Boston-based actor, cartoonist, writer, and classical composer.
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News Item 1923
Interesting experimental French film (even if the Lobster Film's 'modern' music score makes it seem less so); but Rene Clair's Entr'acte of the next year would blow this out of the water, simply because the avant-garde's always more avant when it's got a sense of humor.
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Yes Sir, That's My Baby 1949
Donald O'Connor in a dire 'college-football' film with overage undergrads.
34 minutes in, there's a dance scene so good you'll wonder why it's not anthologized more. It lasts four minutes: watch it, and spare yourself the rest of this.
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Battling Butler 1926
Just a side note to the other fine reviews here. I agree with Walter Kerr's assessment of the frightening end of Battling Butler, in which Keaton allows himself to be thoroughly beaten up in the ring before he fights back: There's clearly something going on here that goes beyond what a normal comedy film would countenance.
Keaton did try out many of his films in front of audiences; and although Butler is near enough to Go West to suggest that…
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Arrowsmith 1931
It's good, but one of the main problems is with the original novel. While excellent, as most of Lewis' early (and one late) novels are, Arrowsmith and his wife are drab compared to the surrounding characters; Leona is more interesting here than in the original. In fact, Helen Hayes' best scene - laying into her family and ending by demanding a smoke - isn't even in the book.
Max Gottlieb is a fascinating character in the novel, and A.E. Anson,…
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