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Reviews
The Runaround (1946)
Well worth you're while!!
One of the most under rated comedies in all of moviedom. It's riveting throughout. The script is marvelous. Rod Cameron is great. Ella Raines is, well, Ella Raines - gorgeous, sexy, witty, talented, etc., etc., etc!!!! Broderick Crawford, never one of my favorite actors, is excellent in this flick. Too bad he couldn't have maintained this image in his later work...
I love to spring this movie on "sophisticated" visitors to our home and watch their emotions change from "well I'm not to sure of this" to one of "Wow, this a really something!!" There are some interesting plot twists during the movie; and I'll not reveal the hilarious ending. You'll never guess the ending in advance.
A hard to come by movie, especially a good copy, but well worth the effort to find. Fast paced, funny, entertaining!! One of my all time favorites..
Tall in the Saddle (1944)
A great movie!!
I'm a retired "old guy" that enjoys movies that are made well..and this movie is well worth watching. Not just for the slightly different ending, but the interplay between the actors is absolutely great. As an example, watch the Wayne-Hayes combination as Hayes drives the stage coach down a mountain grade. Hilarious!! Ella Raines is one of the most underrated actresses of her time. In this movie she shows a nice range of emotions exceedingly well. Raines is an absolutely gorgeous gal, especially in this movie!! My only complaint is that Audrey Long is under utilized in her role. Too bad as she had (and still has at age 86) CLASS with a capital "C"!!! In real life she was an absolute stunning beauty - one of the few times that the camera wasn't able to capture an actresses' true beauty (even though she looks great in the movie).
Ward Bond, Gabby Hayes, and a host of recognizable others, all blend together to make watching this a very enjoyable experience.
I have this movie on DVD and play it probably once a month (more when friends come over and request a viewing). And with each viewing, it only gets better.
If you're not exactly a John Wayne fan, it doesn't matter, you'll find this movie well worth watching!
Reveille with Beverly (1943)
Not a complicated plot -BUT- a good movie well worth watching!!
I gave the movie a 9 out of 10, despite the small plot. However, there is a reason for the story line. The basis for the movie was the story of Jean Ruth Hay. Probably the first DJ in the U.S., she was able to get an early morning spot on the radio in Colorado with a musical program for the soldiers stationed at Fort Logan; when her picture and story of her "Reveille" program was featured in Time magazine she was hired by a Los Angeles radio station (KNX-AM). Her programs from this station were broadcast all over the world to our troops engaged in WWII. An interesting side note is that, as a adviser to this film, she met and married band leader Freddy Slack, featured in the film.
A young (19 when the picture was filmed in late 1942) Ann Miller does her best in this film - it's too bad that they didn't add another dance number or two for her, though! But the one number she does perform is done very, very well (as usual for Ms Miller).
Watch for Ella Mae Morris and Freddy Slack's Orchastra with an excellent example of WWII music! Ella Mae Morris was one of the most requested singers by our soldiers during WWII - and you can see why after watching this film! At that time, Ella Mae was to singing as Ann Miller was to dancing - and Slack's Orchastra was one of the top bands during the war era, mainly because of Freddy Slacks ability with the Piano.
Also, a rather stiff young singer by the name of Frank Sinatra has a musical number in the film. In it you can see why he was becoming the heart throb of the female teens back then.
I was a preteen and then a very young teen during this era and it brings back many memories. In late 1942 when this movie was filmed (released in early 1943), the U.S. was not winning the war at all - just battling almost to a stalemate in the Pacific (at a terrible cost of lives), and not able to do much of anything in Europe. A small number of U.S. troops were sent to Africa to help the British that were having a rough time with the German/Italian forces entrenched in the Northern coast, though.
America desperately needed films like this to keep peoples spirits up. Like many Americans, I had relatives in Europe that were literally run over by Hitler's troops - troops that were easily sweeping through European country after country. Would America fall to the German Blitzgrieg? No one knew at that time, and everyone was scared! Films such as this helped rally American workers to produce an unbelievable amount of weapons. The shear number of planes, tanks, artillery, and the like that were turned out played a large part in overwhelming the enemy.
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Pan-Americana (1945)
A movie worth watching!!!
I would have to wholeheartedly agree with the previous writer. This movie is a refreshing musical from the 40's - even Robert Benchley, one of my least favorite actors, subdues his normal corny performance here. There is a nice cast of Latin American singers and dancers included. Eve Arden is excellent in her role. Phillip Terry brings in a creditable performance playing his part well, and Audrey Long is absolutely outstanding (and gorgeous) as usual.
Again, a very well directed and acted 40's musical! Must be - I have it on DVD and play it a least once a month.
In summary, if you get a chance to catch this movie on one of the movie channels do so, you won't regret it.
Independence Day (1996)
Dumb!!!!
Poor acting, faulty effects, wandering inner plots.. All this movie is missing to make it better is the Three Stooges. It was obviously meant for semi-intelligent 3 or 4 year old children that would be fascinated by the fireworks/explosions/etc. Probably why it did so well at the box.
The acting, overall, is incredibly poor. However, given the current state of non-realistic "realistic" acting it probably should be overlooked - and ignored.
But, it does have one redeeming value..That is to help continue the "dumbing down" of American by influencing our children to accept this drivel as an important part of our culture...
The Sky Dragon (1949)
Thankfully, the last of the Monogram debacles!!
It's too bad that Fox hadn't continued on with the Chan series as they could have made an excellent movie with a small amount of rewriting of this script. Sidney Toler had done his best to "rescue" the 11 Chan movies he made for Monogram before his death but Winters is simply a cartoon of Chan in the 6 movies that he made, including this one. This vehicle was a sad ending for the Charlie Chan series, first started by Fox with healthy budgets allowing excellent movies that audiences enjoyed throughout the world. But then degraded substantially after Monogram entered the scene with their miniscule budgets (Tolar was unable to raise enough capital on his own to continue the series after Fox dropped the series).
Regarding the childish "racist" comments from others: My wife, an RN with a Masters Degree, was born and raised in China, moving here to the U.S. in her late 20's. We have collected all of the known Chan movies, and she thoroughly enjoys the Oland and Tolar movies for what they are interesting, provocative detective episodes. When I asked her if she felt the movies were racist, she firmly stated that people making those statements obviously don't understand the world as it was when these movies were made. They should be enjoyed for what they were meant to be. Her actual final comment was that "it's too bad that people like that can't seem to grow up and get a life!"
Cairo (1942)
A good film to watch!!
If you are a Jeanette MacDonald fan this is a "MUST SEE" film. No, it's not her very best film, but it's different enough for her that it's really great watching!! Read the other comments - except for the fellow that doesn't like Musicals (poor fellow), they're pretty much right on track. While Robert Young gets a bit "hammy" in a couple scenes, overall it's a very delightful musical/spy spoof/drama/etc. A good balance of songs and drama, which was important for morale during the early years of WWII.
Hint for Jeanette MacDonald fans: You _MUST_ see Ethyl Waters and Jeanette's rendition of "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee" about half way through the film. You've NEVER seen Jeanete like this - very cute, very well done!!