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Reviews
Destry Rides Again (1939)
One of the great Westerns.
In a year of fabulous Hollywood movies (1939), "Destry Rides Again" would have had a better chance at one of the Academy Awards, except for "Gone With The Wind", "Stagecoach" and "Goodbye, Mr. Chips". However, it has been added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry with other fine films of 1939: "Gone With The Wind", "Gunga Din", "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington", "Ninotchka", "Stagecoach" and "The Wizard of Oz". Truly a must-see family Western. The acting is very convincing, even by the players with few lines. And the fight scene between Una Merkel and Marlene Dietrich is them, not stunt players. Also, I swear Samuel S. Hinds, as the mayor, is constantly chewing real tobacco! Maybe he was.
Footlight Parade (1933)
One of the best Depression era movies.
This fabulous movie must be viewed knowing that millions scraped together 10 cents to see it and forget the gloomy day-to-day economic conditions during the 30's. Remember, 10 cents bought a loaf of bread back then, so this was a minor luxury for many people. It's testimony to how Hollywood did its best to make the USA feel a little better about itself. You'll note that with the studio system in Hollywood at the time many of the actors and actresses were type-cast in similar movies, e.g. James Cagney, William Powell, Ruby Keeler, Frank McHugh, Joan Blondell and Guy Kibbee . Then too, branches of the U.S. military were always respected with enthusiasm and patriotism as in the use of military precision marching by the great choreographer, Busby Berkeley, at the end.