We, each of us, have plenty of favorite movies and of those favorites, many will often come from the same year or, better put, each year contains many favorite films. Some years, however, stand out more than others. Today, one of the movies featured here on TCM is one of my personal favorites and also comes from a year that I have long held in high regard, despite it not having the same fame as another year in the thirties, 1939. No, my favorite year from the thirties is 1937, the year from which tonight’s late night, early morning movie, Dead End, sprang. It was the year in which one of my favorite movies of all time was released and a year in which Hollywood was finally fully comfortable not only with sound but technicolor as well.
After sound came to Hollywood in the late twenties, it took a while to adjust. Movies from late in the decade into the first couple of years into the thirties had a decidedly different look and feel than those in the mid to late thirties and not because it was anyone’s fault. It was just that the technology to get the equipment for sound filming up to the same speed and quality as the stock and equipment for the late silents took some time but by the middle part of the decade, they were pretty much there. Maybe that’s why so many later thirties movies were my first in to the classic cinema because they seemed so crisp and modern. Lost Horizon, which I’ve written about here a few times before, quickly became an all time favorite upon first seeing it and it’s yet to let me down on re-viewings. But then, other movies from 1937 started becoming favorites too. It wasn’t long before I declared it (to myself, of course) as my favorite year of the decade. And some my favorites include…
A Star is Born, starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, directed by William Wellman. I saw the 1954 version first, the 1976 version next, and then this version last. It became my favorite of the three and even though I know the 1954 version has more fans, I’ll take this one any time. I think March does a tremendous job and the early technicolor brings 1937 Los Angeles to life in a way that still fascinates me.
Topper, the first and best of the Topper series, with Roland Young at his best, dealing with ghosts Cary Grant and Constance Bennett. Oh, and Billie Burke, extraordinary as always. I’ve probably watched this one a dozen times, start to finish, and countless times in clips and snippets.
The Hurricane, directed by John Ford, is not the first movie anyone thinks of when they think of John Ford but I don’t mind telling you it’s one of my favorite Fords. I also don’t mind telling you it’s a favorite based almost solely on the amazing finale, done with a mix of miniatures and full scale stunt work that still takes my breath away.
The Edge of the World, one of the early efforts of Michael Powell that I saw for the first time just about ten years ago and immediately loved. Beautiful and haunting don’t even begin to describe the look and feel of the movie.
Stella Dallas, a great movie with a great performance by Barbara Stanwyck. The winner for Best Actress this year was Luise Rainer for The Good Earth, a fine movie but not a favorite. I love Rainer, too, but she doesn’t compare – few performances in history do – with what Stanwyck does in Stella Dallas. It will always be her crowning achievement.
The Grand Illusion, the classic Jean Renoir masterwork, I finally got to see on the big screen at the AFI a few years back. What a treasure.
Night Must Fall, the movie that really showed me what Robert Montgomery was capable of and why he was one of the thirties’ finest actors. His performance is chilling, as is the movie.
The Awful Truth, probably the best comedy of the decade. I know, that’s saying a lot. This is the decade that gave us It Happened One Night, The Thin Man, My Man Godfrey, Libeled Lady, Duck Soup… okay, actually, this is one of the best decades for comedy in history and no one movie could probably ever hold the title for best of the decade but The Awful Truth is still one hell of a good comedy.
Others that aren’t necessarily all time favorites but still movies I really love from this year include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Prisoner of Zenda, Make Way for Tomorrow, The Life of Emile Zola, In Old Chicago, Easy Living, A Day at the Races, Way Out West, That Certain Woman, and Saratoga.
Yep, 1937 was a great year for the movies and definitely wins out for me over the more famous and lauded 1939. What’s my favorite year for the forties? The fifties? The sixties? Hmm, let’s explore that in a future post. My Favorite Year… I feel a new series coming on.