The Gilded Lily

This movie is just ok.  Claudette Colbert plays a woman who has to choose between two men: a wealthy man (Ray Milland) and a newspaper reporter played by Fred MacMurray.  When she turns down the advances of the wealthy man the reporter publishes a piece on her as the no girl.  She becomes a celebrity and a nightclub singer (although she really can't sing.)  I felt the movie would have been better avoiding the whole celebrity plot.  It was cute but all of these leads have done better movies.  

Don't Change your Husband/The Golden Chance

This double bill of DeMille movies is all right.  Actually, I preferred The Golden Chance to Don't Change your Husband.  In Don't Change your Husband Gloria dumps her husband for her lover only to discover he's also in a relationship with the maid.  The Golden Chance tells about a poor woman who takes up a seamstress job for finances since her husband's a drunk.  Naturally, he finds out about it only a rich man played by Wallace Reid has fallen in love with her.  Then there's a blackmail plot.  I wish there was more of an audience for silent films.  More would be released.

Espionage Agent

I liked Brenda Marshall in "Strange Impersonation."  I was hoping more with this movie but it was dull.  She and her husband try to find out Nazi secrets.  No one believes Brenda is a reliable source believing her to be on the Nazi side.  (McCrea even loses his job halfway through the movie because of that.)  I'm looking forward to finding out more about Brenda Marshall but this movie wasn't worth my time.

The Farmer's Daughter

This is the movie that Loretta Young got the Oscar for.  Despite that, it took forever to get on DVD.  She's a farm girl who wants to get in the medical field.  However, she works as a maid to provide for herself.  Joseph Cotten, who lives in the house, makes a living in politics and falls for Loretta.  But she finds herself getting into politics herself.  The movie was later made as a television show starring Inger Stevens, who is an actress I like.  Unfortunately, I don't see that getting released sometime in the future 

Passion Flower

Kay Francis has an affair with a working-class man.  This is despite the fact that the wife and Kay have been friends for years.  He's been financially supported by Kay for years which is one of the reasons why it happened.  He has to choose between his sweet wife and Kay.  Kay Francis is a star in this movie.  She makes you hate the character but her charisma steals the screen.  I know that Kay wasn't the best looking star around the time but she had something.  I guess that's why I've watched a lot of the Kay Francis movies on Warner Archive.  

Murder in the Big House

This movie was generic but at least it's only an hour.  A criminal was about to go to the electric chair when he was killed by lighting.  Or was he?  Reporter Van Johnson is on the case.  I have to say Van does an okay job in this which is amazing because I consider him one of the worst actors of the silver screen.  My mom didn't like him either.  

The Famous Ferguson Case

Tom Brown plays a young employee who breaks the rules of his newspaper to get the story.  He lives in a small town and is eager to finally get a good story. He betrays his staff but you can't blame him.  Joan Blondell has a small role and is as sassy as always.  She's the real reason to watch this although Brown does a good job. I loved him in Three Cornered Moon and Anne of Green Gables  He's an underrated actor.