After being snowed in at a remote Eastern European inn, almost all the members of a passenger train have a motive for concealing their awareness of the existence of a sweet little old lady who seemingly vanished into thin air while a recent acquaintance (Margaret Lockwood) and a cynical musician (Michael Redgrave) suspect a conspiracy and attempt to rally a search party. Sharp and witty, early pre-Hollywood Hitchcock success is a crisply made mystery and veritable entertainment. Lockwood and Redgrave shine in the leads and Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne stand out as nitwit, cricket obsessed travelling companions.

**** out of ****

The English folk hero and Prince of Sherwood Forest (Errol Flynn) joins forces with Little John (Alan Hale) and Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette), romances the beautiful Maid Marion (Olivia de Havilland), annoys Prince John (Claude Rains), and does battle with the odious Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone), all in the absence of King Richard. Warner Brothers' Michael Curtiz helmed The Adventures of Robin Hood is exhilarating, irreverent and romantic. In short, a perfect blend. Flynn is at his dashing, impudent best, de Havilland has never been lovelier, and they are surrounded by an inimitable band of merry supporters. Great use of technicolor, both in studio and exterior.

**** out of ****

Business tycoon Mr. Kirby (Edward Arnold) is just within reach of cornering the market and buying out his top competitor. With the imminent acquisition, now he wishes to buy all the neighboring houses in order to expand his empire. Now, the only thing standing in his way is Mr. Vanderhof (Lionel Barrymore), an eccentric old man who abhors consumerism and has no wish to sell his quaint little house which is inhabited by an assortment of oddballs. As Mr. Kirby sends his cronies to finagle the old coot out of his house, matters grow more complicated when it comes to light that his son and heir apparent (James Stewart) plans on marrying the old coot's granddaughter (Jean Arthur)! "You Can't Take It with You" must be the film where they added corn to Frank Capra's last name in order to describe hokey fare of some of his film. This sometimes amusing but often cloying Depression era feel good film earned Capra his second directing Oscar while also taking the top prize. Arnold and Barrymore (playing the anti-Mr. Potter) are excellent in their roles as the weathered and different minded patriarchs as are Stewart and Arthur who are delightful as the bemused lovebirds. My greatest problem with this film was with the carefree members of the Vanderhof household, whose tacky behavior is often hard to stomach. Capra, and his longtime screenwriter Robert Riskin, had a reputation for finding meaning in the hokeyness of his films. In "You Can't Take It with You" Capra loses sight of greatness and lets the corn take over.

"A Christmas Carol" is the best known of Charles Dickens' novels and perhaps the most filmed story in the cinema (that may be incorrect). In this early MGM production of the revered tale, Reginald Owens takes the reins as the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge who as we all know will be haunted by his deceased business partner Jacob Marley, visited by ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, and make a total 180 redirection of his life. What separates this film in making it special, in addition to the wonderful Owen performance, is its comfortability with the material and opposition to extremes (which, to say, are not always unwelcome). Director Edwin L. Marin's rendition of the timeless story is neither too sentimental, nor harsh, nor too scary and tells Scrooge's story of ultimate redemption in a simple, straight forward fashion. The supporting cast is wonderful as well, and I was particularly drawn to Barry MacKay's work as Scrooge's magnanimous nephew Fred as well as Gene Lockhart's turn as the noble Bob Cratchit. Some elements of the story are changed as well which add interest, including the casting of Ann Rutherford as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and some lighter scenes with MacKay interacting with some neighborhood kids. "A Christmas Carol" is a timeless story, that always seems to garner affection. This version is no exception.

After committing a petty crime, young chums Rocky and Jerry make their escape when Jerry stumbles on the train tracks and is saved by Rocky who is in turn arrested as Jerry makes it out. The two's lives take divergent paths, Rocky becoming a career criminal  and Jerry a priest. Years later when the two reunite, Jerry (Pat O'Brien) becomes discouraged by how the slum kids have taken a liking to Rocky (James Cagney) and goes on a crusade to exposed organized crime in the area, much the chagrin of the shyster lawyer (Humphrey Bogart) who wishes to take the righteous priest down. Michael Curtiz's "Angels with Dirty Faces" has one of the most hackneyed and antiquated set-ups known to the movies, yet it is still raucously entertaining and possibly the finest of the Warner Brothers gangster pictures. James Cagney is delightful and charismatic as ever and has some wonderful scenes in which he mentors O'Brien's Dead End Kids including one where he officiates a basketball games and resorts to tactics as dirty as the ones used as his players. Bogart is effective as well in a thankless role as the heavy, but I was really impressed by O'Brien's work in the typically boring work as the straight man. O'Brien brings weight to the role and is a large reason the film succeeds. "Angels with Dirty Faces" rises above its framework and even above its genre, and its final conclusion is greatly realized and extremely satisfying.