Grand Slam(1933).

Grand Slam (1933). Directed by William Dieterle. With Paul Lukas, Loretta Young, Frank McHugh, Glenda Farrell.

The story begins when waiter/novelist Peter Stanislavsky marries Marcia, he learns to play bridge even though he thinks that it is a childish game. One evening, while he is working as a waiter at a bridge party given by Lola Starr, he is asked to play, with bridge expert Cedric Van Dorn.

After Peter wins the card game, It makes headlines and Speed McCann ghostwrites a best-selling book for him. A national tour is set up with Marcia as his partner and they sweep the country.

A very enjoyable little comedy, with some unexpected touches like the cast introduced as faces on a deck of cards. Paul Lukas and Loretta Young, make a wonderful team playing the" Bridge Sweethearts", who are fun to watch, even when the story line is not very believable. The film takes advantage of the fad for contract bridge which had swept across the country in the 1920's.

Glenda Farrell (June 30, 1904 – May 1, 1971). Warner Brothers signed her to re-create on film the role she played in, Life Begins on Broadway. Farrell worked on parts in twenty movies in her first year with the studio. She was best known as the wise-cracking, hard-boiled, and somewhat dizzy blonde of the early talkies, along with brassy blonde, Joan Blondell, with whom she would be frequently paired.

Her brassy persona was used to great effect in the film, Little Caesar (1931) opposite Edward G. Robinson, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) opposite Paul Muni, Havana Widows (1933) with Blondell, Bureau of Missing Persons (1933) opposite Pat O'Brien, Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) opposite Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray, and The Big Shakedown (1934) with Charles Farrell and Bette Davis.

She became one of Warner Brothers’ most prolific actresses of the 1930s, solidifying her success with her own film film series, as Torchy Blane, "Girl Reporter". In this role Farrell was promoted as being able to speak 400 words in 40 seconds. Farrell would portray the character Torchy Blane in eight films, from 1937 to 1939 when the role was taken over by Jane Wyman.

In 1937 she starred opposite Dick Powell and Joan Blondell in the Academy Award nominated Lloyd Bacon and Busby Berkeley directed musical comedy Gold Diggers of 1937.

Farrell went out of vogue in the 1940s but made a comeback later in life, winning an Emmy Award in 1963, for her work in the television series Ben Casey.

They Call It A Sin(1932).

They Call It A Sin(1932). Cast: Loretta Young, George Brent and Una Merkel.

Traveling salesman Jimmy Decker falls in love with Marion Cullen, even though he is engaged to Enid Hollister, his boss's daughter. Marion is a talented composer, after a confrontation with her foster mother, who tells her that she is really the illegitimate daughter of a showgirl, she leaves for New York.

After, she soon realizes that he is not going to break off his engagement with Enid, she and dancer Dixie Dare interview with talent agent, Ford Humphries, who offers Marion a job as a rehearsal pianist. When Marion plays one of her own songs for Humphries, he suggests that she write a song for his show.

One evening at the club, Marion meets, Dr. Tony and they begin to see each other and when Jimmy finds out, he becomes upset. He goes looking for her at one of Humphries' parties and tell Marion, that he still loves her. Humphries, sees them kissing uses her songs without credit to get even with her and Jimmy goes to see Humphries, in her defence. Drunk, Humphries falls off his balcony and later dies. To save Jimmy, Marion takes the blame. Will she ever reveal the truth?

This a wonderful fluffy romance movie, that becomes a little racy at the end.

Helen Vinson (September 17, 1907 – October 7, 1999). Performed in 40 films between 1932 and 1945.

Vinson's screen career often featured her in roles in which she played the other woman or (pre-Code) women with active romantic lives. Her first film role was, Jewel Robbery (1932). She performed in the film, The Kennel Murder Case, The Wedding Night (1935). She played the wife of Gary Cooper, in a story about the tobacco fields. Another performance was in the film, In Name Only (1939), in which she was cast as the treacherous friend of Carole Lombard, Kay Francis and Cary Grant. Another stand-out role for Vinson was as an undercover federal agent posing as a femme fatale opposite Richard Cromwell in the film, Enemy Agent(1940),The Thin Man Goes Home.

Key To The City(1950).

Key To The City(1950). Romantic comedy film. Cast: Clark Gable and Loretta Young. This was the second (and final) time that Gable and Young performed together in a film, the first being in the 1935 film, Call of the Wild.

The story begins, during a convention of the nation's mayors in San Francisco, Steve mistakes Clarissa for Sheila, his balloon dancer date for the evening, which insults Clarissa. Clarissa, forgives Steve's mistake and they soon develop a close friendship.

Steve's friend, Puget City fire chief Duggan, warns Steve that Henshaw, a crooked Puget City council member, is waging a campaign against him and that he should avoid any bad publicity while in San Francisco.

Steve holds an informal committee meeting with other mayors and their wives at the Blue Duck nightclub in Chinatown, The festivities come to a end when Steve sets off a huge fight. Clarissa tries to stop the fight by playing the piano and singing the song "San Francisco," but Steve insists that she leave the club before the police get there.

Unfortunately, Steve and Clarissa are arrested in a police raid. Police sergeant Hogan, tries to keep the matter quiet, but, as Clarissa leaves the station, a photographer takes her picture in front of a "Sobriety Test" room.

Though the picture causes problems for her in her hometown of Wenonah, Clarissa's uncle, Judge Silas Standish, is happy to see her having a good time.

As luck would have it, Clarissa and Steve are arrested on the street dressed as children for a costume party, but are soon released. While Steve and Clarissa ride back to the hotel in a taxi, the taxi swerves to miss some people and the two are thrown into each other's arms. During a romantic walk down the foggy streets of Telegraph Hill, Clarissa and Steve, fall in love and they make plans to marry. The engagement is soon called off, when Steve accuses Clarissa of being ashamed of his background. Steve, soon learns that Henshaw plans to override his veto of a pork barrel construction contract, Steve decides to leave the convention and return to Puget City. Clarissa, is heartbroken when she sees Sheila enter Steve's room.

Will Steve arrive in time to make sure his veto is not overridden and then save his relationship with, Clarissa?

This is one of those classic/funny/romance films staring Clark Gable, who is as charming as always and you can see the wonderful chemistry he has with, Loretta Young.



Fun Facts:

The scenes that are supposed to be in Chinatown, really were filmed in Chinatown Los Angeles. Production also included interiors of the "Rice Bowl" restaurant as well as the bar areas. They were not sets on a Hollywood stage, but the real locations.

Final film of Frank Morgan.

Marilyn Maxwell (August 3, 1921 – March 20, 1972), best known for being a sexy blond she performed in several films and radio programs, and entertained the troops during World War II and the Korean War on USO tours with Bob Hope.

She started her professional entertaining career as a radio singer while still a teenager before signing with MGM in 1942 as a contract player. One of her first performances was in, The Abbott and Costello Show. Some of her other film roles include: Lost in a Harem (1944), Champion (1949), The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)and Rock-A-Bye Baby (1958).

Happy Birthday: Loretta Young!

Loretta Young (January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) . Starting as a child actress, she had a long career in film from 1917 to 1953. Young was billed as "Gretchen Young" in the 1917 film, Sirens of the Sea. It was not until 1928 that she was first billed as "Loretta Young" in, The Whip Woman. That same year she co-starred with Lon Chaney in the film, Laugh, Clown, Laugh. During the Second World War, Young made, Ladies Courageous (1944 reissued as Fury in the Sky), the fictionalized story of the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron. It depicted a unit of female pilots during WWII who flew bomber planes from the factories to their final destinations.

Young made as many as seven or eight movies a year. In 1947, she won an Oscar for her performance in, The Farmer's Daughter. The same year she co-starred with Cary Grant and David Niven in, The Bishop's Wife.

In 1949, Young received another Academy Award nomination for, Come to the Stable. In 1953, she appeared in her last theatrical film, It Happens Every Thursday, a comedy about a New York couple who move to California to take over a struggling weekly newspaper.

TCM is celebrating Loretta Youngs birthday with the list of films featured below:

Unguarded Hour, The (1936). A blackmailer tries to stop a woman from revealing evidence that could save a condemned man. Cast: Franchot Tone, Loretta Young, Roland Young.

Doctor Takes a Wife, The (1940). A man-hating author and a woman-hating doctor have to pretend they're married. Cast: Loretta Young, Ray Milland, Reginald Gardiner. Dir: Alexander Hall.

Men in Her Life (1941)A circus performer marries a man who promises to turn her into a ballerina. Cast: Loretta Young, Conrad Veidt, Dean Jagger. Dir: Gregory Ratoff.

Night to Remember, A (1942) A mystery writer and his wife stumble on a murder in their new apartment. Cast: Loretta Young, Brian Aherne, Jeff Donnell. Dir: Richard Wallace.

Along Came Jones (1945) A mild-mannered cowboy is mistaken for a notorious outlaw. Cast: Gary Cooper, Loretta Young, William Demarest. The video below features movie clips of the best cowboy of Hollywood! Gary Cooper.
Plainsman, 1936
Westerner, 1940
North West Mounted Police, 1940
For Whom the Bell Tolls, 1943
Along Came Jones, 1945
Saratoga Trunk , 1945
Dallas, 1950
Distant Drums, 1951



Bishop's Wife, The (1947). An angel helps set an ambitious bishop on the right track. Cast: Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven. Dir: Henry Koster.

Cause For Alarm (1951)A woman fights to intercept a letter in which her husband tries to prove her guilty of murder. Cast: Loretta Young, Barry Sullivan, Bruce Cowling. Dir: Tay Garnett.

Paula (1952). A woman harbors a deadly secret when her husband brings home a child she injured in a hit-and-run accident. Cast: Loretta Young, Kent Smith, Tommy Rettig. Dir: Rudolph Mate.

Eternally Yours(1939)

Eternally Yours (1939). Director: Tay Garnett. Cast: Loretta Young, David Niven, Broderick Crawford, Billie Burke, Eve Arden, Hugh Herbert, C. Aubrey Smith, Virginia Field, Zasu Pitts, Raymond Walburn.

While Anita is making plans to marry Don, she meets Tony a magician and they fall in love and marry. Anita goes on the road with Tony’s act, even performing in his show with him. But his stunts become more and more dangerous and Anita can no longer take it. She divorces him, and to get over the heartache, she marries Don. But Anita can’t escape Tony for long, and not long after her wedding they’re stuck at the same party together.

The first half of the movie is very charming. Niven and Young have wonderful chemistry and the story of a magician who’s torn between his fans and his commitment to his wife makes for a very interesting love story.

Virginia Field (November 4, 1917 – January 2, 1992) was a British-born film actress who performed in over 40 films including: Ladies in Love (1936), Waterloo Bridge (1940), Repeat Performance (1947), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949) and Dial 1119 (1950).

She started her film career in England then was brought to the U.S. to perform in, Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936). In the late 1930s she performed in various parts in, Mr. Moto movie series.

Fields married three times, including a marriage to actor Paul Douglas and a marriage to actor Willard Parker.

LOVE IS NEWS(1937)

Love is News (1937), Romantic/Comedy. Cast: Tyrone Power and Loretta Young.
When a sly reporter lies to get a story out of heiress Tony Gateson, out of anger she turns the tables on him, telling the press that they are engaged. Now he is front page news and every salesman is at his doorstep. He loses his job and a day later asks her to come clean with the reporters. Not having it, She tricks him again and the publicity continues. Through a series of misadventures that has him alternately back on his job and fired. Soon her ex fiance shows up in New York.

Love is News was remade in (1949) as That Wonderful Urge, with Tyrone Power in his previous his role and Gene Tierney in the Loretta Young part. Review on: Gene Tierney Chick Flick page.

I enjoyed both versions of this movie. Tyrone Power has wonderful on screen chemistry with both Gene Tierney and Loretta Young. LOVE IS NEWS is a great old style film that they just don't make any more. Sometimes, the plot is hard to believe, but still very enjoyable.
LOVE IS NEWS (1937) MOVIE CLIP.

MAN'S CASTLE (1933)

Man's Castle (1933) is a rarely seen Pre-Code that I just recently happened to discover on TCM. In this film, masterful director Frank Borzage created a love story in the middle of the poverty and despair of the Great Depression. Spencer Tracy plays Bill, a tough guy who makes a living doing odd jobs and traveling from city to city. Bill meets Trina, played by Loretta Young, a homeless young woman who will not resort to prostitution. Trina's predicament softens Bill's hard edge and he brings her to live with him in his one room shack by New York City's East River. Trina tries to turn their shack into a home. She soon falls in love with Bill but he is not ready to settle down. Unlike Trina who is sweet and vulnerable, Bill is tough-talking and chauvinistic. It seems foolish of Trina to stay with a man that often tells her that he is tempted to leave her. However, the viewer can grasp how Bill really feels about Trina through Tracy's facial expressions. Bill's true feelings for Trina are quite apparent in the scene in which he presents her with a stove she wanted to get. This scene is the most touching in the whole film. There is so much love and longing expressed in both Young and Tracy's faces that it is truly romantic. Just as Bill is about to leave Trina for a flashy showgirl, played by Glenda Farrell, Trina announces to him that she is pregnant with his child. Bill plans a robbery in order to leave Trina some money, but ends up getting shot. The ending of the film was quite surprising to me. Man's Castle deserves to be more widely known. It is truly a Depression era masterpiece. The expressionistic black and white photography is very effective in keeping the atmosphere grim and bleak. Nevertheless, dreamy close-ups of Loretta Young make her look so beautiful and softens the dark aspects of the film. Tracy and Young gave great performances and had wonderful chemistry together. It is not surprising, since the two were having an off screen affair at the time. I love the film not only for the great performances of Young and Tracy, but because of director Frank Borzage's romantic message of love triumphing in the face of adversity. * It is interesting to note the Pre-Code elements in the film such as a skinny dipping scene and premarital sex and subsequent pregnancy would have been omitted in as little as one year later.

http://www.tcm.com/video/videoPlayer/?cid=208698&titleId=82859

Click to view movie trailer.

RACHEL AND THE STRANGER (1948)

RACHEL AND THE STRANGER (1948), is one of my favorite Loretta Young films. The story begins when David Harvey finds himself a widower with a son. They live far from town in the country on a Northwest farm. He needs a woman around the house to cook, clean and teach his son reading/writing/math. David and Davey pack up the horse and head for town to ask for the preacher's advice, who recommends Rachel. Rachel, is a bonds woman, and is quickly sold to David. David being a decent man marries her. David keeps his distance from Rachel as he is still grieving the passing of his wife. Rachel is doing everything she can to win over her new family. This all changes when Jim, his (very charming, handsome) friend arrives and shows the neglected Rachel some attention. David starts to realize that she means far more to him than he thought and the trouble begins....



Based on the Howard Fast short story "Rachel".

Cast: Loretta Young, William Holden, Robert Mitchum.

Loretta Young was famous for placing a "swear jar" on the sets of all of her films, charging anyone in the cast or crew who cussed 25 cents, then giving the funds to one of her favorite charities. While making this film with her, Robert Mitchum held his tongue until shooting was over. As he exited the set on the final day of shooting he dropped a $20 bill into the jar, and said, "This should just about cover everything I've been wanting to say"

Sara Haden (November 17, 1899 - September 15, 1981) was a character actress in Hollywood films of the 1930s through the 1950s.

Haden was the daughter of another character actress, Charlotte Walker, who was active in silent films and early talkies. An attractive woman, Haden however lacked the beauty of her mother. Haden made her film debut in 1934 in the film, Spitfire. Haden had small roles in many of the studio's films, she is best known for her performances in the Andy Hardy series, cast as Aunt Milly Forrest.

She played a truant officer in Shirley Temple's, Captain January (1936), but she also played a teacher Miss Pipps, who is unjustly fired in the Our Gang comedy Come Back, Miss Pipps (1941).

Haden's other films include: Poor Little Rich Girl (1936), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Woman of the Year (1942), and The Bishop's Wife (1947).