Pre-code: Man's Castle (1933).

Man's Castle (1933). A pre-code film directed by Frank Borzage. Cast: Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young.

During this film, Loretta Young and Spencer Tracy, began an affair that lasted about a year. Young ended the relationship when she wasn't granted absolution because she was dating a married Catholic.

The surviving film, shown on TCM, is the edited 1938 (post-Production Code) re-release, with redesigned title credits.

The story begins with Trina, watching and secretly wishing for the popcorn Bill, is feeding to the most beautiful white pigeons, I have ever seen. He wants to help her, after he hears that she has not eaten anything for two days. He then decides to take her to dinner at a fancy restaurant.

 

After her meal, Bill calls for the manager, so he can inform him that he has no money, also.. to point out that the restaurant throws out food every day, thinking that he could allow her to eat for free just this once. After, Bill's scene the manager throws them both out.

After finding out that Trina, has no place to live, he takes her to his home, located in a riverside shantytown. Even though, he does not want to be tied down to one woman, he allows her to stay. He loves sleeping under the stars and has put a hole in the roof so that he can always watch the sky.

Trina sets up housekeeping and tries not to interfere with his life and even ignoring his fling with a singer named Fay(pictured above).

It is not long before, Trina tells Bill, that she is pregnant and for the first time in his life he cares more about some one other than himself. They ask their friend and neighbor, preacher Ira, to perform their marriage ceremony.

Bill, now needing money for Trina and her baby, reminds Bragg of his plans to rob a toy store payroll. When the robbery fails, Bragg, who has eyes for Trina, calls the police to arrest Bill, hoping she will turn to him.

Flossie, suggests that the couple run away together and then, shoots Bragg and then herself. Trina and Bill, now on the run head for the passing train ....

This is the first time that I had ever seen this film and I absolutely loved it. Loretta Young and Spencer Tracy, have a wonderful on screen chemistry and they help turn this movie into a wonderful romance. It is filmed in such a dreamy way, that their humble home looks very charming and homey. If you get a chance to see this film I do not think you will be disappointed.

Please click here for Silents: Mans Castle(1933) movie review.

Glenda Farrell (June 30, 1904 – May 1, 1971).  Farrell began her career with a theatrical company at the age of 7. She played the role of Little Eva in, Uncle Tom's Cabin.

She later was in the cast of, Cobra and The Best People in 1925.

Farrell was first signed to a long-term contract by First National Pictures in July 1930. She was given the female lead in Little Caesar. Warner Brothers signed her to re-create on film the role she played in, Life Begins on Broadway.

Farrell worked on parts in twenty movies in her first year with the studio. She came to personify the wise-cracking, hard-boiled, and dizzy blonde, along with, Joan Blondell, with whom she would be frequently paired.

Her brassy persona was used in the films: Little Caesar (1931), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), Havana Widows (1933), Gambling Ship (1933), Bureau of Missing Persons (1933), Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) and The Big Shakedown (1934).

She became one of Warner Brothers’ most prolific actresses of the 1930s, solidifying her success with her own film film series, as Torchy Blane, "Girl Reporter". In this role Farrell was promoted as being able to speak 400 words in 40 seconds.

Farrell would portray the character Torchy Blane in seven films, from 1937 to 1939 when the role was taken over by Jane Wyman. in the first of the Torchy Blane series, Smart Blonde (1937) In 1937 she starred opposite Dick Powell and Joan Blondell in the Academy Award nominated Lloyd Bacon and Busby Berkeley directed musical comedy, Gold Diggers of 1937.

When her Warner Brothers contact expired in 1939 she opted to focus on her stage career once again. She said that working in plays gave her more of a sense of individuality whereas in films you get frustrated because you feel you have no power over what you're doing.

Farrell went out of vogue in the 1940s but made a comeback later in life, appearing in Secret of the Incas (1954), the Charlton Heston adventure epic upon which Raiders of the Lost Ark was based a quarter century later, and winning an Emmy Award in 1963, for her work in the television series Ben Casey.

She was appearing on Broadway in, Forty Carats in 1969 when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She remained with the show until ill health forced her departure in November 1970.

Her son with her first husband Thomas Richards was B-Western "sidekick" actor Tommy Farrell. She dated Hollywood film writer Robert Riskin in the early 1930s and married Jack Durant of the Mitchell and Durant vaudeville team in June 1931. In 1941 Farrell became the wife of Dr. Henry Ross, a West Point graduate and Army physician who served on General Eisenhower's staff.

In 1971, she died from lung cancer, aged 66, at her home in New York City.  When Dr. Ross died in 1991, he was buried with her.

Cass Timberlane(1945).

Cass Timberlane, is a novel written by Sinclair Lewis, published in 1945. It is Sinclair Lewis' nineteenth novel and one of his last.It was made into a romantic drama film starring Spencer Tracy and Lana Turner, directed by George Sidney, and released in 1947. Timberlane is a minor character in Lewis's novel Kingsblood Royal.

While Judge Cass Timberlane, a kind-hearted, bachelor, is trying a boring divorce case, he finds a notebook that Jinny left in the courtroom. Attracted to the much younger Jinny, Cass searches for her in the neighborhood where she lives, and finds her playing baseball. Cass offers to umpire her game, after which he takes her out to dinner.

The two fall in love, much to the disappointment of Cass's society friends, who believe that he is wrong to cross social lines. With the exception of his friend attorney, Bradd Criley.

Cass, marries Jinny and as time passes, Cass soon realizes that Jinny is unhappy living in the small town of Grand Republic.

Jinny eventually becomes pregnant, but when the baby is stillborn, she goes into a deep depression. Cass, tries to cheer up his wife by teaching her how to fly an airplane and supporting her while she becomes a stage actress.

Jinny, gets herself into trouble with her performance, while rehearsing a love scene with her co-star, Bradd, who is transferred to his company's office in New York City as a result.

Cass, suggests they take a trip to New York, so he can visit an old friend to look into becoming partners in his law firm. Jinny, wants to stay in New York, after her wonderful day in New York with Brad. When Cass, tells her that he has rejected a job offer in the city, she breaks it off with him.

Cass, tells Jinny that she is welcome to stay in New York with Bradd. It turns out that Bradd, does not really want to marry Jinny. Heartbroken, she jumps out of the speeding car in which they are driving and is seriously injured.

After Lillian Drover, the wife of Jinny's doctor, tells Cass about Jinny's injuries, will Cass rush back to New York to be with her?

This is one of my favorite Spencer Tracy films and he gives an excellent performance. Lana Turner, is also very good. The scenes between she and Zachary Scott have enough sparks to make you wonder if they are guilty of adultery. This is a wonderful film that was well worth seeing.



Fun Facts:

MGM reportedly paid close to $150,000 for the film rights to Lewis' novel.

Walter Pidgeon who has a brief cameo in the film, was at one point considered for the title role.

Jennifer Jones, Vivien Leigh, and Virginia Grey were among those thought out for the female lead.

Fay Hendry, the mother of Sonya Hendry, a young girl who appeared in the film, was awarded nearly $30,000 for injuries she sustained when the girl was struck by a falling reflector at the site of location filming.

Tracy was not initially pleased with the studio's choice of director, hoping to have George Cukor or Vincente Minnelli assigned the position.

The poem that Cass Timberlane recites at the picnic with Virginia is "First Fig" by Edna St. Vincent Millay and goes "My candle burns at both ends / It will not last the night / But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends / It gives a lovely light!"

In late 1946, Marie McDonald campaigned for the female lead.

Margaret Lindsay (September 19, 1910 - May 9, 1981) After attending National Park Seminary in Washington, D.C., Lindsay convinced her parents to enroll her at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

She then went abroad to England to make her stage debut. She performed in plays: Escape, Death Takes a Holiday and The Romantic Age.

Lindsay was often mistaken as being British due to her convincing English accent, which impressed Universal Studios enough to sign her for their 1932 version of, The Old Dark House.

After some minor roles in Pre-Code films such as Christopher Strong and Baby Face, which starred Barbara Stanwyck, Lindsay was cast in the award-winning, Cavalcade.

Later, Lindsay performed in a small but memorable role as Edith Harris, a doomed English bride whose honeymoon voyage takes place on the Titanic. Her work in Cavalcade earned her a contract at Warner Bros. where she became a supporting player, working with Paul Muni, Errol Flynn, Henry Fonda, Warren William, Leslie Howard, George Arliss, Humphrey Bogart, Boris Karloff and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

Lindsay was cast four times as the love interest of James Cagney, from 1933-1935. She performed with Cagney in four films: Frisco Kid, Devil Dogs of the Air, G-Men and Lady Killer. Lindsay co-starred with Bette Davis in four films: 1934's Fog Over Frisco; in 1935's Dangerous (for which Davis won her first Best Actress Academy Award); in Bordertown, co-starring Paul Muni, and as Davis's rival for Henry Fonda's affections in Jezebel (1938), which earned Davis her second Best Actress Academy Award.

The Law in Her Hands (1936), she performed a leading role as a mob lawyer. It was rare among gangster films of the 30's to have a female in such a male-dominated role. Made after the Motion Picture Production Code came into effect, The Law in Her Hands was forced into a reactionary stance towards the gender switch and concluded with a plot twist that was the complete opposite of the Pre-Code period (1929–1934), when "female characters on the screen could say, do and be whatever they wanted".

Lindsay's best known film role was, The House of the Seven Gables in 1940, with George Sanders and Vincent Price.

Her 1940s film series work in Hollywood included: Ellery Queen series from 1940-1942. Lindsay, performed in a supporting role in the 1942 film, The Spoilers, starring John Wayne and in Fritz Lang's Scarlet Street in 1945. While her work in the late 1940s would occasionally involve a supporting role in MGM films like Cass Timberlane with Spencer Tracy, her film career faded, soon after.

She returned to the stage and co-starred with Franchot Tone, in The Second Man. 1950s and 1960s She made her television debut in 1950 in, The Importance of Being Earnest. More television work soon followed.

Lindsay performed in only four films during the 1950s and two in the 1960s. Her final feature film was, Tammy and the Doctor (1963). Lindsay lived with her sister Helen in Hollywood. Later in life, she lived with her youngest sister Mickie.

Despite being romantically linked to actors such as William Gargan and Edward Norris, she never married. Margaret Lindsay's sister, Jane Kies (1909–1985), was also an actress under the name of Jane Gilbert. In 1940, Jane married the son of Hedda Hopper, actor William Hopper, best known for his role as Paul Drake in the Perry Mason television series. Their daughter Joan was born in 1942, and the couple divorced in the early 1960s. Lindsay's niece Peggy Kenline and great-nephew Brad Yates were also actors.

Riffraff (1936).

Riffraff(1936). Cast: Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy. The movie was written by Frances Marion, Anita Loos, and H. W. Hannaford. Directed by J. Walter Ruben.

As the fishermen are all about to strike against tuna cannery boss Nick Lewis, Dutch Muller talks them out of it, realizing that Nick wants them to break their contract with him so he can hire cheaper labor.

On the day of Dutch's and Hattie's wedding, Dutch shows her their new home and tells her that he will be the new union head because Brains, is going to be replaced. As his first official act, Dutch calls for a strike.

Weeks after the strike Brains tries to work a settlement with Nick and replaces Dutch. Now broke, Dutch watches as their furniture is repossessed and refuses Brains's offer to take him back into the union. "Flytrap," arrives with Hattie's repossessed fur. Because Nick is in love with Hattie, he has paid all of her bills. Dutch, becomes angry with Brains when he tells him to give up his conceit. When Hattie agrees with Brains, Nick walks out.

Nick convinces Hattie to get a divorce, but.. she still refuses to marry him. When Dutch's friend Lew tells her that Dutch is sick and has been living in a hobo camp, she asks Nick for money, but he refuses. She takes it, leaving a note promising to pay him back, but at the hobo camp, Dutch jumps a freight to avoid seeing her. Nick then presses charges against her and she goes to prison, even though she is pregnant.

After the baby is born, Hattie's sister Lil takes care of him. Hearing that Hattie has been jailed, but not knowing about the baby, Dutch goes to Nick for help, but he refuses and the union also does not want him back. Dutch then goes to see Hattie with an escape plan, but.. she says she never wants to see him again.

She tells two other inmates about Dutch's escape plan and they convince her that it will work.

Meanwhile, Dutch goes to Brains begging for a job to help Hattie, and Brains gets him a job as a night watchman.

One rainy night, Hattie and two other women escape from prison through a drain pipe, but one of the women is killed. That same night, while Dutch is standing guard, his friend Belcher and some other men come to him with a plan about sabotaging the docks, but Dutch refuses to go through with it and stops their plans.

Hattie has arrived at Lil's and asks Jimmy to find Dutch, who has just heard about Hattie's escape. Jimmy tries to talk to him, but Dutch sends him away because, the police are there asking him questions. Will Jimmy ever return to Hattie and their baby?

 I'm a huge Jean Harlow fan and she looks wonderful in this movie. Spencer Tracy, plays a immature and bull headed character. Who, is always getting in arguments or fights at every opportunity. Not one of my favorite Spencer Tracy characters. Una Merkel, plays the sister and a very young Mickey Rooney, plays the brother.

Dorothy Appleby (January 6, 1906 – August 9, 1990) , performed in over 50 films between 1931 and 1943. Appleby was seen in many supporting roles and never progressed to leading roles in important pictures because of her height, which made her difficult to cast. The trim brunette stood just over five feet tall, and her early leading men (like comedian Charley Chase) towered over her.

She soon found steady if not prestigious work in Columbia Pictures' two-reel comedies. She appeared frequently with The Three Stooges, who were only a few inches taller than she was, and in 1940 she became Buster Keaton's leading lady, for the same reason: her height complemented his. She also worked with Columbia comics Andy Clyde, El Brendel, and Hugh Herbert.

Some of her Stooge comedies were Loco Boy Makes Good, So Long Mr. Chumps, and In the Sweet Pie and Pie. One memorable appearance was as Rosita in 1940's Cookoo Cavaliers. In the film, Appleby gets hit by the Stooges when a facial "mud pack" made of cement dries on her face.

One of her last screen roles was a one-line bit (playing a college co-ed at age 35) in the 1941 Jane Withers feature Small Town Deb. Appleby left Hollywood in 1943 and married musician Paul Drake soon after. They remained married until her death August 9, 1990.

A Guy Named Joe (1943)

A Guy Named Joe(1943). Directed by Victor Fleming, produced by Everett Riskin, from a screenplay by Dalton Trumbo, adapted by Frederick Hazlitt Brennan from a story by Chandler Sprague and David Boehm. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne and Van Johnson, with Esther Williams in a minor role. Musically, it featured the popular song "I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)" by Fred Ahlert and Roy Turk, sung by Ms. Dunne. A Guy Named Joe was remade by Steven Spielberg in 1989 as Always with Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter and John Goodman, updating it to 1989 and exchanging the World War II backdrop to one of aerial firefighting.

The story begins with,"Dare Devil pilot" Pete Sandridge, commanding officer "Nails" Kilpatrick and cargo flyer Dorinda Durston, worried that someday their friends luck is going to run out.

After another dangerous flight, Nails, decides to transfer Pete and his best friend, pilot Al Yackey, to a quieter base in, Scotland. Dorinda, is not very happy about the transfer and half jokingly asks Pete to marry her.

It does not take long before, Pete and Al are bored with their new assignment and are more than happy to see Dorinda, when she flies in for a visit. She can not shake the feeling that Pete's "number is up." and begs Pete to accept Nails's, offer to become a flying instructor in America.

Pete initially rejects the idea, until she promises that she will give up flying, if he goes home, or she will transfer to Australia. Not wanting to lose her, he promises to take up Nails's offer. Al, comes in and tells Pete that they must leave to pick up a large German aircraft carrier.

On the flight, Pete does not take unnecessary chances, but.. is attacked by a German plane. After being wounded, he orders his crew to bail out, then crashes his plane onto the carrier. When Al returns to the base, Dorinda has already sensed that the love of her life is gone.

Meanwhile, Pete finds himself walking up in the clouds, when recognizes an old friend, Dick Rumney, who went down with his plane. Pete says "either I'm dead or I'm crazy," and Dick answers, "You're not crazy."Pete is then introduced to the General, who gives him the assignment to return to earth and share his knowledge with new flyers. Pete and Dick then go to a military flying school in Arizona, where Pete becomes a "ghost tutor" to wealthy Ted Randall. Pete, is not impressed with Ted, but.. as he guides him through training he becomes proud of him.

Dick and Pete's, flyers are sent to the South Pacific, their "ghost tutors" who hope to keep the men safe through combat, tag along. Soon after arriving, Ted goes to the local officers' club, with Pete following close behind. Pete sees Dorinda, sitting at a table and he goes to talk with her, but.. Ted, interrupts him to invite her to dinner. At first she turns him down, but.. encouraged by Al, she accepts.


Both Dorinda and Ted, notice the many odd similarities between Ted and Pete. When Ted is promoted to captain, he proposes to Dorinda and she accepts.

Dorinda, is visited by Pete, who advises her, through her subconscious, to marry Ted. Soon after, Ted stops by to inform her of his next assignment to destroy a Japanese ammunition dump in the South Pacific. She still thinking about Sam, tells him.. that she can not marry him.

When she learns that Ted, will be flying on an extremely dangerous mission, she rushes to the airbase and sneaks into his plane and takes off. Wanting to protect her, Pete sits behind her during the mission. Will he be able to keep her safe from the enemy?

Fun Facts:

There was no way to composite Spencer Tracy's image into the scenes where Van Johnson is flying, so he actually had to be standing behind Johnson and, later, Irene Dunne for the filming of these scenes. The same approach was used for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (techniques for superimposing one image onto another were not invented until much later).

The War Department initially did not approve the script, fearing psychological damage to new and experienced pilots and their parents. It relented after 2 revisions and promised full cooperation.

This picture was featured as MGM's big Christmas spectacular of 1943.

The General, played by Lionel Barrymore, wears the Medal of Honor ribbon on his uniform, but the ribbon is displayed upside down (the five stars forming a "W" instead of an "M"). Interestingly, James Doolittle also wore the Medal of Honor ribbon upside down, leading some to ask if there might be an aviation connection .

Along with Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne insisted the film's production be halted until Van Johnson was well after his auto accident, in which he was seriously injured. During this period, MGM snatched Dunne up to make The White Cliffs of Dover, released the following year as the MGM 20th Anniversary film. As a thank you for her gratitude, Johnson appears in a small role in 'Dover.'

Van Johnson was critically injured in an automobile accident on 31 March 1943 and MGM was set to replace him, but Spencer Tracy insisted that they shoot around him during his convalescence. Johnson didn't return to work until the first week in July of 1943, more than three months later.

Reportedly Steven Spielberg's favorite movie, he remade it in 1989 as Always. The remake included the three main characters (Pete Sandich, Durinda Durston and Al Yackey), plus the characters of "Ted" and "Nails."

Irene Dunne was actually eighteen years older than her love interest, Van Johnson.

This is one of my favorite Spencer Tracey movies, Irene Dunne, is also at her best here. I also think one of Van Johnson's best performances. If you've never seen "A Guy Named Joe," I strongly recommend it with a box of Kleenex.

Ward Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960), attended the University of Southern California and played football and was a starting lineman on USC's first national championship team in 1928. Bond and John Wayne, who as Marion Morrison had played tackle for USC in 1926 before an injury ended his career, became lifelong friends. Bond, Wayne and the entire Southern Cal team were hired to appear in Salute (1929), a football film starring George O'Brien and directed by John Ford. It was during the filming of this movie that Bond and Wayne became friendly with Ford, and both actors would perform in many of Ford's later films.

Bond made his screen debut in Salute, and thereafter played over 200 supporting roles, rarely playing the lead in film, until starring in the television series.. Wagon Train from 1957 until his death in 1960.

He was frequently typecast as a friendly policeman or as a brutal thug. He had a long-time working relationship with directors John Ford and Frank Capra, performing in such films as: The Searchers, Drums Along the Mohawk, The Quiet Man, and Fort Apache for Ford, with whom he made 25 films, and It Happened One Night and It's a Wonderful Life for Capra.

Some of his other well-known film: Bringing Up Baby (1938), Gone with the Wind (1939), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Sergeant York (1941), They Were Expendable (1945), Joan of Arc (1948),  Rio Bravo (1959), and The Big Trail, which also featured John Wayne's first leading role. It Happened One Night (1934), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Gone with the Wind (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), The Maltese Falcon (1941), It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and The Searchers (1956).

Bond has also been in 11 films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, which may be more than any other actor: Arrowsmith (1931/32), Lady for a Day (1933), It Happened One Night (1934), You Can't Take It with You (1938), Gone with the Wind (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Sergeant York (1941), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), The Quiet Man (1952) and Mister Roberts (1955).

He performed with With John Wayne in the films: The Searchers (1956),Rio Bravo (1959). The Wings of Eagles (1957), The Searchers (1956), Rookie of the Year (TV drama 1955). Hondo (1953), The Quiet Man (1952), Operation Pacific (1951), Fort Apache (1948), 3 Godfathers (1948), They Were Expendable (1945), Dakota (1945), Tall in the Saddle (1944), The Shepherd of the Hills (1941), The Long Voyage Home (1940), Conflict (1936), and The Big Trail (1930).

Rumor has it that... country singer Johnny Horton died in an automobile accident while driving to see Bond at a hotel in Dallas to discuss a possible role in the fourth season of Wagon Train. Although Horton was indeed killed in a car crash at 1:30 a.m. on November 5, 1960, and Bond died from a massive heart attack at noon that same day, the two events were unrelated.

Horton was really on his way from Austin to Shreveport, Louisiana, not Dallas. Bond was in Dallas to attend a football game. Bond was 57 at the time of his death; John Wayne gave the eulogy at his funeral. Bond's will bequeathed to Wayne the shotgun with which Wayne had once accidentally shot Bond.

For his contribution to the television industry, Bond has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6933 Hollywood Blvd. In 2001, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. There is also a Ward Bond Memorial Park in his birthplace of Benkelman, Nebraska.

I Take This Woman (1940)

I Take This Woman(1940), Drama film starring Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr.

Heartbroken, after breaking up with Phil Mayberry, a married man who refuses to divorce his wife. Georgi Gragore, decides to end her life by jumping into the sea from the upper decks of the ocean liner. Dr. Karl Decker, saves her just in time. After arriving in New York, Georgi decides to visit Karl, at his clinic. Karl gives Georgi, a job and soon finds himself falling in love with her. After the two are married, Karl meets Georgi's wealthy friends and begins to worry about supporting her in the style to which she is used to. When Dr. Duveen, offers him a position in private practice, Karl gives up his clinic, to make more money.

Georgi, still struggling with her feelings for Mayberry, goes to see him at his apartment, where she soon realizes that she no longer in with love him. When Karl hears about Georgi's visit, he is crushed. Soon after, Karl, is called back to the hospital on an emergency, where a young woman dies. Karl, disillusioned with his life, gets ready to leave for China. Will Georgi be able to stop him in time?



Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr, made a odd couple. Lamarr's performance was my favorite, she is always so much fun to watch.

Mona Barrie (December 18, 1909 – June 27, 1964). An English actress who made her debut as a ballet dancer at the age of sixteen. In 1933 she moved to New York and was given a screen test which led to her film debut in, Sleepers East(1934). Her film career spanned almost twenty years and she performed in more than fifty films.

Keeper of the Flame (1943).

Keeper of the Flame (1943). Cast: Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Directed by George Cukor from a screenplay by Donald Ogden Stewart.

When a famous hero Robert Forrest, is killed in a car accident, journalist Stephen O'Malley returns from Europe to write his biography. During his funeral, he sees his friends and fellow reporters, Jane Harding and Freddie Ridges. Forrest's widow, Christine, does not want to speak to the reporters. So, O'Malley, finds a way to become friends with Jeb, the son of the gatekeeper, who allows him onto the estate. Christine, still refuses to help with her husbands biography. After O'Malley leaves, Forrest's private secretary, Clive Kerndon, convinces Christine to help so she can protect her husband's memory.

As time goes on, O'Malley thinks, that some "big secret", is being kept from him. He soon learns that Forrest's elderly, mentally ill mother is living in a separate house on the property. He manages to speak with her and finds out more valuable information.

When O'Malley, finds Robert Forrest's office, he sees smoke coming from the chimney. When he asks Kerndon about the office, he tells him it is used for storage and O'Malley, not believing him decides to investigate on his own. There he finds Christine burning what she says are love letters, but.. he thinks that she is also, not telling the truth. Later, Kerndon telephones a unnamed person and tells them that he will take care of the situation.

When O'Malley, tells Christine that he is in love with her, she tells him the truth. Her husband was corrupted by power and was plotting to take over the United States, by turning one group against another.

She said "while out riding that she saw that the bridge had washed-out and that she could have warned her husband, but decided that a "clean death", was the best thing that could happen to Robert Forrest". O'Malley convinces her to help him write a book exposing Forrest's plot against the United States.

Kerndon, over hears them and locks the door and then sets the building on fire. Will they be able to escape the flames and write their book exposing her husband's plot?

Fun Facts:

Louis B. Mayer was very unhappy about the film's political content, thinking it noncommercial. Katharine Hepburn too felt that the storyline was too dull and needed to be pepped up with some romance. She complained to producer Victor Saville about this but he ignored her comments, so Hepburn went directly to Mayer who was only too happy to make the film into a more conventional Hollywood romance.

Van Johnson was driving to a special screening of Keeper of the Flame when he was involved in the road accident that left him with a metal plate in his forehead.

According to Hepburn biographer Alvin H. Marill, Hepburn was very vocal in critiquing the direction of long-time collaborator George Cukor during filming. After Cukor filmed a fire scene, she questioned his handling of the actors, " I don't think they would have to be told about the fire. They would smell the smoke." Cukor finally Spoke up to his star, "It must be wonderful to know all about acting AND all about fires."

Keeper of the Flame, maybe the only film noir that Tracy with Katherine Hepburn, teamed up in. The story, I thought was very intriguing, with fine performances from the supporting cast: Forrest Tucker, Darryl Hickman, Howard da Silva and Percy Kilbride.

Margaret Wycherly (26 October 1881 – 6 June 1956), was mostly a stage actress, performing in one silent film. In 1929 she performed in her first talkie, The Thirteenth Chair, based on the 1916 play by her husband in which she had starred. Twelve years later, Wycherley performed in, Sergeant York(1941). She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role of Mother York, though perhaps her best remembered screen role was as "Ma Jarrett", the mother of gangster, Cody Jarrett, in White Heat (1949), with James Cagney. Her other films include: Keeper of the Flame, The Yearling, Forever Amber and Johnny Angel .

20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932).

20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932). Drama set in Sing Sing Penitentary, a maximum security prison in New York State. Directed by Michael Curtiz. Cast: Spencer Tracy and Bette Davis. This movie was based on the non-fiction book, Twenty Thousand Years in Sing Sing, which was written by Lewis E. Lawes, the warden of Sing Sing from 1920 to 1941. Writer Lewis E. Lawes was still warden of Sing Sing prison during filming and allowed the crew to film inside and outside the prison.

Tough guy Tommy Connors, is sent to Sing Sing, but is confident that his lawyer Joe Finn,will get him out on parole. But, it quickly becomes clear, that he will be treated just ant other in- mate. Connors and Long engage in a long battle of wills. Long, begins to see a change in Connors, when does not participate in a escape attempt.

Soon after, Long trusts Connors outside the prison walls. Connors' girl friend, Fay Wilson, makes friends with Finn, but when he attacks her in the car, she jumps and is badly injured. Long allows Connors to visit Fay, but when he finds out that Finn is responsible for her injuries, they get into a fight. Fay shoots and kills Finn, but it is Connors, who is convicted for the murder and is sentenced to death. Fay tries to confess her crime but.. will she be able to save Connor in time?



At first.. I did not think that I had seen this film, but after a few minutes I realized that I had seen it many years before. This film is wonderfully acted prison melodrama. Teaming Spencer Tracy and Bette Davis once again. This film is very sentimental, funny, romantic and tragic. Tracy, is perfect as always in the role of a tuff guy con whose girl Davis gets hurt while he's in jail and he tries to escape. Tracy's conflict with the prison warden are some of the funnier moments in the film. If you are a fan of Spencer Tracy and Bette Davis, this is a must see film.

Happy Birthday: Spencer Tracy!

Spencer Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967), performed in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Director John Ford, saw Tracy in, The Last Mile and signed him for the film, Up the River (1930) with Humphrey Bogart. Shortly after that Tracy and his family moved to Hollywood, and he made 25 films in the next five years.

In 1935, Tracy signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor two years in a row, for Captains Courageous (1937) and Boys Town (1938).

He was also nominated for San Francisco (1936), Father of the Bride (1950), Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), The Old Man and the Sea (1958), Inherit the Wind (1960), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), and posthumously for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). Tracy and Laurence Olivier share the record for the most nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Happy Birthday to Gregory Peck and Spencer Tracy

Happy Birthday to two of the best and most well liked screen actors: Gregory Peck (1916 - 2003) and Spencer Tracy (1900 - 1967)

Great On Screen Couples: Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn.

Katharine Hepburn made her first performance with Spencer Tracy in the film, Woman of the Year (1942), directed by George Stevens. A romantic comedy film. The movie is about a independent woman, who is chosen "Woman of the Year" and her co worker-turned-husband try to find a life of happiness.



Woman of the Year won an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay and was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Behind the scenes the couple fell in love and would soon become one of Hollywood's most famous romances. Even though Tracy was married at the time.

When Joseph Mankiewicz, first introduced them, Hepburn, was wearing heels said, "I'm afraid I'm too tall for you, Mr. Tracy." Mankiewicz said, "Don't worry, he'll soon cut you down to size." As The Daily Telegraph observed in Hepburn's obituary, "Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were at their most seductive when their verbal fencing was sharpest: it was hard to say whether they delighted more in the battle or in each other."

Keeper of the Flame (1942). A dramatic film. Hepburn plays the widow of a famous civic leader who, just before his death, was planning against the government of the United States. Tracy plays a former war correspondent who is planning to write a biography, only to learn about his evil plans. The film was directed by George Cukor. Katharine Hepburn, wanted to add some romance to the film. She went to producer Victor Saville, about this but he ignored her comments, so Hepburn went directly to Mayer, who was happy to make the film into a Hollywood romance.

Without Love(1945). Romantic/comedy. Directed by Harold S. Bucquet. The story begins when a lonely widow Jamie Rowan, marries a military research scientist, Patrick Jamieson, who has set up his lab in her house. They both believe that a marriage can be a success without love. But as a romantic comedy goes... you know what happens.

The Sea of Grass(1947). Western/drama film. It was directed by Elia Kazan and based on the novel of the same name by Conrad Richter. Kazan was reported so embarrassed by the film that he urged people not to see it. Hepburn, plays a woman from St. Louis moving to New Mexico to marry a rancher, who does not want other ranchers using the government-owned range at all costs.

State of the Union(1948). Directed by Frank Capra. The story is about how Kay Thordyke loves Grant Matthews and helps him become Republican nominee for President. The Republicans, begins to worry as Grant begins to speak for himself...

Please click here to view State Of the Union(1948) movie review.

Adam's Rib (1949). Directed by George Cukor. Judy Holliday, in her first substantial film role. The music was composed by Miklós Rózsa, except for the song "Farewell, Amanda", which was written by Cole Porter. The story begins when, Prosecutor Adam Bonner, is assigned the case against a woman who tried to scare her adulterous husband and his lover by shooting at them, hitting him in the shoulder. Bonner's wife, Amanda, also a lawyer, decides to defend the woman in court. As the two try and win the case, the courtroom battle continues on at home..

Pat and Mike (1952). Comedy. The movie was directed by George Cukor, who also directed The Philadelphia Story and Adam's Rib. The story is about Pat Pemberton, is a talented golfer, except when her over baring fiance is around. He wants them to get married and forget her golf career, but she cannot give up on her dreams. She meets up with Mike Conovan, sports promoter and before they know it they become involved with mobsters and a jealous boxer.

Desk Set (1957). A romantic comedy film, directed by Walter Lang. The film begins at the "Federal Broadcasting Network". With Bunny Watson, is hard at work researching and answering questions on all types of subjects. The network is merging with another company, but.. is keeping it secret until the network head ordered two computers. Richard Sumner, the inventor of the computer, is brought in to see how the library works. The employees jump to the conclusion that the machines are going to replace them when they all receive pink slips.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), for which Hepburn won her second Academy Award for Best Actress. The story begins when, Joey Drayton brings her fiance, Dr. John Prentice, home to meet her parents.



After a romantic period, it became, a close friendship. But, when Tracy became ill, Hepburn took five years off from her career, following completion of the film, Long Day's Journey Into Night, to care for him. Out of consideration for Tracy's family, Hepburn did not attend his funeral. She was too heartbroken to ever watch the film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

Libeled Lady(1936).

Libeled Lady(1936). Comedy. Cast: Jean Harlow, William Powell (who were romantically involved at the time), Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy. The movie was written by George Oppenheimer, Howard Emmett Rogers, Wallace Sullivan and Maurine Dallas Watkins, and directed by Jack Conway.

Libeled Lady was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film was remade in 1946 as Easy to Wed with Esther Williams, Van Johnson, and Lucille Ball.

Wealthy Connie Allenbury is falsely accused of breaking up a marriage and sues the New York Evening Star newspaper for libel. Warren Haggerty, the chief editor, turns to reporter and ladies man Bill Chandler for help.



Bill comes up with a plan, to be alone with Connie when his "wife" shows up, the suit will have to be dropped. Bill is not really married, so Warren has his neglected fiancee, Gladys Benton, play the part, which she is not to happy about.

Bill returns to America from England on the same ocean liner as Connie and her father J. B.. He pays some men to pose as reporters and harass Connie at the dock, so that he can "rescue" her. Connie believes that he is just a fortune hunter after her money, but Bill quickly wins her trust.

The plan falls apart when Connie and Bill actually fall in love. They get married, but Gladys interrupts their honeymoon to reclaim her husband. Bill reveals that he found out that Gladys' Mexican divorce wasn't valid, but then Gladys tops him. She got a second divorce and she and Bill are really man and wife. Will Connie and Bill manage to convince Gladys that she's really in love with Warren?

I always love to see Powell and Loy perform together, they always seem to enjoy each others company.  I think you also will love the gorgeous sets and costumes.

Fun Facts:

Lionel Barrymore was originally cast as Mr. Allenbury while Rosalind Russell was originally considered to play Connie Allenbury.

Harlow wanted to play Connie Allenbury, so that her character and Powell's would wind up together. MGM insisted, however, that the film be another William Powell-Myrna Loy movie, as they originally intended. Harlow had already signed on to do the film but had to settle for the role of Gladys Benton.  As Gladys, top-billed Harlow got to play a wedding scene with Powell. During filming, Harlow changed her legal name.

The fifth of fourteen films pairing William Powell and Myrna Loy.

Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940), performed in almost fifty films between 1914 and 1939.

His first film performances were in two silent films: The Marked Woman (1914) and A Soldier's Oath (1915), and a talkie in 1930, Many Happy Returns, but his Hollywood film career really began in 1932, when he performed in four films.

His trademark role was that of a business tycoon or newspaperman, often as the father of the female lead character as in, It Happened One Night (1934) with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, Broadway Bill (1934), with Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy and Libeled Lady (1936) with William Powell and again with Loy.

Other notable roles include: the worthless uncle of Paul Muni's character in, The Good Earth (1937) and one of the two con men encountered by Mickey Rooney's, Huckleberry Finn in, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939). Connolly was particularly memorable as General Yen's American adviser in the film, The Bitter Tea of General Yen.

Connolly starred in the films: The League of Frightened Men (1937), 5th Ave Girl(1939), opposite Ginger Rogers and as the title character in, The Great Victor Herbert (1939) his last film.

Great Dramas: San Francisco(1936).

San Francisco (1936) Drama-adventure film directed by Woody Van Dyke, based on the April 18, 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Cast: Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy and Jack Holt.

"Blackie" Norton owns the Paradise Club on Pacific Street. He hires a classically-trained singer, Mary Blake, a romance develops between the two. Complications begin when Mary is hired by the Tivoli Opera House on Market Street and she becomes involved with, Jack Burley .

Blackie's long time friend, Roman Catholic Father Tim Mullen , keeps trying to reform him, while the other nightclub owners try to talk Norton into running for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, in order to protect their interests. Father Tim, informs Mary that the new church organ was paid for by Blackie. On April 17, 1906 the San Francisco Police Department shuts down the Paradise. Then, at 5:13 a.m. April 18, 1906, the earthquake hits and the fires erupt. The water mains are broken. Mat has been taken from the destroyed Hall of Justice on Washington Street, a nurse tells Blackie, Mat will not survive. Blackie goes to Nob Hill, as the US Army troops from the Presidio have orders to blow up the mansions. Will Blackie ever find Mary alive?

Wonderful film about history, great acting and special effects. I also loved the cast and the great story line that will grab you from the beginning. A movie you will not soon forget.



Fun Facts:
One of Mary's opera gowns was later used for "Glinda" in The Wizard of Oz (1939).

The dress Jeanette MacDonald wears while singing "Would You" was re-worn by Judy Garland in For Me and My Gal (1942).

Jessie Ralph (November 5, 1864 – May 30, 1944), made her Hollywood debut in 1916, she became a permanent actress in 1933. She was 70 at this time, her roles were those of frumpy old ladies, but.. she stole all the scenes she was in. Her best known roles are as Greta Garbo's maid in Camille, and as W.C. Fields mother-in-law in The Bank Dick. She performed in a total of 55 movies.

List of Jessie Ralph movies I have seen:
Captain Blood (1935)
San Francisco (1936)
Camille (1936)
After the Thin Man (1936)
The Good Earth (1937)
Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)

Tortilla Flat (1942)

Tortilla Flat (1942). Cast: Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, John Garfield, Frank Morgan, Akim Tamiroff, and Sheldon Leonard based on the novel by John Steinbeck. It was directed by Victor Fleming.

In Monterrey, California, Danny Alvarez inherits a gold watch and two houses in the area known as Tortilla Flat from his grandfather. One of his friends by the name of, Pirate, is saving money which Pilon makes plans to steal, until he learns that he is saving to buy a golden candlestick, which he plans to burn for St. Francis.

One of the houses burns down, so Danny allows his friends to move into the other house with him. Things are fine at first until Danny's love for a girl causes him to look for work at the cannery. A misunderstanding causes Danny to become drunk and almost dies in an accident. He then marries his sweetheart with the promise that he will become a fisherman now that Pilon has the money to buy a boat.

This is a wonderful movie, with strong performances from: Spencer Tracy, Frank Morgan, who is very memorable as a hermit dog lover. Hedy Lamarr, who gives a wonderful performance as a poor Portuguese girl. She went on to make only five more films.

Frank Morgan, is best known for his performance of the title character in the film, The Wizard of OZ (1939).

His first film was in, The Suspect (1916).

Morgan's career continued as talkies began, he was usually typecast in roles of a befuddled but good-hearted middle-aged man.

He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in, The Affairs of Cellini(1934), where he played the, Duke of Florence and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in, Tortilla Flat(1942), where he played a Hispanic man.

Other well known movies: The Great Ziegfeld, The Shop Around the Corner, The Human Comedy, The Mortal Storm, The White Cliffs of Dover and his last movie, Key to the City.

Like most character actors of the studio era, Frank Morgan had numerous roles in many motion pictures. One of his last roles was in, The Stratton Story, a true story about a ballplayer who makes a comeback after losing a leg in a hunting accident.

Woman of the Year (1942).

My favorite Katharine Hepburn movies are the ones she performed with Spencer Tracy. Their first film together was in, Woman of the Year (1942). The story begins with Tess and Sam working on the same newspaper, and it seems they don't much care for each other.

They eventually fall in love and get married. But, Tess is one of the most famous feminists in the country and she is elected as "the woman of the year". She does not spend enough time with Sam and he begins to feel neglected and so the trouble begins.

The cutest scene in the film takes place in the kitchen with exploding waffles, overflowing coffee and Tess who, just can't seem to figure out how to cook eggs.

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Behind the scenes they became one of Hollywood's most famous romances. Even though Spencer Tracy was still married.

They performed in a total of nine movies together: Keeper of the Flame (1942), Adam's Rib (1949), Pat and Mike (1952), Desk Set (1957) and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), for which Hepburn won her second Academy Award for Best Actress.

There were periods during which they were seperated. Tracy had several affairs, most notably while filming Plymouth Adventure, with his co-star Gene Tierney.

Hepburn had several romances, most notably with her agent Leland Hayward, John Ford and Howard Hughes. Tracy, however, seems to have been her true love. Hepburn took five years off after Long Day's Journey Into Night to care for Tracy while he was in failing health. Out of consideration for Tracy's family, Hepburn did not attend his funeral. She was too heartbroken to ever watch, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, saying the memories of Tracy were too painful.

Fay Okell Bainter (December 7, 1893 – April 16, 1968), made her first appearance on stage in 1908 in, The County Chairman at Morosco's Theater in Burbank, California and her Broadway debut was in the role as Celine Marinter in The Rose of Panama (1912).

She appeared in a number of successful plays in New York like East is West, The Willow Tree, and Dodsworth.

In 1926 she appeared with Walter Abel in a Broadway production of Channing Pollock's The Enemy.

In 1918, her portrait was painted by Robert Henri, the Ashcan School artist.

 MGM persuaded her to try films and her movie debut was in This Side of Heaven (February 1934), the same year she appeared in Dodsworth on Broadway and the film It Happened One Day (July 1934).

Bainter quickly achieved success, and in 1938 she became the first performer nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Actress, for White Banners (1938), and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Jezebel (1938), winning for the latter.

Since then, only nine other actors have won dual nominations in a single year. She was again nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Children's Hour (1961).

Finally, in 1962, Fay appeared as a guest star on The Donna Reed Show.

Fay Bainter and Reginald Venable married on June 8, 1921. The couple had one son, Reginald Venable Jr. (1926–1974), who became an actor. Bainter was the aunt of actress Dorothy Burgess.

As her husband, Reginald Venable, was a military officer, the couple are interred at Arlington National Cemetery.