The Rack

Paul Newman does a pretty good job in this movie about a man charged of treason. The surprising thing about this movie is that he did it and doesn't deny it.  Paul does feel tremendous guilt about it though.  He is charged of collaborating with the enemy.  They broke him down in Korean prison camps.  Anne Francis plays his sister in law.  The ending surprised me as they don't just wrap it up in a happily ever after way.  Worth a watch.  

Shadow of Doubt

Although this movie stars Virginia Bruce the real star is the old woman in the picture Constance Collier.  I like Virginia Bruce but the movie doesn't become alive until Constance comes.  Constance is an old woman whose been a recluse for many years.  Constance stops being a recluse when she hears that her nephew (Ricardo Cortez) is accused of being a murderer.  So is the movie star he loves (Virginia Bruce).  The old woman cracks the case.  

Too Much, Too Soon

This was an ok movie about the life of Diana Barrymore.  Since she's a Barrymore and the daughter of John Barrymore she gets an acting career.  She gets to know the father that abandoned her (Errol Flynn) and forms a relationship with him.  After his death she follows his ways and becomes an alcoholic.  Diana would write an autobiography of her life which is the basis for this movie.  However, two years after this movie she killed herself.  I wish that her movie "Nightmare" would get released.  None of her movies are on DVD but this is the one where her performance is most praised on imdb.com.  The only problem I had with the movie was that Dorothy Malone, the actress who plays Diana Barrymore, is way too old to play a teenage girl.  It isn't towards the end that the age meets the part.  Dorothy does do a good job though.  

The Matrimonial Bed

This is a strange precode. A hairdresser comes to a household where it turns out his old wife is a customer.  He doesn't remember the past five years of his life.  He's put under hypnosis and suddenly remembers everything, except his recent wife and children.  This just makes trouble for his old wife and her new husband.  So it's back to hypnosis he goes.  At least it was amusing.

Sorority House

This is ok.  It's short at only 64 minutes.  I was hoping for an old version of Mean Girls.  There's only one mean girl.  It's understandable since her old flame is attracted by Anne Shirley.  I loved Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables. That's the better movie although she has charisma here.  Anne makes friends and decides the sorority house isn't meant for her.  

The Stork Club

Cute Betty Hutton movie.  I liked it better the second time I saw it.  Betty saves an old man's life.  The man happens to be rich but Betty doesn't believe this although she takes the mysterious gifts from a wealthy guy without much question.  Her boyfriend, a band leader, is suspicious though.  She's the girl singer of his band.  Betty Hutton sings two of her best songs here Lawyer, Doctor, Indian Chief and A square in the social circle.

Times Square Lady

Virginia Bruce plays a woman who has just come into an inheritance much to the dismay of Robert Taylor.  He overlooks a Manhattan nightclub.  There's also a gangster subplot.  Helen Twelvetrees is barely in this movie.  I was disappointed by that.  I think Virginia Bruce made better movies.  I liked her in Brazil more.  This was Robert Taylor's first role and you can tell that he's going to be a major star.  Pinky Tomlin sings two numbers.  I liked him.  It's too bad that his music isn't really represented well on cd.  He was in a few movies which I'm going to watch.

The Laughing Sinners

After trying to kill herself after a romance gone wrong Joan meets Clark Gable, a Salvation Army worker.  She changes her ways and joins the Salvation Army as well.  But when the old flame comes back Joan finds she isn't as solid as she thinks.  This has around a 4.9 rating on imdb.com.  I didn't think it was that bad.  It was watchable.  I liked the movie's message of how you can pick yourself up when you slip and go back to the right path, that just because you sinned you're not a goner.  Clark and Joan did a good job and they have chemistry.     

The Great Garrick

Brian Aherne plays an actor in this period drama.  He is rumored to say that he is going to teach the French how to act.  Everyone in the Comedie Francaise meets up at an inn to trick The Great Garrick.  Only Olivia de Havilland isn't on the act.  She truly loves him.  He thinks though that everyone is acting around him and makes a fool of himself.  This was a cute comedy.  I don't typically like period dramas unless they're based on classics.  So this exceeded my expectations.