Old B Movies from the 30s and 40s

no, not much, I find them stiff and claustrophobic.

[quote] I find them stiff and claustrophobic.

Like a penis in a vagina.

Back when I had cable and TCM was playing pretty much everything that Ted Turner owned, I learned that the quality of the average studio era Hollywood movie really wasn't any better than the current ones.

I watched a bit of some fluff last night called Dance, Girl, Dance with a young Lucille Ball and Maureen O'Hara. Both looked beautiful.

There are plenty that aren't "stiff and claustrophobic". Try The Seventh Victim, Detour, The Cat People, I Walked With a Zombie, and The Mad Doctor.

I read Mary Astor’s memoir My Life in Film and she write of 18 movies she made between Red Dust in 1932 abs Dodsworth in 1937 and she can’t remember making them. I saw one of those on TCM, Red Hot Wheels with Lyle Talbot! and i couldn’t think why it was made.

Astor was in a couple of good 40s B movies, Desert Fury and Act of Violence, where she's great as a down-and-out prostitute.

Detour.

The aptly named Ann Savage gives a shocking performance.

And the actor playing the male lead later became an actual killer.

I love almost all of the old Mongram Pictures films from the 40s. Most are murder mystery series. I could spend a whole day watching those films.

Gun Crazy (made in '49, released in '50) would go well on a double bill with Detour. Both have that feel of film noir outlaw desperation and suspense.

I liked all the old Gene Raymond/Ann Sothern B musicals form the 30's.

Is Act of Violence the one where a man in the suburbs is hunted down by someone he betrayed in wartime? The movie I'm thinking of was very chilling and I think Mary Astor was in that one, as well. I only saw it once and have been looking for it forever since. Very creepy the way the betrayed soldier stalks the house when the wife is there alone.

I’m with you, R9. I love the old Monogram films. My favorite is KING OF THE ZOMBIES, starring Mantan Moreland. His incredible comedy talent and timing makes the film. It’s public domain too, so watchable almost everywhere.

Send an e-mail to:

yrkconnors

@

yahoo.com

And ask for his catalog of B movies. He has just about every B film made in the 30's and 40's and they're only $6 each.

All the 20th Century-Fox Charlie Chan films are superb. Fox considered them B films but their quality was extremely high. The Chan movies were used as training ground for young directors, writers, cinematographers and art directors so there’s lots of experimentation not permitted in the big budget A pictures.

My favorite Chan’s are CASTLE IN THE DESERT, CHARLIE CHAN AT THE WAX MUSEUM and CHARLIE CHAN AT TREASURE ISLAND featuring the scary Dr. Zodiac. And, a terrific example of 1940’s film noir can be seen in DEAD MEN DON’T TELL, a Chan film set on a creepy old ship full of murderous pirate ghosts.

Freaks

Yes, R12, that's the one. You can watch it again via the link.

Thank you, R17!!!

Astor writes about both movies, r7, as welcome reprises from the glossy mother roles she was given at MGM. Seems she had quite a bit of insecurity about earning a living. She was the family breadwinner at 14! She always resister her agents pressure to be a star. She wrote that she never wanted the responsibility. The memoir used fascinating about life on a movie set and the close relationship with the crew. When a star thanks a movie crew there’s something important about those relationships!