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Sound Films B

Bela Lugosi

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Claudette Colbert

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Baby Take A Bow (1934)

Starring Shirley Temple……£7.49

 

Back Pay (1930)

Starring Corinne Griffith and Montagu Love, this film has a runtime of 56 mins…..£7.49

 

Back Room Boy (1942)

Starring Arthur Askey……£7.49

 

Baker's Wife, The aka La Femme du Boulanger (1936)

Directed by Marcel Pagnol and starring Raimu, this is a French film with English subtitles. It has a runtime of 127 mins and the print is of good to very good quality…..£7.49

 

Band Waggon (1940)

Starring Arthur Askey and Jack Hylton. A plot involving spies in a haunted castle gives this team of celebrated British wireless comedians plenty of scope for laughs. Evicted from the roof of Broadcasting House, Arthur Askey and Stinker Dickie Murdoch move into Droon Castle in Sussex. Not realising that the television equipment they discover is in use by German secret agents they do the obvious thing - put on a show……£7.49

 

Basin Street Review (1955)

Starring Nat King Cole……£7.49

 

Bat, The (1959)

Starring Vincent Price……£7.49

 

Battle of Paris (1929) **UPGRADE – Improved print**

Directed by Robert Florey and starring Gertrude Lawrence, Charles Ruggles, Walter Petrie, Arthur Treacher and Luis Alberni, this film has a runtime of 68 mins and the print quality is very good. This is the first movie musical with songs by Cole Porter.

Plot: Georgie, a singer and music vendor on the streets of Paris, teams with Zizi, a pickpocket, and in the scurry before a police raid she meets Tony, a young American artist. Returning his wallet the next day. Georgie is persuaded to remain and model for him, and as a result they fall in love. When war is declared, Tony enlists and Georgie keeps his apartment for him. While nursing in a large hospital in Paris, Georgie becomes pals with three "musketeers" of the Paris underworld; when Tony fails to meet her on his leave, she finds him in the arms of Suzanne, a cafe waitress; with her friends she monopolizes their attention with her musical talent. Later, Suzanne lures her from the apartment and has her imprisoned. Tony joins the friends in their search for her; and after a battle with the villains, the lovers are reunited.

Review: This is a remarkable film in many ways. Made in the first full year of sound, its sound quality is surprisingly good. It is a semi-musical comedy drama, with all of the songs written by Cole Porter. His song 'They All Fall in Love' has extremely amusing lyrics. And the film stars Gertrude Lawrence, famous on stage but much less often seen on screen, and here appearing in her first feature film, aged 30. She was a wacky, charming, devil-may-care personality who somehow reminds one of Josephine Baker. Lawrence was not a beauty, but she had a beautiful personality, was cheerful, laughing, joyous, and refreshingly spontaneous. She sings well and with gusto. Another impressive aspect of the film is its fidelity to what Paris was really like between 1914 and 1918, the time in which the action is set. The director, Robert Florey, was a genuine Parisian, and he made certain that when the characters went to the cavern bar The Green Rat (probably based upon Florey's own visits to the famous la Bolée at 25 Rue de l'Hirondelle, Francis Carco's favourite haunt, which still exists, though it no longer has sawdust on the floor and an apparently dead dog lying in the corner), it was authentic. The Paris gangsters known as 'les apaches', named after the American Indian tribe because of their capacity for being ferocious, are dressed correctly, and above all, they and their gals are dancing in the genuine style of the apaches of the period. Hollywood's phony notions of Paris are kept at bay to every extent possible. So what if Charlie Ruggles as Zuzu somewhat over-clowns his French accent? This film is all in good fun anyway. The pompous American named Tony Trent (played by Walter Petrie, who never appeared in another feature film and of whom nothing seems to be known) in his weird frock coat and his overly comfortable atelier lacking all austerity, who has come to Paris for two years of 'trying to paint' (but doing very little, and what he does is not very good) is also authentic. Paris was full of such dilletantes at the time. Robert Florey is to be congratulated (and I wish he were alive to hear it) for making such a worthwhile and authentic film, considering how easily it could have sunk into the mud of mediocrity in the hands of someone who was not really from Paris and simply had to imagine it all. Florey was only 29 at the time he made this film, having come to Hollywood aged 24 as a film journalist. He had been an assistant in Paris to the legendary silent director Louis Feuillade. The year before this, he directed Maurice Chevalier and his wife in a film called WELCOME TO NEW YORK! (1928), of which there is no review, and perhaps no print survives. The film he directed just before this was the first Marx Brothers film, THE COCOANUTS (1928, a filmed version of their hit Broadway show, made in New York). The film he directed just afterwards was the French film LA ROUTE EST BELLE (THE ROAD IS FINE, 1930), set in France, written by a French colleague named Pierre Wolff, and with a French cast. As this film is also unreviewed and has no story précis, perhaps its print is also lost. He followed it with another film made in France, the comedy L'AMOUR CHANTE (LOVE SONGS, 1930), which also appears to be lost. He returned to America by 1932 when he made a film entitled 50-50, of which nothing whatever is known except that it was made in English. He came back into historical focus later that year when he directed Bela Lugosi in a film of Edgar Allan Poe's story MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, set in 19th century Paris. The character of the ghastly and vicious woman Suzanne is played here by Gladys DuBois, who made this and one other film in 1929 and then vanished from the screen forever. She is very effective. I wonder who she was. No biographical information about her is recorded on IMDb. The story and dialogue were written by the very American Gene Markey, later to be married in turn to Joan Bennett, Hedy Lamarr, and Myrna Loy. What was the secret of his charm? I brushed past him in 1956 at the opening of the film, but did not meet him properly (the only people I chatted to were Margaret O'Brien, John Lupton, and Happy Chandler, but then I was only a precocious child at the time and they all thought I was 'cute') at the opening of GLORY, the last film written by Markey, which was a terrible commercial flop. But it did deal with race horses, which had become his obsession by then as he had married as his fourth wife the widow who owned the horse farm Calumet, where I used to go and rub noses with Citation and Bull Lea. I was also the only person who could truly calm Son of Bull Lea at that time, who was wild and bad. Because being a child I could do a perfect whinny, he would stop rampaging around his paddock in his usual crazed frenzy and come and rub noses with me and be completely calm and quiet. He did not like humans, but he accepted me as a 'human colt' who could 'talk horse'. No trainer could normally control him. But then, what has that got to do with the movies? Returning to the subject, Markey's most famous film was AS YOU DESIRE ME, the 1932 Garbo film, for which he adapted Pirandello's play. But this film about Paris, in the hands of a genuine young Parisian director, is a refreshing treat, which readily transcends the limitations of the script by a man from Michigan and makes use of Markey's humour and jokes in a way which actually works successfully.…..£7.49

 

Battle Stations (1956)

Directed by Lewis Seiler and starring John Lund, William Bendix, Keefe Brasselle and Richard Boone, this film has a runtime of 80 mins and the print quality is excellent. A logo is visible throughout.

Plot: A rebuilt WWII carrier sails back to the Pacific theater to rejoin the war in early 1945, a carrier the Japanese think they sank. So if she shows up again, they will go after her with a vengeance. And they do, nearly destroying her again, ending that mission for her, but she is able to limp back to the states. The captain is tough, he knows the added risk for his ship, but shows he also has a heart by not relieving a pilot of flight duty, one who committed a serious mistake by not taking a wave-off as instructed. Lot of action shots, many appearing to be actual war footage. The usual character sub-stories. Partly plays like a documentary about the navy, and the carrier in particular. Maybe a bit of a recruiting film also.

Review: I saw this movie in the 1950s in its theatre run. It stuck with me as a tale of considerable heroism, although the years may have taken their toll on the precision of my memory. If Columbia would release it on video I'd run right out and buy it, Grade B or not. Better yet, the tale within it would lend itself well to a major studio "Saving Private Ryan" blockbuster, so how about it, Hollywood?....£7.49

 

Beast of the City (1932)

Starring Walter Huston and Jean Harlow……£7.49

 

Beat The Devil (1953)

Starring Humphrey Bogart……£7.49

 

Beau Ideal (1931)

Starring Loretta Young……£7.49

 

Beautiful aka Bellissima (1951)

Directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Anna Magnani, Walter Chiari, Tina Apicella and Gastone Renzelli, this film has a runtime of 109 mins and the print quality is very good to excellent. This is an Italian language film with English subtitles.

Plot: Film director Blasetti is looking for a little girl for his new movie. Along with other mothers, Maddelena takes her daughter to Cinecittà, hoping she'll be selected and become a star. She is ready to sacrifice anything for little Maria, even if her husband would prefer they save their little money for the rent instead of paying teachers, hairdressers, or bribes for her illusions.

Review: Anna Magnani is magnificent as a pushy show-biz mother determined to get her daughter into the movies. She's like an early prototype of Bette Midler but she's more down-to-earth and with a greater propensity for feeling. (Midler could do the comedy but not the pathos). The film is charming but for a Visconti movie, it's slight. It's a great director's trifle about the movies; he enjoys poking fun at the stereotypes he's worked with in more serious films. It's laugh out loud funny.
The film doesn't offer any insights into the movie-making process and even the wheeling and dealing seems perfunctory. At times you wish maybe Visconti had gone a little deeper. (At the end he makes a point that the movies can be shallow but we know that already). Take Magnani out of the equation and there really isn't much left. She's the life-force that holds it together. It really is a great piece of acting….£7.49

 

Beauty and the Beast (1946)

Directed by Jean Cocteau. French language film with English subtitles……£7.49

 

Because You’re Mine (1952)

Starring Mario Lanza and Doretta Morrow……£7.49

 

Becky Sharpe (1935)

Starring Miriam Hopkins and Nigel Bruce……£7.49

 

Bed And Board aka Domicile Conjugal (1970)

Directed by Francois Truffaut and starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claude Jade, Hiroko Berghauer and Barbara Laage, this film has a runtime of 101 mins and the print quality is excellent. This is a French language film with English subtitles.

Plot: Some time after "Baisers Volés", Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) and Christine Darbon (Claude Jade) are married and Antoine works dying flowers, and Christine is pregnant and gives private classes of violin. When Christine is near to have a baby, Antoine decides to find a new job, and he succeeds due to a misunderstanding of his employer. In a business meeting, he meets the Japanese Kyoko (Mademoiselle Hiroko) and they have an affair. When Christine accidentally discovers that Antoine has a lover, they separate. But later they miss each other and realize that they do love each other.

Review: "Domicile Conjugal" is a delightful and very funny "Scenes from a Marriage" by Truffault. His ambiguous alter-ego Antoine Doinel is responsible for hilarious scenes: the dialog in English with his future boss while looking for a job; charging the mother of a student of violin; the surrealistic dialogs with the guy that borrows money from him; his unusual work of maneuvering model boats. The chemistry of Jean-Pierre Léaud and Claude Jade is also amazing, with many wonderful dialogs and beautiful scenes. I particularly like their kiss in the wine cellar, which repeats "Baisers Volés", but with Christine having the attitude this time; or when he calls her "my little mother, my little sister, my little daughter" in the cab, and she replies that she would like to be his wife; or their dialog when she is wearing glasses on the bed or when he calls her in the restaurant. "Domicile Conjugal" is a simple but lovely movie. My vote is eight….£7.49

 

Bedtime Story, A (1933)

Delightful comedy starring Maurice Chevalier, Edward Everett Horton and Baby Leroy……£7.49

 

Bees In Paradise (1944)

Starring Arthur Askey……£7.49

 

Behave Yourself (1951)

Starring Farley Granger……£7.49

 

Behind Office Doors (1931)

Starring Mary Astor and Ricardo Cortez……£7.49

 

Behind The Mask (1946)

Starring Kane Richmond……£7.49

 

Bell Bottom George (1944)

Starring George Formby……£7.49

 

Belle Of The Nineties (1934)

Starring Mae West……£7.49

 

Beloved Vagabond, The (1936)

Starring Maurice Chevalier and Margaret Lockwood……£7.49

 

Bete Humaine, La (1938)

This film was directed by Jean Renoir and stars Jean Gabin and Simone Simon…..£7.49

 

Bicycle Thieves aka Ladri di biciclette (1948)

Directed by Vittorio de Sica and starring Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella Carell and Elena Altieri, this film has a runtime of 89 mins and the print quality is excellent.

Plot: Antonio Ricci, an unemployed man in the depressed post-WWII economy of Italy, finally gets a job hanging up posters, but he needs a bicycle. But when his bicycle is stolen,, he and son walk the streets of Rome looking for it. Antonio finally manages to locate the thief, but with no proof he must abandon his cause. But he and his son know perfectly well that without a bike, Antonio won't be able to keep his job.

Review: It is post-war Rome and much of the city's residents are impoverished and desperate for work. One man named Ricci who haunts the job lines day after day to provide for his wife and two children, when suddenly his name is called for a well-paying city job. The only catch is that he needs a bicycle for the job, and he has just pawned his bicycle in order to feed his family. Thus begins `The Bicycle Thief', Vittorio de Sica's gritty study in realism. Ricci and his wife sell the sheets off of their beds to get the bicycle back, only to have the bicycle stolen on his first day on the job. In order to keep the job, he and his young son walk around Rome, desperate to find the thief, and more importantly, the bicycle before his next day of work.
de Sica chose non-actors to portray the characters in the film, favoring a further realistic vision by casting amateurs. The result is remarkable, because the pain and emotions conveyed are so true. The relationship between father and son is also compelling and endearing, in that for the most part, Ricci treats his son as an equal, letting him in on his innermost thoughts and fears, until the end, when a particular event causes him to be ashamed, and the roles become defined once again.
`The Bicycle Thief' personifies the refreshing fact that European cinema was more daring and also true in their reaction to post-war life. While America was trying to paint a heavy coat of rosy paint on the times by churning out the saccharine MGM musicals by the dozen, Europe was showing that the effects of a war fought on their home turf did not inspire moments of spontaneously breaking into song, or a choreographed dance number, rather life pretty much sucked, but survival, as difficult and ugly as it can be, is most important. `The Bicycle Thief' has been a critical favorite for decades, and for good reason. It is a must-see film for any cinephile….£7.49

 

Bidone, Il (1955)

Directed by Federico Fellini and starring Broderick Crawford……£7.49

 

Big Boy (1930)

Starring Al Jolson……£7.49

 

Big Brown Eyes (1936)

Starring Cary Grant, oan Bennett and Walter Pidgeon……£7.49

 

Big Chance, The (1933)

Starring Mickey Rooney……£7.49

 

Big House, The (1930)

Starring Robert Montgomery, Wallace Beery and Lewis Stone, this film has a runtime of 87 mins…..£7.49

 

Big News (1929) **UPGRADE – Improved print**

Directed by Gregory La Cava and Ssarring Carole Lombard, Robert Armstrong, Louis Payne and Wade Boteler, this film  has a runtime of 66 mins and the print quality is very good.

Plot:  Steve Banks is a hard-drinking newspaper reporter. His wife Margaret, a reporter for a rival paper, threatens to divorce him if he doesn't quit the drinking that is compromising his career. Steve pursues a story about drug dealers even when his editor fires him. When the editor is murdered, Steve is accused of the killing. But Steve has an ace up his sleeve that may save him from the electric chair.

Review: The plot elements of this movie, in my mind, take second place to the repartee, or verbal fencing, that takes place among various characters. One character is always needling another; each tries to top the others in snarky insults. I suppose this is where the "comedy" label comes from.
For instance, there's the repartee among the various reporters on Robert Armstrong's newspaper. Cupid Ainsworth (a large fat woman) comes in, saying she's late because "I couldn't find a cab." Armstrong responds, "You mean you couldn't find one to fit you."
Ainsworth gives as good as she gets, however. When Armstrong comes back into the office after being bawled out by his wife, she says, "Well, well, well! Here comes the lion with the lamb's haircut!" (Ainsworth gives a very memorable performance in this movie, in my opinion.)
When Armstrong goes into the editor's office to get bawled out, Ainsworth cries, "Hold on boys, we're going around a curve!" (To me, that was better than Bette Davis' famous line, "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night!")
Tom Kennedy is in the movie, playing a cop. (I always think of Kennedy as Gahagan, from the Torchy Blane movies.) Armstrong refers to Kennedy as "Flatfoot," and he growls, "Lay off the puppies!"
Armstrong and his even-more-drunken buddy get into a battle of wits in a speakeasy with members of a drug-dealing gang. Armstrong says, "I recently heard of two hop-slingers who were punished by being put in a barrel with a skunk. Fortunately, the skunk died." His buddy responds, "He was probably bored to death by their repartee."
I think this movie has a quite adult sensibility as regards inter-personal relationships and conversation. (Adult meaning "adult," not "dirty.") It's not a Pollyanna or Hollywood sensibility -- there's friction and oneupmanship among various characters. That makes a refreshing change. Kennedy's cop role is also more adult than his slapstick-ish Gahagan roles. I like the whole tone and atmosphere of this movie.
I always enjoy seeing Armstrong, who is perhaps best known as the impresario who brought King Kong back from his island. He was a quite prolific actor, and always interesting.
George ("Gabby") Hayes is also here briefly, and I'm always fascinated to see him in a movie, beardless and in an adult, not slapstick-ish role.
In the end, the murder is pinned on the actual perpetrator (yay!), and Armstrong and his wife are reconciled. I like a movie with a happy ending, and to see justice is done.
This movie, to me, is enjoyable, adult, and fun every time I see it.. ……£7.49

 

Big Pond, The (1930) **UPGRADE – Improved Print**

Directed by Hobart Henley and starring Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, George Barbier and Marion Ballou, this film has a runtime of 78 mins and the print quality is very good.

Plot: A tour guide in Venice romances a visiting American tourist whose father owns a chewing-gum factory back in the U.S. She sets out to convince her skeptical father to bring the tour guide to America and give him a job in the plant.

Review: I apparently liked this one more than most people, and I thought it was a thoroughly charming romantic comedy. I see that Preston Sturges was a writer on this one and his touch shows. Chevalier plays Pierre, a guide of rather noble background whose family lost their money in the first World War. Barbara (Claudette Colbert), the rather spoiled daughter of the wealthy Billings family, falls for Pierre during the family's European vacation. When her father first finds out that Barbara wants to marry this man, he explodes. But then he reconsiders. He figures his best option is to take Barbara's side, take Pierre back to America with them, put him to work in the family business - they make chewing gum , and show Barbara that he could never fit in.
So this boils down to your basic fish out of water story, but Pierre is a very sincere and charming Gallic guppy. In America he wins over everyone from his rooming house landlady who also happens to be French to his gruff coworker (Nat Pendleton) who was instructed to "give Pierre the business" by Mr. Billings but lightens up after he just can't help liking the guy.
However, Pierre's blessings - his quick wit and likability - are also a curse. His reluctant father-in-law to be soon finds Pierre quite the idea man and pretty soon Pierre has worked himself up from hard physical labor to a nice job and a nice office to match. This has him spending much time at work, neglecting Barbara, and even turning his love song to Barbara into a chewing gum jingle much to Barbara's dislike. Will things work out for Pierre and Barbara? Watch and find out.
Chevalier is pretty much the whole show in this one since it really is Pierre's story - Claudette Colbert is not given that much to do. Maybe that's a good thing since she is playing a very spoiled girl that must think the money with which she parties is heaven sent since she is so opposed to the men in her life working long hours and upsetting her social calendar. But this is a comedy, so her excesses and shortcomings are not explored here. The song "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me" gets reprised to the point of excess, but still it manages to not wear out its welcome. ……£7.49

 

Big Sleep, The (1946)

Starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall……£7.49

 

Big Store, The (1941)

Starring the Marx Brothers……£7.49

 

Big Trees (1952)

Starring Kirk Douglas. In 1900, unscrupulous timber baron Jim Fallon plans to take advantage of a new law and make millions off California redwood. Much of the land he hopes to grab has been homesteaded by a Quaker colony, who try to persuade him to spare the giant sequoias...but these are the very trees he wants most. Expert at manipulating others, Fallon finds that other sharks are at his own heels, and forms an unlikely alliance……£7.49

 

Bigamist, The (1953)

Starring Edmund O’Brien and Joan Fontaine……£7.49

 

Birmingham Black Bottom (1929)

Three short comedies (talkies) from 1929 produced by Al Christie with all black cast ……£7.49

 

Bishop Misbehaves, The (1935)

Starring Edmund Gwenn and Maureen O’Sullivan……£7.49

 

Black Dragons (1942)

Starring Bela Lugosi……£7.49

 

Black Magic aka Meeting At Midnight (1944)

Directed by Phil Rosen and starring Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Frances Chan and Joseph Crehan, this film has a runtime of 63 mins and the print quality is excellent.

Plot: Because Charlie Chan plans to return to Honolulu, he no longer needs the services of Birmingham, who gets a job as butler for William and Justine Bonner, two apparently phony psychics who regularly host occult activities in their home. When Charlie's pretty daughter Frances attends a séance out of curiosity, Mr. Bonner is shot, and she becomes an immediate suspect. Charlie postpones his trip home to help with the investigation, which is made problematic when no bullet can be found in the wound and a hypnotized Mrs. Bonner is compelled to commit suicide by jumping off the roof of a downtown building.

Review: This installment of the Chan series is more light-hearted than many, with daughter Frances replacing her brothers in the family sidekick roll, and Birmingham Brown getting a lot of screen time. The séance is another of the classic murder mystery settings used in the series - for the second time, in fact. The complaints by other reviewers about Frances Chan's acting boggle the mind - she's an appealing character, and this ain't Shakespeare, folks. It's nice to have the woman's - or girl's - touch in the series, and Sidney Toler is more affectionate towards her than to sons one and two. Hypnosis and plastic surgery are overworked gimmicks in mysteries, but hey, this is B-movie-land. Mantan Moreland is given plenty of time to clown, and he does his usual great job of it. Yes, he plays the fool, but no more so than my beloved Three Stooges, and folks, they were as white as you can get. If you can't see the difference between Stepin Fetchit and Mantan Moreland, that's a you problem.
Considering it was made in a few weeks with a minimal budget, this Chan was a fun hour of entertainment. Charlie is Charlie - one step ahead of the police he helps - Frances is a breath of fresh air, and Birmingham entertains with his comic acting. Black Magic is exactly what it set out to be - not Citizen Kane, and not trying to be….£7.49

 

Black Moon (1934)

Starring Fay Wray……£7.49

 

Black Sheep Of Whitehall, The (1942)

Starring Will Hay and John Mills……£7.49

 

Blackmail (1929)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anny Ondra, John Longden, Sara Allgood, Charles Paton, Donald Calthrop and Joan Barry, this film has a runtime of 86 mins and the print quality is excellent.

Much of the filming originally was shot silently. When sound became available during the course of shooting, Sir Alfred Hitchcock reshot certain scenes with sound, thus making it his first talkie. There was one complication with this change, however. Leading lady Anny Ondra had a thick Czech accent which was inappropriate for her character, Alice White. Joan Barry was chosen to provide a different voice for her, but post-production dubbing technology did not exist then. The solution was for Barry to stand just out of shot and read Alice's lines into a microphone as Ondra mouthed them in front of the camera. [This is a major plot point of Singin' in the Rain (1952), which is set in the era of movie studios moving from silent pictures to talkies.] This generally is acknowledged as the first instance of one actress' voice being dubbed by another, even though the word "dub" is technologically inappropriate in this case.

Plot: Alice White, the daughter of a tobacconist, has been dating Frank Webber, a young up and coming detective at Scotland Yard. After successfully ditching Frank one evening on a date, Alice instead meets up with a young male artist who she really wanted to be with that evening. After going up to the artist's studio apartment, he tries to rape her. She ends up stabbing him to death in self defense, after which, she tries to wipe out any evidence of being in his apartment, followed by sneaking out of the apartment and wandering the streets in a shocked daze over what she did. Frank ends up being one of the detectives assigned to the case, who sees evidence known to him to Alice's in the artist's apartment, and recognizing the dead man as the person with whom Alice went off after she ditched him the night before. Frank decides to remove the evidence he knows implicates Alice from his fellow detectives, but confronts Alice with it to see what she says. But before she answers, an unsavory type named Tracy implies that he knows what happened, and blackmails the pair in return for his silence. Eventually, Frank learns that Tracy is a wanted criminal. So Frank comes up with an idea of pinning the murder on him. The question becomes whether such a move will actually work, and if so, whether Alice's conscience will allow an innocent man, however unsavory, be charged with a crime he didn't commit.

Review: Considering the technical limitations confronting Hitchcock (the part-sound/part-silent format; the bulky, graceless early sound camera; a leading lady who barely spoke English, etc.), "Blackmail" remains one of the director's most impressive productions. The visual and sound quality is excellent, especially for a 1929 film, and already Hitchcock is using distinctive camera angles to create memorable effects. (Notice the shadowy interior of the Artist's loft, and the way Hitchcock swoops the camera about to convey Alice's disorientation after the murder.) I also love the way Hitchcock depicts the Blackmailer's flight after his climactic confrontation with Alice and the Detective. We never see the Blackmailer at all - the camera remains frozen on the face of the Detective, who reacts to what is going on. At the moment the Blackmailer shatters the window, the Detective lets out a shout, and the camera - as if startled by the commotion - dollies backward. We immediately cut to the busted window, with a posse of lawmen rushing toward it. It's a wonderful device (what other director in 1929 would have approached the scene in this way, I wonder?). The performances in "Blackmail" are remarkable and eccentric, in the best sense of the word. Donald Calthrop and Cyril Ritchard, playing the disheveled blackmailer and the lecherous artist, etch themselves in your memory. Anny Ondra is fine as Alice, gamely committing herself to the role, even though she was pantomiming lines. Her dazed reactions at the climax of the murder sequence are shocking. She's like a demented robot, yet the behavior rings true for me. Lastly, let me say I admire John Longden's performance most of all. His role as Frank, the detective, is in no sense that of a traditional film hero. He often bullies Alice, turns moody and childish during arguments and is willing to pin murder on an innocent (albeit not very nice) man. Longden realizes all the not very appealing attributes of Frank's behavior (how he sneers when the tables finally turn on Calthrop), but he also makes clear that he loves Alice and is trying to protect her. He is clearly devastated as he talks with Alice in the phone booth and realizes she is indeed guilty. In summary, few of Hitchcock's 1930 British films are on a par with "Blackmail." The depth of its characterizations will remain unmatched until "Rebecca" a decade later. Reflect on how "Blackmail" compares - technically - with America's first sound film and you start to see the true measure of Hitchcock's genius….£7.49

 

Blake of Scotland Yard (1937)

Starring Ralph Bird, this is a scratchy but good print of the film with a runtime of 70 mins…..£7.49

 

Blanche Fury (1948)

Starring Valerie Hobson and Stewart Granger……£7.49

 

Blind Venus (1941)

Directed by Abel Gance, this is a very good print of a French film with English subtitles and a runtime of 144 mins…..£7.49

 

Blithe Spirit (1945)

Starring Rex Harrison, Constance Cummings and Kay Hammond……£7.49

 

Block-Heads (1938)

Starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy……£7.49

 

Blonde Venus (1932)

Starring Marlene Dietrich, Herbert Marshall and Cary Grant, the film has a runtime of 90 mins…..£7.49

 

Blondie of the Follies (1932)

Directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Marion Davies, Robert Montgomery, Billie Dove, Jimmy Durante, James Gleason, Zasu Pitts, Sidney Toler and Douglass Dumbrille, this film has a runtime of 91 mins and the print quality is very good to excellent.

Plot: Blondie, a New York tenement dweller, and Lurlene are best friends. When Lurlene makes the cast of a big Broadway show, she arranges for Blondie to join the cast as well. But the friendship goes awry when Lurlene's sweetheart, wealthy Larry Belmont, catches Blondie's act and falls for the fair-haired newcomer. Though she is attracted to Larry as well, Blondie spurns his attentions out of loyalty to her friend. But the attraction proves to be stronger than any of them could have imagined.

Review: One of Marion Davies' best performances in this snappy comedy/drama. Davies plays Blondie, a good girl who becomes a success in the follies despite her best friend's effort. Billie Dove (a big silent star in her best talkie role) is excellent as the friend. Robert Montgomery, Zasu Pitts, Sidney Toler, Douglas Dumbrille, and Jimmy Durante co-star. But this is Davies's film from beginning to end. She is totally wonderful, funny, touching, and gorgeous. Again and again I state that Marion Davies was major talent, a great star, and one of Hollywood's great beauties. She's also one of the finest comic actresses EVER! Watch this film and you'll see that Davies was an A-list star, one who deserves to be rediscovered. Blondie of the Follies may be a minor film, but it's well done, entertaining, and boasts terrific performances by Marion Davies and Billie Dove….£7.49

 

Blood on the Sun (1945)

Starring James Cagney. Nick Condon is a newspaper reporter working in Tokyo who refuses to toe the Japanese line on the expansionist policies of the anti-democratic Imperialist government. When it become clear to the authorities that Condon isn't going to cooperate and that he has some valuable information and contacts, they decide to get him in their clutches for some interrogations and then dispose of him……£7.49

 

Blue Angel (1931)

Starring Marlene Dietrich and Emil Jannings. Immanuel Rath, old and single, is a teacher at the town's high school. When he discovers that some of his pupils often go into a joint, The Blue Angel, to visit a dancer, Lola Lola, he comes there to confound them. But he is aroused by Lola. The next night he comes again... and does not sleep at home……£7.49

 

Blue Light, The (1932) **UPGRADE - Longer improved version**

Directed by Leni Riefenstahl and Béla Balázs, written by Leni Riefenstahl, Béla Balázs and Carl Mayer and starring Leni Riefenstahl, Mathias Wieman, Beni Führer and Max Hiolzboer, this film has a runtime of 79 mins and the print quality is very good to excellent. This is a German silent and this is a Russian version, dubbed in Russian with hardcoded English subtitles. This was a groundbreaking film at the time. It was a sound film shot all on location high in the mountains. Real mountain people were used as supporting players.

Plot: Junta is hated by the people in the village where she lives, especially by the women, who suspect her of being a witch. Only she can climb the nearby mountains to a cave high up, whence a mysterious blue light glows when the moon is full. Many young men of the village have died trying to follow her. She is driven out of town, and takes to living in the mountains. Eventually she shares the secret of the blue light with one man, and he betrays it.

Review: Leni Riefenstahl, soon to become notorious as Hitler's favorite director, made her directorial debut with this vivid and beautiful film. It tells the tale of a mysterious blue light on top of a mountain that lures young men to their deaths. The only person who can reach it is a young outcast played by Riefenstahl herself. She is exquisitely beautiful - so much so that I am amazed Hollywood did not beckon.
It's all a bit Freudian and far too slow at times, but the photography is so sublime that it doesn't matter. Black and White has seldom looked so beautiful and the use of light is magnificent. Riefenstahl certainly knew how to film and light faces (including her own), a talent that would later enhance her propaganda films for the Nazis. This film is more than an historical curiosity - it is quite a work of art.……£7.49

 

Blue Steel (1934)

Starring John Wayne. Review:R.N. Bradbury (writer/director) is in his element with the artifice and comedy of the opening scene, and he gives plenty of scope to George Hayes as the sheriff especially in a fine comical performance with a good deal of nuance. The story is an incomparable cloak-and-dagger Western about a State agent in pursuit of The Polka Dot Bandit……£7.49

 

Blue Veil, The (1951)

Directed by Curtis Bernhardt and Busby Berkeley (apparently, although uncredited) and starring Jane Wyman, Charles Laughton, Joan Blondell, Richard Carlson, Natalie Wood and Agnes Moorhead, this film has a runtime of 114 mins. The print quality is ok to good and is what looks like a transfer from videotape, but as far as I can tell the film hasn’t had a dvd release.

Review: Remember Channel 9 in New York City? So many times they would show the classic THE BLUE VEIL with Jane Wyman, Richard Carlson, Charles Laughton, Vivian Vance, Natalie Wood and Joan Blondell. It was part of what was known as THE MILLION DOLLAR MOVIE.
Go know that this magnificent film would disappear. Jane Wyman is now past 90 years of age. It would be a tribute to her to show this outrageously good movie.
While Wyman was nominated for best actress in it in 1951, she lost to Vivien Leigh in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. Few people know that Wyman won the Golden Globe Award for best actress of the year for this remarkable film.
The film pulls out every emotional stop imaginable in depicting the life of a woman who cares for other people's children. The film begins with a newly widowed World War 1 Wyman losing her child after giving birth. From that point on, the viewer is taken on an emotional roller-coaster, as the film shows every situation she encounters while caring for other people's children. Affectionately known as Lulu, Wyman is at her best.
In tribute to the long career of Jane Wyman, this film should be released while she is still living. We should demand this.
After all these years, I was able to obtain a copy and I saw this wonderful film the other day. The picture is even better after all these years. Wyman is better than terrific here. She always played the part of the victim in her pictures. Those sad-dreary eyes will get to you. After 56 years, my eyes filled up with tears. This is an unforgettable tear-jerker of the highest quality. They sure knew how to make pictures in those years. What a wonderful supporting cast.
Wyman sacrifices her life to care for other people's children. How many women would do that in today's society? The opportunity was there to marry for convenience. Please note the fabulous performance of Charles Laughton in a supporting role, as a lonely widower left with an infant. He is totally out of his usual domineering character here. His performance is marvelous and well understated. Natalie Wood is just fine as Stephanie. She will also tug at your heart when she refers to Lulu (Wyman) as her mother when her own mother, played by nominated supporting actress Joan Blondell fails to arrive at her communion….£7.49

 

Bohemian Girl, The

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy……£7.49

 

Bolero (1934) **UPGRADE – MUCH IMPROVED PRINT**

Directed by Wesley Ruggles and Mitchell Leisen, this film stars George Raft, Carole Lombard, Sally Rand, Frances Drake and Ray Milland. The runtime is 84 mins and the print quality is very good to excellent.

Review: George Raft's character, Raoul, is embarrassed at a talent show as the film opens and he does his very fast Charleston - it really is a sight to see - and the crowd boos as he is pulled off stage by the "cane around the neck" method.
He vows to succeed at dancing, and finds a good female dancing partner, but she is demanding that she be his romantic partner as well. Hungry to continue the fame and cash, Raoul pretends that he likes her that way. One night when she quits in a jealous rage, in walks Helen Hathaway (Carole Lombard) and offers to be his dance partner. Raoul accepts on the condition that she pass an audition, and promptly shows the clingy partner the door.
One of the oddest scenes to somebody who doesn't know about the precode era is the scene where Helen auditions. She strips down to her underwear in Raoul's hotel room so she can freely move as Raft says that she could be naked for all he cared, this is strictly business. Six months later this would not have been allowed, but from about 1930-1934, scenes such as this were very common in film.
Helen and Raoul do become a famous dance team, all the time talking a little too much about how they do not care for each other romantically, that they are strictly business. Things look like they might be turning romantic for awhile. Then, while in France, the native Belgian Raoul, noticing all of the soldiers in the audience, stops mid performance to tell the audience he will be enlisting in the army tomorrow. Helen is impressed with his patriotism, only to find out it is all a stunt - Raoul says the war should last "two weeks tops", but will be great publicity after this little skirmish is over. This type of blatant manipulation repulses Helen and she walks out on the partnership and the building relationship. How will this all work out since we know WWI did not last just two weeks? Watch and find out.
Points of interest include Ray Milland with one of the silliest looking fake mustaches of all time as a wealthy suitor of Helen's, Carole Lombard early in her career when she was playing the tall elegant type, not the screwball comedienne, fan dancer Sally Rand doing an actual fan dance number, and of course George Raft being given an entire film in which to display his tremendously graceful dancing talents. Finally, there is William Frawley, later of I Love Lucy fame, as Raoul's brother and irascible agent.
I'd recommend it, if only to see Raft dance. Some movies that were actually about Raft as a dancer such as "Stolen Harmony" seemed to go to great trouble to NOT show Raft dancing. Why I'll never know....£7.49

 

Boom In the Moon (1946)

Starring Buster Keaton. In the final days of WWII, an earnest but somewhat dense sailor (played by Buster Keaton) is lost at sea. Months later, he makes a landing, but, not realizing that the war is over and thinking that he is in Japan, he surrenders to Mexican police, who mistake him for a serial killer. Thrown in a jail cell with an American thug, he is to be hanged next morning, when suddenly a rocket scientist offers him and his cellmate a chance to avoid execution if they pilot an experimental atomic rocket to the Moon. The unlucky duo (plus the scientist's beautiful niece who ends up in the rocket by accident) go into space, but a mishap makes them land back in Mexico within miles of their point of departure. Thinking that they are on the Moon, the trio attempt to communicate with the natives who, of course, think them crazy, until the situation resolves itself……£7.49

 

Boots Boots (1934)

Starring George and Beryl Formby……£7.49

 

Boston Blackie’s Chinese Venture (1949)

Starring Chester Morris……£7.49

 

Boucher, Le (1970)

Directed by Claude Chabrol and starring Stephane Audran, Jean Yanne, Antonio Passalia and Pascal Ferrone, this film has a runtime of 89 mins and the print quality is very good to excellent.

Plot: An unlikely friendship between a dour, working class butcher and a repressed schoolteacher coincides with a grisly series of Ripper-type murders in a provincial French town.

Review: is The Butcher a thriller? Yes. Is it a psychological drama? Yes. Is it an idyllic small town romance? Yes. Is it a horror film? Yes. Can all of these descriptions coexist? Yes. The Butcher is indeed all of those things. It's a film that deals with the greatest, most puzzling, and most disturbing mysteries of humanity, but it's also a small, simple film with a style so subtle it sometimes appears to be no style at all. Chabrol's French contemporaries are known for their flair- for their attention-grabbing camera work and editing. Hitchcock was known for his stylish set-pieces. But Chabrol has an amazing knack for convincing us that we're not watching a stylish film. The color scheme, the manipulation of light, and the stifling editing are as meticulous as in a Hitchcock film, or a Truffaut film, but are at the same time nearly invisible. His direction is heavily stylized but appears nearly accidental. Chabrol manages to transform picnics, schoolhouses and cobblestone streets into a landscape that is horrifying for its lack of apparent horror and for its incongruity with the horror being committed. The Butcher is also the story of two people who have adapted, in their own ways, to modern society. An uneducated, old-fashioned male war veteran adapts by becoming a killing machine, and an educated, stylish woman adapts by becoming a cold narcissist. Both were apparently functioning, normal human beings until they meet each other. But, when they meet each other, their neuroses come into the foreground: his animalistic passion and her ultra-civilized coolness nearly destroy each other. Some viewers say that the woman is the monster and some say it is the man. It is the man who commits truly monstrous acts, but it is the woman who, by way of her repressed attraction to such a monstrous man, sets his gears turning. The schoolteacher never could have foreseen the effect she would have on the butcher, but she is still responsible, and that is what is terrifying. The Butcher, however, is not a masterpiece because of its cynicism; it's a masterpiece because it manages to be cynical while having utmost respect for its characters. It's a great film because of the way it explores how hard its characters try and how pathetically they fail. It's a horror film about how impossible it can be for people to change….£7.49

 

Bowery Blitzkrieg (1941)

Starring The East Side Kids……£7.49

 

Boy! What A Girl! (1947)

Starring Tim Moore and Elwood Smith……£7.49

 

Brave Sunder, Der (1931) aka The Upright Sinner

Directed by Fritz Kortner and starring Max Pallenberg, Heinz Ruhmann, Dolly Haas and Josefine Dora, this film has a runtime of 87 mins and the print quality is very good. This is a German language film with English subtitles.

Plot: A small town bank official, entrusted with taking money to Vienna, spends some of it.On his return to admit his guilt he learns that his boss,the director, has run off with even more.

Review: This is a funny and very clever comedy. Outstanding is Max Pallenberg, pater familias, officious head cashier, and a very confused individual whose language, facial expressions, general state of excitement carry on non-stop and in the largely stunned company of his colleague, Heinz Ruehmann, and set-upon daughter, the very wonderful Dolly Haas. Pallenberg, a Jew, was driven out of Germany in '33 and died a year later in an airplane crash in Czechoslovakia. The Jewish actor who played Kalapka died at Dachau in '41. He joins the sad ranks of Dora Gerson, Kurt Gerron, and many other. Heinz Ruehmann put in a fine performance as he always does. He prospered in Nazi Germany and even divorced his Jewish wife to further his career. I suppose he atoned for all this by his wonderful remake of the Kapitaen von Koepernick…,.£7.49

 

Bride of the Monster (1955)

Directed by Edward D.Wood and starring Bela Lugosi……£7.49

 

Brief Moment (1933)

Starring Carole Lombard and Gene Raymond, this film has a runtime of 69 mins and the print quality is very good.

Review: Typical quick time 'soap opera' churned out by all the studios to fulfill their theater chain commitments. This COLUMBIA PICTURES effort clocks in at 71 minutes and entertains for most of them. Not a classic but well worth watching.
The story is a typical one of the period, working girl played by Carole Lombard (ABBY FANE) falls in love and marries upper crust scion. Being in 'show business' she does not meet with approval of her in-laws. The husband played by Gene Raymond (RODNEY DEANE) is a aimless but wealthy drifter heavily under the influence of his friend played by Monroe Owsley (SIG).
ABBY keeps trying to get RODNEY to stand on his own feet and become the man she believes he is. SIG at his parasitical best tries to hold on to a good thing, which means plenty of Booze, Night Clubs and 'Fast Times'! ABBY seeks help from RODNEYs' family to get him on the straight path, but no luck. Usual misunderstandings, separation and then RODNEY has a epiphany realizing ABBY was right all along. Redeems himself and true love triumphs.
Carole Lombard portrays her role with intelligence and sensitivity. Hard to believe this attractive and lithe actress the previous decade was a chubby comedian at MACK SENNETT. Gene Raymond a amiable though limited actor fulfills what is required of him. Monroe Owsley has his parasite gig down to a 'T', making a career of such roles. Though his character of 'SIG' is always in the company of women you get the feeling he swims both ways and his friendship with RODNEY may be more then platonic…..£7.49

 

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn……£7.49

 

British Intelligence (1940)

Starring Boris Karloff……£7.49

 

Broadway (1929)

Directed by Pal Fejos and starring Evelyn Brent, Glenn Tryon, Merna Kennedy and Thomas E.Jackson, this is the long thought lost sound version of the film with the Technicolor finale intact. It has a runtime of 104 mins and the print quality is excellent.

Review: This musical was directed by Paul Fejos at Universal Studios in 1929. There were so many musical films made in 1929 with the title "Broadway" in them, thus you might ask - why is this one unique? For one its director was a Hungarian bacteriologist by trade who dabbled in film and is famous in particular for two late 20's films - 1928's "Lonesome" and this film, "Broadway". Fejos made a crane the actual star of the picture. It was a custom built contraption that allowed the camera to sweep about the nightclub in which most of the movie was set. Most early sound films were very static by necessity, and Fejos wanted his musical to have some of the fluid motion of the late silent era restored. However, during these sweeping scenes, Fejos had to use silent film and then dub over it with recorded sound. This gives these parts of the film a surreal and disembodied quality.
The film is like "Faust" meets "Lights of New York" in that the film opens with a metallic-painted giant stalking about Broadway at night, filling his glass with ale, and gesturing for the residents of Broadway to join him in his debauchery. The film then moves to a nightclub where the story is largely unremarkable. It's basically just another gangster film set in a nightclub punctuated with two-strip Technicolor musical numbers. "Hitting the Ceiling" is the best and most remembered of these moments. My main complaint about this film is that Evelyn Brent looks so bored during most of it. She could and did turn in good performances in the early talkie era, so I'm not sure why with all of the intrigue that is lurking about the Paradise Club her reaction seems to be that it's just in a day's work.
The film was shot both silent and in sound, and has never been on VHS or DVD. The silent version I saw had Technicolor, and the sound version I saw was in black and white. I don't think that a talking version with color still exists. Some people have attempted to dub the speech of the talkie version into the silent version to get the maximum effect of the music and the color, but what I've seen hasn't worked too well. The film's director, Paul Fejos, decided to leave the film industry shortly after "Broadway" was complete due to his dislike of the people running Universal. Instead he embarked on a career in anthropology, where he became a leader in his field. An unusual end to the film career of a man who made very unusual films….£7.49

 

Broadway Babies aka Broadway Daddies (1929)

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Alice White, Marion Bryon, Sally Eilers and Charles Delaney, this film has a runtime of 86 mins and the print quality is very good to excellent.

Plot: Dee lives with her two girlfriends in a boarding house. Billy is in love with Dee and runs the show where Dee is in the chorus. He has Dee stepping from the chorus to featured dancer. Gessant is a importer and gambler from Detroit. A gang is trying to keep him in town to fleece him and they use Dee as bait. He is introduced to Dee after her show and she and her friends go out with Gessant and his gambling buddies only because Dee is mad at Billy. Gessant helps her get another job as headliner at the New Moon Club. Billy and Dee break up over this job and Gessant falls for Dee. But Billy still loves Dee and Gessant loves Dee and Dee must choose who she wants.

Review: Spanking new Broadway star Alice White loves stage manager Charles Delaney, but she thinks he's sweet on Sally Eilers, so she marries bootlegger Fred Kohler.
It may have originally been shot as a silent, but it looks like an early talkie all the way through, especially with the dance numbers performed on a big stage with the proscenium arch in plain view, looking like all the early First National talkies. In fact, that's in no small part it's problem. While Miss White's sexuality is on plain display, and no one did it better, her voice was weak and her dancing was not top notch. Much as people enjoy her, her stardom was one of those sports thrown up in the early stages of a new art form. One hit was looked on as a trend, and they worked it to death within a couple of years, along with the early movie musical. It would take some real innovation, again by Mervyn Leroy, to help revive the musical in 1933.
Still, within the context of 1929 musicals, this is as good as they get. Everyone gives their work as much oomph as can be hoped for. The poor sound on the copy I looked at was a bit of a surprise, given the superior recording ability of Vitaphone in this period. Clearly a cleaner print, and a better soundtrack would help….£7.49

 

Broadway Bill (1934)

Directed by Frank Capra and starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy……£7.49

 

Broadway Limited (1941)

Starring Victor McLaglen……£7.49

 

Broadway Melody (1929)

Early talkie starring Anita Page and Bessie Love……£7.49

 

Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

Starring Jack Benny, Eleanor Powell, Robert Taylor and Una Merkel, this film has a runtime of 101 mins and the print quality is very good.

Plot: Bob Gordon is staging a new Broadway Show, but he is short of money. He gets an offer of money by the young widow Lilian, if she can dance in his new show. Bert Keeler, a paper man, gets this information and is writing about this in his column in an slight unfriendly way. Gordon's old class mate Irene Forster, a tap dancer from Albany also tries to get the leading role in this show, but Lilian insists in getting this part herself. So Irene Forster, Bert Keeler and Gordon's secretary Kitty start a little game to get Irene the leading role.

Review: The songs in this film are classics. "Dream of You", "Lucky Star" are just two of the best every written. The choreography is what you learn to expect from the likes of Eleanor Powell, Buddy Ebsen and Nick Lang. And you get a rare chance to glimpse the talents of Vilma Ebsen, Buddy's sister. (One of the few negatives of the film is Vilma's lack of acting ability. But this is a very small distraction.)
Robert Taylor is his silky smooth self. Normally easy to dislike in other films, his character (the producer) comes off as likable and honest.
If you are an Una Merkel fan, as I am, she would be reason enough to spend the time watching this picture. She is her adorable self, as Taylor's secretary.
Powell shows up as an ex girl friend from Albany, with stars in her eyes, looking for a break in show business, only to be turned away by Taylor, who honestly believes Broadway is no place for this innocent. Eleanor has a tough time emoting with the veteran actors here, and her shallow acting talent can be a little grating at times. But her dancing and off beat beauty far over ride any real distractions.
Jack Benny has a chance to display an edgier side; one which we are not used to seeing from him, and it both surprising and gratifying to see how well he carried it off.
This is one of those films you can dust off and watch any time you're feeling the need for a shot of simpler, easier times…..£7.49

 

Broken Jug, The  aka Der Zerbrochene Krug (1937)

Directed by Gustav Ucicky and Emil Jannings and also starring Emil Jannings, this German language film has English subtitles and has a runtime of 81 mins. The print quality is good.

Review: Kleists "Zerbrochener Krug" demonstrates that even "classical poets" have written plays that are devilishly funny and remain a joy to watch over hundreds of years. When we had to read it as students in a German high school, it was an exhilarating surprise among the usual fare. We even acted it out in class, with much giggling, even though we certainly did not reach Emil Janning's finesse of the movie, which was made well before our school years. His portrayal of the village judge Adam, ever so sly but not a bad guy, trying to extricate himself from the closing web of personal mishaps, and under the eye of a stern inspector to boot, gives the play its full due. The other actors are all very good too, with the one unfortunate exception of Lina Carstens - not a well-known actress - as Frau Marthe; she talks at a rapid-fire rate on the top of her voice, and is thus hard to understand in the old movie. Elisabeth Flickenschildt as Frau Brigitte shows how it's done right…..£7.49

 

Buck Privates (1941)

Starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello……£7.49

 

Buck Rogers (1939)

Complete serial starring Buster Crabbe……£7.49

 

Bulldog Breed, The (1960)

Starring Norman Wisdom……£7.49

 

Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937)

Starring John Barrymore and John Howard. The girlfriend of Captain Drummond is being kidnapped by an enemy of Drummond who seeks revenge. But Drummond and his friend Colonel Nielsen at once follow his trail……£7.49

 

Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937)

Starring Ray Milland. Captain Drummond becomes a prisoner when he intends to protect a beautiful heiress from an espionage organization……£7.49

 

Bulldog Drummond's Bride (1939)

Starring John Howard and Reginald Denny. A bank-robbery in London prevents - again - the marriage of Bulldog Drummond with his girlfriend. But this time when the delinquents are caught it will be celebrated at last……£7.49

 

Bulldog Jack (1935)

Starring Jack Hulbert, Fay Wray and Ralph Richardson. Review: Bulldog's car is sabotaged and he crashes into another car on his way to a mysterious mission. As it turns out, the driver of the other car is a great fan of Bulldog's work and his lifestyle. So, while Bulldog is mending in the hospital, the fan agrees to take on Bulldog's work for him. Thus begins an exercise in comedic silliness that only the Brits can do. It's not hysterically funny. It just has that sort of laid back, gentle, situation type humor that the Brits do better than anyone else. There is also enough tension and mystery to make all the running about worth while. I gave it the nine it deserved……£7.49

 

Bullfighters, The (1945)

Directed by Malcolm St.Clair and Stan Laurel and starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Margo Woode, Richard Lane, Carol Andrews and Diosa Costello, this film has a runtime of 58 mins and the print quality is excellent.

Plot: The boys are detectives working in Mexico. Laurel happens to resemble a famous matador who has disappeared, and he is enlisted to replace him in the bullring.

Review: Of course, this Laurel & Hardy feature is not another "Way Out West" (1937), but it's still worth watching. Their final Hollywood picture is far better than the other Fox and MGM products that the Boys did in the forties. Despite some boring sequences there is much more room for comedy - and Laurel & Hardy know to use it. Even Stan's make-up, which he was forced to change in the former Fox movies and that made him look much older, resembles his appearance in the old Roach days. One may wonder why producers in the forties after this movie did not realize, that these two genuine clowns had still the power to carry a whole picture. It's always sad to think of the fact, that there was only one more Laurel & Hardy film to be done after "The Bullfighters"….£7.49

 

By Appointment Only (1933)

Starring Lew Cody and Sally O’Neill……£7.49

 

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