The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on August 13, 2015

"Bah!" Of all the actors and actresses who appeared in 1930s films, Charles Sellon (1870-1937) was certainly one of them. A native of Boston, Sellon made his stage debut in 1901 and his film debut in 1923. He was rarely the lead; skinny and with a long face, with a...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on August 6, 2015

The opening exchange of the 1928 film "Lights of New York," a conversation between two gangsters in a hotel room, goes something like this: Gangster 1: The bootleg rap against us has been dropped -- and we can go back to the big town tomorrow. (Long pause, during which Lindbergh...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on August 6, 2015

The opening exchange of the 1928 film "Lights of New York," a conversation between two gangsters in a hotel room, goes something like this: Gangster 1: The bootleg rap against us has been dropped -- and we can go back to the big town tomorrow. (Long pause, during which Lindbergh...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on July 31, 2015

The 1932 film "State's Attorney" and its 1937 remake, "Criminal Lawyer," are based on the same story by Louis Stevens. But in the hands of different screenwriters working under different production codes -- and performed by lead actors with distinctively different styles -- you get two, well, diffe   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on July 31, 2015

The 1932 film "State's Attorney" and its 1937 remake, "Criminal Lawyer," are based on the same story by Louis Stevens. But in the hands of different screenwriters working under different production codes -- and performed by lead actors with distinctively different styles -- you get two, well, diffe   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on July 20, 2015

A funny thing happened to movies in the early 1960s -- they got more "daring" in the sense that they included sexual language and dealt with adult themes. The weird thing is, they did this in an awkward, shame-based way -- so much so that they seem downright childish compared...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on July 20, 2015

A funny thing happened to movies in the early 1960s -- they got more "daring" in the sense that they included sexual language and dealt with adult themes. The weird thing is, they did this in an awkward, shame-based way -- so much so that they seem downright childish compared...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on May 28, 2015

Click here to read my review of the 1929 film "The Vagabond Lover." What follows is some background on the movie: Before Bieber, before Timberlake, before Elvis and Sinatra and even before Crosby, there was Vallee. In the late 1920s, Rudy Vallee and his band, the Connecticut Yankees, were hu   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on May 28, 2015

Click here to read my review of the 1929 film "The Vagabond Lover." What follows is some background on the movie: Before Bieber, before Timberlake, before Elvis and Sinatra and even before Crosby, there was Vallee. In the late 1920s, Rudy Vallee and his band, the Connecticut Yankees, were hu   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on May 14, 2015

The 1929 film "The Squall" is a notoriously bad early talkie that I skewered in this post. If you're interested, here's a little background on the movie. The arrival of "The Squall" in the nation’s theatres during the summer of 1929 provoked this response from moviegoers and critics alike:   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on May 14, 2015

The 1929 film "The Squall" is a notoriously bad early talkie with an over-the-top performance by Myrna Loy that I skewered in this post. If you're interested, here's a little background on the movie. The arrival of "The Squall" in the nation’s theatres during the summer of 1929 provoked this   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on May 1, 2015

This is part of the CMBA Fabulous Films of the '30s Blogathon! Hollywood's Most Famous Bad Man Joins the "G-Men" and Halts the March of Crime! -- ad for "G-Men" in Variety, April 1935 1934 was a bad year to be a gangster. On May 23, Bonnie and Clyde were...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on May 1, 2015

This is part of the CMBA Fabulous Films of the '30s Blogathon! Hollywood's Most Famous Bad Man Joins the "G-Men" and Halts the March of Crime! -- ad for "G-Men" in Variety, April 1935 1934 was a bad year to be a gangster. On May 23, Bonnie and Clyde were...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on April 1, 2015

This is part of the Pre-Code Blogathon sponsored by Danny at Pre-Code.com and Karen at Shadows and Satin. Please visit either and/or both of them for more offerings. The 1932 film "Love Me Tonight" lets you know you are in for something special from the very beginning: You haven't he   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on April 1, 2015

This is part of the Pre-Code Blogathon sponsored by Danny at Pre-Code.com and Karen at Shadows and Satin. Please visit either and/or both of them for more offerings. The 1932 film "Love Me Tonight" lets you know you are in for something special from the very beginning: You haven't he   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on March 27, 2015

This is part of the Favorite TV Show Episode Blogathon sponsored by Terence at A Shroud of Thoughts, where you can access all the entries. "Scratch My Car and Die" aired on March 25, 1964, approximately midway through the five-year run of "The Dick Van Dyke Show," and by no...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on March 27, 2015

This is part of the Favorite TV Show Episode Blogathon sponsored by Terence at A Shroud of Thoughts. "Scratch My Car and Die" aired on March 25, 1964, approximately midway through the five-year run of "The Dick Van Dyke Show," and by no means is it the best episode of...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on January 19, 2015

Vildkatten, that satin doll. Here are some words you will rarely, if ever, see in the same sentence: "Kim Kardashian" and "talent." "Downton Abbey" and "rowdy." "Joan Crawford" and "lighthearted." Yes, I like to pick on Joan Crawford. Hey, at least I'm straight up about it, ya feel me? It's...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on January 19, 2015

Vildkatten, that satin doll. Here are some words you will rarely, if ever, see in the same sentence: "Kim Kardashian" and "talent." "Downton Abbey" and "rowdy." "Joan Crawford" and "lighthearted." Yes, I like to pick on Joan Crawford. Hey, at least I'm straight up about it, ya feel me? It's...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on January 7, 2015

The personal, private, top, top super-secret diary of Nasa Springer No boys allowed! (tee-hee) June 12, 1932 Dear Diary: Just got back from riding my horses across our vast Texas estate. We stopped for a water break at Dallas and then got as far as Amarillo before we turned back....   read more