Posts in Category: TV Screenings
“Merrily We Live” on TCM
Merrily We Live is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Wednesday, April 2 at 5:00pm EST.
/Merrily4.jpg)
“Blind Alley” on TCM
Blind Alley is going to air on Turner Classic movies on Tuesday, March 25th at 11:00pm EST.
/Alley14.jpg)
Blind Alley was one of three movies Ann Dvorak filmed at Columbia in 1939. Based on a play by James Warwick, the story involves an escaped convict (Chester Morris) who, with his gang, takes over the lakeside home of a psychology professor (Ralph Bellamy) and holds the family hostage while waiting for a getaway boat. Dvorak is Morris’ devoted gun-toting moll.
This psychological drama is far less gruesome than the play it was based on, and it’s sometimes a bit hokey when taking us into the troubled psyche of a hoodlum. That said, it’s still one of my favorite Ann Dvorak films of her post Warner Bros career and I have watched it many a time. She looks stunning and it’s not often she had the chance to play a character with such a nasty streak. Chester Morris is a favorite of mine (loved him in The Big House), so it’s great Ann got to play dame to his thug. Blind Alley was remade a few years later as The Dark Past with William Holden and Nina Foch.
I can’t recall the last time Blind Alley was aired on TV, so this one is not to be missed.
“Three on a Match†on TCM & DVD
/Match9.jpg)
Three on a Match is going to air on Tuesday, March 4th at 12:00am EST (Monday night/Tuesday morning).
Three on a Match was the first Ann Dvorak movie I ever saw and it is still my favorite. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy and running slightly over an hour, it’s a tight, gritty, shocking film centering on the demise of Ann Dvorak’s character. With Joan Blondell, Bette Davis, Lyle Talbot, Warren William, Humphrey Bogart, Edward Arnold and Allen Jenkins, among others, it’s classic early 1930s Warner Bros. This midnight showing on TCM winds down an all day tribute to pre-code cinema, coinciding with the release of the second Forbidden Hollywood box set coming out on Tuesday.
In addition to Three on a Match, this pre-code set also features The Divorce and A Free Soul with MGM first lady Norma Shearer, Female starring Ruth Chatterton (I love this one), and Barbara Stanwyck in Night Nurse. Add on the new pre-code documentary and this one is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Looking forward to this baby arriving in the mail on Tuesday.
“G Men” on TCM
‘G’ Men is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Monday, February 25th at 8:30am EST.
/GMen6.jpg)
“Merrily We Live” on TCM
Merrily We Live is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Wednesday, January 23rd at 2:45pm EST.
/Merrily2.jpg)
This 1938 Hal Roach Studios comedy stars Constance Bennett as the spoiled socialite whose zany family takes in a successful author (Brian Aherne) as their chauffeur when they mistake him for a tramp in need of assistance. Ann Dvorak appears in a very brief role as a senator’s daughter who has the hots for Aherne.Although Merrily We Live is pretty much a My Man Godfrey remake (and not as good), it is still a lot of fun and definitely worth watching. Billie Burke received her only Oscar nomination for playing the scatterbrained family matriarch and she is a joy to watch.
Ann Dvorak does not have a whole lot to do, but makes the most of her minor role as a high society hussy. Her name in this one is Minerva Harlan which gets my vote as ‘Best Moniker For an Ann Dvorak Character” (Miss Beulah Boyd, her name in Friends of Mr. Sweeney, is a close second). Ann’s hair and clothing in Merrily We Live is fairly hideous, but she still manages to look beautiful.
This film is definitely a crowd pleaser, so enjoy!
“G Men” on TCM
‘G’ Men is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Thursday, January 10th at 1:15am EST.
/GMen7.jpg)
This 1935 FBI drama with James Cagney playing on the right side of the law was the second and (alas) last time he was paired with Ann Dvorak (the first being The Crowd Roars). Even though Margaret Lindsay is the main love interest, Dvorak’s character who pines for Cagney but settles for thug Barton MacLane is a much more interesting role. Her introduction as a night club singer/dancer who flirts with Cagney while performing “You Bother Me an Awful Lot” is a great showcase of her musical talents. Her cold-blooded murder and death scene remind us why she was touted as the next big thing in 1932.
Even though her role is not a big one, Ann Dvorak is a definite presence in ‘G’ Men and the film demonstrates what she was capable of as an actress when given the chance. Her 20+ year career was comprised of many mediocre films, so ‘G’ Men is one of the few highlights (and one of the few Dvorak titles available on DVD).
“The Crowd Roars” on TCM
The Crowd Roars is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Thursday, January 3rd at 6:45am EST.
/Crowd7.jpg)
This 1932 drama about professional race car driving was Ann Dvorak’s first film at Warner Bros and her second with director Howard Hawks. While not the most memorable film, anything starring James Cagney and Joan Blondell is worth watching. Cagney and Dvorak work well together, especially in a scene where he has a breakdown in front of her. Unfortunately they would be paired up only once more in 1935 for G-Men.
I once went to a screening of The Crowd Roars at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Imagine my shock and horror when the MGM logo appeared and the 1938 film with the same title was shown by mistake. I sat through it and pouted, only because Robert Taylor was so pretty. I never did use the free tickets I was offered after sending a strongly worded email, and have still never seen the 1932 version on the big screen. Sigh!
One last personal note on The Crowd Roars. I once thought I would play in the movie poster collecting big leagues and bid $500 on a lobby card from this film with Dvorak and Cagney pictured on it. It ended up going for close to $800, which is probably why I should be happy that Ann did not make more movies with him.
Happy New Year!
“Love is a Racket” on TCM
Love is a Racket is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Wednesday, December 12 at 5:00am EST.
/RacketSyn.jpg)
It’s been a couple of years since I watched this 1932 William Wellman feature starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as a fast talking newspaper man who gets more than he bargained for when he falls for an aspiring actress played by Frances Dee. As I recall, it’s not an earth shattering film, but it’s a lot of fun and worth watching.
/Racket5.jpg)
By the time Ann Dvorak started working on this picture, Warner Bros had already given her starring roles in The Strange Love of Molly Louvain and Three on a Match. Her part in Love is a Racket is small in comparison and kind of odd as she spends a lot of the movie hanging out at Fairbanks’ apartment (even if he’s not there or if he’s asleep), and lounging in his bathrobe (see photo). Apparently, in the James Rian novel this was based on, her character is a coked-up prostitute which would have been far more interesting, but I guess even pre-code cinema had its limits.
Ann started working on this one on February 20, 1932 and finished up on March 16th. The next day she and Leslie Fenton flew to Yuma, Arizona and were married.
Ann and Frances Dee’s characters are very catty towards each other and Fairbanks, Lee Tracy and Lyle Talbot are all good, so this one is worth setting the alarm or the Tivo for.
“College Coach” On TCM This Week
College Coach is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Thursday, December 6 at 7:45am EST.
/CoachL1.jpg)
This 75 minute tale of corruption in college football was Ann Dvorak’s big Warner Bros “comeback” after being in Europe on a year-long honeymoon. The extended absence was not approved by the studio and while she came back to a desired pay increase, the studio began casting Ann in roles of little consequence, like her character in College Coach. After turning out impressive performances in strong films like Scarface and Three on a Match, this supporting role as Pat O’Brien’s neglected wife who falls for a conniving Lyle Talbot is a step back for her and she has very little to do. Ann aside, the movie itself is pretty mediocre and the most interesting thing about it is the brief appearance of a very young uncredited John Wayne as a student. For the sake of sounding like a girly-girl, I also like Ann’s pointy eyebrows which she was sporting for her role as a gypsy in Paramount’s The Way to Love which filmed around the same time. Very exotic.
If you are interested in seeing Ann cheat on a film-husband with Lyle Talbot, Three on a Match is a much better watch than College Coach. If college football corruption strikes your fancy, the Marx Brothers’ Horse Feathers is what I recommend.