Reviews (8)

CRASH DIVE SOARS - TRANSFER IS SUSPECT, THOUGH.
"Crash Dive," a melodramatic lover's triangle between naval heroes (Tyrone Power and Dana Andrews) and the girl they both love (Anne Baxter), is one of those standard war flicks made at the height of conflict (1943). Remarkably, it continues to stir up patriotism and lift the spirits, despite a somewhat heavy handed script and some truncated bits of romance that seem to be inserts into an otherwise straight forward and compelling adventure movie. Powers is a reluctant executive officer aboard a submarine. His relationship with his new captain (Andrews) becomes strained after he realizes that they are in love with the same woman. All this is background fodder for the real plot of the movie - a mid-Atlantic ambush of a secret German island and its Nazi military base.
THE TRANSFER: Filmed on location, Leon Shamroy's lush Technicolor photography is the real star of "Crash Dive" and although the film has dated considerably, there's still enough gleam in the original negative to compel the viewer onward. Colors are rich and for the most part, nicely balanced. Occasionally there are scenes in which the color scheme becomes unstable or flickers. There is also an abundance of age related artifacts that detract from the overall visual presentation. Black and contrast levels are generally solid. There's a slight haze over some of the scenes as well. Digital anomalies are not an issue on this disc. The audio has been cleaned up and is nicely presented. EXTRAS: None.

BOTTOM LINE: If you're a cinema war junky, then "Crash Dive" will suit you tastes. But it does not represent the best of genre by any means. The DVD's middle of the road picture quality is a let down.

A nice surprise for the war effort
Filmed as the actual battle for the Atlantic was taking place is the 1943 drama "Crash Dive" starring Tyrone Powers. These types of movies are a common phenomenon during wartime to help lift peoples spirits on the homefront and drum up patriotic fervor. Here the American sailors are fighting the good fight against the despicable Nazi war machine.
However, this DVD offers a surprise. It is actually a very well made and entertaining adventure movie with enough splashes of romantic subplot and action to keep everyone in the family happy.
Powers plays a PT boat crewmember who is unwillingly transferred as executive officer aboard a submarine based out of the New London, Conn. base. Initially he gets along well with his new captain until he realizes that the two of them are in love with the same woman. The two must learn to trust one another and work together to investigate a mysterious ship in the mid-Atlantic and destroy the secret German island base that is being used by the Nazi's as a staging point for attacks on the Allied shipping lanes.
Filmed on location with the full cooperation of the War Department the movie is presented in technicolor and although the color on the DVD transfer is somewhat saturated it is still relatively clear of blemishes. Where the DVD is lacking however is in special features merely offering a selection of trailers of the other Fox war titles.

Good Hollywood Submarine Film for War Effort
This 1943 film made during the War boasts beautiful color Cinematography by Leon Shamroy. Basically it sets up a love triangle between naval heroes Tyrone Power and Dana Andrews and the girl they love Anne Baxter. The actual United States Navy submarine base at Groton, Connecticut was used in some of the location photography. Fred Sersen won an Oscar for Special Photographic Effects and Roger Heman for Special Sound Effects. Also featured are James Gleason, Dame May Whitty and Henry Morgan.

Submarines and Anne Baxter
Crash Dive was released the same year as Destination Tokyo, and I think the latter was the better film. Not to slam this movie too much, because it's entertaining enough. But the focus in Crash Dive is different, spending a considerable amount of time off the submarine as Tyrone Power and Dana Andrews clash over the affections of an incredibly beautiful Anne Baxter. The performances are as good as you could expect with this kind of material, and the action scenes are quite effective. But it's the kind of movie you can watch and then forget pretty soon afterwards. It's entertaining, but without much impact.

Tyrone Power in one of his best action films.
Tyrone Power shows us in this film, he's a real man, and a real ladies man with love interest Anne Baxter. Dana Andrews co-stars in this example of a fine war movie. If you collect war films, this one is a must. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Band Wagon (1953) marked the culmination of a series of near-autobiographical pictures Fred Astaire made for MGM following his return from premature retirement in the late '40s. Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a fading film star (his big hit: Flying Down to Panama) who decides to return to his former glory, the Broadway stage. (In 1931, Astaire had starred on Broadway with sister Adele in The Band Wagon, a revue that lent some of its songs to this film.) His playwright-songwriter friends (Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant) hook him up with Broadway's hottest director, Jeffrey Cordova (a nicely hammy Jack Buchanan), who proves that the "new" theater traditions can be an awkward fit with the old. Hunter also finds himself at odds with his prima ballerina leading lady (Cyd Charisse), one of his chief worries being that she seems a little tall. Along the way, producer Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minnelli, choreographer Michael Kidd, and songwriters Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz treat us to some quintessential MGM numbers: Astaire's solo ode "By Myself," the flashy arcade romp "A Shine on Your Shoes," Astaire and Charisse's romantic duet "Dancing in the Dark," the faux-German drinking song "I Love Louisa," the manic trio "Triplets" (with Astaire, Fabray, and Buchanan in matching baby outfits), the Mickey Spillane-esque "Girl Hunt Ballet," and the classic show-biz anthem "That's Entertainment." Even if its ending and obligatory romance fall a little flat, The Band Wagon is one of the classic backstage musicals, a grandiose MGM spectacle that also manages to poke some fun at how grandiose MGM pictures had become. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Amazon.com

If there's one movie Danny Kaye fans fondly remember, it's TheSecret Life of Walter Mitty. The versatile comedian--also an unsurpassedsong-and-dance man--plays a henpecked, thriller-genre book writer suddenlyenmeshed in a real adventure involving the (literal) girl of his dreams (VirginiaMayo). Initially criticized for not staying true to the more melancholic sensibility ofauthor James Thurber's original story (Thurber allegedly offered producerSamuel Goldwyn $10,000 to not make the film), it not only works as anindependent story, but remains highly entertaining and wears well upon repeatedviewing. Kaye's milquetoast Walter fantasizes distractedly about being heroic,whether a gunslinger, an Air Force pilot, or a riverboat gambler. His "Anatoleof Paris" number, in which Walter fancies himself a French hat designer who,in the end, declares he hates women, is nothing short of brilliant. That number,like many of Kaye's trademark patter deliveries, was penned by his wife, SylviaFine. Kaye benefits from a wonderful supporting cast: Mayo; Boris Karloff asmaniacal Dr. Hugo Hollingshead; Faye Bainter as Walter's repressive but livelymother; Ann Rutherford as his suspicious fiancée Gertrude; and GordonJones as Tubby, who not only has designs on Gertrude, but provides the villainin Walter's fantasies. --N.F. Mendoza ... Read more

Description

Near the end of the Civil War, the proud residents of Mannon Manor await the return of shipping tycoon Ezra Mannon (The Old Dark House’s Raymond Massey) and son Orin (Dead of Night’s Michael Redgrave). Meanwhile Extra’s conniving wife Christine (Rocco and His Brothers’ Katina Paxinou) and daughter Lavinia (Auntie Mame’s Rosalind Russell) vie for the love of a handsome captain (Leo Genn) with a dark secret while well-meaning neighbor Peter (Academy Award® winner Kirk Douglas) sets his sights on Lavinia. Poisoning, infidelity, gunshots and shocking family secrets explode in a haunting climax that will never be forgotten. Adapted from the classic play by Eugene O’Neill, this powerhouse classic is a tour de force of American cinema! This often censored drama features a dramatic all-star cast! Now presented in the longest restored version in existence! ... Read more

Description

SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON
Digitally Restored in 35mm
The master detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his faithful cohort Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are back, preserved and digitally restored in 35mm to original condition by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. This newly restored version of the classic film includes the period war bond tag, studio logo and credits from its original theatrical release. Filled with ominous shadows and interesting camera angles, the visual beauty of the film in 35mm is stunning.

A British secret service operative, carrying top-secret microfilm from England to Washington, disappears while traveling to his destination.Fearing for his safety just before his disappearance, he passes the microfilm, ingeniously hidden, to another passenger on the train without her knowing.The agent is reported missing and Sherlock Holmes is called in to investigate.

Filmed during World War II, SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON pits Holmes and Watson against Nazi enemy agents.The British government asks Holmes and Watson go to Washington to recover the missing documents before they fall into the wrong hands, which would be disastrous for England and her allies.Holmes is up against an international ring of spies in a race against time to piece together the clues and discover the whereabouts of the microfilm before it is too late.Preserved and restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Classic Sherlock Holmes
I loved this entry in the series. It was full of pithy, classic, Holmes deductions and Watson wise cracks. I enjoyed the other two WWII movies that were part of the Sherlock Holmes series and highly recommend this one as well. I thought it was excellent!!!! This movie is homeschooler friendly!

Enjoyable curio
Other than "Dressed to Kill," the last entry in Universal's 12 film Sherlock Holmes series, "Sherlock Holmes in Washington" may be the weakest effort but it remains an enjoyable curio.

In this third film, the attempt to update Holmes for the 20th century reached its zenith as the producers sent the great detective into the very center of the New World, Washington D.C., in another episode devoted to espionage and criminal activity related to World War II. The novelty is tolerable if only because we know there are less gimmicky, superior entries to come, but anyone whose love of Holmes came from the original Conan Doyle stories rather than the film adaptations will wince at this film more than any other. Basil Rathbone entertainingly overplays the role this time, and with his eccentric hairstyle and wardrobe looks less like Sherlock Holmes than my tenth grade high-school English teacher, the one everyone suspected of being gay (not that there's anything wrong with that).

What makes this entry worthwhile, aside from the always entertaining emoting of Rathbone and Nigel Bruce (more bumbling than ever as he discovers the Sunday newspaper comics and chewing gum) is the supporting cast. The superb George Zucco, whose Satanic presence enlivened many a B horror movie and who already appeared as Professor Moriarty in 20th Century Fox's "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," comes slithering back, not as Moriarty but as another demented creature, and Henry Daniell, who would be the best Moriarty of all (in Basil Rathbone's opinion, as well as mine) in "Woman in Green," is also on hand with his share of villainy.

This film may have greatest value for history buffs and sociologists than for Holmes fans, however. It remains fascinating to see how a major Hollywood film studio converted a beloved literary figure into a special agent as a way to contribute to the United States' propaganda campaign during WWII.

A Big Country, Watson, and a Small Match Folder
When I was a wee lad steeped in Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories, this movie struck me as plain awful. It was painful to see Sherlock as a tourist in a wildly inappropriate DC milieu (the back-projected crazy quilt of Washington monuments on his drive around town makes it seem the chauffeur is on crack), spouting pax Americana patriotism and even paying tribute to the crime-fighting superiority of the FBI (??!!). Nigel Bruce was a particular affront as a doddering Dr. Watson, noisily sucking down ice cream sodas and struggling to read 30 pages on a 10-hour transatlantic flight.

But time has been kind to "SH in Washington." This was the first of these movies written by Bertram Millhauser, who always came up with witty dialogue for Rathbone and Bruce and snarky bits of malice for the supporting cast. Basil Rathbone gives a hopped-up performance as Holmes, barking out ludicrously improbable deductions and even reprising his Louis XI imitation as a limp-wristed "eccentric" collector. There is a small gem of a performance from Gerald Hamer (unbilled, sadly) as the master spy who sets the plot in motion -- he gives the movie a few whiffs of danger, intrigue and poignance. And it's hard to dislike a movie with two Moriartys: silky sadist Henry Daniell and glittery-eyed psycho George Zucco. By the way, the suspense hinges on the fate of a fast-dwindling book of matches, so if you're trying to quit smoking, this is not the movie for you.

Washington never looked so good!
I am writing this pre-review to express my Great Expectations and excitement over the upcoming DVD release of the 14 Sherlock Holmes movies made by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
For those of us who have loved and worn out our VHS versions of these films, I am sure that I speak for many of us in expressing incredible anticipation and near shock that someone has finally recognized the need to release a "restored version" of these timeless classics.
We are told that they have been "Preserved and restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive." This is marvelous and I have already pre-ordered Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 from MPI Home Video.
I so hope that the entire 14 movies, are ultimately released in restored condition. Especially the rarest of them, "The Scarlet Claw" which has rarely been shown on televison and only been available on VHS sporadically.
To me and many others I know, Basil Rathbone is the definative Holmes. Not just because he looks alarmingly similar -as much as is humanly possible- to Sidney Pagets drawings of Holmes from the Strand Magazine illustrations, but mostly we love Rathbone because he portrayed the same Holmes that we as readers get through the buffer of Dr. Watson explaining away not magnifying Holmes' shortcomings.
Jeremy Brett chose to amplify every negative aspect of Holmes' personality that in the written versions Watson explained away. Rathbone's Holmes has been demeaned visciously over the past years and hopefully the respect and dignity that he gave his portrayals will be seen in all their accuracy and glory with these new digitally restored releases. ... these will have to be the best quality versions of these classics ever released...so for all of us who have cursed the incomprehensibly awful releases of these films over the years...our time has almost come. Show your support for this effort by ordering a restored version of American Film Histroy.
Much Thanks to UCLA, MPI, and Whoever was ultimately responsible for the idea of doing this!!!!

Sherlock Holmes in Washington
None of these Rathbone/Bruce movies are a very accurate representation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, but I find them enjoyable nevertheless. I always enjoy seeing Rathbone and Bruce in the roles of Holmes and Watson although neither of them would win any awards for accuracy. I found "Sherlock Holmes in Washington" to be one of the more enjoyable films in the series. I love the scene where Holmes is in the antique store even though he makes a mistake that the Holmes in Doyle's stories never would have made. I would recommend this movie as long as you don't mind something that's not very faithful to the canon. If you're looking for something more faithful then I would suggest the Jeremy Brett series (which I also love). ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Band Wagon (1953) marked the culmination of a series of near-autobiographical pictures Fred Astaire made for MGM following his return from premature retirement in the late '40s. Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a fading film star (his big hit: Flying Down to Panama) who decides to return to his former glory, the Broadway stage. (In 1931, Astaire had starred on Broadway with sister Adele in The Band Wagon, a revue that lent some of its songs to this film.) His playwright-songwriter friends (Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant) hook him up with Broadway's hottest director, Jeffrey Cordova (a nicely hammy Jack Buchanan), who proves that the "new" theater traditions can be an awkward fit with the old. Hunter also finds himself at odds with his prima ballerina leading lady (Cyd Charisse), one of his chief worries being that she seems a little tall. Along the way, producer Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minnelli, choreographer Michael Kidd, and songwriters Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz treat us to some quintessential MGM numbers: Astaire's solo ode "By Myself," the flashy arcade romp "A Shine on Your Shoes," Astaire and Charisse's romantic duet "Dancing in the Dark," the faux-German drinking song "I Love Louisa," the manic trio "Triplets" (with Astaire, Fabray, and Buchanan in matching baby outfits), the Mickey Spillane-esque "Girl Hunt Ballet," and the classic show-biz anthem "That's Entertainment." Even if its ending and obligatory romance fall a little flat, The Band Wagon is one of the classic backstage musicals, a grandiose MGM spectacle that also manages to poke some fun at how grandiose MGM pictures had become. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (46)

If for nothing else, for the sublime "Dancing In The Dark."
There are many shimmering moments in Bandwagon: Fred Astaire (playing a role close to his own life story; he was 53 at the time), the acidic wit of Oscar Levant ('that'll keep 'em laughing!!') tempered by the sunny Nanette Fabray and musical numbers including "Shine on Your Shoes," "I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan," and a clever novelty trio called "Triplets." But the musical sequence that stands out the most is the one which has no vocal, no dialog, and gently advances the movie's plot of whether or not oil-and-water dancers Astaire and Cyd Charisse can actually perform together- when he thinks she's too tall and she thinks he's too old. Against a Central Park twilight, the film shows its heroes enjoy a hushed walk through a park (only an instrumental refrain of 'High and Low' is heard), after which they step into an empty courtyard (he in a pastel linen suit and spectator shoes, she in a flared white dress and ballet flats; a necessity to keep her from being taller than him on film) and into the pas-de-deux of "Dancing In The Dark." It's an exquisite sequence, which at times resembles courtship, foreplay, and ultimately a romantic climax- all done in dance. It ends, just as smoothly as it began, with the two leads spinning up a flight of stairs and mounting a hansom cab, without a single hair out of place. Now THAT's entertainment.

For song & dance fans only
"The Band Wagon" is one of the NY Times' "1000 Best Films Ever Made," and I've seen about 300 of them.You may be a big fan of the traditional Hollywood musical, and if so, this is your kind of film.Personally the list of such films I've enjoyed is quite short, and it doesn't include "The Band Wagon."This makes me sad, having just enjoyed Fred & Ginger's 1936 classic "Swing Time" from the NY Times list.However, where that film and Gene Kelly's "Singin' In the Rain" excel by sparkling between the song & dance numbers, "The Band Wagon" lags.It's a shame, because there are a couple of brilliant moments here, the sparkling "Shoe Shine" dance on a set representing 42nd Street and a lovely number with Cyd Charisse to "Dancing In the Dark."Other than that, and other than Jack Buchanan's comical turn as a Master Thespian, the whole thing just leaves me flat, especially the blah romance and idiotically cornball ending.Give me "Fiddler On the Roof" or those named above any day over this!

I Know, I Know...
...this is one of the greatest musical films ever made.But I just can't warm up to it the way I do to "Singing in the Rain" or "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers."The Dietz and Schwartz songs are marvelous, and Michael Kidd has done a great job with a number of them (particularly "Dancing in the Dark" and The Girl Hunt Ballet," admittedly two classic film/dance sequences), but the human story of "The Band Wagon" leaves me cold.Astaire is less convincing as a romantic lead than in his earlier films, and I find Levant and Fabray more annoying than fun.And there's an odd, fake showbiz veneer to the whole thing that reduces the characters to archtypes and prevents our getting close to or caring about any of them.OK, it's only a movie, but the best of the Hollywood musicals engage our hearts as well as our tapping toes.(Think about how much your heart aches along with Judy Garland's in "Meet Me in St. Louis" or "In the Good Old Summertime.")For me, "The Band Wagon" never goes that extra step.

Phenomenal Dancing Elevates Standard Backstage Plot
All the elements of a great musical seem to be evident in this 1953 movie, but for some reason, it just doesn't gel as well as other MGM musical classics of the era such as the Hollywood talkie-craze satire, "Singin' in the Rain", or even the lightweight expatriate romance, "An American in Paris". Directed by the masterful Vincente Minnelli, the movie centers on a fading star named Tony Hunter, a once protean movie star dancer trying to make a comeback on Broadway in a misbegotten musical production of "Faust". That he is portrayed by the legendary Fred Astaire goes a long way to make this a wonderful viewing experience. His singing, especially his rendition of the melancholy "By Myself", is charming and relaxed, and his dancing is beyond dazzling.

The problem is that Astaire is called upon to play a temperamental has-been, but his dapper elegance seems at odds with the requisite edge to make him entirely convincing in the role. The other problem is his leading lady, Cyd Charisse, a phenomenal dancer but a blank slate as an actress.As a star ballerina looking for a broader audience, she makes line readings sound like Sunday school recitals. The supposed fight between their characters once they are introduced never seems more than a contrived plot device. However, when they dance together, nothing else matters. Two of their numbers are classics of the genre - the conciliatory and stunning "Dancing in the Dark" pas de deux on the MGM-only Central Park set (mimicked memorably to comic effect by Steve Martin and Gilda Radner on a "Saturday Night Live" skit years later) and the long, Mickey Spillane-inspired "Girl Hunt" ballet sequence toward the end with Astaire as a private eye and Charisse a slinky femme fatale. Astaire also has a wonderful number near the beginning, "Shine on Your Shoes," where he dances with an effortless partner in Leroy Daniels, a real shoeshine man who sang and danced as he worked and the inspiration for the number. These three numbers make the movie worthwhile to see.

The remainder of the film is about that would-be "Faust" musical and all the stages of writing, casting, production, choreography and rehearsals, including failure on the road, that finally make it a Broadway hit though in a completely altered format. Some of this is sharp and clever, while the rest is just tired and clichéd, especially in the often forced banter between the unctuous Nanette Fabray and the eternally dour Oscar Levant, who are acting the parts of the screenwriter duo of Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In properly pompous fashion, British stage star Jack Buchanan plays Jeffrey Cordova, the musical's director-producer-star with enough artistic pretensions to make Andrew Lloyd Weber blush. I don't feel the other famous musical numbers have aged well - the oddly discomforting "Triplets" number with Astaire, Fabray and Buchanan prancing on their hidden knees and the ending "That's Entertainment" seems bereft of true energy. I can only guess that the fluctuating tone of "The Band Wagon" may be a case of a veteran filmmaker who is too familiar with the musical genre and defaults to by-the-numbers direction when not inspired. Compare this to the frenetic energy and youthful casting of "Singin' in the Rain" where you have a fresh newcomer named Stanley Donen out to set the world on fire. See this movie for the unparalleled dancing but be aware that the acting by the two leads and the backstage plot do not match up to the magical dance interludes.

The new two-disc DVD set includes several extras. Liza Minnelli and singer Michael Feinstein provide overly effusive and not always relevant commentary on an alternate track, and there are trailers for eight of Astaire's movies also on the first disc. On the second disc, there is a new 35-minute, making-of documentary with the surviving cast members (including Charisse and Fabray), as well as the Vincente Minnelli installment of "The Men Who Made the Movies" series produced by film critic Richard Schickel. Also of interest is a deleted number - which has already shown up before in "That's Entertainment Part III" - with Cyd Charisse lip-syncing to India Adams' voice and dancing as a mulatto in "Two-Faced Woman". It was understandably cut but recycled for Joan Crawford looking even more foolish in "tanned" make-up in her musical drama, "Torch Song".

The man with the charm! The woman with beautiful legs!
Warner Brothers has done it again!They last of the true hollywood musicals has been released in a gorgeous 2-disc special edition!Packed with tons of features! Vincente Minnelli has directed a great movie filled with music and great actors! Cyd Charisse gives us one of her best performances!Of course, the ever suave Fred Astaire never fails to leave me in awe!This is the first time that Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire team up!This would lead to good performances from thid duo in Silk Stockings!This movie never fails to grab your attention! ... Read more

Description

A confederate guerilla raiding federal supply shipments makes his way to a frontier post during the Civil War, and it's up to Army scouts Gene Autry and Pat Buttram to track down these looters posing as Union soldiers. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Saw this after Hail the Conquering Hero & immediately
saw where the pattern of Sturges movies began. Take a good solid concept, in this case, political corruption, write a good script around it & satirizes. This formula can work for a long time if you don't take it too seriously & become preachy. Stuges doesn't, he makes it entertaining & funny in the style of its time. Briefly, in this case a bum, literally, thru cunning, intrique, shady dealings, & the help of stupid politicians rises to the heights of political power. It's your rags to riches to rags story. Some of the slapstick shtick is just silly, so I give it 31/2 stars instead of four.

As fine an opening 30 minutes as you are ever going to see.
But after that I think that 'McGinty' is a nice film, well done, but certainly not as richly written as 'Hail the Conquering Hero' and others.

The lead female character is lacking in chrisma and spark, and the film feels that it is groping along to a nice, funny little ending.

But, I do love two shots in this movie, one is where McGinty is calling on a 'Interior Decorator' (a lug) to get him to pay some protection money, he rings the bell and Sturges cuts to him as seen from the inside of the glass door, its just a cool little shot.

The second is the shot from the interior of a moving call as McGinty exchanges punches with the Boss in the backseat as the car rolls up to a Hotel. A interior shot from the insider of a real moving car was very rare in those days. You can see that Sturgis was just full of little ideas of camera placement in this film.

Preston Sturges' directorial debut
After writing several sucessful Hollywood scripts, hotshot Preston Sturges took his first crack at directing, in this crisp, typically cynical, intelligent 1940 debut. The Great McGinty is one Dan McGinty, a down-and-out, yet tough-as-nails tramp who finds opportunity handed to him on a silver platter when a the boss of a big political machine sees McGinty's potential, and taps him to be one of his many henchmen in a statewide graft ring. Affable, savvy, and ruthlessly ambitious, McGinty rises to the top, eventually riding into the governor's office on a hypocritically-fashioned "reform" ticket. Naturally, a woman softens him up, and brings his downfall. As usual, it's difficult not to compare Sturges with the equally populist director, Frank Capra, especially as the plot of this film closely mirrors that of Capra's "Meet John Joe," and other Capra films. How do they stack up? Well, Sturges's story is in certain regards darker, in others less harrowing. His bum-made-reformed-conman starts way more corrupt, and never really softenss to the degree a Capra hero would... He finds his moral center, but not his actual salvation, and the film doesn't have what you'd exactly call a "happy ending," at least not for the hero himself. Other elements are similar, though, particularly in the skillful use of supporting character actors. Particularly appealling here are Akim Tamiroff as the political boss and William Demarest as the stooge who first recruits McGinty. Brian Donlevy, as McGinty, is adequate, but hardly as appealing as some of the actors Sturges would work with later on. Still, a nice example of the Sturges formula at work.

Looks like the suit got YOU!
Stunned to see no reviews for this brilliantly funny movie. The conventional wisdom on McGINTY is that it's lesser Sturges, more important as his directorial debut (one he did for next to nothing just to get the shot) than as a standalone comedy. Pish and tosh. This is a supremely satisfying comedy and had it been Sturges' only directing credit, would still mark him as a filmmaker to remember. (And, no, that's not a subtle swipe at his others, merely a defense of this too-often overlooked movie.)Maybe the best asset of McGINTY is its budget constraint, which steered Sturges towards the 'ensemble' casting which would become one of his hallmarks. The movie is filled stem to stern with sharp-eyed turns by primarily supporting players (including the leads, Donlevy & Tamiroff, who are excellent). What I can't help but notice is how the Sturges films of the 40s are really the last gasp of the great breakneck comedies of the pre-Code 30s, just prior to the 'screwball' era, when Hollywood was still allowed to poke fun at people/institutions/conventions of the Real World. In fact, McGINTY -with only minor casting changes- would have fit right in with the Warner Bros/First National bumper crop of fast, cynical comedies of '31-'34. (And, by the way, Tamiroff's cheerfully corrupt and malapropping Boss would be paid hilarious homage 20+ years later in animation form as Boris Badinov in Jay Ward's ROCKY & BULLWINKLE cartoons.) The love interest of Muriel Angelus, and adjoining subplot, may come off a bit treacly, but Sturges was canny enough to make this studio-mandated mawkishness an integral part of the plot...even as early as 1940, he was subverting True Love to his devilishly satiric purposes! So stop nitpicking and thoroughly enjoy one of the great American comedies, brought to unforgettable life by that great if unrecognized repertory company, The Sturges Players (featuring, among others, Wm Demarest, Thurston Hall & Arthur Hoyt). ... Read more