Swing Time

Swing Time

RKO

August 27, 1936

Musical, Romance, Crime Comedy

DVD
C+

While some of the songs and dances are great, I was not happy with the script, with gambling, cheating, and dishonesty presented sympathetically.  And that's without getting into the blackface "tribute."  There are better Fred & Ginger movies, but this one is all right to pass the time.  George Stevens directed, before Gunga Din and Shane.

Shall We Dance (1937)

Shall We Dance (1937)

RKO

May 7, 1937

Musical
DVD
C+

The plotting is pretty bad here, and not in a fun fever-dream sort of way, like in Flying Down to Rio, more in a "Are we supposed to forgive all this behavior?" sort of way.  Still, the songs and dances are justifiably famous, and I think this movie is worth watching once, maybe twice.  Mark Sandrich directed.

Stromboli

Stromboli

RKO Radio Pictures

15 February 1950

Drama

DVD
C-

Life in a refugee camp, during World War II, but then they go to Stromboli.  Roberto Rossellini directed and co-wrote.  I again watched the English-language version.

The Racket (1951)

The Racket (1951)

RKO

December 12, 1951

Crime Drama

DVD
D+

Bumped up a notch because of the novelty of seeing "Gidget's father" (Don Porter) as a baddie.  Somehow there are a bunch of directors, most of them uncredited: John Cromwell, Mel Ferrer, Tay Garnett, Nicholas Ray, and Sherman Todd.

The Pride of the Yankees

The Pride of the Yankees

RKO

July 15, 1942

Historical Drama, Sports Drama

DVD
C-

My main enjoyment was the corniness, like the elderly parents of a small boy (giving me Johnny Dangerously vibes), and Gary Cooper similarly looking pretty old for a college kid.  Sam Wood directed.

On Dangerous Ground

On Dangerous Ground

RKO

December 17, 1951

Crime Drama

DVD
D+

Forgettable.  This is based on Gerald Butler's novel Mad with Much Heart, and directed by Nicholas Ray and an uncredited Ida Lupino.

Oklahoma!

Oklahoma!

RKO etc.

October 11, 1955

Musical, Historical Drama

DVD
C-

Yeah, the songs are memorable, but I've never been able to engage with this musical, especially the characters, starting when I saw it at my high school almost forty years ago.  Fred Zinnemann directed.

My Favorite Wife

My Favorite Wife

RKO

May 17, 1940

Comedy

DVD
B-

I'd heard about this movie for ages, so I'm glad I finally got to watch it. It didn't knock me out, but I thought it was mostly sweet and quietly funny, especially Cary Grant's asides.  It's more suggestive than other screwball comedies of the era I've seen, including the interesting subtext of Grant's reaction to Randolph Scott in swim trunks.  Garson Kanin directed.

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

RKO

June 4, 1948

Comedy
DVD
C-

I watched the whole movie in the last ten or fifteen years and had mixed feelings then.  This time, I just didn't find the family dynamic funny, even in a sitcom kind of way.  The sarcastic opening narration about New York was much better written.  This is based on the novel by Eric Hodgins and directed by H.C. Potter, who had directed the much livelier Second Chorus seven years earlier.

The Most Dangerous Game

The Most Dangerous Game

RKO

September 16, 1932

Drama (I tuned out before it turned into Horror)

DVD
C-

Yes, I best know this plot from the Gilligan's Island episode.  Although I watched a quarter of the hour-long movie, I still felt like it was just set-up.  Irving Pechel and Ernest B. Schoedsack co-directed.

Gunga Din

Gunga Din

RKO

February 17, 1939

Historical Drama

DVD
C-

Some novelty value in seeing Cary Grant in a different kind of role, but not enough to hold my interest.  This is based on not only Kipling's poem but one of his short story collections.  George Stevens directed.

Little Men (1940)

Little Men (1940)

RKO

December 7, 1940

Historical Comedy, Historical Drama

DVD
C

I gave this a half hour but I just felt like there was too much about the friend of Dan's foster father (Jack Oakie doing unfunny shtick, including about the black maid saying "you all") and not enough about Jo and her school.  Also, since when is Professor Bhaer Swiss?  But Elsie the Cow getting a prominent screen credit is probably the weirdest thing here.  Norman Z. McLeod directed.

Of Human Bondage (1934)

Of Human Bondage (1934)

RKO

July 20, 1934

Romance

DVD
D+

Definitely not a meet-cute.  John Cromwell directed, sixteen years before Caged, which also got a D+.

Flying Leathernecks

Flying Leathernecks

RKO

August 28, 1951

War Drama

DVD
D+

I liked the glimpses of the men's loved ones back home (including parents of a Native American), but otherwise this is a standard John Wayne World War II movie.  Nicholas Ray directed.

The Flying Deuces

The Flying Deuces

RKO

November 3, 1939

Comedy
DVD
C-

A. Edward Sutherland directed this comedy set (at least the first part) in Paris, France, and I have to say, I got a greater appreciation of Bob Denver and Alan Hale, Jr., who'd do this same shtick in the '60s but sometimes make me laugh with it in the '70s.  (Even as a little kid, I was not a L & H fan, preferring the Marx Brothers, among others.)

Dumbo (1941)

Dumbo (1941)
Disney/ RKO
October 31, 1941
Children's, Animation, Fantasy, Musical
DVD
C

I watched twenty minutes of this, which is almost a third of the running time, waiting for that decisive moment when I was sure I'd stay to the (not that distant) end.  But I just wasn't into it, although the look is nice and the story is OK.  (And, no, I tuned out before the controversial "crows" scene.)  There are seven directors credited, so I guess I'll just tag them all.

The Devil and Daniel Webster AKA All That Money Can Buy

The Devil and Daniel Webster AKA All That Money Can Buy
RKO
October 17, 1941
Historical Drama, Fantasy
DVD
C-

A farmer has a lot of bad luck, and then the Devil shows up.  Based on the Stephen Vincent Benét short story and directed by William Dieterle.

Clash by Night

Clash by Night
RKO
June 6, 1952
Drama
DVD
C-

Stanwyck and Monroe onscreen together, seals in Monterey Bay, and that's about the extent of what I liked.  Fritz Lang directed.

Born to Kill (1947)

Born to Kill (1947)
RKO
May 3, 1947
Crime Drama, Romance
DVD
B

This is one of those movies where I don't "like" anyone in it but I found them nonetheless fascinating to watch.  In particular, Claire Trevor as new divorcée Helen Trent manages to convey a wide range of emotions and motivations in one complicated and corrupt woman.  Lawrence Tierney, who was apparently typecast, as Sam Wilde is the more obvious sociopath, while her rottenness takes awhile to fully be exposed, and even then there are hints that she could possibly be redeemed.  (This is based on a book called Deadlier Than the Male, but RKO went with a more ambiguous title.)

I tagged as many people as I recognized (some of them, like Ellen Corby, in tiny roles), but of course I have to mention Esther Howard as Mrs. Kraft, a boozy old dame with a good heart.  Robert Wise did a fine job of directing, although this is very different than Sound of Music and other of his movies I've seen.

Back to Bataan

Back to Bataan
RKO
May 31, 1945
War Drama
DVD
D+

This wasn't as boring as I expected, since there was the thread about Quinn's character's ex being the Filipino equivalent of Tokyo Rose.  But I still had to mark it down from a C- for the gratuitous use (at one point in every other sentence) of the slur "Japs."  Edward Dmytryk directed.