Released - November, 1942 

Directed By - David Butler

Starring – Bing Crosby (Jeff Peters), Bob Hope (Orville ‘Turkey’ Jackson), Dorothy Lamour (Princess Shalmar), Anthony Quinn (Mullay Kasim).

Description – The third of the famed ‘Road to…’ movies to star Crosby, Hope, and Lamour has the boys cast away on a desert shore where Bing sells Bob into slavery, and both competing for the hand of a beautiful princess.

However, there is a third suiter for the hand of the princess; the dangerous desert chieftain Mullay Kasim.

How bad can being a slave to Dorothy Lamour be? Especially, after she immediately offers to become his wife? If this sounds too good to be true, it is. The reason for the marriage offer is a prophet’s prediction that the first husband of the princess will be killed within a few days of the marriage.

So, hitch yourself a ride on a camel and join the boys for a Moroccan adventure.

NOTABLE: In 1996 this motion picture was added to the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress.

The film received two Oscar nominations; Best Sound, Recording, and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

The scene where a camel spits in Bob Hope’s face was the camel’s own doing with Bing Crosby’s  reaction proving to be so funny it was left in the picture.

In 2006, Premiere voted The Road to Morocco as one of “The 50 Greatest Comedies of All Time.”

Personal Note: Another of the very entertaining Road pictures and possibly the best of the bunch. 

Road to Morocco

Bob Hope Tribute Collection – The Road Show Series (The Road to Morocco / The Road to Singapore / The Road to Utopia / The Road to Zanzibar)

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Released – October, 1942 

Directed By - Irving Rapper

Starring – Bette Davis (Charlotte Vale), Paul Henreid (Jerry Durrance), Claude Rains (Dr. Jaquith), Gladys Cooper (Mrs. Henry Vale).

Description – Charlotte Vale is unattractive, neurotic, depressed, and totally under the thumb of her domineering aristocratic mother.

Fearing for her emotional well-being, her sister-in-law arranges a meeting for Charlotte with psychiatrist Dr. Jaquith. After speaking with Charlotte, the Dr. suggests she spend some time in a sanatorium to get some emotional rest away from her mother.

The time spent at the sanatorium results in a startling transformation for Charlotte in both her appearance and demeanor. When her time at the sanatorium ends, rather than immediately return home, Charlotte decides to exercise her new feelings of independence by first taking a cruise.

On board the cruise ship Charlotte meets Jerry Durrance, a married man traveling with two friends. They enjoy each others company and while on a land excursion have a minor traffic accident that results in their missing the ship departure. They spend the next five days together and fall in love.

Charlotte returns home after she and the married Jerry decide it would be best if they did not see one another again. When arriving home, Charlotte’s family are stunned by her new appearance and independence. While some are pleased, her mother is not and seeks to gain back her dominance of her daughter.

Her efforts are unsuccessful as Charlotte draws upon her memories of Jerry to find the strength to remain resolute. Moving on with her life, she becomes engaged to wealthy widower Elliot Livingston.

A chance meeting with Jerry now turns everything upside-down again for Charlotte, bringing back a turn of events that will again damage the emotional fragility that previously haunted her.

NOTABLE: This picture won the Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and was also nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Bette Davis), and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Gladys Cooper).

In 2007 this film was selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

This film ranks #23 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Passions, a list of America cinemas top love stories.

Original casting considerations for the role of Charlotte Vale went to Ginger Rogers, Irene Dunne, and Norma Shearer. However, after learning of the project, Bette Davis successfully campaigned for the role and convinced producer Hal B. Wallis that she was perfect for the part.

This film was the biggest box office of Bette Davis’s career.

Personal Comment: A well-acted melodrama that showcases the tremendous talent that was Bette Davis. There are a number of films suggested on this site that star Ms. Davis, who truly was one of the greatest actresses in motion picture history.

Now, Voyager (Keepcase)

The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 1 (Now, Voyager / Dark Victory / The Letter / Mr. Skeffington / The Star)

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Released – March, 1942 

Directed By - Ernst Lubitsch

Starring – Carole Lombard (Maria Tura), Jack Benny (Joseph Tura), Robert Stack (Lt. Stanislav Sobinski), Felix Bressart (Greenberg), Lionel Atwill (Rawitch).

Description – The efforts of a Polish soldier to track down a Nazi spy are aided (sort of) by a troupe of ham stage actors who use their skill at disguise to fool the occupying troops in Poland.

The Nazi spy has information that would hurt the Polish resistance and this information must not make it into German hands.

Enjoy this comedic exercise in espionage which caused considerable controversy when released.

NOTABLE: In 1996 this film was chosen for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

This motion picture received one Oscar nomination for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or comedy picture.

Director Lubitsch never considered another actor for the role of Joseph Tura beside Jack Benny and had developed the character with Benny in mind.

Although Director Lubitsch was heavily critisized, and his career hurt  for this satire about Nazi’s, this film is now regarded as one of his best.

Sadly, actress Carole Lombard was killed in a plane crash during post-production of the film. She had been returning from a tour selling war bonds.

In 2006 Premiere voted this film as one of “The 50 Greatest Comedies of All Time.” 

To Be or Not to Be

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Released – November, 1932 

Directed By - Mervyn LeRoy

Starring – Paul Muni (James Allen), Glenda Farrell (Marie Woods), Helen Vinson (Helen), Noel Francis (Linda), Preston Foster (Pete).

Description – James Allen has been wrongly convicted of a crime and sentenced to 10 years on a chaing gang. He manages to escape to Chicago hoping to remain undetected.

James finds success in the construction business and begins a relationship with boardinghouse proprietor Marie Woods. Marie learns of his secret and blackmails him into marriage. With unhappiness back into his life, James gets lucky and meet and falls in love with Helen.

However, his luck does not last long. James asks Marie for a divorce only to be promptly betrayed by her to the authorities. The only life left for James is alone and on the run.

NOTABLE: This film was nominated for three Academy Awards; Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Best Sound, Recording.

In 1991 this motion picture was selected for inclusion in the United States National Film Registry.

The film was written by Howard J. Green and Brown Holmes from Robert Elliott Burns’s autobiography, I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang.

Personal Comment:  An excellent film with a haunting ending that still stuns today. The brutality of a corrupt court, as portrayed in this film, caused such public concern regarding the legitimacy of America’s legal system that it allowed for a number of nationwide chain gang prisoners to appeal their convictions and gain release.

I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang

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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 - Rouben Mamoulian

Starring – Maurice Chevalier (Baron Maurice Courtelin), Jeanette MacDonald (Princess Jeanette), Charles Ruggles (Viscount Gilbert de Vareze), Charles Butterworth (Count de Savignac), Myrna Loy (Countess Valentine).

Description – A romantic musical that has Maurice Chevalier playing a tailor who is owed a lot of money by a penniless nobleman. To buy some time for his debt, Viscount de Vareze allows the tailor to move into his estate and decides to pass him off as a baron. The new baron meets and falls in love with the beautiful Princess Jeanette. Somewhat suspicious of the baron the princess is a little hesitant. Enjoy the fun and the music as suspicion gives in to love.

NOTABLE: In 1990 this movie was chosed for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. This film featured the classic Rodgers and Hart songs “Isn’t It Romantic?,” “Lover,” “Mimi,” and “Love Me Tonight”. A little wardrobe jealousy emerged as Jeanette MacDonald was jealous of how a white empire-styled dress looked on Myrna Loy for a party sequence and insisted on wearing the dress herself. This was not a problem for Loy as she, with a friends help, put together the black lace outfit she steals the scene in.

Love Me Tonight

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Released – April, 1932 

Directed By – Edmund Goulding

Starring – Greta Garbo (Grusinskaya-the Dancer), John Barrymore (Baron Felix von Gaigern), Joan Crawford (Flaemmchen-the Stenographer), Wallace Beery (General Director Preysing), Lionel Barrymore (Otto Kringelein), Lewis Stone (Doctor Otternschlag), Jean Hersholt (Senf-the Porter).

Description – After the end of World War I, life at the plush Grand Hotel in Berlin has returned to normal for its oppulent residents and guests. Resident Doctor Otternschlag observation that “People come and go. Nothing ever happens” couldn’t be further from the truth.

Lonely ballerina Grusinskaya is being set up by her lover Baron von Gaigern to steal her jewels, but will he really steal her heart? And is this the only heart he steals?

Powerful German businessman Preysing is at the hotel to close a big deal. His continual mistreatment of terminally ill accountant Kringelein may turn out to be quite regrettable.

Preysing hires ambitious stenographer Flaemmchen to work for him. Flaemmchen, an aspiring actress, hopes to use Preysing to help start her acting career and makes it clear that she is willing to do more than be a stenographer if it will help.

There is truly more than meets the eye going on at the Grand Hotel.

NOTABLE: This motion picture won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

In 2007 Grand Hotel was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Greta Garbo’s famous line “I want to be alone” was delivered in this film.

If you notice, there are no scenes in the film shared by Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford. This was intentional as it was feared that each would only try to upstage the other. In fact, when passing on the set Crawford would say hello only to be ignored by Garbo.

John Barrymore also had concerns about working with the temperamental Garbo, but the two actually got along well together.

At the time production studios, including MGM, were hesitant to put more than two of their top stars in a film together. Their thinking was this would help to keep costs down and maximize profits. In Grand Hotel the top five stars were paired resulting in one of the highest grossing pictures in studio history.

Grand Hotel

Greta Garbo – The Signature Collection (Anna Christie / Mata Hari / Grand Hotel / Queen Christina / Anna Karenina / Camille / Ninotchka / Garbo Silents)

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