by Laura Lai
Film’s Title: Fury Below Lead Actors: Russell Gleason (Jim Cole III), John Merton (Emil), Sheila Terry (Claire Johnson), Leroy Mason, Mathew Betz, Maxine Doyle. Director: Harry Fraser The movie Fury Below is a black and white one-hour movie directed by Harry Fraser and written by Phil Dunham. The story of this movie is that Jim Cole III (Russell Gleason) inherited a coal mine from his grandfather, who thought that his nephew was a postgraduate in mining. Instead, he was a law graduate who had to learn fast how to run a business and particularly the reasons of a low production, frequent mine accidents and regular miners’ strikes. In the last 24 hours, there were two work accidents, with two victims and several life-time injured. With the help of his secretary and of her brother—both working for the company — Jim Cole III discovers a plot involving his general manager. The movie ends with images telling the story of a new era at this coal mine: that of an increased coal production, as well as another fortunate event that I let you discover. Enjoy the movie!
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by Laura Lai
Film’s Title: Hats Off Lead Actors: Mae Clarke (Mary Jo Allen), John Payne (Jimmy Maxwell), Richard ‘Skeets’ Gallagher (Buzz Morton), Luis Alberni (Caesar Rosero), Helen Lynd (Ginger) Director: Boris Petroff The Hats Off is a comedy directed by Boris Petroff on a screenplay and a story written by Edmund Joseph and Samuel Fuller. At the 1936 Hempstead Exposition, over 100,000 people were expected. Two press agents, Jimmy (John Payne) and Jo (Mae Clarke) are in a race for publicity stirring for the opening of the exposition. To win the race, Jo assigned her identity to somebody else, while she pretended to be a schoolteacher dating Jimmy to get information and she contacted an old friend of hers, Caesar Rosero (Luis Albertini) to play in the exposition's opening. In the end, Jimmy discovers that the teacher he felt in love with was Jo Allen—his publicity agent competition. And I let you discover if Caesar Rosero played at the opening and on whose behalf. Despite Jimmy and Jo playing great for their roles, it is a character in a secondary role, Ginger (Helen Lynd) who made me laugh the most. A young, beautiful and talented woman, Ginger was given the lines that put a great smile on my face. For example, Ginger insisted that Buzz Morton (Richard ‘Skeets’ Gallagher) take her with him because there would be photographers around him and she wanted to be in the newspaper picture—she was convinced that this would help her career. Futhermore, she dreams about being famous and seeing her pictures on ‘walls and washing machines.’ :-) In terms of words and lines, there is also one full of wisdom: ‘it’s not who starts the race, but who wins it.’ This is an adaptation of the proverb ‘it’s not how you start the race but how you finish.’ I would particularly recommend the ‘dogs barking scene’ with Caesar Rosero’s rehearsal (minute 22) that is musical and funny in the same time. This one-hour comedy is full of music, color and joy. Enjoy it! by Laura Lai
Film’s Title: Muss’em Up Lead Actors: Preston Foster (Tippecanoe), Margaret Callahan (Amy Hutchins), Alan Mowbray (Paul Harding), Ralph Morgan (Jim Glenray), Molly Lamont (Nancy Harding) Director: Charles Vidor Muss’em Up is a detective and black and white movie. The private detective Tip O’Neil (shortened from Tippecanoe) is sent a letter to come to Lakeside city to find out who shot the owner’s dog and threaten to murder the owner. It could only be somebody from inside the house—but who? There were several people living in the house and they were all great shooters. The entire one-hour movie is the investigation case that got complicated when somebody from inside the house got kidnapped. By the end of the movie, the viewers have also the solution to the case: we find out who was behind it and the reasons behind it. The most beautiful scene is – from my point of view – the very last one. It was an original approach, on behalf of the director, to focus on a character in a secondary role and succeeded an unexpected and funny arch. It was memorable by the way a simple but great idea had a maximizing effect. |
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