The Crowd Roars (1932)

The Crowd Roars (1932)

[4] James Cagney stars as a racecar driver who sacrifices his relationship with Ann Dvorak to help his kid brother (Eric Linden) follow in his skid marks. But when Dvorak gets even by encouraging a girlfriend (Joan Blondell) to take…
Other Men’s Women (1931)

Other Men’s Women (1931)

[7] Two train engineers put their friendship to the test when one of them falls in love with the other's wife in this noteworthy drama from William Wellman (Battleground, The High and the Mighty). I really enjoyed the first half…
Night Nurse (1931)

Night Nurse (1931)

[8] Barbara Stanwyck stars in this pre-code drama about a scrappy young nurse trying to save two sick children from an evil chauffeur (Clark Gable) whose poisoning them so he can marry their drunk mother (Charlotte Merriam) and steal their…
Big Brown Eyes (1936)

Big Brown Eyes (1936)

[6] Cary Grant and Joan Blondell star as a private eye and a manicurist-turned-journalist who help solve a mystery that began as a jewelry theft ring and escalates to the accidental shooting death of a baby in Central Park. Yeah,…
The Reckless Hour (1931)

The Reckless Hour (1931)

[5] Dorothy Mackaill stars as a young woman strung along by a wealthy suitor who eventually declines to marry her, souring her relationship with any man until a rich artist comes along and strikes her fancy. The Reckless Hour is…
Nightmare Alley (1947)

Nightmare Alley (1947)

[5] Tyrone Power (The Black Swan) takes a dark turn in this flick about a carnival mentalist whose ambitions get the better of him. At first his character uses his powers for good, like tricking the police into letting his…
Miss Pinkerton (1932)

Miss Pinkerton (1932)

[6] Joan Blondell (The Public Enemy, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) stars as a bored nurse who gets recruited by a police detective to infiltrate a rich family's mansion and help him solve a suicide case that looks suspiciously like…
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)

[7] Elia Kazan (East of Eden) made the jump from Broadway plays to feature films with this adaptation of the book by Betty Smith. The story centers around a young girl named Francie growing up in Brooklyn in the early…
The Public Enemy (1931)

The Public Enemy (1931)

[7] James Cagney makes his breakthrough performance as a Chicago street kid who becomes a successful gangster during prohibition. I don't usually like gangster movies, but director William Wellman (Wings, The Ox-Bow Incident) frames The Public Enemy as a cautionary…
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

[5] Not being a poker player, there's probably a lot about The Cincinatti Kid that I simply don't get. Still, for a movie about people sitting at a table playing cards, it ain't half bad. Steve McQueen and Edward G.…