King of Kings

I've been reading the New Testament lately and I liked this movie.  It puts many of the Bible stories on screen, for example, the story of Jesus and the adulteress. It doesn't bring anything new to the table but it is a nice tale going over Jesus and his miracles, plus his crucifixion.    It was silent but it had a nice pace to it.  It was a good movie to watch on Sunday.  

Woman in Hiding

This movie came from the same TCM set as Female on the Beach.  Ida Lupino is almost killed by her recent husband.  She runs away only her husband tracks her down thanks to a guy who cares about her but doesn't know any better.  That guy is played by Howard Duff and he plays a good confidante and love interest.  He eventually finds out the truth and there's a showdown.  A supporting actress Peggy Dow is particularly pretty here.  I love Ida Lupino.  She wasn't like the other 50's actresses of her time like Donna Reed.  She was neat and I believe one of the first female directors.  She didn't direct this one though.  

Arizona

This was John Wayne in the early 30's.  He didn't have much charisma yet and he later got better looking.  He also just became a better actor with time. I prefer him in his westerns.  This is a pre-code and isn't a western.  Laura La Plante (an actress I love) plays his ex-girlfriend.  Laura marries a man she doesn't care about.  She sets out to get revenge only her baby sister June Clyde has a thing with John Wayne now. June Clyde was pretty spunky in this.  I'll have to watch more movies with her.  Overall this was a nice pre-code but not one of the best.   

This Modern Age

Now, this was Joan Crawford in her lovely prime.  She plays a party girl whose mother is a kept woman.  Joan falls for a Harvard man but he becomes judgmental of her mother and Joan's lifestyle.  Pauline Frederick, who plays Joan's mother, was a successful silent actress.  She was good in "Smouldering Fires."  It's nice to see she got another break.  

Female on the Beach

This movie was a mess but it entertained me.  It didn't bore me.  It was kind of campy so it's worth a watch.  Like Flamingo Road they try to make Joan Crawford out to be a sex symbol but this was 1955 way past her prime.  That's not to say that older women can't be sex symbols like Diane Lane in Unfaithful.  It's just that it's Joan Crawford.   Joan Crawford moves into a house where a woman had a tragic fall.  She even gets into a relationship with the same man that woman had.  All of a sudden it isn't seeming like an accident.  Jan Sterling is in this and I always felt that she was an underrated actress of the 50's.  She could have been used more in this movie.  

Ring-A-Ding Rhythm

This was Richard Lester's movie before Help and A Hard Day's Night.  The one thing this movie makes clear is that England really needed The Beatles.  I got it because of Helen Shapiro who does a decent job.  She's much better at singing.  It's surprising that she is 15 in this.  She sounds and looks older.  She's one of the British girls of the '60s who sometimes gets overlooked compared to Sandie Shaw and Dusty Springfield.  There are a couple of acts that I like, people already in my music collection, like The Paris Sisters.  I liked Gene McDaniels.  I never heard of him before so it was worth a watch to discover one new artist.  Most of the bands in this movie though are mediocre jazz bands. 

Baby Face Harrington

This was just a really adorable movie.  Harrington keeps making mistakes like stealing someone's money who he thought stole from him.  (It was on the car seat the whole time.)  He keeps getting himself in similar situations. Soon the cops think he's like some horrific criminal.  Una Merkel is cute as his socialite wife.  This movie made me laugh a number of times.