One Rainy Afternoon (1936)

One Rainy Afternoon (1936)

starring Francis Lederer, Ida Lupino

directed by Rowland V. Lee

80 minutes

One rainy afternoon in Paris, struggling actor Philippe Martin (Francis Lederer) goes to the theater with Yvonne, his lover. She doesn't want to be seen with him because she is married so he agrees to meet her in the theater after the lights go down. There is a mix up and Phillipe winds up in seat 99 instead of seat 66. He kisses the woman sitting next to him, Monique Pelerin (Ida Lupino), thinking that she is Yvonne. Monique makes enough noise about it that the lights come up in the theater, the movie is stopped, and Philippe gets arrested.

La Règle du jeu (1939)

La Règle du jeu (1939)

aka The Rules of the Game

starring Marcel Dalio, Nora Gregor, Paulette Dubost

directed by Jean Renoir

110 minutes

in French with English subtitles

Robert (Marcel Dalio) and Christine de la Cheyniest (Nora Gregor) invite friends over for a weekend at their palatial home. The guest list includes former and current lovers of both spouses. The infidelity extends beyond the party guests to the servants including Lisette Schumacher (Paulette Dubost), Christine's chamber maid, who despite being married finds herself attracted to Marceau, a new addition to the staff. Ultimately the infidelity leads to tragedy as one of the guests is killed by Lisette's husband who thinks he witnesses Lisette being unfaithful with one of the guests.

Okay, America! (1932)

Okay, America! (1932)

starring Lew Ayres, Maureen O'Sullivan, Louis Calhern

directed by Tay Garnett

78 minutes

Newspaper columnist Larry Wayne (Lew Ayres) sniffs around town looking for a subject for his next column until he stumbles across a big one. One of Larry's sources tips him off to the fact that Mileaway Russell (Louis Calhern) is the one who kidnapped missing heiress Ruth Drake.

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

starring Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Ernest Thesiger

directed by James Whale

75 minutes

Doctor Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) comes to Henry Frankenstein while he is recovering from wounds sustained during the fight with the Monster, towards the end of the Frankenstein (1931). Pretorius suggests that they should work together to make a mate for the Monster. Henry wavers and at first agrees to work with Pretorius.

The Monster kills the parents of the young girl whom he drowned in the previous film. An armed mob hunts down the creature, captures it alive and locks it up, but it escapes. It has a friendly encounter with a blind man who befriends it and teaches it how to speak. The Monster later meets Dr. Pretorius by chance. 

Frankenstein (1931)

Frankenstein (1931)

starring Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff

directed by James Whale

70 minutes

Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) ignores Elizabeth (Mae Clarke) his fiancée and works in his lab. Using a collection of body parts that he stole with the help of Fritz, his faithful assistant, Henry brings to life a man-like creation (Boris Karloff) which is later described by some as The Monster. 

Henry delights in what he has wrought until his creation kills Fritz and almost kills him. Doctor Waldman, Henry’s mentor, convinces him to abandon his research and return to Elizabeth. Waldman promises to look after and dispose of The Monster.

Ninotchka (1939)

Ninotchka (1939)

starring Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas

directed by Ernst Lubitsch

110 minutes

Nina Ivanovna Yashukova aka Ninotchka (Greta Garbo) an envoy of the Soviet Union, is sent to Paris to help deal with a legal matter that arises when three representatives of her government are trying to sell the confiscated jewels of a Russian noblewoman. Ninotchka meets Count Leon d'Algout (Melvyn Douglas), the representative of the Russian noblewoman who seeks to recover her jewelery, by chance on the street in Paris.

The count and Ninotchka fall in love but her boss back in Russia and the Russian noblewoman that he represents are opposed to the match for different reasons.

The Petrified Forest (1936)

The Petrified Forest (1936)

starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart

directed by Archie Mayo

82 minutes

Gabrielle Maple (Bette Davis) takes care of her family's roadside diner in Arizona while her father is away on business. Alan Squier (Leslie Howard), a hitchhiker, stops at the diner for a bite to eat. She falls for him but his broken heart won't let him reciprocate her feelings. Alan leaves but returns when he learns Duke Mantee (Humphrey Bogart), a killer, and his gang are headed for the diner.

A sandstorm forces many people, including Duke Mantee and his gang, Alan, and others to take shelter in the diner. The police are searching for Mantee and the tension rises as the sandstorm and the armed fugitives force the others to stay put.

Port of Shadows (1938)

Le quai des brumes (1938)

or Port of Shadows

starring Jean Gabin, Michel Simon, Michèle Morgan, Pierre Brasseur

directed by Marcel Carné

in French with English subtitles

Jean (Jean Gabin), a deserter, arrives in Le Havre looking for transport away from France. He meets Nelly (Michèle Morgan) at a small run down establishment. Jean gets on the bad side of Lucien, a local wannabe tough guy, when he stands up for Nelly when Lucien tries forcing himself on her.

Jean and Nelly's budding romance encounters another roadblock in the form of Zabel (Michel Simon), her lecherous godfather. Jean books passage for himself on a ship headed to Venezuela but before the ship leaves the body of Maurice, Nelly's ex-boyfriend surfaces in the harbor. Jean immediately becomes a suspect.

Mad Love (1935)

Mad Love (1935)

starring Peter Lorre, Frances Drakes, Colin Clive

directed by Karl Freund

68 minutes

Doctor Gogol (Peter Lorre) is in love with performer Yvonne Orlac (Frances Drakes). He comes to see her show every night but she is married and doesn't have any interest in him. Stephen (Colin Clive), her husband, is a composer and concert pianist. His hands are badly damaged in a train wreck.

Doctor Gogol does what he can for Stephen, after Yvonne begs him for his help. He replaces Stephen's hands with those of Rollo, a knife-throwing murderer who was executed that same day. The operation is a success, to a degree. Stephen is able to use his new hands but he can't play the piano as well as he once did.

Stella Dallas (1937)

Stella Dallas (1937)

starring Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, Anne Shirley

directed by King Vidor

106 minutes

Stella (Barbara Stanwyck) is desperate to get away from the poor family life into which she was born. She finds a man, Stephen Dallas (John Boles), who grew up fairly well off. They get married but he isn't very exciting. They have a daughter together, Laurel (Anne Shirley). Stella dotes on Laurel but she also starts hanging out with Ed Munn, a gambler.

Stephen moves from Massachusetts, where Stella grew up and where they currently live, to New York, to work. More than a decade passes, Laurel grows up. Stella tries to give her daughter what she thinks she needs. Stella is very focused on the material things.

Nothing Ever Happens (1933)

Nothing Ever Happens (1933)

starring Jack Lionel Bohn, Charles Judels

directed by Roy Mack

19 minutes

This is a musical short that is modeled, in some ways, after Grand Hotel (1932), although there were no musical numbers or dancing chorus girls in Grand Hotel.

Most of the actors in this short don't have very many credits at IMDb. None of them are names or faces that I recognize.

This was amusing at times. I don't feel as if it was necessary to watch just because I had seen Grand Hotel. It mirrors some of the plot points in Grand Hotel but not all of them.

Grand Hotel (1932)

Grand Hotel (1932)

starring Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore

directed by Edmund Goulding

112 minutes

Several people's lives intersect over the course of 24 hours at the Grand Hotel in Berlin.

Baron Felix von Gaigern (John Barrymore) isn't what he claims to be. He's really a thief who owes money to loan sharks. He has agreed to steal enough jewelery from one of the other guests to pay off his debts.

Famous ballet dancer Grusinskaya (Greta Garbo) is depressed. her jewelry is the Baron's intended target. He has been sending her flowers which she has been ignoring. Her mood doesn't change until he charms her into believing that he broke into her room because he was concerned for her well being.

Flaemschen (Joan Crawford) is a stenographer who has been hired to work for Preysing (Wallace Beery), the director of a rag manufacturer. His company is on hard times. He hopes for a merger with another company and to get Flaemschen to do more than what she has officially been hired to do.

Bookkeeper Otto Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore) has been given a terminal diagnosis. He is an employee of Preysing's company. Kringelein has decided to spent his last days living it up at the Grand Hotel. Preysing has no idea who he is even after he introduces himself.

Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

starring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Thomas Mitchell, Richard Barthlemess, Rita Hayworth

directed by Howard Hawks

Bonnie Lee (Jean Arthur) gets off the ocean liner on which she is travelling in Barranca, somewhere in South America. She explores the town and winds up at an airport run by an American flying company owned by Geoff Carter (Cary Grant). She ends up sticking around for a week after she lets the ocean liner take off without her, in part because she has developed a fondness for Geoff.

Life at the airport gets more complicated after one pilot is killed when his plane crashes. His replacement, Bat MacPherson (Richard Barthlemess) and his wife Judy (Rita Hayworth), have ties to the crew of the airport. Judy dated Geoff before she got married. Bat bailed out of an airplane in a parachute once, leaving the other man in the airplane to die when the plane crashed. Kid (Thaomas Mitchell) is the brother of the man who died in that airplane crash.

Twentieth Century (1934)

Twentieth Century (1934)

starring John Barrymore, Carole Lombard

directed by Howard Hawks

91 minutes

Playwright Oscar Jaffe (John Barrymore) pushes Mildred Plotka (Carole Lombard) to change her name to Lily Garland and become the star of his latest Broadway play. She accepts his mentoring in stride but after she has more than proven her abilities on the stage she rebels from his heavy handed approach. Oscar is not ready to let Lily go and seeks to get her back into his next production.

The Whole Town's Talking (1935)

The Whole Town's Talking (1935)

starring Edward G. Robinson, Jean Arthur

directed by John Ford

Arthur Jones (Edward G. Robinson) is a meek employee at an insurance company. He has a thing for Miss Clark (Jean Arthur), one of his coworkers. His life gets turned upside down when he is mistaken for "Killer" Manion, a criminal who recently escaped from prison.

Jones gets arrested. He's released after his boss vouches for him and the police discover that that his fingerprints don't match the ones on file for Manion. He's given a letter, explaining that he isn't Manion, to help him in case any other police officers try to arrest him. Jones life gets a little more complicated when Manion shows up at Jones' apartment. Manion forces Jones to help him.

Manion fools the police into thinking that he is Jones and kills one of his former business partners. Jones doesn't know where to turn for help but lucks out when Manion's henchmen get mixed up and mistake him for their boss. 

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

starring Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant

directed by Howard Hawks

102 minutes

David Huxley's (Cary Grant) life gets turned upside soon after he meets Susan Vance (Katherine Hepburn). He's a paleontologist who is about to get married when Susan enters the picture. She's a woman with a leopard that loves the song I Can't Give You Anything But Love. She needs help transporting her leopard to Connecticut. He agrees to help her and then gets stuck at her aunt's home in Connecticut .

David brought a rare dinosaur bone with him to Connecticut but George, Susan's aunt's dog, runs off with the bone. Baby, the leopard escapes. David and Susan try to find the dog and the leopard. Susan's aunt doesn't understand what they are doing.

Baby gets confused with another leopard that escapes from a circus truck. The local police get involved.

Shanghai Express (1932)

Shanghai Express (1932)

starring Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong

directed by Josef bon Sternberg

82 minutes

A group of passengers travel by train from Peking (Beijing) to Shanghai. Shanghai Lily (Marlene Dietrich) and Captain Donald Harvey (Clive Brook), former lovers who find themselves in proximity to one another for the first time in five years, are two of the passengers. Chang, one of the other passengers and the leader of a rebel army who hopes to overthrow the Chinese government. Chang takes the train hostage. 

The Glass Key (1935)

The Glass Key (1935)

starring George Raft, Edward Arnold

directed by Frank Tuttle

80 minutes

Paul Madvig (Edward Arnold) is accused of murdering Taylor Henry, the son of the Senator John T. Henry, the political candidate Madvig is backing in the upcoming election. Ed Beaumost (George Raft) does what he can to keep Madvig, his headstrong boss, out of trouble. Madvig, the political boss in town, is trying to lock everything down which has earned him some enemies. Shad O'Rory whose gambling house was shut down recently at Madvig's request, is his biggest enemy.

The situation is complicated by the fact that Madvig is fond of Janet, Senator Henry's daughter, although she does not reciprocate his feelings or have much interest in him.  The fact that Opal Madvig, Paul's daughter was dating Taylor and giving him money to help pay off gambling debts that he owed to O'Rory twists things up even more.

Beaumont does his best to protect his boss from self-sbotage, as difficult as that turns out to be.

Dark Victory (1939)

Dark Victory (1939)

starring Bette Davis, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald

directed by Edmund Goulding

104 minutes

Judith Trahern (Bette Davis) finds her life turned upside down when she learns that she has a brain tumor. Ann King (Geraldine Fitzgerald), Judith's best friend, and Frederick Steele (George Brent), Judith's doctor, try to keep her in the dark about the seriousness of the tumor but by chance she finds out the truth. She lashes out against them at first but eventually mellows.

Judith begins a romance with Frederick which she ends when she finds out about the seriousness of her condition. She re-ignites her relationship with Frederick once she gets over the emotional pain she felt. They get married and move to Vermont and enjoy what time they have left together. The tables get turned towards the end of the movie once Judith realizes that the end is very near and decides not to share that information with Frederick.

The Maltese Falcon (1931)

The Maltese Falcon (1931)

starring Bebe Daniels, Ricardo Cortez

directed by Roy Del Ruth

79 minutes

Private Investigator Sam Spade (Ricardo Cortez) is approached by Ruth Wonderly (Bebe Daniels) who needs some help finding her kid sister. Miles Archer, Spade's business partner, takes the job but turns up dead later that night. The man that Archer was tailing also turns up dead.

The police want to pin the murder on Sam when they learn that he was having an affair with Archer's wife. Sam has to think fast to avoid getting arrested. He quickly learns that the kid sister was fictional and that Wonderly is actually after something completely different. Other characters materialize who are after Wonderly and the titular black bird, the Maltese Falcon.

Sam plays the different factions off against one another as he attempts to clear his name stay alive.