Tonight's Movie: Wings of the Navy (1939) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

WINGS OF THE NAVY (1939) is an enjoyable film about the training of Navy pilots just prior to the start of World War II. It's a new release from the Warner Archive.

Cass (George Brent) and his kid brother Jerry (John Payne) are both in the Navy, as their father was before them. Jerry is stationed on a sub but dreams of being a Navy flyer like Cass; Cass tries to squelch Jerry's dream, as he's worried Jerry might make dangerous mistakes attempting to live up to his brother's reputation. Eventually, however, Jerry gets his transfer and begins training as a Navy pilot.

The brothers are also in competition for lovely Irene (Olivia de Havilland), who is in a serious relationship with Cass but falls for Jerry soon after meeting him.

This is a relatively simple plot but the film is pure gold for those who love aviation movies as I do. The training sequences are well-presented and interesting; I especially loved the look inside the big seaplane Jerry learns to pilot. It was also interesting watching the men in bathing suits who push the planes into the water.

It was rather poignant that a number of pilots take off for a new station in Honolulu at the end of the movie, as the viewer knows what will happen in Hawaii just two years later.

The cast is wonderful, starting with Brent and de Havilland, who had previously worked together on GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT (1938); they would later costar in IN THIS OUR LIFE (1942). They are both charming, and it's easy to imagine any girl being torn between Brent and Payne.

Payne was very handsome in his Warner Bros. days early in his career, and he and de Havilland make a very attractive couple. Soon Payne would move over to 20th Century-Fox and become a much bigger star.

The deep cast has many wonderful faces, beginning with one of my favorites, longtime Warner Bros. stalwart John Ridgely; a decade before appearing as an officer in the Warner Bros. Navy film TASK FORCE (1949), which I recently reviewed, he appears here as a young pilot in training.

Frank McHugh overdoes the comedy a bit, although much of that can be blamed on the screenplay, but his character calms down by the end. Victor Jory, Donald Briggs, and John Gallaudet are all excellent as Navy instructors; Regis Toomey's role as an instructor is so brief that if you blink you might miss him!

The cast also includes Henry O'Neill, John Litel, Jonathan Hale, and Alberto Morin.

WINGS OF THE NAVY was directed by Lloyd Bacon and filmed by Arthur Edeson. The screenplay was by Michael Fessier. The film runs 89 minutes.

WINGS OF THE NAVY is a nice print, and the DVD includes the trailer.

This film was just released by the Warner Archive as part of a "wave" of Olivia de Havilland movies. Look for more de Havilland DVD reviews coming soon!

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from Amazon and other online retailers.

Tonight's Movie: The Navy Comes Through (1942)

THE NAVY COMES THROUGH (1942) is a well-done patriotic film released in the first year after America's entry into World War II.

THE NAVY COMES THROUGH stars Pat O'Brien and was directed by A. Edward Sutherland. Sutherland and O'Brien would later team on a film I thoroughly enjoyed, SECRET COMMAND (1944), as well as HAVING WONDERFUL CRIME (1945). HAVING WONDERFUL CRIME reunited O'Brien with George Murphy, his costar from THE NAVY COMES THROUGH, and also with Carole Landis of SECRET COMMAND. I hope to watch HAVING WONDERFUL CRIME in the near future.

In THE NAVY COMES THROUGH Murphy plays Lt. Tom Sands, who resigns his commission as a Naval officer circa 1940, after he's found responsible for a fatal shipboard accident. The incident also puts an end to Tom's romance with Myra (Jane Wyatt), a nurse who is the sister of his commanding officer, Mike Mallory (O'Brien).

After Pearl Harbor Tom enlists in the Navy as an ordinary sailor, and he ends up under the command of a shocked Mallory, who is deeply bitter towards Tom.

The men are part of a small Navy crew serving aboard a merchant marine vessel, protecting it as it traverses the Atlantic. Mallory comes to grudgingly respect Tom as they take on German ships, and eventually he also learns the truth about the accident which had led to Tom's resignation.

I am developing quite an appreciation for O'Brien, who strikes me as similar to Lloyd Nolan in his ability to imbue his characters with personality and give interesting line readings even when there's nothing much going on.

The best scene in the movie is when a young sailor (Jackie Cooper) tries to play it cool saying goodbye to his mother when he's about to embark on the ship, and O'Brien orders him to go back and say goodbye to his mother "right," after which the young man kisses and hugs his mother in an emotional goodbye. Then, once the sailor is on the ship, O'Brien further goes over to the mother and hugs and reassures her. It's a lovely little moment.

The film is further made enjoyable by an excellent supporting cast. The ship's crew includes the young Desi Arnaz (left), Frank Jenks, and Carl Esmond, with Ray Collins as the captain of the merchant marine ship.

The only problem I had with the film was that I found Murphy colorless as Tom. His character starts out on a negative note, going through the inquiry regarding the accident, and he's remote and impassive through most of the movie. We never get a sense of what he's feeling or who he really is. I felt like the role was tailor made for someone like O'Brien's SECRET COMMAND costar Chester Morris, who might have brought more shadings to the character, along with conveying a sense of longing toward Myra which was completely missing here.

I seem to be watching films with Jane Wyatt and/or a Navy theme with some frequency of late! Last week I saw Wyatt in WE'RE ONLY HUMAN and watched the Navy movie WINGS OF THE NAVY (1939). Wyatt and the Navy were also both part of TASK FORCE (1949), seen a couple of weeks ago.

THE NAVY COMES THROUGH runs 82 minutes. The story was by Borden Chase, who would go on to write many fine Westerns. The movie was filmed by Nicholas Musuraca. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Special Effects.

THE NAVY COMES THROUGH is an RKO film which had a VHS release as part of the RKO Collection series. It has not been released on DVD.

I saw THE NAVY COMES THROUGH thanks to Turner Classic Movies.

May 2016 Update: THE NAVY COMES THROUGH is now available on DVD from the Warner Archive.

Tonight's Movie in 2014: The Year in Review

2014 was a very exciting movie year in which I saw a record-breaking 286 films.

That's slightly higher than the 277 films seen in 2013. I saw 220 films in both 2012 and 2009, 226 in 2011, and 211 titles in 2010.

I attributed last year's significant increase in viewing to my younger daughter leaving for college in the fall of 2013. This year she and my older son were both away at college for the full year so I'm sure that had an impact on my ability to see more movies in 2014. Attendance at film festivals and a love for short pre-Code, "B" Westerns, and "B" series films also enabled me to fit in more movies.

As I've noted in the past, I don't watch any prime time TV shows, although I do watch a couple of TV shows such as DOWNTON ABBEY or BLUE BLOODS weeks -- or years -- later via DVR and DVD; instead my evening viewing is movies.

Other stats jumped significantly this year as well. 68 films were repeat viewings this year, quite an increase from 41 repeat viewings last year. The "repeat" number was 36 in 2012 and 2009, 15 in 2011, and just 13 in 2010. The film festivals I attended showed a number of movies I'd previously seen, and there were also a lot of movies this year I simply wanted to revisit!

I saw a whopping 78 films on a big screen in 2014, a notable increase from 50 big-screen viewings in 2013 and 55 in 2012. That's an especially exciting statistic for me as it represents so many great viewing experiences, almost always a beautiful print, often enjoyed with friends or with filmmakers present for interviews.

As I regularly note in my "year in review" posts, it's impossible to list all the films seen last year or go into great detail here, but I hope the title links to my reviews will provide resources for readers to explore ideas for their own viewing in the months to come. Each review includes links listing varied options available for watching each title, including DVD, Blu-ray, rentals, streaming, and even VHS. (I have multiple readers who still regularly watch films in the VHS format, as do I; my viewing this year encompassed every possibility from VHS tapes to an iPad during an airplane flight!)

As always, the top half of this post will look at various stats, including films seen at festivals and lists of most-seen actors. The second half is a month-by-month review of additional titles not mentioned earlier in the post.

Here we go with a look back at the exciting viewing year of 2014!

...The highlights of my movie year were four festivals, starting with UCLA's Anthony Mann series which ran from January to March. I initially intended to go for a couple of nights but found each evening of films directed by Mann to be such compelling viewing that I ended up attending eight screenings in all, seeing a total of 16 films, nine of which were first-time viewings: DR. BROADWAY (1942), THE MAN FROM LARAMIE (1955), THE NAKED SPUR (1953), THE LAST FRONTIER (1955), RAILROADED! (1947), RAW DEAL (1948), SIDE STREET (1950), WINCHESTER '73 (1950), and THE FAR COUNTRY (1954).

Repeat viewings at the Mann festival were TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE (1945), STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT (1944), HE WALKED BY NIGHT (1948), STRANGE IMPERSONATION (1946), DESPERATE (1947), T-MEN (1947), and THE TALL TARGET (1951). What a thrill to see each of these on the huge screen at UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater!

...Next came the 16th Annual Noir City Film Festival, where I saw 13 films in 2014, eight of which were first-time viewings: TOO LATE FOR TEARS (1949), IVY (1947), ROADBLOCK (1951), ALIAS NICK BEAL (1949), HARDLY A CRIMINAL (1949), ONE WAY STREET (1950), M (1951), and THE HITCH-HIKER (1953).

At Noir City I also revisited LARCENY (1948), BORN TO BE BAD (1950), SOUTHSIDE 1-1000 (1950), TENSION (1949), and NIGHTFALL (1957). As always, Noir City was a great experience!

...The TCM Classic Film Festival is an unforgettable experience for any film fan, and I was again privileged to cover the festival as a member of the credentialed media. Seeing so many wonderful movies with my film-loving friends from all around the country was an amazing, uplifting time I'll always remember. I saw 14 films at this year's festival, up from 11 in 2013; four of the titles were first time viewings. Seeing so many films in such a short time frame, I didn't have time to review every title individually, but I reviewed a number of them, including CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN (1950), STAGECOACH (1939), TOUCH OF EVIL (1958), THE JUNGLE BOOK (1967), HER SISTER'S SECRET (1946), WRITTEN ON THE WIND (1956), and WHY WORRY? (1923). One of the very nice experiences I had post festival was hearing from Winston Severn, the cute little boy in HER SISTER'S SECRET, after he came across my post!

...This fall I was also credentialed media at the 25th Lone Pine Film Festival, an intimate, really wonderful festival which gives fans the chance to tour the locations where movies shown at the festival were filmed. Along with attending several tours and panels, I saw GUNGA DIN (1939) and Tim Holt's DYNAMITE PASS (1950) for the first time, and I revisited the TV-movie THE MACAHANS (1976), starring James Arness and Eva Marie Saint, for the first time since I was a kid.

...I also had a very special experience attending a celebration of the life of producer Stanley Rubin at the Egyptian Theatre in April. Seeing THE NARROW MARGIN (1952) at the tribute made me realize anew just how much I love that movie!

...Although there wasn't a complete film shown, I'd also like to mention in this retrospective how wonderful the Loretta Young Centennial Tribute was last January. I was so glad to be able to cover it and meet Loretta's son Christopher and his wife Linda, who are wonderful people.

...I enjoyed writing for the ClassicFlix site again this year, and along with a number of columns (which can be found here), I just reviewed Lloyd Nolan, Carole Landis, and Cornel Wilde in the WWII film MANILA CALLING (1942).

...There was a three-way tie for the most-seen actor of 2014, with George Brent, Dan Duryea, and Steve Cochran seen in eight films apiece. That's an interesting group of actors, with the genial, reassuring Brent quite a contrast from frequent noir and Western villains Duryea and Cochran.

...Preston Foster ranked next with seven of his films seen in 2014. Other frequently seen actors in 2014: George Montgomery, James Stewart, Walter Pidgeon, Joel McCrea, John Wayne, and Johnny Mack Brown with half a dozen films each, followed by Frank Lovejoy, Edmond O'Brien, George Sanders, Rod Cameron, Robert Mitchum, Clark Gable, and Tyrone Power with five films apiece. That list is definitely a good representation of many of my favorite actors!

...Further down the list, with three or four films apiece, are names like Kent Taylor, Chester Morris, Richard Dix, Richard Todd, Glenn Ford, Cornel Wilde, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Dennis Morgan, Pat O'Brien, Errol Flynn, Alan Ladd, Danny Kaye, George O'Brien, Tim Holt, Gary Cooper, Zachary Scott, Stephen McNally, Dennis O'Keefe, William Lundigan, Jack Webb,Tom Conway, John Garfield, Jeffrey Hunter, John Payne, and George Kennedy (Kennedy by virtue of having seen three AIRPORT films this year!). Kevin Costner is the sole "new" actor to come in at three or more films, thanks to his starring in three new films in 2014.

...Virginia Mayo was far and away the most-seen actress of 2014, with 10 Mayo films watched this year! I really enjoyed catching up with a number of musicals, crime films, and Westerns starring this multi-talented actress, as well as revisiting most of the movies she made with Danny Kaye; she and frequently seen actor Steve Cochran were also regular costars.

...Curiously, my most-seen actress of 2013, Joan Blondell, was only watched in one film this year, after I saw her in eight last year. Second place after Virginia Mayo this year was a tie beween Joan Fontaine and Audrey Long, with five films seen starring each lady. Several actresses were seen in four films apiece, including Olivia de Havilland, Joan Crawford, Peggie Castle, Kay Francis, Yvonne DeCarlo, Marie Windsor, and Janet Leigh. On the list at three films apiece: Greer Garson, Ruth Roman, Jane Wyatt, and Teala Loring; I saw Loring in more films than her better-known sister Debra Paget this year, as I only saw two Paget films.

...Last year the only new films I saw were a trio of Disney movies. This was a much better year for new movies which appealed to me, including three films with a favorite of mine, Kevin Costner. Brand-new films seen in theaters this year: JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (2014), THE MONUMENTS MEN (2014), THE LEGO MOVIE (2014), THE WIND RISES (2013), NON-STOP (2014), 3 DAYS TO KILL (2014), DRAFT DAY (2014), MILLION DOLLAR ARM (2014), THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY (2014), and BIG HERO 6 (2014). Even better, I enjoyed them all!

...Of those new films, MILLION DOLLAR ARM and BIG HERO 6 were Disney films, and THE WIND RISES was distributed by Disney in the U.S. Older Disney films seen on a big screen this year were SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959), THE JUNGLE BOOK (1967), and SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1960), all watched at the El Capitan Theatre -- THE JUNGLE BOOK was also part of the TCM Classic Film Festival -- and Annual Passholder sing-along screenings of THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989) and ALADDIN (1992) at Disneyland. Rounding out Disney films seen this year: THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD (1949), ROB ROY: THE HIGHLAND ROGUE (1953), THE SWORD AND THE ROSE (1953), and BOLT (2008).

...For the fourth year in a row I made a list of 10 Classics to be sure to finally see for the first time in 2014. So far I've posted reviews of six of them: THE FRESHMAN (Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, 1925), BABY FACE (Alfred E. Green, 1933), STARS IN MY CROWN (Jacques Tourneur, 1950), WINCHESTER '73 (Anthony Mann, 1950), KISS ME DEADLY (Robert Aldrich, 1955), and 3:10 TO YUMA (Delmer Daves, 1957). WINCHESTER '73 was one of my very favorite films of the year, and STARS IN MY CROWN was also an especially valued movie for me in 2014. I'll be adding links to the final four reviews to this paragraph as soon as I have time to write them; the other titles were SUNRISE (1927), NOW, VOYAGER (1942), THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946), and LATE SPRING (1949). I tend to leave watching many of the films on the list till I have lots of time off at the end of the year! I'll also be posting my list of 10 films to see in 2015 in the next few days.

...I find things to like in the vast majority of the films I see, but there are always a handful of clunkers which stand out. Contenders for the "Worst Film of 2014" included the incredibly depressing MOKEY (1942) and the overwrought, unbelievable TRIAL (1955), but in the end my vote goes to the Peter Graves Western FORT YUMA (1955), which was both depressing and overly violent. I saw it early in 2014 so after that there was nowhere to go but up! Previous Worst Picture "winners": HULLABALOO (1940) from my 2009 list, FORT BOWIE (1958), seen in 2011, INHERIT THE WIND (1960) in 2012, and a tie between DAVY CROCKETT, INDIAN SCOUT (1950) and FLYING BLIND (1941) in 2013.

...I caught up with three Tyrone Power films I'd not seen before thanks to my participation in a trio of blogathons: THIS ABOVE ALL (1942) for May's Power-Mad blogathon, PONY SOLDIER (1952) for the O Canada blogathon in October, and KING OF THE KHYBER RIFLES (1953) for the British Empire in Film Blogathon in November. I also wrote about BELLES ON THEIR TOES (1952) for the August "Build Your Own Blogathon" and the DRAGNET (1954) feature film for October's Jack Webb blogathon. I very much appreciate the hard work of the blogathon hosts; the blogathons do a lot to foster a sense of community among classic film fans.

...As a side note, I've written a post on a dozen Favorite Discoveries of 2014 which will be appearing in the future at the site Rupert Pupkin Speaks. I'll add a link to this post once it's up. (Update: Here it is!)

...Below is a month-by-month look at additional titles not already listed above which made some of the biggest impressions in 2014. Believe it or not, I have to leave a significant number of movies seen out of this year-end review or it would be twice as long!

...In January I watched Louis Hayward as THE SAINT IN NEW YORK (1938) and found it very interesting to compare his hard-boiled take on the role with the elegant George Sanders...Recent films seen that month were the enjoyable "foodie" film HAUTE CUISINE (2012) and a procedural about the medical staff who tried to save President Kennedy's life in Dallas, PARKLAND (2013)...I fell in love with '50s British films with U.S. stars, such as George Brent in MAN BAIT (1952), Cesar Romero in SCOTLAND YARD INSPECTOR (1952), Dan Duryea in TERROR STREET (1953), and Zachary Scott in WINGS OF DANGER (1953)...Kay Francis was great fun in her late-career Monogram films WIFE WANTED (1946) and ALLOTMENT WIVES (1945)...I caught another very enjoyable George O'Brien-Virginia Vale Western, PRAIRIE LAW (1940); always love their teaming...I had a great time seeing an evening of films celebrating Mexican actor Arturo de Cordova at UCLA, FRENCHMAN'S CREEK (1944), starring Joan Fontaine, and ADVENTURES OF CASANOVA (1948), costarring Lucille Bremer.  FRENCHMAN'S CREEK was a Technicolor dazzler!...I very much enjoyed Peggie Castle and William Talman in the low-budget TWO-GUN LADY (1955), watched via Amazon Prime streaming...and I thought the George Montgomery Western BADMAN'S COUNTRY (1958) was a lot of fun despite its modest production values. Buster Crabbe costarred as Wyatt Earp.

...February started off with a theatrical screening of a favorite film, GROUNDHOG DAY (1993), on Groundhog Day!  Since I missed seeing it in a theater on its original release that was a treat...I saw Joan Crawford and Sterling Hayden in the wild, crazy, and ultra-colorful JOHNNY GUITAR (1954) for the very first time...A wonderful return visit to the Joel McCrea Ranch included watching a favorite McCrea film, THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943), also starring Jean Arthur...TOUGHEST GUN IN TOMBSTONE (1958) was another nice late '50s George Montgomery Western...and I saw one of my all-time favorite films, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938), in a gorgeous 35mm print in a free screening at UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater.

...Most films in March were film festival screenings or new big screen films which are already linked above, but I caught a few additional good ones, including SINK THE BISMARCK! (1960), a WWII "procedural" about high-level decision making by British Navy commanders, starring Kenneth More and Dana Wynter...I revisited SADDLE TRAMP (1950), a longtime favorite Joel McCrea film which helped fuel my love of classic films when I was growing up...I always enjoy Tim Holt and Richard Martin Westerns, and LAW OF THE BADLANDS (1951) was a solid example...and I really enjoyed Dale Robertson and Debra Paget in the Universal Western THE GAMBLER FROM NATCHEZ (1954). I saw so many good Universal films in 2014!

...Again in April most of my viewing was at film festivals or brand-new theatrical films. Also seen in April: The goofy John Wayne-Stewart Granger film NORTH TO ALASKA (1960)...THE BIG GUSHER (1951), a satisfying "B" film starring Preston Foster, Wayne Morris, and Dorothy Patrick, directed by Lew Landers...I watched Tom Conway in the thirteenth and final film in the FALCON series, THE FALCON'S ADVENTURE (1946)...and I especially enjoyed revisiting Doris Day and Clark Gable in TEACHER'S PET (1958) for the first time in many years. What a pair of pros! They were delightful.

...With spring film festivals concluded, May was a very big month for great films seen at home. I began reviewing Warner Archive screeners with the delightful musical romance IRENE (1940), starring Irene Dunne and Ray Milland...I loved the Universal Western BLACK BART (1948) starring Yvonne DeCarlo and Dan Duryea...HI-JACKED (1950) was a fun low-budget crime film with Jim Davis and Marcia Mae Jones, billed in this as Marsha Jones...Thanks to my friend Carrie I enjoyed another fun Yvonne DeCarlo film, THE DESERT HAWK (1950), this time costarring Richard Greene...Greene also starred with Barbara Hale in the well-done LORNA DOONE (1951) which I saw at last thanks to my friend Mel...THE DUEL AT SILVER CREEK (1952) was one of my favorite Westerns of the year, simply a really good Universal Western with a wonderful cast in Audie Murphy, Susan Cabot, and Stephen McNally...The Warner Archive Blu-ray release of HIT THE DECK (1955) was gorgeous, a visual treat along with lots of great music...Clark Gable was outstanding making life and death decisions in the WWII drama COMMAND DECISION (1948), which also starred Walter Pidgeon, Brian Donlevy, and Van Johnson...I watched two more excellent WWII films Memorial Day weekend, THE LONGEST DAY (1962) and THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (1945)...I revisited Anthony Mann's THUNDER BAY (1953) on DVD for the first time in several years and found I liked it much better the second time around. James Stewart and Dan Duryea star...THE ROUNDUP (1941) was an excellent ranching drama starring Richard Dix, Patricia Morison, and Preston Foster. Thanks to John for making it possible for me to see it.

...June started off with DAWN AT SOCORRO (1954), a favorite discovery this year, with Rory Calhoun playing a character inspired by Doc Holliday and James Millican as a marshal modeled on Wyatt Earp. Like so many films seen this year it was a Universal Western...THE MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER (1953), yet another Universal film, was also another favorite film of the year. I'd wanted to see this Tyrone Power film for a long time, and it did not disappoint...TOMBSTONE: THE TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE (1942) was another interesting Richard Dix Western, this time costarring Kent Taylor. I was fascinated by the point-blank staging of the OK Corral shootout...John Garfield and Priscilla Lane were wonderful teamed in DUST BE MY DESTINY (1939)...BOSTON BLACKIE BOOKED ON SUSPICION (1945) was a good entry in the long-running series starring Chester Morris, with Steve Cochran making his film debut...and it was time for more of George Sanders in THE SAINT IN LONDON (1939), one of two Sanders SAINT films seen in 2014.

...During a July trip to the mountains I streamed several interesting little films including Lawrence Tierney and Anne Jeffreys in STEP BY STEP (1946) and Scott Brady and Mala Powers in the Western THE STORM RIDER (1957)...EAST OF THE RIVER (1940) is a good Warner Bros. drama with John Garfield, William Lundigan, and an especially strong Brenda Marshall...SHE'S BACK ON BROADWAY (1953) was a colorful, entertaining musical starring Virginia Mayo and Steve Cochran...FIVE CAME BACK (1939) is one of the best "B" films ever, and it was a treat to watch it again for the first time in many years, with a wonderful cast including Chester Morris, Kent Taylor, Lucille Ball, and Wendy Barrie...I love the gorgeous Fox Technicolor in the musical WEEK-END IN HAVANA (1941), an old favorite with Alice Faye and John Payne...Robert Young was excellent in the Western RELENTLESS (1948), although I would have preferred fewer scenes with animals in distress!...The French heist film RIFIFI (1955), seen in UCLA's "Hollywood Exiles in Europe" series, was an especially memorable experience for me, absolutely riveting...PERSONS IN HIDING (1939) anticipates GUN CRAZY (1950) by a decade and features a mesmerizing performance by the young Patricia Morison, seen here...THE SECRET HEART (1946) is a very enjoyable drama with Claudette Colbert and Walter Pidgeon delightful, with June Allyson as Colbert's neurotic stepdaughter...YANKS (1979) with Richard Gere and Lisa Eichhorn was a solid film about the American "invasion" of England during WWII...The Glenn Ford submarine movie TORPEDO RUN (1958) was fun for me due to its nice role for the young British actor Robert Hardy, who is still acting decades later...STAGE STRUCK (1948) was a really entertaining Monogram crime film starring Audrey Long, who passed away the following month...THE GIRL FROM JONES BEACH (1949) with Ronald Reagan and Virginia Mayo is a delightful summertime comedy...The silent film THE WINNING OF BARBARA WORTH (1926) was a favorite discovery this year; Ronald Colman, Gary Cooper, and Vilma Banky starred in a beautifully filmed movie...FORCE OF ARMS (1951) is my favorite of the four films costarring William Holden and Nancy Olson, a very moving WWII romance...What a thrill to see a favorite minor noir, THE HUNTED (1948), again thanks to a beautiful new Warner Archive DVD. Preston Foster and Belita star...and I began watching Johnny Mack Brown's "B" Westerns with THE MAN FROM SONORA (1951). By year's end I'd seen several!

...September brought Dan Duryea, Rod Cameron, and Yvonne DeCarlo in RIVER LADY (1948), which like so many other Universal Westerns of the late '40s and '50s was very colorful and enjoyable...HOMECOMING (1948) was a favorite drama this year, with lonely front lines doctor Clark Gable becoming close to nurse Lana Turner while his loving wife, played by Anne Baxter, waits for him at home during WWII...I love Richard Carlson and it was great fun to see of one of his '40s "B" films, HIGHWAYS BY NIGHT (1942)...Revisiting UP IN ARMS (1944) with Danny Kaye was a treat, as was the case with WONDER MAN (1945) and THE KID FROM BROOKLYN (1946), all in gorgeous Technicolor...The new Blu-ray of the classic noir OUT OF THE PAST (1947) was stunningly beautiful...John Ford's STEAMBOAT ROUND THE BEND (1935), starring Will Rogers and Anne Shirley, was a wonderful, very different slice of Americana...SECRET COMMAND (1944) was a little WWII homefront espionage film which was a favorite film this year, with Pat O'Brien and Carole Landis as spies who pose as a married couple who are the parents of two young children...It was a thrill to see Dennis Morgan in the gorgeous musical THE DESERT SONG (1943), finally freed from rights issues and released on a beautiful Warner Archive DVD...Morgan also starred in the very interesting Western noir RATON PASS (1951), battling a conniving wife (Patricia Neal) and the villain (Steve Cochran) who joins forces with her...Thanks to the Exile Noir series at UCLA I saw the very good film noir CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS (1953) along with Paul Henreid and Joan Bennett in the fun HOLLOW TRIUMPH (1948), aka THE SCAR.

...Another favorite Western this year was GUNSMOKE IN TUCSON (1958) with Forrest Tucker and the always-riveting Mark Stevens, seen in October...I saw one more Danny Kaye-Virginia Mayo-Steve Cochran film, A SONG IS BORN (1948)...Gary Cooper starred in TASK FORCE (1949), an interesting film about the origins of the U.S. aircraft carrier program...Jane Wyatt played Cooper's wife in TASK FORCE, and she also starred with Preston Foster in WE'RE ONLY HUMAN (1935), an engaging little newspaper movie...WINGS OF THE NAVY (1939) starred a trio of favorites, George Brent, Olivia de Havilland, and John Payne...BRIMSTONE (1949) was a good Rod Cameron Western with Walter Brennan channeling his famed Old Man Clanton role from MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946)...RETURN OF THE GUNFIGHTER (1967) was a really excellent late-career Robert Taylor Western...and I revisited one of my all-time favorite films, Tyrone Power's THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940).

...Early in November I saw another '50s British film with an American star, TERROR ON A TRAIN (1953) with Glenn Ford...I started watching the DR. KILDARE series with YOUNG DR. KILDARE (1938)...HER CARDBOARD LOVER (1942), with Norma Shearer, Robert Taylor, and George Sanders, was goofy fun...POSSESSED (1947) was an interesting psychological drama starring Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, and Raymond Massey...and Thanksgiving week I watched MGM's Pilgrim drama PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE (1952) starring Spencer Tracy, Gene Tierney, and Van Johnson.

...There wasn't as much movie viewing time in December, but I still fit in a few films, starting with Rock Hudson, Marcia Henderson, and Steve Cochran in the "Northerner" BACK TO GOD'S COUNTRY (1953)...James Stewart and Hedy Lamarr are charming as their marriage "in name only" begins to turn real in COME LIVE WITH ME (1941)...I revisited a pair of favorite Western noir titles, RAMROD (1947) and STATION WEST (1948), in my first visit to the New Beverly Cinema in decades...It was also a pleasure to revisit the excellent WWII homecoming drama TILL THE END OF TIME (1946), which has good performances by Guy Madison, Dorothy McGuire, and Robert Mitchum...and I liked watching the MGM British drama IF WINTER COMES (1947) with Walter Pidgeon, Deborah Kerr, Janet Leigh, and Angela Lansbury, an imperfect yet enjoyable movie.

Finally, I'd like to once again thank each and every visitor to this blog. You are all deeply appreciated, and I wish all my readers good health, happiness, and lots of classic movies in 2015!

Previously: Tonight's Movie in 2009: The Year in Review; Tonight's Movie in 2010: The Year in Review; Tonight's Movie in 2011: The Year in Review; Tonight's Movie in 2012: The Year in Review; Tonight's Movie in 2013: The Year in Review.

Update: Please enjoy the brief video my husband created to celebrate my 2014 movie year!

Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the internet...

...I often seem to lead off with news regarding Kino Lorber Studio Classics releases, but their busy Blu-ray schedule deserves special notice! In the last few days they've announced three July 20th Blu-ray releases: THE BRIDE COMES HOME (1935) and THE GILDED LILY (1935), starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray, plus Cecil B. DeMille's THE PLAINSMAN (1936) starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. THE BRIDE COMES HOME will have a commentary track by Lee Gambin, while Kat Ellinger does the commentary for THE GILDED LILY, which costars Ray Milland. (Both Colbert-MacMurray films are available on DVD from TCM Vault.) Simon Abrams handles the commentary for THE PLAINSMAN, previously out on DVD from Universal.

...Last week I shared that Kino Lorber announced a July 13th release date for the "never on DVD" THE WEB (1947). In the last week Kino Lorber also announced that LARCENY (1948) and ALIAS NICK BEAL (1949), which have also not previously been available for home viewing, will also be out on July 13th. That will be a great viewing month! LARCENY will have a commentary track by Eddy von Mueller and ALIAS NICK BEAL will have a track by the Film Noir Foundation's Eddie Muller. (Perhaps worth noting that these tracks are by two different gentlemen with similar names.)

...THUNDERBOLT (1929), with Fay Wray and Richard Arlen, directed by Josef von Sternberg, has now been announced for a July 20th Kino Lorber release. Nick Pinkerton provides the commentary track.

...The final bit of Kino Lorber news for this week is the announcement of two "coming soon" films: FLOWER DRUM SONG (1961) and THE ACCUSED (1949). I reviewed THE ACCUSED here after seeing it at the 2017 Noir City Film Festival.

...At Out of the Past, Raquel Stecher has her latest list of new and upcoming classic film books. I always enjoy reading these lists and jotting down future reading ideas! Titles of interest include memoirs by Ruta Lee and George Chakiris. I also especially look forward to a new biography of Jane Russell, mentioned here last September, by my friend Christina Rice.

...The latest episode of Dick Dinman's podcast is a conversation with Jeremy Arnold on WINGS OF THE HAWK (1953). Jeremy, who knew the film's director, Budd Boetticher, provided the commentary track for Kino Lorber's new Blu-ray release of the film. I reviewed the Blu-ray here last month.

...Over at Riding the High Country Colin reviews QUANTEZ (1957), starring Fred MacMurray and Dorothy Malone. I first saw that film in 2014 and will be circling back to it when I review Kino Lorber's upcoming Blu-ray this summer.

...The WBShop ended business as of March 31st, but Warner Archive Collection fans may want to note that there is a new WAC page at Amazon. However, while Warner Archive Blu-rays ship promptly for Amazon Prime customers, Amazon is not shipping Warner Archive DVDs for over a month. (In contrast, I've had Deep Discount ship WAC DVDs within 24 hours recently.) It will be interesting to see if anything else comes online to replace the WBShop.

...I'm excited to listen to the latest edition of Vincent's Western Movies Podcast, featuring my friend John Knight discussing director Alfred L. Werker. Also, I'll have more information here when it's available, but my husband and I will be featured in an upcoming episode of the podcast focusing on Lone Pine, California.

...At Watching Forever, Toni Ruberto discusses the history of THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR (1947) as both book and film. Her post is part of the Classic Literature on Film Blogathon hosted by Silver Screen Classics. The other interesting contributions include Rachel of Hamlette's Soliloquy on JANE EYRE (1943).

...Former child actress Karolyn Grimes has updated her 1996 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE COOKBOOK. The new edition comes out from Citadel in September. Arriving the same date: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: THE OFFICIAL BAILEY FAMILY COOKBOOK from Insight Editions.

...Coming in June from Arrow Films: A limited edition Blu-ray MAJOR DUNDEE (1965), starring Charlton Heston and directed by Sam Peckinpah. The extensive extras include a commentary track teaming Alan K. Rode with CineSavant Glenn Erickson, as well as an essay by the Self-Styled Siren, Farran Nehme.

...Alan Rode has also done a new commentary for a limited edition Blu-ray of THE BRIDGES AT TOKO-RI (1954), which combines his film expertise with his knowledge acquired as a U.S. Navy veteran.

...The opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has been pushed back to 2023 due to COVID.

...James L. Neibaur recently reviewed the trio of Bob Hope comedies I also reviewed here in March.

...Notable Passing: Chelsea Allyn Ladd, the daughter of Alan Ladd Jr. and granddaughter of Alan Ladd, has died at the age of 34.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please check out my March 27th roundup.

Happy Easter!

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Tonight's Movie: Gold Is Where You Find It (1938) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT (1938), one of the earliest feature films shot in three-strip Technicolor, has been released on DVD by the Warner Archive.

The first Technicolor film was BECKY SHARP (1935), released by RKO, followed by titles such as Paramount's TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE (1936) and GOD'S COUNTRY AND THE WOMAN (1937), a Warner Bros. release.

GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT was shot in 1937 and released by Warner Bros. early in 1938; a few months later the studio also released the spectacular Technicolor adventure THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938).

GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT focuses on the battle between hydraulic miners and farmers in 1870s Northern California. The story is so-so -- Californians will probably find it more interesting than most -- but the film is elevated by its deep cast and strong production values.

George Brent, who had also starred in the 1937 Technicolor movie GOD'S COUNTRY AND THE WOMAN, plays Jared Whitney, an engineer working for gold miners whose hydraulic mining methods are flooding out local farmers.

Jared falls in love with young Serena (Olivia de Havilland, who was about 20 when this was filmed), the daughter of a gentleman farmer (Claude Rains); Serena's father breaks up Jared and Serena's romance since he views Jared as the enemy.

Jared, of course, is a reasonable fellow and when the farmers win a court case he joins with them in a battle against the miners at the mining site.

There's a lot I like about this film, starting with Jared and Serena's charming relationship as they bond over her love for her apple orchard and he shows her a new way to irrigate her trees. Her anxious desire to impress him and his constant "Isn't she adorable?" expression are both quite sweet. I especially like their lighter early scenes together; later in the movie de Havilland has the tendency to handle melodrama by clutching her hands to her chest. That said, she's a lot of fun to watch, and the genial Brent is someone I'm always glad to see onscreen.

It's also very enjoyable watching a film with so many good actors, including Claude Rains, Margaret Lindsay, Tim Holt, Harry Davenport, and Barton MacLane. There are many more notable character faces in the film including Sidney Toler, Clarence Kolb, Willie Best, Russell Simpson, Henry O'Neill, and Gabby Hayes.

Since I first saw this film over five years ago, I've become quite a fan of Tim Holt, who plays Serena's initially immature brother, Lance. It was fun to circle back to this, having seen Holt in many films in the intervening time. Lance is a substantial role, and Holt does quite well in it. I was also impressed that in a scene where Lance jumps his horse over a low fence it is clearly Holt on the horse.

One of the film's biggest drawbacks is the way the plot tends to jump around, leaving threads trailing off into nowhere, whether it's the abrupt introduction of Lindsay as de Havilland's aunt -- the viewer must piece together in a dinner scene that she's married to Rains' brother, played by John Litel -- and what's with the married Lindsay's jealousy of de Havilland's relationship with Brent? One has the feeling there was originally more to Lindsay's character than ended up in the final film.

Likewise, the development of the Brent-de Havilland relationship is somewhat truncated; de Havilland has dialogue which seems to indicate a scene was cut and, indeed, there is a de Havilland-Brent scene in the trailer which is not in the final movie, as well as at least one still of yet another scene not in the film.

GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT was directed by Michael Curtiz and filmed by Sol Polito. Location shooting took place near Weaverville, California. The film runs 94 minutes.

A side note, I wonder if any other actress was in as many color films in the first half decade of the Technicolor process as de Havilland? In addition to GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT and ROBIN HOOD, she appeared in DODGE CITY (1939), THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX (1939), and of course GONE WITH THE WIND (1939).

While many scenes in GOLD IS WHERE YOU FIND IT look lovely, some of the scenes in this DVD print are noticeably soft. The film would benefit from restoration; perhaps that will happen at some point, given the film's significance as a fairly early Technicolor movie.

The DVD includes the trailer.

Other recent de Havilland Warner Archive releases which have been reviewed here are WINGS OF THE NAVY (1939) and GOVERNMENT GIRL (1943).

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from Amazon and other online retailers.