively. Maurice journeys to the chateau with the clothes the Viscount ordered, hoping to confront him for payment, and is mistaken for one of the guests -- and he crosses paths with the Princess, and falls in love with her. Identified as the Count de Courtelin, he delights the rest of the guests with his joie de vivre and his way with a song, especially "Mimi" (which somehow managed to make it past the censors, despite some amazingly risque lyrics), getting the entire coterie of nobles singing it in his wake. But the Princess is resistant to his free and easy charm and flirtations, her staid upbringing and sense of station fighting her natural inclinations, while her other would-be suitor, the Count de Savignac (Charles Butterworth), is suspicious of this new-found rival. Also present at the estate is the Duke's other niece, Countess Valentine (Myrna Loy), who has a nymphomaniac interest in men under the age of 40, of whom Maurice is the only one at the chateau not related to her -- thus, he must fend off her advances while trying to woo a woman who wants nothing to do with him. Rumor soon spreads that Maurice is, in fact, a full-blooded royal prince traveling in disguise. And if he is a prince of the rank they think he is, then suddenly the Princess's marital and romantic prospects seem a lot more encouraging, especially as she begins to melt to his charm. Maurice wants to tell her the truth, but will she feel the same way about him, knowing that he is a commoner, a tradesman ... a tailor? Director Rouben Mamoulian had already jump-started the musical genre with the backstage drama Applause (1929), to great critical and financial success. In contrast to that movie's deceptively naturalistic approach to its subject, Love Me Tonight was highly stylized -- Applause had no actual musical numbers in complete form, while Love Me Tonight was filled with incredibly elaborate and subtle musical set-pieces that grow naturally out of the plot (adapted from a play by Paul Armont and Leopold Marchand) and advanced the narrative. Some of the scenes here helped set the stage for works such as An American In Paris and Gigi (one scene near the end, when Maurice's identity is revealed, seems to have been the model for "The Gossips At Maxim's" from the latter film) and Funny Face. Such is Love Me Tonight's reputation, that in the summer of 2007, 75 years after its release and more than five years after it showed up on DVD, the movie chalked up sell-out audiences when it opened the Mamoulian retrospective at New York's Film Forum. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Virtually none of the male characters in The Thrill of Youth could pass muster as a role model. As an old man preaches against the sexual promiscuity of the early 1930s, the man's middle-aged son galavants around with a married woman -- while his sons regularly entertain good-time girls in their own bedrooms. In no position to pass judgement, dad not only condones his sons' behavior, but also slips them a few slugs of bootleg booze. Things come to a head when the libertine father, his paramour, his sons and their tootsies all converge at a mountain cabin. Naturally, everyone is duly punished for their sins, but they all seem to be having a high old time before the final reckoning. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Surrender is yet another triangular romance set against the backdrop of WWI. French POW Dumaine (Warner Baxter) is sequestered near the castle of a prideful Prussian nobleman, Count Reinmacher (C. Aubrey Smith), who lives for the day that his four sons will march triumphantly into Paris. Axelle (Leila Hyams), the daughter of one of the sons, makes periodic goodwill visits to the prison compound, and by-and-by she falls in love with Dumaine. Things take a dirty-work-at-the-crossroads turn when Captain Elbing (Ralph Bellamy), the martinet prison commandant, likewise develops an interest in Axtelle. Though Surrender hasn't been seen in years, outtakes from the film -- in which the dignified C. Aubrey Smith swears like a sailor after blowing his lines -- have long been on the public-domain video market. The film was based on Axelle, a play by Pierre Benoit, previously filmed in France. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Still in his "sophisticated cad" period, William Powell essays the title role in Man of the World. Powell plays a smooth extortionist who preys upon wayfaring Americans in Paris. He woos lonely wives and wives-to-be, then threatens them with blackmail unless they sustain his lifestyle. One of his potential victims is Carole Lombard, with whom Powell (much against his better judgment) falls in love. Powell's vituperative mistress (Wynne Gibson) won't let her lover off the hook, and heads for the police. To avoid arrest, Powell reluctantly sends Lombard back to her fiancee--and then presumably picks up his racket where he left off. In real life, William Powell and Carole Lombard became husband and wife shortly after filming Man of the World. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title character, played by Ian Keith, is wealthy diamond merchant Rupert Endon. Falling in love with gorgeous Eve Marlay (Aileen Pringle), Endon battles over her affections with far-from-wealthy squire Lord Adrian (Tyrrell Davis). Though Eve is fond of his lordship, she allows her head to be turned by Endon, but soon finds that money can't buy happiness. By this time, however, the story has ventured into Somerset Maugham territory by transplanting Eve and her husband into the steaming jungles of Africa -- with the usual results. It's hot, do you hear? Beastly hot! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"Light Fingers" is both the name and the physical description of this film's hero, a dapper petty thief played by Ian Keith. Falling in love with virtuous Dorothy Madison (Dorothy Revier), Light Fingers promises to give up his life of crime if only she will marry him. He tries hard to keep his word, but circumstances force him to return to larceny -- all for a good cause, of course. A very minor endeavor, Light Fingers is redeemed by the smooth performance of Ian Keith, an actor usually typecast as seedy con artists and disgraced gentlemen. And here's a bit of esoterica for film trivia buffs: The film's director was Joseph Henaberry, who played Abraham Lincoln in D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation (1915) -- while Keith, the star, went on to play John Wilkes Booth in Griffith's 1930 talkie Abraham Lincoln! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This drama opens with a most disturbing scene as a jilted lover places a gun to his head and pulls the trigger. Fortunately, he is but an actor in a play and the gun is but a prop. His co-star is a beautiful young woman. A young man is utterly in love with the actress and after the show visits her and presents her with an arm-load of fragrant blossoms. He then invites her to meet his wealthy family in Philadelphia. The family, who lives in an ancient mansion, prove to be a very strange lot. The father is a stern and dour fellow. Grandpa is a lascivious old coot. She also meets an assortment of snobs and perverts. Upon meeting her, they immediately assume that she is a gold digger. Soon the family lawyer offers her a large amount of money for the love letters the young man had written her. She accepts the money and then gives it to the boy to keep him on the straight and narrow. Her good deeds are finally made apparent to the dour patriarch who begins courting her and eventually marries her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Dry Martini was wittily adapted from the droll novel by John Thomas. Wealthy American Willoughby Quimby (Albert Gran) divorces his wife, then spends the next decade in Paris. His girth notwithstanding, Quimby keeps himself amply supplied with wine and women, and sometimes women and wine. Upon discovering that his grown daughter Elizabeth (Mary Astor) is coming to Paris to pay him a visit, Quimby decides to put up a respectable veneer, giving up both liquor and ladies for the duration. Unfortunately, Elizabeth finds her father to be dull as a dishrag, and begins spending her time with rakish artist Paul de Launay (Albert Conti). Just as she's about to lose the traditional struggle for her virtue, Elizabeth is rescued from De Launay by Quimby's young pal Freddie Fletcher (Matt Moore). Once his daughter is safely married to the basically decent Freddie, Quimby breathes a sigh of relief and happily returns to his old hedonistic habits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paramount's first all-talking picture, Interference was dismally directed by Roy Pomeroy, whose lofty status as the studio's "technical wizard" did not necessarily qualify him to be a director. Evelyn Brent heads the cast as scheming Deborah Kane, who sets out to blackmail Faith Marley (Doris Kenyon), the above-reproach wife of Sir John Marlay. Twisting the facts to suit her purposes, Deborah claims that Faith is still married to her first husband Philip Voaze (William Powell), who was presumed killed in WWI. Inevitably, Deborah is murdered, prompting both Faith and John to assume that the other has committed the crime. Accordingly, both husband and wife tamper with the evidence to throw the police off the trail, but the detective on the case (Brandon Hurst) is a bit too quick on the uptake. Only the last-minute confession of the actual killer (who has but a short time to live anyway) saves the Marlays from public humiliation and disgrace. Based on a stage play by Roland Petwee and Harold Dearden, Interference was simultaneously filmed in a silent version, which reportedly was better paced than the talkie adaptation. Years after the fact, co-star Clive Brook recalled that when Interference premiered in London, the needle became stuck on one of the soundtrack disks, causing Brook's character to repeatedly recite the deathless line "Another of those damned postcards -- another of those damned postcards -- another of those damned postcards." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gold-digging Broadway chorus girl Marguerite de la Motte sets her sights on every wealthy bachelor within a 100-mile radius. She changes her tactics when the newspapers announce a search for the heir to a $250,000 fortune. Posing as the long-missing heiress, De la Motte manages to pull off the masquerade, only to discover that one of the conditions of the will requires her to spend one year as a resident in a tiny one-horse town. During her enforced stay, the heroine decides to reform her high-kickin' ways when she falls in love with local boy Donald Keith, but the villain of the piece shows up at an inopportune moment, threatening to expose the girl as a fraud unless he gets a chunk of the money. All turns out OK when it develops that Keith, rather than De La Motte, is the actual heir. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It would seem that Warner Bros. was trying to develop hoydenish Louise Fazenda and diminutive Clyde Cook into a screen team, which would explain the existence of such trifles as A Sailor's Sweetheart. Upon inheriting a fortune, old-maid schoolmarm Cynthia Botts (Fazenda) takes a trip to Hawaii in search of a handsome hubby. She ends up the bride of Mark Krisel (John Miljan), who turns out to be not only a fortune-hunter but a bigamist as well. Standing on the sidelines is woebegone sailor MacTavish (Clyde Cook), who, unaware of Cynthia's millions, worships her from afar. Cynthia realizes that MacTavish is the man for her when he rescues her from a vicious bootlegging gang. Myrna Loy has virtually nothing to do in the third-billed role of Claudette Ralston. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Herman J. Mankiewicz was one of the screenwriters of the sprightly Bebe Daniels vehicle Stranded in Paris. Daniels is cast as New York salesgirl Julie McFadden, who wins a free trip to Paris, sponsored by a French perfume company. En route to Europe by boat, Julie enjoys a shipboard romance with wealthy Robert Van Wye (Robert Ames). Upon arrival in Paris, our heroine discovers to her horror that the perfume company has been closed down, whereupon her purse and luggage are stolen by thieves. With nary a penny to her name, Julie takes a job in a fancy modiste. She is sent to Deauville to deliver a shipment of clothes, but through a series of misunderstandings she finds herself in an entirely different town, where through an additional series of misunderstandings she is forced to pose as one Countess Paseda. Things look bad for Julie when the real Countess shows up, assumes that our heroine has been fooling around with her husband the Count, and prepares to shoot everyone in sight. At the last possible moment, Julie is rescued by her shipboard sweetheart Robert Van Wye, making one wonder why she doesn't greet his entrance with a harsh "Where the heck have you been for the past six reels?" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide