June Haver played popular ’20s Broadway star Marilyn Miller in the 1949 Warner Bros. musical Look for the Silver Lining. Guest writer Jessica Pickens reviews the biopic and how it compare to Miller’s trouble-filled real life.
Read more →1940s Movies
Classic 1940s movie reviews, movie articles and information. Movie reviews from classic movies from 1940 to 1949, the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Playmates (1941): The Undiscovered Country
So, what are John Barrymore’s only screen performance of Hamlet’s “To Be or Not to Be” soliloquy–and Barrymore himself–doing in a musical comedy with bandleader Kay Kyser? Guest writer Mike Reid reviews The Great Profile’s final film, 1941’s Playmates.
Read more →The Major and the Minor: Billy Wilder Kids Around
Directorial debuts are rarely better–or funnier–than writer-turned-helmer Billy Wilder’s The Major and the Minor. Guest blogger Aurora reviews this 1942 comedy in which Ginger Rogers poses as a 12-year-old girl, only to fall for military school teacher Ray Milland.
Read more →The Inside Scoop on His Girl Friday
Machine gun-quick dialogue and a lively romantic triangle make His Girl Friday a landmark in the screwball comedy genre. Guest writer Kim Wilson offers a “front page” review of the 1940 Cary Grant/Rosalind Russell/Ralph Bellamy gem.
Read more →The “Gildy” Age: Gildersleeve’s Bad Day
One of radio’s biggest stars, Harold Peary brought his “The Great Gildersleeve” character to the screen in four ’40s comedies for RKO. Guest writer Todd Liebenow reviews the second film in the series, 1943’s Gildersleeve’s Bad Day.
Read more →The Bowery Boys Wind Up In Fast Company
A Saturday matinee mainstay for nearly 20 years, The Bowery Boys made dozens of movies throughout the gang’s various incarnations. Guest writer Todd Liebenow looks at the fellas taking on crooked cab drivers in the 1946 Monogram picture In Fast Company.
Read more →Musical Monday: Seven Sweethearts (1942)
Kick off your week with today’s guest post from Jessica Pickens that looks back at the classic MGM musical Seven Sweethearts.
Read more →Guadalcanal Diary: Mass Media Convergence in the 1940s
Guest writer John Greanias looks at the 1943 20th Century-Fox WWII drama Guadalcanal Diary, based on Richard Tregaskis’ first-hand account of the bloody Pacific conflict and released less than a year after the battle’s conclusion.
Read more →Gaslight (1944): Classic Movie Review
Based on a play by Patrick Hamilton, 1944’s Gaslight went on to become one of the most beloved dramas of all time. This guest post from Kim Wilson explores the film’s enduring legacy, and offers up opinions why it continues to resonate with audiences the world over.
Read more →The Best Tears of Our Lives: A Look Back to the Best of 1946
In today’s guest post, Craig Pisani looks at some films from the 1940s that emotionally impacted his life.
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