Everyone knows the tale. Dr. Henry Jekyll experiments on himself, to bring out man’s dark side. The film is based on the novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson. This movie is the first successful filmed version, with acclaimed stage actor, John Barrymore, in the title role. Barrymore […]

Duck Soup is another hilarious comedy starring Groucho, Harpo and Chico. They prove once again, that no comedy team, was as effective at making audiences laugh. This film is effective political satire. It skewers all manner of politicians, and their followers. It is also the last film with Zeppo Marx. In the movie, he plays

The decade of the 1950’s is known for many things: the popularity of television, the Cold War and American prosperity. The two most famous people of that decade, were Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. Elvis became a rock star, and movie star, for many years. His popularity, like Marilyn Monroe’s, lived on after his tragic

Jane Darwell starred in many films. She is mostly famous for her academy award winning role as Ma Joad, in The Grapes of Wrath. She plays a matronly figure in The Red Stallion, Mrs. Aggie Curtis. The chief difference is her character does fall on hard times, but it is a feel good story. Aggie

King Kong is a legendary film. Its notoriety comes partly from Faye Wray screaming through much of the film. It is also known for Robert Armstrong’s performance as Carl Denham, self serving showman. Armstrong’s character could be a composite of P.T. Barnum and Frank Buck. The main feature of this film were the special effects,

The Marx Brothers were known for their zany antics, and this film is no different. You know where it’s headed in the beginning. The first officer of the cruise ship, informs the captain there are four stowaways on board. The captain asks him how he knows the number of stowaways. the first mate replies that

John Wayne in his later career, played a few hardened gunfighters. In El Dorrado, he plays Cole Thornton, a gun for hire. He gives a credible performance, particularly in scenes where he doesn’t speak; showing the effects of a bullet wound, by grimacing in pain and falling. He does well acting with Robert Mitchum. Mitchum

By The Movie Expert The first thing that comes to mind about Doctor Zhivago is the beautiful Lara’s Theme. The second thing is the Academy Award winning cinematography of Freddie Young. Here, Finland and Spain substitute for the Russian landscapes. The film tells the mostly tragic story of Doctor Yuri Zhivago, (Omar Sharif), spanning roughly

Although this film has a top notch cast, it plays like a B western. John Wayne had experience doing those. He plays his role well as Roy Glennister. Even though surrounded by talent, like Marlene Dietrich and Randolph Scott, he holds his own. He isn’t a presence in this film; that happened years later. He

Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck were both on their way to becoming Hollywood legends, when they starred in this comedy. Fonda had just given one of the greatest performances in movie history, as Tom Joad. Stanwyck had a litany of performances, among them Stella Dallas. Although Stanwyck had acted in many comedies, Fonda wasn’t as