Over the summer during rerun season, I decided to start watching a bunch of old movies on Turner Classics (TCM). I’ve seen a decent number of films from the 30s through the 60s – mostly the classics or MST3K fodder… but not nearly enough. So I’m filling in some blind-spots based on whatever TCM happens to be airing. This is part 1 of a roll-up of these flicks.

Female – 1933 – female auto factory owner sleeps with her male secretaries until she gets bored and fires them. New male car designer shows up and they have a romance. I was surprised by the gender politics of this film… even if the end was just a betrayal of everything else. Kind of liked this one.

Smarty – 1934 – romantic comedy where a woman seeks a divorce from her husband after he strikes her… her friend snarkily states that all women should be punched in the mouth at least once. More interesting gender politics, some of them shocking by today’s standards.

The Thin Man – 1934 – classic whodunit romantic comedy about Nick and Nora Charles and their dog Asta. Not sure what the mystery was or whodunit, but I laughed… and now I know who these people are who keep showing up in crossword puzzles.

Traveling Saleslady – 1935 – romantic comedy about the daughter of a toothpaste magnate who goes to work for his competition when he says women have no place in the workplace. She is selling alcohol-infused toothpaste created by a former rum-runner put out of business when prohibition ended. Pretty good for an older romantic comedy… and yet more interesting gender politics for the 1930s.

A Star is Born – 1937 – the first of four film adaptations of the story. Remade in the 50s, the 70s, and a new one this year with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. It’s a little creeky but also basic enough a story to justify the remakes as Hollywood and entertainment changes.

Nancy Drew, Detective – 1938 – about Nancy Drew. Detective.  Not a bad movie.

The Philadelphia Story – 1940 – classic romantic comedy with Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. Very funny. Really enjoyed the snappy banter… the end got a little too gooey in the romance field. I really liked Jimmy Stewart’s take on a guy who just hates these rich folk.

Holiday Inn – 1942 – romantic comedy/musical about an inn that’s only open on the holidays. Yes, the real-life hotel is named after the movie. The song White Christmas originates with this movie. It also has a song for Lincoln’s Birthday (in February) where the cast is in black face (but in a respectable way?)  It lives or dies on whether you can deal with the musical numbers per holiday since that’s the conceit the movie exists for. But the acting and romance is decent.

Secret Enemies – 1942 – basic pulp fiction… FBI agent wants to help get a family out Germany before Hitler declares war. Gets stuck in a Nazi spy ring run from a New York Hotel. Not a terrible film but boy does it age badly as an action/spy flick.

Gaslight – 1944 – hey, originator of the phrase to “gaslight” someone. Woman marries obviously evil guy. He controls her, convinces her she’s seeing things, that’s she’s forgetful, and to ignore the sounds in the attic (which is him secretly searching for her aunt’s jewels). Unfortunately, I knew the twist that probably made this movie great when it was new. Still, not a bad movie at all.

Annie Get Your Gun – 1950 – classic musical about Annie Oakley. Very technicolor. Some decent songs, some classic 50s problematic race stuff, but it didn’t mean ill by it.

Royal Wedding – 1951 – Fred Astaire dance flick. Most famous for him dancing on the ceiling. Which was still a pretty impressive effect.  Other than that, it’s just a bunch of song and dance numbers held together by a predictable romantic comedy plot.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers – 1954 – Very technicolor musical about seven hillbilly brothers who decide they all need to get hitched so they go to town and pick some brides. Might not have the most progressive view of male/female relationships. Really enjoyed a few of the songs and dance numbers but others were pretty square.

Rock Around the Clock – 1956 – a “birth or rock ‘n roll” movie featuring Bill Hailey and the Comets and other early acts.  Interesting to see what is basically a standard showbiz plot tied to a bunch of musical sequences. The plot came second to the tunes.

Rock Rock Rock! – 1956 – another “birth of rock ‘n roll” movie, also with a bunch of early acts including Chuck Barry. Way more black acts in this flick that is otherwise about a white teen girl who tries to raise money for a pretty dress to wear at the rock concert.  Doofy and weird plot built around loans, interests, and repayments.

Jailhouse Rock – 1957 – Elvis Presley flick… most famous for the jailhouse rock music video. Presley is a real jerk… interesting persona for the King. I enjoyed the flick as a kind of generic story about a person making it big and then getting too big for himself.

From Hell it Came – 1957 – a hilariously god-awful B horror movie about a killer tree stump on a South Pacific island where the natives are restless. Everyone should see – and laugh – at this ridiculous film… How this never made it to MST3K, I’ll never know.

The Wasp Woman – 1959 – typical 50s B horror movie. Female makeup company owner takes experimental drug to get her youth back (and save the company). Turns her into a wasp woman. Or someone who should just take off the silly mask.

The Nanny – 1965 – weird film about either a killer kid or a killer nanny. Bette Davis is the nanny. I was never sure if I was watching an example of a killer kid movie or a killer nanny and that was interesting at least.