Vampyr (1932)
[6] An occultist beds down at a remote inn where he discovers a young lady succumbing to vampirism after being bitten by an old woman -- an old woman who is supposed to be buried in a nearby graveyard. Despite its title,…
The Mayor of Hell (1933)
[6] James Cagney and Frankie Darro star in this story of abuse at a boy's reform school. Darro plays a teenaged gang member sentenced to the school, where the cruel superintendent (Dudley Digges) whips the boys for slightest infractions. Cagney's character is…
Stella Dallas (1937)
[4] As much as I love Barbara Stanwyck, I'm surprised to be disappointed by her first of four Oscar-nominated performances. Stanwyck plays the title character in Stella Dallas, a woman from a poor family who ingratiates herself to a wealthier man (John…
Klondike Annie (1936)
[6] After the Hays Code was enforced in 1934, reigning in sexuality and violence in Hollywood's output, Mae West's brand of sexual innuendo was greatly diminished. But the old broad still has some appeal in Klondike Annie. West plays a woman on…
Night Flight (1933)
[5] MGM tries to recreate the success of Grand Hotel by stuffing another roster of big stars into an ensemble drama. This time the story takes place in the air, as pilots risk their lives to deliver mail by night over stormy…
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
[8] Gary Cooper (Friendly Persuasion, Ball of Fire) stars as Longfellow Deeds, a small-town idealist who inherits twenty million dollars and moves to New York City, where he becomes increasingly frustrated with the myriad people who try to take advantage of him.…
Wings in the Dark (1935)
[5] Myrna Loy and Cary Grant play competing pilots-for-hire who fall in love after Grant's character is blinded in a workshop accident. Grant's blindness sends him into frustration and depression, but Loy does her best to give him reasons to live. She…
The Invisible Man (1933)
[8] Claude Rains (Casablanca, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) stars as a scientist who makes himself invisible, but struggles to find a way to reverse his situation. As he toils, the experiment wears on his sanity, turning him into a heartless, cold-blooded…
Lost Horizon (1937)
[5] In this film from the great Frank Capra (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It Happened One Night), Ronald Colman (Oscar-winner for A Double Life) stars as a celebrated diplomat who leads a small band of Brits on a plane out of…
Search for Beauty (1934)
[6] Three con artists trick two celebrity athletes into serving as editors for a new 'Health and Fitness' magazine. The athletes (Buster Crabbe and Ida Lupino) soon learn they are just figureheads meant to draw credibility and increase circulation for the publication…