Friday Funnies - The Front Page (1931)

Hiya Kiddies! I actually covered a lot of the history of this film back in my discussion of His Girl Friday. That was actually a remake of this film, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, which was originally based on a broadway play. So how do the two compare?

Honestly, this one certainly has a lot going for it. Cinematographer Glen MacWilliams brings some interesting shots to the procedings, and Director Lewis Milestone does keep things moving along at a brisk pace, but there is simply no way that Adolphe Menjou and Pat O'Brien as Walter Burns and Hildy Johson can match the onscreen preence and charm of Grant and Russell. Even in scenes which remain pretty much the same from film to film, there is still the sense of something lacking. Nonetheless, it is still defintiely entertaining and Bartlett Cormack and Charles Lederer's script defintiely shines.

Haven't been able to find an embeddable clip online, so we'll just go straight to the skinny:

Title: The Front Page
Release Date: 1931
Running Time: 101 min
Black and White
Starring: Adolphe Menjou, Pat O'Brien
Directed by: Lewis Milestone
Produced by: Lewis Milestone, Howard Hughes
Distributed by: United Artists

The Front Page is available to watch or download free here.
Amazon has it available for purchase on DVD: The Front Page (1931) [Remastered Edition].

Netflix appears to be out of stock at the moment: The Front Page.

Until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian

Monday Oaters - The Over- the-Hill Gang (1969)

"We're putting the band back together!"

Well, Ok, Kiddies, I admit it, neither Jake nor Elwood are anywhere to be found in this movie, but it does have a lot of that reunion spirit. And a whole bunch of great western stars getting together for one last rodeo. The Over-the-Hill Gang  features Walter Brennan, Pat O'Brien, Chill Wills, Edgar Buchanan, Andy Devine, and Jack Elam plus a whole host of other familiar and perhaps not so familiar names and faces in the story of a group of former Texas Rangers who gather once again when their former Captain calls for help. His son-in-law is running for mayor in a small western town that has been run for too long by a corrupt mayor and his paid-off sheriff and judge, and the rangers are determined to make sure not only that the election is fair, but that the evil-doers are run out of town.

This was shot as a made-for-TV movie in 1969, and there was actually a sequel made the next year. At one point, ABC was considering the idea for a series, but that never came to pass. It's basically a pretty light adventure, but an entertaining way to spend 70 minutes with some aging stars proving not only their characters, but the actors themselves, still have the chops to get the job done.

Since it was made for TV, there's not a true trailer for this feature, but I thought I'd share with you this short promo which spotlights this and other flicks made that year for ABC's Movie of the Week:


Now, the Skinny:
Title: The Over-the-Hill Gang
Release Date: 1969
Running Time: 75min
Color
Starring: Walter Brennan and Pat O'Brien
Directed by: Jean Yarbrough
Produced by: Shelly Hull
Distribution Co.: ABC

The Over-the-Hill Gang is available to watch or download for free here.
It's available (along with the sequel) on DVD from Amazon: The Over The Hill Gang / The Over The Hill Gang Rides Again [Slim Case].
And Netflix has it available for rental: The Over-the-Hill Gang.

Until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian