When a gang of street kids appears in his court, unwilling to tell on one another after injuring a man, Judge Clinton (Charles Trowbridge) decides to send the whole bunch to reform school. The school’s warden (Cy Kendall) rules through violence and fear — and it doesn’t take long for new resident Frankie (Billy Halop) to find himself on the warden’s bad side. When the … Continue reading Crime School (1938)
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)
The favorite film: In a Lonely Place, a 1950 noir classic directed by Nicholas Ray The synopsis: Hollywood screenwriter Dixon Steele is more productive than ever after starting up a new romance with his neighbor, Laurel. As their relationship grows, though, Dixon’s volatile and self-destructive behavior causes trouble. The cast: Humphrey Bogart as Dixon Steele Gloria Grahame as Laurel Gray Carl Benton Reid as Captain … Continue reading Favorite things about… In a Lonely Place (1950)
Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) is having poor luck down in Tampico, Mexico. When he’s hired on at an oil field and meets a fellow American named Curtin (Tim Holt). Together, the men stand up to the fella who hired them, Pat McCormick (Barton MacLaine), when he tries to keep the money he owes them. Soon, they’ve got a plan to put that money to … Continue reading Second Looks: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
The American Civil War is nearing its end, and the South is running out of funds. In order to continue the fight, they need gold, and fast. Luckily for them, Julia Hayne (Miriam Hopkins) is willing to help. She travels from Virginia City, Nevada to Libby Prison to meet with commander Vance Irby (Randolph Scott), offering $5,000,000 in gold if someone can help her move … Continue reading Virginia City (1940)
One year, one film: 1955 The film: The Desperate Hours, dir. William Wyler Starring Humphrey Bogart and Fredric March Rating: Recommended | Highly Recommended | MUST-SEE Three escaped convicts walk into the ‘burbs… and that’s the basic set-up of The Desperate Hours. Humphrey Bogart stars as Glenn Griffin, one of three escaped prisoners looking to hide out from the law in a neighborhood in suburban … Continue reading One year, one film: 1955 – The Desperate Hours
Bogie & Bacall: One of Hollywood’s most well-known and beloved couples, on screen and off. After meeting on the set of To Have and Have Not, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart married in 1945 and went on to make three more films together. I enjoy all four of the Bogie & Bacall films, but tend to re-watch The Big Sleep more than the others. When … Continue reading The 1947 Blogathon: Dark Passage
One year, one film: 1936 The film: The Petrified Forest, dir. Archie Mayo starring Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, Humphrey Bogart Rating: Recommended | Highly Recommended | MUST-SEE Bette Davis stars in The Petrified Forest as Gabrielle Maple, a young woman living in Arizona. Along with her father and grandfather, she helps run a gas station/diner on an isolated stretch of highway. Most of Gabrielle’s days are monotonous, … Continue reading One year, one film: 1936 – The Petrified Forest
This film is being reviewed for the Barbara Stanwyck Filmography Project and is the 44th review of the project. For more reviews of Stanwyck films, or to see the project’s progress, check out my Listography page! Stanwyck and Bogie in one film — does a cast get any better than that? It was this combination that initially attracted me to The Two Mrs. Carrolls the … Continue reading Second Looks: The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)
A lion has escaped from the circus and is wreaking havoc on a small town until Matt Varney (Eddie Albert), a local general store clerk, tames the lion and saves a baby from it. Nick Coster (Humphrey Bogart), the rough and cynical owner of the circus, offers Matt a job as an assistant to Hoffman the Great (Sig Ruman), the lion tamer. There’s one small … Continue reading The Wagons Roll at Night (1941)
