Bullets for Ballots.
1936 Warner Bros.-First National Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell, Barton MacLane, Humphrey Bogart, Frank McHugh, Joseph King
Director: William Keighley
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or part of the Warner Gangsters Collection, Volume 2 (Formerly Tough Guys).
It's another "Warner Night at the Movies" presentation, which is an option available for viewing on this DVD. If you were alive in 1936, and wanted to go see Bullets for Ballots, here's what you would've been treated to at your local cinema:
* A trailer for The Charge of the Light Brigade, starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, and David Niven. Warner Bros. dubbed this one an "epic re-release". I'm sure it was back in '36. (Available for sale at Amazon here, or as a single DVD)
* Crazy Newsreel: Two "news of the weird" features in under three minutes, covering a Canadian family who won nearly a million dollars from an eccentric millionaire for having fifteen children, tiger cubs in an incubator, and a flying bicycle contraption that never gets airborne.
* George Hall and His Orchestra, a short film featuring aforementioned orchestra, as they're unable to secure lodging at a hotel, so they move into a condemned building for the night. They rehearse some numbers, and scare the wits out of a drunken intruder who stumbles in. There's also some humor that can definitely be construed as racist today.
* I'm a Big Shot Now, directed by Friz Freleng, 1936. Cartoon time! In Birdville, the citizens all go about their business until a gangster stereotype bluebird sings the title song before wreaking havoc. Birdville's crack police force get to work, complete with a car chase, a shootout, and the bird criminal locked up, and woefully singing "I'm just a jailbird now". Tough break, kid.
* Main feature:
Edward G. Robinson is detective Johnny Blake, who goes undercover in a New York City mob, befriending a gangster named Al Kruger (MacLane), who is the subject of a recent movie about racketeering produced by a newspaperman named Ward Bryant (Henry O'Neill). Bryant has turned up murdered, and Kruger's partner, Nick Fenner (Bogart) is suspected of the crime. Blake is fired from the police force, and he later gets into an altercation with a police captain, Dan MacLaren (King) at a boxing match.
Blake quickly gains the trust of Kruger, although Fenner begins to rightfully suspect that Blake is secretly tipping off the police, and it's inevitable that both men are headed for a violent showdown. Who will survive?
The DVD also includes as an extra the Lux Theater radio broadcast featuring Robinson, Bogart, and Mary Astor in Joan Blondell's role, which first was aired on April 16th, 1939. As for the film, it's a recommended movie with an excellent transfer to DVD.
Showing posts with label william keighley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label william keighley. Show all posts
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Adventures of Robin Hood. 1939 Warner Bros. (First National) Pictures/Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Patric Knowles, Eugene Pallette, Alan Hale
Directors: Michael Curtiz & William Keighley
Two-disc special edition DVD available at Amazon.
Welcome to Sherwood, my lady!
King Richard is captured by Leopold of Austria while returning from the Crusades. His brother Prince John (Rains) takes power in his place, and begins oppressing the commoners. He also raises taxes, allegedly to raise to pay for Richard's ransom, but he does it only to secure his position on the throne.
Eventually, John raises the ire of Robin, Earl of Locksley (Flynn), who begins his crusade by saving Much (Herbert Mundin) from arrest for poaching one of the king's deer. Robin meets with Prince John, and announces to he and his assembled supporters, which includes Maid Marian (de Havilland) that he opposes him, and will do anything possible to restore King Richard to the throne. After escaping, Robin takes refuge in Sherwood Forest with Will Scarlet (Knowles), and starts recruiting followers, notably Little John (Hale) and Friar Tuck (Pallette).
At first, Marian is disdainful of Robin and his band of "cutthroats", but after she is captured along with a large party transporting collected tax money through the forest along with the Sheriff of Nottingham (Melville Cooper), she realizes that Robin is fighting the good fight. While Prince John is scheming to find a way to be rid of Robin, Richard (Ian Hunter) returns to England disguised as a monk. He is quickly exposed, but Richard goes underground to join Robin and his men. Can they stop Prince John from being crowned king and save an abducted Marian?
How many people can think of Robin Hood, and not have Errol Flynn come to mind. The film is a good one, and Warner Bros. did a stellar job restoring it (the colors are sharp and vivid) and transferring it to DVD. Highly recommended movie.
Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Patric Knowles, Eugene Pallette, Alan Hale
Directors: Michael Curtiz & William Keighley
Two-disc special edition DVD available at Amazon.
Welcome to Sherwood, my lady!
King Richard is captured by Leopold of Austria while returning from the Crusades. His brother Prince John (Rains) takes power in his place, and begins oppressing the commoners. He also raises taxes, allegedly to raise to pay for Richard's ransom, but he does it only to secure his position on the throne.
Eventually, John raises the ire of Robin, Earl of Locksley (Flynn), who begins his crusade by saving Much (Herbert Mundin) from arrest for poaching one of the king's deer. Robin meets with Prince John, and announces to he and his assembled supporters, which includes Maid Marian (de Havilland) that he opposes him, and will do anything possible to restore King Richard to the throne. After escaping, Robin takes refuge in Sherwood Forest with Will Scarlet (Knowles), and starts recruiting followers, notably Little John (Hale) and Friar Tuck (Pallette).
At first, Marian is disdainful of Robin and his band of "cutthroats", but after she is captured along with a large party transporting collected tax money through the forest along with the Sheriff of Nottingham (Melville Cooper), she realizes that Robin is fighting the good fight. While Prince John is scheming to find a way to be rid of Robin, Richard (Ian Hunter) returns to England disguised as a monk. He is quickly exposed, but Richard goes underground to join Robin and his men. Can they stop Prince John from being crowned king and save an abducted Marian?
How many people can think of Robin Hood, and not have Errol Flynn come to mind. The film is a good one, and Warner Bros. did a stellar job restoring it (the colors are sharp and vivid) and transferring it to DVD. Highly recommended movie.
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