Let Yourself Go ... To Old Hollywood

Feast of Glenda Farrell movies showing in November

A few weeks back, Turner Classic Movies came up with a pleasant surprise by announcing that Glenda Farrell would be their "Star of the Month" for November. And they are backing up that designation in force, showing 48 of her films that month!

I've already seen 28 of her films, and 27 of those are being shown. The only one I've already seen that is missing is The Talk of the Town. The schedule does include some films where Glenda barely has any screen time, such as the otherwise-excellent Three on a Match. But that seems unavoidable when showing so many films of an actress who was primarily in supporting roles.

That leaves 21 potential new films for me, and I hope I'll have enough room on my DVR service to manage them. Most of these I don't know much, or anything, about. Perhaps my top priority is We're In The Money, since that is one of her comic teamings with Joan Blondell, and not available on home video as far as I have found. I've marked that, and other, priorities, with exclamation marks below.

Nov 5:

• Kissin' Cousins (1964)
• Apache War Smoke (1952)
• !! Heat Lightning (1934)
• !! Dark Hazard (1934), which stars another of my favorites, Edward G Robinson
• !! The Secret Bride (1932), starring Barbara Stanwyck
• The Big Shakedown (1934)

Nov 12:

• !! Go Into Your Dance (1935)
• Life Begins (1932)
• !! Hi Nellie! (1934)

Nov 19:

• Central Airport (1933)
• Snowed Under (1936)
• !! We're In The Money (1935), one of her teamings with Joan Blondell

Nov 26:

• The Personality Kid (1934)

• In Caliente (1935)

• !! Girl Missing (1933)

• !! Lady For A Day (1933)
• !! Breakfast For Two (1937), starring Barbara Stanwyck

• Bureau of Missing Persons (1933)
• Little Big Shot (1935)
• !! The Merry Wives of Reno (1934)

• Grand Slam (1933)  

The full list is published in this TCM forums thread.      

Hollywood Hotel (1938)

From my Facebook archives, December 28, 2014:

Hollywood Hotel 1938. After the most recent film from our Busby Berkeley set, Varsity Show, I wasn't expecting too much out of this one. But it turned out to be a blast. The story (a Hollywood satire) was great fun for me right now. And the performances were just right (well, except for Hugh Herbert).

But mainly, it was the music! The music was great all around and even featured Benny Goodman's band in several spectacular pieces.

Don't expect to see any psychedelic kaleidoscopic performance numbers though. Berkeley seems to have moved past that by this time.

---

From a 2018 perspective, I find it interesting that I did not even note Glenda Farrell's role in this film at the time I watched it, even though I know I had "discovered" her earlier in 2014 when watching "Gold Diggers of 1935". Her role here must have been much less noticeable. Alas, I have not re-watched this film yet, but indeed I cannot recall Glenda in this film.

Favorite actresses and actors of classic Hollywood

The single event that kick-started my interest in classic Hollywood was my discovery of Preston Sturges' great films of the 1940s very early in this decade. I was always searching for good, fun, diverting comedies to watch, and we had pretty much exhausted the limited supply of modern ones.

But I didn't really become a full-fledged classic Hollywood fan until my discovery of Fred Astaire a couple years later, in September 2013. The previously mysterious Ginger Rogers--who I of course had heard of, but alas had never seen a film of prior to late 2013--very soon became my favorite actress.

As I explored more and more films from the 1930s and 1940s, my list of favorites grew. My list has changed modestly over these last few years, but currently these are my favorite actors and actresses of that era, and hence of all time.

Actresses:

Ginger Rogers still is at the top of my list. Judy Garland, as the only other actress I know besides Ginger who was fabulous at four talents--drama, comedy, singing, dancing--has been in the next position for years, but Ida Lupino is up there with her now. Amazingly it wasn't until 2017 that I started seeing a significant number of Ida's films. I had taken notice of her right away, but full appreciation of her work took a while to break into my consciousness. Glenda Farrell, despite not getting many lead roles, is next thanks to her brilliant comic persona.

The next tier consists of Joan Blondell, Jean Arthur, Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis. On occasion I think Myrna Loy and Kay Francis may graduate into this tier, but I don't think I can put them there yet. Alice Brady deserves an honorable mention as well.

Actors:

Fred Astaire is obviously at the top. William Powell was an earlier discovery, though, as I found My Man Godfrey and The Thin Man a year or two before the Astaire-Rogers movies. Right below these two are Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Cary Grant, Dick Powell, Lionel Barrymore, and Edward Everett Horton. Honorable mention goes to Jack Carson, Joel McCrea, Don Ameche, and perhaps a few others.