Remember the Night (1939)

I've seen this a few times but had never before watched it with Gary and, somehow, seeing it with him deepened the story for me. Though Stanwyck's character is a shoplifter, it's clear that she made the same mistake that MacMurray's character did in his youth: stealing from mom. The difference is that his mother used it as a teachable moment, instilling in him honesty and justice, while hers publicly shamed and rejected her, teaching her nothing other than "better not get caught." When she's able to spend a week with his family, their welcoming spirit of kindness goes to work on her and makes her want to be better.

I was wrong in my original review when I said that there's only one surprise in this movie -- it zigs when we expect zags. It both fills the heart and makes me want to extend forgiveness rather than to dispense judgment.

A-

Remember the Night (1939)

Shoplifter gets arrested close to Christmas and the savvy prosecutor, eager to get on the road to his hometown, gets the case delayed til the new year. He feels bad, though, when he realizes that means the accused will have to spend the holidays in the clink. Since the crook’s Barbara Stanwyck and the lawyer’s Fred MacMurray, he bails her out and takes her home for the holidays.

There's only one surprise in this movie and it comes right at the end, but that’s fine. We knew what we were getting and that's exactly what we wanted.

B

Babes in Arms (1939)

I am genuinely glad that I didn't grow up in the era that Mickey Rooney was considered a movie star; I find almost everything about him annoying. And, since this is the Mickey Rooney show, I found this movie annoying.

Basically, vaudeville is dying out and the show-biz families are taking their show on the road as a last ditch effort to revive it. They leave their teenage and younger kids behind to be threatened with being shipped off to some kind of a boarding school. To combat this very non showbiz fate, the kids put on a show. Judy Garland's voice is fine, even in blackface (!!), but nothing else about this both manic and tired musical is.

I'd much rather watch a show put on by The Little Rascals!

D-

The Four Feathers (1939)

Harry Faversham is a sensitive boy trapped in a military family. He fulfills the expectations placed on him by joining up and reaching the level of lieutenant. But when his unit is called to action in the Sudan, he resigns immediately -- causing three fellow soldiers and his fiancé to formally label him a coward by sending the titular feathers to him. So...he decides to go, on his own, to the Sudan and work dangerously undercover, becoming an even bigger hero than any of his friends.

The problem is that Harry's friends weren't wrong. He was a coward who was shamed into stepping up. His decision was more about saving face than true bravery. Absolutely no one to admire in this one...which made it hard for me to feel touched or excited by the derring-do.

C+

Beau Geste (1939)

I can't believe this didn't get more nominations! It had the bad fortune to be released the same year as Gone with the Wind so it wouldn't have won any of them anyway…but not to even be one of the TEN nominees for best picture is downright crazy!

This one's flat-out terrific. Wonderful story of courage and loyalty with a lot of fun thrown in, too.

A-

Juarez (1939)

I'm not a fan of war films, but this one is an exception. The intrigue was easy to follow and the human element, on both sides of the issue, was portrayed sympathetically. It is purported to be historically accurate, and the history is fascinating. I love honorable characters and to have two noble leaders forced to face off would have been compelling as fiction...because this is history, it's even stronger.

B

Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)

Reminded me a lot of Stagecoach, which I guess shouldn't surprise me as they were made the same year with the same director. Not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination; stereotypes abound -- the "good" Indian being an especially cringe-worthy example thereof. Fonda's good and Edna May Oliver, nominated for her work, is terrific.

B-

Stagecoach (1939)

Quickly paced story about a stagecoach traveling through Apache territory with quite a mixture of people on board. John Wayne (of whom I'm not overly fond) is charming, and Claire Trevor is lovely. Pretty good, although the comic relief was almost too much at times.

B-

It's a Wonderful World (1939)

Enjoyable screwball silliness.

B+

Dark Victory (1939)

Muted melodrama for the first 7/8 of the runtime…gets good only as it’s about to end. Why did the main characters fall in love? The guy's a stiff and the girl's a selfish bore.

C+

Wuthering Heights (1939)

They took a book full of malice and dread and turned it into a movie about unfulfilled soul mates. Ah well.

C+

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Touching story of a good man honorarily appointed to a seat in the Senate only to become disillusioned but quick. Stewart is wonderful and Arthur isn't bad, either…but her voice is just as awful as always. The hearing scene, where Stewart is defamed, is just heartbreaking.

A-