Break of Hearts (1935)

Break of Hearts (1935)

[3] Katharine Hepburn plays an aspiring composer who falls in love with a successful conductor. He cheats on her, they split up, they miss each other, they get back together. Snore. Supporting player John Beal is five times more appealing…
Marked Woman (1937)

Marked Woman (1937)

[6] Five ladies of ill repute muster the courage to take the stand against their evil nightclub boss in this Bette Davis vehicle. Davis overacts a tad (doesn't she always?), but Humphrey Bogart is reliable in the role of the…
Four’s a Crowd (1938)

Four’s a Crowd (1938)

[7] It's surprising Errol Flynn didn't make more screwball comedies, because he's completely at home in this 'who's duping who' comedy, outrunning the guard dogs, shaking hands with people in side-by-side moving cars, and carrying on romantic telephone conversations with…
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

[8] This one is often regarded as the first quintessential Alfred Hitchcock film, and what's not to like? A little girl is kidnapped and her family are forced to go through the hoops for her safe return. Peter Lorre steals…
Tarzan Escapes (1936)

Tarzan Escapes (1936)

[6] Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan take a third swing at playing Tarzan and Jane in another solid entry in the long-running Tarzan series. This time around, swindlers convince Jane to leave the jungle to settle an inheritance dispute back…
Chandu the Magician (1932)

Chandu the Magician (1932)

[6] When a madman kidnaps the inventor of a lethal ray gun, it's up to a powerful hypnotist named Chandu to stop the fiend from unleashing the death ray on the world. This is Bela Lugosi in his prime. His…
Satan Met a Lady (1936)

Satan Met a Lady (1936)

[4] This second retelling of The Maltese Falcon (before John Huston proved the the third time was the charm) is a bizarre pseudo-comedy with an ingratiating performance by Warren William in the role Humphrey Bogart would later immortalize. Warren got…
The Maltese Falcon (1931)

The Maltese Falcon (1931)

[5] A mysterious woman enters detective Sam Spade's office with information about a valuable statue called the Maltese Falcon. Spade is soon swept up into a mystery involving multiple pursuers of the statue in this famous story from Dashielle Hammett.…
Red-Headed Woman (1932)

Red-Headed Woman (1932)

[5] Jean Harlow plays such a nasty little character in Red-Headed Woman, sleeping her way to the top of the workforce while ending marriages left and right. She's so cold and calculating, I almost wish the movie would have been…
M (1931)

M (1931)

[7] Peter Lorre gives a star-making performance as a child murderer running from both the law and the criminal underground in this stylish early 'talkie' from Fritz Lang (Metropolis). As much as I love both Lang and Lorre, M is…