Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938)

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938)

Fox

March 18, 1938

Musical?

DVD
C-

It feels like all they took from the Kate Douglas Wiggin novel is the title.  OK, and Shirley's optimism, but she's like that in almost every movie.  Allan Dwan directed.

Susannah of the Mounties

Susannah of the Mounties

20th Century Fox

June 23, 1939

Historical Drama

DVD
D+

Borderline racist, and not that interesting a story anyway, based on Muriel Denison's novel.  William A. Seiter and Walter Lang co-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.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

Universal

December 11, 1942

Historical Comedy*

DVD
C

I sort of liked this tale of mine workers in I think the World War I era.  Not enough to stick with it, but more than I like most John Wayne movies.  (He plays the title character.)  Lewis Seiler directed.

*I know, IMDB has Action, Drama, Romance, but I'm going by the first quarter hour, although it does start to verge onto a Sports Comedy at that point.

Decision at Sundown

Decision at Sundown
Columbia
November 10, 1957
Western
DVD
C-

A sharper than usual script made this more interesting to me than most Westerns.  Boetticher directed this the year before he'd do Buchanan Rides Alone, also starring Scott.  The title, by the way, refers to a town called Sundown, although maybe something happens at dusk, too.

Captain Kidd

Captain Kidd
United Artists
November 22, 1945
Historical Drama
DVD
C-

Laughton stars as the title character, a pirate who tricks the king.  Rowland V. Lee directed this a year after The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

Buchanan Rides Alone

Buchanan Rides Alone
Columbia
August 6, 1958
Western
DVD
C-

Randolph Scott has the lead in this more humorous than most Western, based on the book The Name's Buchanan.  I was leaning towards a C but there's too much of what I'd call peripheral sexism, where, sort of off to the side of the main action, characters (admittedly villains) abuse women (hitting and pinching) and we're supposed to find that funny, too.  Bud Boetticher directed.