On New York’s East River sits the convergence of the “haves” and “have nots.” Luxury apartments with picturesque river views stretch several stories high, while just outside of that view sit the tenements. Drina (Sylvia Sidney) is a tenement-dwelling woman, raising her younger brother Tommy (Billy Halop) and hoping she’ll someday get them out of the tenement. She works hard to provide for Tommy and … Continue reading Dead End (1937)
Michael Cassidy (Melvyn Douglas) is celebrating the 75th anniversary of his newspaper when he gets horrifying news from the paper’s owner, Matt Cooper: the paper is to stop publication immediately. When anger brews over the suddenness of the announcement and combines with Michael’s pride for the paper, he hatches a plan to solve a kidnapping case, get the scoop, and prove that the paper’s good … Continue reading Tell No Tales (1939)
Gilda (Dorothy Mackaill) is a New Orleans prostitute who has just arrived at a hotel to meet with a client. The client turns out to be none other than Piet Van Saal (Ralf Harolde), her former boss and the man responsible for ruining her career. The encounter ends in conflict, with Gilda hitting Piet with a bottle and accidentally starting a fire. Sure that she … Continue reading Safe in Hell (1931)
When her father and her boyfriend are killed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, pregnant and unwed Jenny Sandoval (Ruth Chatterton) must find a way to survive. She takes up residence in the Chinese district and is able to make ends meet, but not necessarily through legal methods. Mixed up with gamblers and running a brothel, Jenny finds herself in a world of trouble when … Continue reading Frisco Jenny (1932)
“Hey, this is swell. Home murder mysteries! Why go out for thrills when you can have them in your own parlor?” Tim Winthrop (Leslie Fenton) has asked his criminal lawyer pal Clay Dalzell (William Powell) for help tracking down a missing girlfriend. Clay’s sort-of fiancée, Donna Mantin (Ginger Rogers) is intrigued by the case. That night, the three head to the theater, where the mysterious … Continue reading Star of Midnight (1935)
Things aren’t going too well for the jewel thieves of London. They’re managing to steal plenty of diamonds, but a ghoul only known as “the Squeaker” is forcing them to sell their spoils to him at a fraction of their value. Even though it may land him in trouble with Scotland Yard (from whom the Squeaker promises protection), Larry Graeme (Robert Newton) refuses to comply … Continue reading Murder on Diamond Row (1937)
Jerry Day (Gary Cooper) and Toni Carstairs (Carole Lombard) are globe-trotting thieves, traveling the world together and falling in love. The two are just leaving Shanghai when Jerry gets word from his hometown and there’s trouble regarding his daughter, Penny (Shirley Temple). Jerry’s wife passed away, and he left Penny with her family. Now they want permanent custody. Jerry considers taking the money offered by … Continue reading Now and Forever (1934)
Dascom Dinsmore (Robert Montgomery) is a telegraph operator working and living in an isolated cabin in the snowy north. His only human contact is with his occasional Eskimo assistant, Kimo (Otto Yamaoka). Dascom’s cabin is about to get a lot more social, though. Sir James Felton (Reginald Owen) has had to make an emergency landing nearby in his small plane. Accompanying Felton in the flight … Continue reading Petticoat Fever (1936)
“Are you sure you didn’t poison the old boy yourself, just to get a scoop?” Timmy Blake (Joan Blondell) is a top-notch reporter working for the Chronicle. She’s got a knack for getting the real scoop, and her editor, Bill Morgan (Pat O’Brien), knows how lucky he is to have her at the paper. Even luckier, the two have fallen in love. Their romance and … Continue reading Back in Circulation (1937)
Michael (Victor Garland) is a young Englishman traveling abroad and ready to experience new things. One adventure takes him to Tiger Bay, a notoriously rough neighborhood where he believes he can prove that the human spirit and romance prevail, even in the darkest corners. Romance does, in fact, prevail, with Michael meeting a lovely girl named Letty (Rene Ray). But Michael finds more trouble than, … Continue reading Tiger Bay (1934)
