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The Great Garrick (TGG) is the rare example of a witty literate satire that used the world of theater as the tale's important backdrop. Notwithstanding its considerable charm and appeal as an adult example of movie entertainment, TGG was commercially unsuccessful. TGG is the only film that director James Whale made at Warner Brothers, and it had the misfortune to be produced ahead of its time. For some more contemporary examples of this kind of movie that enjoyed substantial critical and popular success, cf. Singin' in the Rain, Scaramouche and Shakespeare in Love.

Whale employed several dark comedic and romantic touches in TGG that added to its overall enjoyment value. But what else would you expect from the genius who previously helmed The Old Dark House, The Invisible Man and The Bride of Frankenstein? Perhaps Whale was somewhat over the top at times in telling the Garrick story, but nobody could seriously argue that his humor didn't appropriately support the plot.

TGG captures the lovely girlish-voiced Olivia De Havilland (then 21) somewhere near the peak of her youthful charm and beauty. She was only a year away from her breakout role as Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood. Her distinguished co-star, Brian Aherne, (then 35), was one of Hollywood's most underrated actors. He had the looks and appeal to be another Errol Flynn or Tyrone Power---but it was not meant to happen. Aherne's ripe spoof of the legendary (and reputedly hammy) stage actor David Garrick is quite nuanced and subtle---certainly it is fun to watch. And seventeen year old Lana Turner--still then a brunette and virtually lost in her period costume---appears here in just her third film and immediately following her breakthrough bit part in They Won't Forget. In TGG, Lana is pretty rather than sexy and delivers her three lines of dialogue in a totally satisfying manner.

TGG boasted an outstanding cast of supporting players including Melville Cooper (in probably his best screen role), Albert von Dekker (before he dropped the "von"), Marie Wilson (before her later My Friend Irma fame), Etienne Girardot (fresh from his earlier success as the madcap sticker planter in Twentieth Century), etc.

TGG is an intelligent, charming farcical film that represents James Whale in his prime as a witty and humorously sly storyteller. It is a shame that TGG is not better known. It awaits a fresh (and likely positive) reappraisal by a contemporary audience.

Ladies of Leisure (LOL) was an important film in the careers of its star and director. Up until she made LOL, Barbara Stanwyck had been a relatively unknown young screen actress (then 22) with no important cinematic accomplishments and a growing disenchantment with movie making in general and Hollywood in particular. At the same time, Frank Capra was then an up and coming director of increasing authority, stature and maturity with Columbia Pictures. Fate brought them together for the first time in LOL. They went on to make five films together---a record for Capra with a leading lady---and established them as one of the greatest such artistic collaborations in Hollywood history.

LOL captures Stanwyck at the dawn of her youthful charm and beauty. It also brought her together with Capra---who intuitively sensed in her the undeveloped skills of a potentially great actor about to emerge before the public. Capra was patient, supportive and inspiring. Stanwyck was brilliant, intense and charismatic. The combination was terrific.

As has been noted elsewhere, Stanwyck thought she delivered her greatest performances before the camera in her first screen "take." In doing so, she joined that small group of Hollywood personalities who flourished best when allowed to work under self-created special circumstances. Claudette Colbert felt that her left profile was the better one; Alfred Hitchcock believed that a cameo appearance by him was important when making his films; John Ford, Cecil B. De Mille and Preston Sturges liked to surround themselves with a regular "stock company" of familiar actors when producing their respective movies, etc. Even Capra used rainy scenes in most of his films to suggest a mood of excitement or romance. In Stanwyck's case, Capra supported his young star's "one take" need with technical camera modifications and rehearsal adjustments. For her part, Stanwyck gave a performance in LOL that one of her biographers described as "...perfection. If she had never made another film, she would be remembered for this one."

Viewers of LOL may notice that it has more than a passing resemblance to the classic story Camille. Its screenwriter (Jo Swerling) recognized this fact at the outset, and sought to add enough plot differences and other situations to allow LOL to stand on its own as a unique work---with tense, witty and sophisticated dialogue. Still, LOL's climactic scene with Stanwyck and her lover's mother (played by Nance O'Neil) where she is implored to give him up "for his own good" is certainly similar to a like scene between Greta Garbo and Lionel Barrymore in the later film version of Camille.

As Photoplay noted at the time, the public reaction to LOL was extremely positive. "Halfway through, the audience choked up. Something was happening... a real, beautiful, thrilling wonder had been born." Photoplay went on to describe Stanwyck as a "beautiful young girl who possesses emotional power and acting talent that are really amazing."

Barbara Stanwyck went on from this personal triumph to many other successes and soon became a star of the first rank in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Frank Capra was just a few years away from It Happened One Night and major acclaim. LOL was a key link in the chain of accomplishments that made these two outstanding careers possible.

Illicit is worth remembering today for three significant reasons: (1) it captures the youthful Barbara Stanwyck (then age 23) at the dawn of her memorable movie career in all her girlish charm and beauty; (2) it provides a splendid example of a problem that was all too common in many of the early sound transcriptions of stage plays to the medium of film---there was just too much spoken dialogue and too little other activity going on; and (3) Illicit illustrates why the custodians of morality and family values in America felt that Hollywood self-censorship was nothing but a myth, and as a result---there was an urgent need for far more stringent controls to be imposed on the social values being presented by the film industry.

As for the movie itself, Illicit (Stanwyck's fifth feature) probably represents somewhat of a set back from its immediate predecessor---Ladies of Leisure. Illicit attempted to deal with some very serious issues (the validity of marriage, the morality of "open" marriages, whether a couple can love each other in the same way married or not, etc.). However, the narrative was occasionally unfocused and confusing---even as Anne and Dick strived to seriously evaluate their options when they mixed love with marriage. On the other hand, Ladies of Leisure was blessed with young director Frank Capra in charge plus a sharply written and well acted narrative that helped to elevate Stanwyck's appealing performance to a career high for its time.

While Anne and Dick labored in the vineyard of matrimony v. Free love, defenders of the institution of conventional marriage exercised their growing power to control the debate. In just a matter of months, movies like Illicit (and its remake with Bette Davis titled Ex-Lady) would disappear from view. Stories that dealt so frankly with Illicit's concerns would not be seen for decades. Fortunately, none of this adversely affected Stanwyck's upward career trajectory. She overcame the problems of Illicit to become one of the greatest actors to come out of the Golden Age of Hollywood.