Released – October, 1932  

Directed By - Ernst Lubitsch

Starring – Miriam Hopkins (Lily), Kay Francis (Madame Mariette Colet), Herbert Marshall (Gaston Monescu), Charles Ruggles (The Major), Edward Everett Horton (Francois Filiba).

Description – A romantic comedy that tells the story of Gaston Monescu a master thief who meets and falls for Lily a beautiful pickpocket. The two team up and take jobs with famous perfume manufacturer Madame Colet, herself a beautiful woman.

Intent on making Madame Colet their next victim, her beauty only creates a love triangle of trouble. Affairs of the heart, hundreds of thousands of Franc’s, and diamonds just don’t mix.

NOTABLE: In 1991 this film was selected for inclusion in the United States National Film Registry.

This motion picture was produced before the activation of the Hays Code and contained a great deal of adult themes and sexual innuendo. After the inception of the code the film was denied a reissue and was not viewed again until 1968.

Cary Grant was considered for the lead male role, but was considered too young.

This movie is probably the most widely known of Director Lubitsch and showcased what came to be known as ‘The Lubitsch Touch;’ that included subtlety, elegance, expressions of good taste, and the desire to let the audience decide what should be shown or not shown.

Trouble in Paradise – Criterion Collection

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Released – August, 1932 

Directed By - Clyde Bruckman

Starring – Harold Lloyd (Harold Hall), Constance Cummings (Mary Sears), Kenneth Thomson (Vance), Louise Closser Hale (Mrs. Kitterman).

Description – With stars in his eyes small-town Harold Hall sets off for Hollywood wanting only to be in the movies. A beneficial mixup in an application gets Harold an opportunity for a screen-test that was meant for someone else.

Anything and everything goes wrong for Harold providing him a rude awakening with one exception…he catches the eye of a beautiful actress. A series of mis-adventures and mis-understandings follow.

Will Harold become a star, and more importantly; will Harold get the girl?

NOTABLE:  Appreciation of this film was to come some time after it’s release. At the time Lloyd’s style of comedy was out of fashion and the Great Depression had taken a good deal of the fun out of movie fans.

In 1962, at the Cannes Film Festival, Lloyd produced a compilation of his films titled Harold Lloyd’s World of Comedy introducing him to a new generation.

Although Clyde Bruckman is credited as the Director, Lloyd himself directed most of this film due to Bruckman’s problems with alcohol.

Included In The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection Vol. 3

Personal Comment: This film is considered by many to be the best of Harold Lloyd’s talking motion pictures capturing the comedic genius of his silent films.

Enjoy the very funny scene where Harold unknowningly dons a magicians coat unleashing comic chaos that include mice and a bunny on the dance floor.

The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection Vol. 3

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Released – August, 1932 

Directed By - Norman Z. McLeod

Starring – Groucho Marx (Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff), Chico Marx (Baravelli the Iceman), Harpo Marx (Pinky), Zeppo Marx (Frank Wagstaff), Thelma Todd (Connie Bailey).

Description – As the new president of Huxley College, Quincy Adams Wagstaff wants desperately to win the big football game against arch rival Darwin U. In an effort to ensure success, Quincy takes his son Franks suggestion to hire professional football players to pose as college players.

However, with the Marx brothers, nothing is as simple as it may seem. Misunderstandings result in the recruiting of Baravelli the Iceman and part-time bootlegger and Pinky, also an Iceman and part-time dogcatcher, as the teams saviours. In order to play they must be registered as students…you can see the chaos coming.

While the boys adjust to college life, Groucho is busy competing for the affection of Thelma Todd. The climatic game winning play will remind you a little of Ben-Hur, and by-the-way the password is “swordfish.”

NOTABLE: The college names, Huxley and Darwin, are a reference to naturalist Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and biologist Thomas Huxley, Darwin’s leading advocate.

During filming Thelma Todd fell out of a boat being rowed by Groucho. Groucho kept rowing as Todd cried for help not knowing that Todd could not swim. Fortunatly, she was rescued by the film crew.

Before becoming famous, Shirley Temple and her parents walked by the set. Reportedly, totally taken with her, Harpo Marx offered her parents $50,000 to adopt her on the spot.

If you notice, Chico Marx was limping during the last half of the film. This was the result of shattering his kneecap in an auto accident during filming.

Included in The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collecton

Personal Note: Easily one of their best with enough sight gag lunacy to keep a smile on your face. I’ve always had a soft spot for Marx Brothers humor. While there are always some funny musical numbers included in their movies I most enjoy the time spent with the Brothers gagging it up together.

The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection (The Cocoanuts / Animal Crackers / Monkey Business / Horse Feathers / Duck Soup)

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Released – September, 1931 

Directed By - Norman Z. McLeod

Starring - Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx , Chico Marx , Zeppo Marx (The Stowaways), Thelma Todd (Lucille Briggs).

Description – While trying to stow away on a ship to America the Marx Brothers get caught in the middle of a gangsters feud. In typical Marx Brothers fashion, while on board ship their usual antics manage to annoy everyone.

After arriving in America, one of the gangsters kidnaps the daughter of the other gangster leaving it up to our zany stowaways to save the day. Leaving out the usually required staged musical numbers, this film proves to be one of the Marx Brothers best.

NOTABLE:  This was the first Marx Brothers films to be written just for the screen, and the first to not feature Margaret Dumont.

The Marx Brothers’ father, Sam Marx II, has a cameo in the film. He can be seen sitting on some crates during the scene when the brothers are being carried off the ship.

There are two scenes in the movie that are particularly famous. One where all four brothers attempt to slip by a passenger checkpoint with each pretending to be Maurice Chevalier, and the other featuring Harpo posing as a “Punch and Judy” puppet.

Included in the Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection

Personal Note: This film along with Duck Soup (probably my personal favorite) and Horse Feathers are generally considered to be the most enjoyable Marx Brothers motion pictures.

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Released - February, 1931 

Directed By - Charile Chaplin

Starring – Charles Chaplin (A Tramp), Virginia Cherrill (A Blind Girl), Florence Lee (Blind Girl’s Grandmother), Harry Myers (An Eccentric Millionaire).

Description - A broke and homeless tramp meets a blind girl selling flowers and falls in love with her. The blind girl believes him to be a millionaire and in order to not disappoint her, he lets her go on with this belief.

Working at odd jobs and even entering a boxing contest, the tramp tries to earn enough money for surgery which could restore the girl’s vision. Coincedentialy, the tramp saves a real drunken millionaire from commiting suicide. The millionaire gives the tramp a gift of $1,000, but when sober can’t remember doing so.

The tramp gives the money to the blind girl and is mistakenly thought to have stolen the money and is arrested. How the story turns out is thought to be one of film history’s most touching endings. This film was Chaplin’s personal favorite and he held a place in his heart for the tender last scene.

NOTABLE:  Sound had taken over motion pictures, and it was Chaplin’s power and influence that allowed him to make this silent classic. The film turned out to be one of his greatest financial and artistic successes.

Director Stanley Kubrick and renowned Russian Director Andrei Tarkovski place this film among their top-ten films of all time. Woody Allen has stated that he felt this was Chaplin’s best film. Orson Welles has said that this is his favorite film of all time.

In 1992 City Lights was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

In June of 2008 the American Film Institute voted this silent motion picture #1 on the list of the ten best romantic comedies of all time.

City Lights (Two-Disc Special Edition)

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Released – November, 1930 

Directed By - Clyde Bruckman

Starring – Harold Lloyd (Harold Horne), Barbara Kent (Barbara Tanner), Robert McWade (John Quincy Tanner), Lillian Leighton (Mrs. Tanner).

Description – Ambitious Honolulu shoe salesman Harold Horne unknowingly meets the daughter of his boss and in an effort to impress her claims to be a millionaire leather tycoon. There are plenty of laughs as Harold tries to hide his true identity both in the shoestore and onboard a ship where he becomes an accidental stowaway.

NOTABLE: A major silent film star, this was Harold Lloyd’s second talking picture. 

The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection Vol. 2

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Released – August, 1930

Directed By - Victor Heerman

Starring – Groucho Marx (Captain Spaulding), Harpo Marx (The Professor), Chico Marx (Signor Emanuel Ravelli), Zeppo Marx (Horatio Jamison), Margaret Dumont (Mrs. Rittenhouse).

Description – When a famous and valuable painting turns up missing from a party in honor of famed African explorer Captain Spaulding, chaos ensues.  Not to worry; with the Marx Brothers investigating this case is as good as solved. 

Who am I kidding?  Nothing is easy with the Marx Brothers, but it sure is fun!

NOTABLE: This film was both a critical and commercial success and remains as one of the Marx Brothers most loved and most quoted movies.

The song ‘Hooray for Captain Spaulding’ was an insider reference to an army officer named Captain Spaulding who, a few years earlier, was arrested for selling cocaine to Hollywood residents.

The film was re-released in 1974 as a result of a resurgence in popularity for the Marx Brothers with younger audiences.

This film is part of The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection

The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection (The Cocoanuts / Animal Crackers / Monkey Business / Horse Feathers / Duck Soup)

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