Heroes for Sale (1933)

Heroes for Sale (1933)

[7] Heroes for Sale follows Tom Holmes (Richard Barthelmess) through a near-death experience on the World War I battle front to a resulting morphine addiction upon his return to America. We see him lose his job and get rehabilitated, only…
Frisco Jenny (1932)

Frisco Jenny (1932)

[7] Ruth Chatterton is our title character, a bootlegging madam in 1906 San Francisco. The big earthquake claims the lives of her father and fiancée, and she ends up giving birth in a Chinatown basement. When poverty gives her no…
Call of the Wild (1935)

Call of the Wild (1935)

[8] William Wellman directs Clark Gable in this loose adaptation of Jack London's classic novel. While the book is entirely from the point-of-view of Buck, a weathered sled dog, this film version focuses more on human characters. Gable and his…
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…
Lafayette Escadrille (1958)

Lafayette Escadrille (1958)

[6] William Wellman's (Wings, The Ox-Bow Incident) final film is also his most autobiographical, combining his experiences as an American volunteer in the French Legion during World War I with the experiences of a friend who fell in love with…
The Happy Years (1950)

The Happy Years (1950)

[7] Thirteen-year-old Dean Stockwell (Kim, The Dunwich Horror) stars in this turn-of-the-century coming-of-age flick about a mischievous boy who mellows after years of preparatory school. Stockwell plays "Dink" Stover, who in the first act of the film is responsible for…
Lady of Burlesque (1943)

Lady of Burlesque (1943)

[6] Barbara Stanwyck stars in this comedy about a night of multiple murders at a burlesque opera house. Between the dancers sharing a small dressing space, a few shady boyfriends and stage hands, a snooty visiting Russian princess, and an…
Safe in Hell (1931)

Safe in Hell (1931)

[6] Director William Wellman (Wings, Battleground) opens Safe in Hell with the title in flames, and I interpret that to mean, "Buckle up for melodrama." Dorothy Mackaill stars as a woman who hits hard times in New Orleans while her…
A Star is Born (1937)

A Star is Born (1937)

[6] Janet Gaynor and Fredric March star in a love story so good, they've made it four times now -- most recently with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the roles. Gaynor plays a small-town girl with dreams of becoming…