Movie Review: Pot O' Gold (1941)

 Greetings, friends!

It is no secret that my favorite actor is James Stewart and I want to watch every movie he was in. It was May when I last reviewed one of his movies, Seventh Heaven (1937), so it’s high time to do it again! This is might be my least favorite of his films that I’ve seen so far (and I’ve seen 15), but there were redeeming factors. One of them is a certain person. Any guesses of who? Keep reading to see!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This review is spoiler-free!


Pot O’ Gold (1941):

(Also known as The Golden Hour and Jimmy Steps Out.)
Based on: the TV show Pot O’ Gold (1939-1941), an idea created by Haydn Roth Evans & Robert Brilmayer.
When Jimmy Haskell has to close his music store he agrees to work for his uncle’s health foods corporation in the city. His uncle, C. J. Haskell, is always bothered by the musicians practicing outside of his building. He hates music! Jimmy accidentally falls in with these musicians, the McCorkles, by playing his harmonica. They don’t know who he is and he wants to keep it that way because there is quite a feud between the families. How can he hide his identity and keep jiving to music while his uncle doesn’t know?

Genre: Comedy. It doesn’t have enough music to call it a musical, but there are some tunes in here.
Length: approx. 85 minutes.
Script: 10. No bad words!
Crew: Directed by: George Marshall. Written by: Andrew Bennison, Walter De Leon, Monte Brice, Harry Tungend, Haydn Roth Evans & Robert Brilmayer. Produced by: James Roosevelt (yes, the son of FDR!).
Starring:
James Stewart as Jimmy Haskell.

Paulette Goddard as Molly McCorkle.

Charles Winninger as C.J. Haskell.
Horace Heidt as himself.
Mary Gordon as Ma McCorkle.
Dick Hogan as Willie McCorkle.
Donna Wood as Donna McCorkle.
Frank Melton as Jasper.
Jed Prouty as Mr. Louderman.
Charlie Arnt as Parks.
James Burke as Lt. Grady.
Costumes: 7. They are all fine. In one scene I thought they were a little weird and random, but that’s just me. Nothing bad!
Cinematography: 6. I don’t remember anything stunning about it being new and different, but it was okay.

inematography by: Hal Mohr.
Music: 8. We get the amazing few seconds of Jimmy Stewart singing, so of course I’m a little biased. I really liked his involvement in all of the musical endeavors though they were small. I wasn’t crazy about the rest of the songs because it was without him. Yeah, I can’t really be trusted on this matter.
Music by: Louis Forbes.
Notes: I didn’t know this until I started doing research for this review, but this was inspired by the success of the TV program called Pot O’ Gold which gave away money the same way it does in this film! That straightens things out for me because I was confused why it was called this for the whole time watching the film.

Quotability: 7. I got one line out of it in my notes, but I haven’t quoted it in my daily life since I saw it.

‘“And I told him when he opened this place he’d never make a go of it!”

“Well, he kept it failing successfully for 25 years. That’s not bad.”’

Content: 9. I can’t think of anything that I could take away points for this category. I guess there are some people who are slightly intoxicated at one point, but that’s it.
Originality: 7. I’m not singing it’s praises for being the most creative film in the century, but it was cute enough. It reminds me of Herbie Rides Again (1974) in a few ways, but of course that came later.

Good For: Fans of the actors especially Jimmy Stewart, anyone who wants a cute little movie.
Age Range: It’s perfectly fine for all ages. I feel like a younger audience would like the carefree attitude the most, but it’s good for anyone who just wants a jolly break with their movies.
Overall Score: 7.5.
Worth watching?: Yes, for one reason that is a great excuse for so many things: Jimmy Stewart! I’m so used to seeing him play more dramatic roles that this looks like it was a fun role for him to just be able to play with. It was the first time that I’ve seen him where the character’s name is his own which kept making me laugh.

Will I watch again?: I’m not quite sure. There’s potential that I would for Jimmy, but Paulette Goddard sometimes annoys me. Maybe one day!
Bonus thoughts:
Something that I didn’t like and that really confused me was this extravagant dance routine which was being recorded for the radio. Why did they go through so much work if people wouldn’t see the visual? Especially because the head actress/singer didn’t really do any singing, she just strutted around. It was funny in an annoying way. I know that other people were watching it live, but it just seemed over the top. It’s interesting to think about radio now because it isn’t used as often with all of our newer technology.

I liked that the musicians looked like they were hanging out and relaxing at a jam session so it felt natural. Charles Winninger was very amusing and a lot of my favorite parts revolved around him! There were a few cringy moments, but overall I’m glad that I watched this to cross off another on my list of James Stewart movies!


There you have it! Have any of you seen this? Tell me your favorite James Stewart movie! Are you guilty of watching things just because they have your favorite actor or actress? How’s your Easter season going?

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Beyond Tomorrow (1940)

Hello and howdy everyone!

ʻTis that time of the year. The time when Christmas movies abound and we all must talk about them! Iʼm starting now as well, with a movie that begins on Christmas. I didnʼt quite realize that and watched it in July which is just wrong (my sister argues that Christmas in July is perfectly acceptable). This is a cute and enjoyable film and I hope that reading this review makes you feel the same way!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!

Beyond Tomorrow (1940):

(Also known as And So Goodbye or Beyond Christmas)

ʻ“We donʼt rest and take time to spend with out old friends.”

“Not many of our old friends are left.”

“Well maybe we need some new ones.”ʼ

(Paraphrase)

Three elderly gentlemen are lonely on Christmas Eve and want some company to cheer themselves up. They decide to seek companions by throwing their wallets out the window and inviting whoever returns them to have dinner and fun with them. It brings in a young man and a young lady, and the gentlemen are overjoyed by having them. They continue to get to know them for weeks to come as Jean and James start to fall for each other. But then James begins to be recognized for his singing and what will he do to advance his career? How much ambition is too much?

Genre: Drama, Romance, Fantasy.

Length: approx. 84 minutes.

Script: 10, no bad words.

“Ah, youʼre always looking at the bleak side of things.”

Crew: Directed by: A. Edward Sutherland. Written by: Adele Comandini & Mildred Cram. 

Starring:

Charles Winninger as Michael O'Brien.

Harry Carey as George Melton.

C. Aubrey Smith as Allan Chadwick.

Jean Parker as Jean Lawrence.

Richard Carlson as James Houston.

Maria Ouspenskaya as Madam Tanya.

Helen Vinson as Arlene Terry.

Alex Melesh as Josef.

Rod La Rocque as Phil Hubert.

J. Anthony Hughes as Officer Johnson.

Robert Homans as Sergeant.

Virginia Mc Mullen as Secretary.

James Bush as Jace Taylor.

William Bakewell as David Chadwick.

Costumes: 8, nothing indecent just fully regular.

Cinematography: 8, I canʼt say why because of spoilers, but there is an element in here that I think they did really well! Especially considering the technology of the era. Cinematography by: Lester White.

Music: 7, there was fine singing, and the score was good to convey the feelings moment to moment, but rather forgettable.

Music by: Frank Tours.

“The world needs music just as much as buildings and bridges.”

Quotability: 6, nope, havenʼt quoted this since then, but looking back on my notes there were some good lines.

Content: 9, there is death and killing, and talk about it. It has some ideas about afterlife and ghosts as well. In addition to that there is some drinking, and mentions of divorce. It being a Code film it is handled very well.

Originality: 10, I donʼt know what it is, but something about it is so original. I canʼt recall seeing it before!

Good For: People looking for Christmas, anyone.

Age Range: This is perfectly acceptable for all ages! Iʼm sure that young and old alike will enjoy it.

Overall Score: 8.5!

Worth watching?: Yes! My sister had wanted to see this for ages after knowing the premise and Iʼm very glad that we finally took the time to do so. It was so sweet! I know some people find the story to be a little bland, but I thought that it had a right mix of simpleness and good messages. It made me teary a few times. Sure, there were some parts that were a little awkward and cringy (“Thatʼs how you feel about all romance, MC!” my sister yells from the end of the house. Eh, maybe sheʼs right), but overall it was so worth it.  I especially appreciated the element of Saint Anthony that they used.

Will I watch again?: Yeah, I think I will. It might be a biyearly if not annual film to add to my list of Christmas movies.

For the blogathon:

This is my entry in Pure Entertainment Preservation Societyʼs 2nd Happy Holidays Blogathon! I was too busy when they hosted this last year to join, so after I thought of my topic I was sure to sign up!

This fits the requirements as it opens on Christmas Eve. Look at those lovely lights!

I really liked the differences between our three gents, Michael, George, and Allen. They had distinct personalities that really helped move the story forward. My favorite is probably Allen, even though I feel like he has the smallest part of all of them.

Jean and James were jolly! We were all laughing at how Jamesʼ thick southern accent went away immediately when he sang, but I really liked their interactions together.

Even though this movie is in black and white, Iʼm putting this color one here because itʼs cute.

And we canʼt forget about Madam Tanya! Her story was melancholy, but brought in some nice elements. All in all, Iʼm extremely pleased with this film!

Thanks to the Brannan girls for hosting this event! Check out all of the other fun entries HERE.

Thanks for reading! What are some of your favorite Christmas movies? Any guesses to mine? Happy holidays!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Hey, guys!

I canʼt believe that it is the last day of November! How was the month for all of you?

Back in August I did some mini reviews of all the movies that I watched in July and asked if any of you were interested in reading a full review for any of the movies. The lovely Sarah Seele put forth two options! What Iʼm reviewing for you today is one of those, and I hope to talk about the other next month. This is what I consider to be the funniest movie of all time, so prepare yourself for some hilarity, and I hope that you enjoy this review!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!

Bringing Up Baby (1938):

Based on: the short story Bringing Up Baby - by Hagar Wilde.

David Huxley is a paleontologist who works at a museum. It is heard that Elizabeth Random is giving away a million dollars and the Davidʼs fiancée plans ways for him to spend the day with Mrs. Randomʼs lawyer in order to convince why the museum should receive the money. In his various attempts, he keeps running into this girl, Susan, who wonʼt leave him alone. She drags him on some crazy adventures, and loses a rare bone needed for the dinosaur skeleton that he is assembling at work. Will he find it again and get back to New York in time to get married? And what are they going to do about Baby?

Genre: Screwball Comedy.

Length: approx. 102 minutes.

Script: 10, no bad words!

 "The only way you'll ever get me to follow another of your suggestions is to hold a bright object in front of my eyes and twirl it."

Crew: Directed by: Howard Hawks. Written by: Dudley Nichols & Hagar Wilde.

Starring:

Katharine Hepburn as Susan Vance.

Cary Grant as David Huxley.

May Robson as Elizabeth Ransom.

Fritz Feld as Dr. Lehman.

Charlie Ruggles as Major Applegate.

Walter Catlett as Slocum.

Barry Fitzgerald as Mr. Gogarty.

Leona Roberts as Mrs. Gogarty.

George Irving as Alexander Peabody.

Tala Birell as Mrs. Lehman.

Virginia Walker as Alice Swallow.

John Kelly as Elmer.

And the animals Skippy and Nissa.

Costumes: 8, people are only wearing robes a few times, and someone has a garment that rips, but they cover it up and itʼs never indecent.

My favorite:

I love her whole outfit here!

Cinematography: 9, ah, I love the black and white! I donʼt think there is anything too special about it besides that, but it just has such neat feel that I canʼt figure out how to describe.

Cinematography by: Russell Metty.

Music: 8, Well, there isnʼt really any music to speak of besides the song “I Canʼt Give You Anything But Love, Baby”, but I like how it ties in throughout!

Music by: Rob Webb (score). Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields (song).

Quotability: 10, yes! So many excellent and quotable parts! Now, I was so absorbed in watching it when I was supposed to be taking notes, that I forgot to write down the said notes. And even besides that, I canʼt pick quotes out of all of them! It would either be every single part from the whole movie, or not a lot. So youʼre getting the latter. Plus, this script is so fantastic because there are so many running jokes!

'"You've just had a bad day, that's all. "

“Oh, thatʼs a masterpiece of understatement.”'

Content: 9, there is some smoking, and one person tells some lies that are a little suggestive and mention killing.

Originality: 10, all of the situations that Susan and David get into are so unique and hilarious, Iʼve never seen anything like it!

Good For: Screwball comedy fans, for fans of the actors, for anyone who needs a laugh, everyone.

Age Range: This is perfectly acceptable for all ages! Young and old will get a kick out of it.

Overall Score: 9!

Worth watching?: You bet! Every moment in here is golden, and I canʼt think of a single thing that I donʼt like. I laugh from beginning to end and never stop! Itʼs rather exhausting.

I didn't notice it until I was looking for pictures, but there is a lot of talking on the phone in this film.

Will I watch again?: Absolutely! I think that Iʼve now seen it three times, and I canʼt wait to make that number grow. The last time was the first for my little sister and she enjoyed it, too! I can't wait to share it with others!

Bonus thoughts:

This is the most hilarious film that Iʼve ever seen. Now, I often say that I donʼt like strictly comedy films and especially screwball because it seems so forced. I like dramas that have funny parts woven in and often Iʼm laughing when things arenʼt supposed to be funny, but I get irritated with comedies because I feel that Iʼm made to laugh, but it isnʼt my style of humor. This movie though, is excellent. The characters are so distinct that the problems that they get themselves into and the ways that they try to fix it make so much sense, even when they are not logical. It is said that Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn would frequently start laughing without control that production was often delayed! If youʼre like me and usually dislike comedies, I suggest giving this a try! 

It could be that Cary Grant was just brilliant at comedy because my second favorite comedy of all time, Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), also stars him. We canʼt forget about Katharine Hepburn! The role of Susan Vance was written for her and though it is said that she was having trouble doing comedy, you canʼt tell at all. She is marvelous! My older sister doesn't like her in other things, but she agrees that she shines in this film. They are one of my favorite acting pairs because they work off of each other so well!

The supporting cast does nothing but add to the wonderful chaos. I love the confusion and misunderstandings. Major Applegate reminds me a lot of one of my friends.

I could be here all day talking about it, but it's just awesome, okay?

Thanks to Sarah for requesting a review of this! Does anyone else have any requests? Thanks to all of you for reading! What is your favorite comedy movie? Have any of you seen this? What other Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant movies have you seen?

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Holiday Inn (1942)

Greetings, folks!

I hope that you are all going to have a lovely occasion. Did I say occasion? I meant day. Whoops, slip of the tong--er--hand. If you’ve been around my blog for awhile, you know that I love reviewing things for special occasions. It isn’t likely that I would randomly review a Christmas movie in July (my sister insists that it would work because “Christmas in July”...but no.) Today I’ll be talking about a movie that has so many holidays that I could chose to review it on, but I think I finally found the right one. Why? Read on!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. The main review is spoiler free, but later on there will be some spoilers. I will warn you in time, though!

Holiday Inn (1942):

Stage performer Jim Hardy is tired of having no breaks. He never has a day off and even has big shows on holidays! He decides to quit it all and buy up a farm, thinking that he’ll have free time whenever he wants it. Turns out he was wrong and it is a lot of work. His new brilliant idea is to only work on the holidays and have everyday off! He forms plans to open an inn that is only open on special occasions. Things are going well until he and his friend Ted Hanover both become attached to the same girl. The catch is that he knows who she is and Ted doesn’t. How long will he be able to keep his secrets and what will happen if they are known?

Genre: Musical, Comedy, Romance.
Length: approx. 100 minutes
Script: 10, absolutely clean as there are no bad words.

“Oh boy, do I go for those! Why they're great on... on ... or even plain!” 

(My whole opinion on food.)

Crew: Directed by: Mark Sandrich. Written by: Irving Berlin, Claude Binyon, & Elmer Rice.
Starring:

Bing Crosby as Jim Hardy.

Fred Astaire as Ted Hanover.

Marjorie Reynolds as Linda Mason.

Virginia Dale as Lila Dixon.

Walter Abel as Danny Reed.

Irving Bacon as Gus.

Louise Beavers as Mamie.

Shelby Bacon as Vanderbilt.

Joan Arnold as Daphne.

Marek Windheim as François.

John Gallaudet as Parker.

James Bell as Dunbar.

Leon Belasco as the Flower Shop Proprietor.

Bob Crosby's Band as Orchestra.

Costumes: 9, nothing indecent, and they are quite fashionable, all of them. I mean, I wouldn’t mind wearing one of them...

Costumes by: Edith Head.

Have you ever seen Fred were something so crazy? No, you haven't.

Cinematography: 8, it was classic cute old movie, but nothing too big. I had a bit of a dilemma when I started typing this review, as I didn’t remember if it was black and white or color. I watched it back near Easter so it was a long time ago, okay! I pretty distinctly remember color, but my older sister helped remind me. After that, I remembered how long it took me to coax my little sister into watching it, then once we started she yelled out, “Oh no! Not black and white!” because she rarely likes black and white. This one was approved by her, though.

Cinematography by: David Abel.

Music: 9, good songs, as expected from Irving Berlin! My favorite was probably, “I Can’t Tell a Lie”.

Music by: Irving Berlin & Robert Emmett Dolan.

Quotability: 6, I haven’t quoted it since seeing it, but after multiple rewatches I can image myself doing it.

“Dance yourselves into beautiful nervous breakdowns.” (Paraphrase)

Oscars won: 1: Best Original Song (“White Christmas”). We always associate the song “White Christmas” with the musical, again starring Bing Crosby, titled White Christmas (1954), but the song was actually released with the movie, 12 years before that! This is also the start of the famous song “Easter Parade”, which also got a film all to itself, but only 6 years later.

Content: 7, there is some smoking and some drinking where one character got highly drunk. There are some war scenes in a slideshow, but it is very brief. There is also a very controversial scene with the song “Abraham”, which might be offensive to some, as it has some “incorporating images and behaviors” (Source), that could be called racist. Sometimes this scene is completely cut when stations play the film. Personally, it was my least favorite.

‘“Then I had a drink.”

“A drink? Boy, you were fractured!”’

Originality: 9, this was a bucket of fun! You have some classic Hollywood set ups in there, but it just adds to the fun. An Inn that only specializes in holidays? Never heard of it before!

Good For: Fans of the actors, watching on any of the mentioned holidays.

Age Range: This is acceptable for any and all ages. Little kids will love the dancing, as will older people, I’m sure!

Overall Score: 8!

Worth watching?: Yes! Ever since I’ve learned that this was the origin for “White Christmas”, I’ve wanted to see it and it didn’t disappoint! The numbers were fun, and the actors worked so well together. I'd never seen anything with Marjorie Reynolds before, so I liked that. My sisters and I keep talking about how strange it was to have a movie where we don’t like Fred Astaire’s character. Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t unlikeable, we just like Bing Crosby’s character so much better! The dancing and singing were top notch, as per usual!

Will I watch again?: I now want to make it a tradition where I watch this every year, on one of the many holidays. The fun thing about this movie is that it’s not necessarily Christmas, so there are many chances to watch it.

“You sound sweet, but you don’t make sense.”

For the blogathon:

This movie features the holidays: Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Lincoln’s birthday, Washington’s birthday (those two are now combined into President’s Day), Easter, Independence Day, and...

Thanksgiving!

This is my entry in Sally of 18 Cinema Lane’s A Blogathon To Be Thankful For!

There are four categories in this blogathon, and this is the one that I am participating with: Write about a movie or television show episode that either revolves around Thanksgiving or features, at least, one scene taking place on Thanksgiving.

I really love the idea of Sally hosting this because Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! It is all about being grateful, so how awesome is that? And food, it also involves food. I like this because so many people jump to Christmas after Halloween and tend to forget about it, which is really sad! I celebrate Christmas for a long time afterwards, and not so much beforehand. I know all holidays this year have been different, but it’s good to remember what we’re thankful for.

Alright, time for me to talk about the Thanksgiving scene in here!

Each holiday is proceeded by a short (30 seconds max.) animated feature on a calendar. For Thanksgiving, it has a turkey jumping back and forth between two dates, Thursday the 20th and Thursday the 27th, showing that this was supposed to take place in 1941. This is a fun detail because in all three years of 1939, 1940, and 1941 there was a lot of controversy going on about what date Thanksgiving should be on. From 1863-1938 it had always been the last Thursday of the month, but in 1939 there were five Thursdays instead of four, and President Roosevelt changed it to the week before the last. This stirred up a lot of trouble with people being dismayed over the “breaking of tradition” until finally in 1941 FDR signed a law that it would be the fourth Thursday in November.

(Credit to Cricket magazine and my sister for my expertise on this.)

Okay, from now on SPOILER ALERT. I’m going to be talking about near the end of this movie, so if you haven’t seen it, read no further!

This isn’t the most cheerful part of the movie. Unlike all of the other holidays, Jim is alone for this one. Except for loyal Mamie, of course! He has closed down the inn and let Hollywood start making a movie about it. He has lost Linda as she is off making movies and is overall feeling sorry for himself. He is working on writing the song, “Plenty to be Thankful For”, which is quite the opposite of his current mood, and he keeps making pessimistic comments in reply to the lyrics.

Also, these two kids were adorable.

Mamie brings him a Thanksgiving feast, but he doesn’t really eat, just pushes his food around. Mamie gets tired of his moping and finally tells him to go after Linda, saying:

“You could melt her heart right down to butter, if you'd only turn on the heat!”

There you have it! A huge thank you to Sally Silverscreen for hosting this! Make sure to check out the other entries HERE.

Tell me, what is your favorite holiday movie (for any holiday)? What is your favorite Bing Crosby movie? What about Fred Astaire? Thanks for reading, and happy Thanksgiving in advance!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Adam's Rib (1949)

Hello, all!

I'm coming to you today with a movie review starring a very famous duo! I've been meaning to review this one for ages, and have even started writing it a couple of times, but I have the perfect excuse today. I always get excited when I review classic Hollywood movies, so I hope that you enjoy this!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!

Adam's Rib (1949):

Married couple, Amanda and Adam Bonner, are both lawyers and l live a good life defending people. When a woman is accused of shooting her husband a date is given for a court hearing, and Adam is assigned with the prosecution. Amanda hears all about it and decides on the spot to defend the woman. What follows is that this pair has to go against each other in the courtroom while being together the rest of the time. Adam is upset when he hears this as he is worried that this constant arguing will bring about something worse. Who will win the case, and will Adam's foreboding feelings be right?

'"What's going to happen?"

"Plenty."'

Genre: Drama, Romance.

Length: approx. 101 minutes.

Script: 10, I'm sure of no bad words!

"I say, I sound fascinating."

Crew: Directed by: George Cukor.

Written by: Ruth Gordon & Garson Kanin.

Starring:

Katharine Hepburn as Amanda Bonner.

Spencer Tracy as Adam Bonner.

Judy Holliday as Doris Attinger.

Tom Ewell as Warren Attinger.

David Wayne as Kip Lurie.

Jean Hagen as Beryl Caighn.

Clarence Kolb as Judge Reiser.

Hope Emerson as Olympia La Pere.

Eve March as Grace.

Emerson Treacy as Jules Frikke.

Polly Moran as Mrs. McGrath.

Will Wright as Judge Marcasson.

Elizabeth Flournoy as Dr. Margaret Brodeigh.

Costumes: 6, there are times when people are just hanging out in bathrobes, or towels, but nothing bad or excellent.

Cinematography: 8, the opening struck my attention for having good cinematography! The rest is your standard black and white movie.

Cinematography by: George J. Folsey.

Music: I have to mark this one as N/A because I can't remember it besides the one song.

Music by: Miklós Rózsa.

Quotes: 6, I have not even considered quoting this since I watched it, but looking at my notes there were lots of good lines!

"I've got a theory, wanna hear it? I think the world is having a nervous breakdown." 

(Very applicable for this year!)

Content: 9, there is the subject of people having affairs, divorce, emotional abuse, and suggestive things. But, many of those are handled very well! I was duly impressed.

 "I don't believe women should smoke, you'll excuse me from saying." ( I don't believe anyone should smoke, but that seems to be my personal opinion)

Originality: 9, talking about gender justice (hey, that kind of rhymes) is a common topic, but not one that gets old! I admit, I haven't seen it take shape in a courtroom like this before with such circumstances, so it was very unique! In some ways it strangely reminded me of the book that I was reading at the time, Anna Karenina - by Leo Tolstoy.

Good For: Fans of the actors, married couples, anyone.

Age Range: While this movie is very clean and has some thought provoking topics, these kind of dramas can be boring to little kids. I speak from experience! It depends on the person, of course, but I would say this kind of interest could start appearing in someone of 13.

Overall Score: 8!

Worth watching?: Whenever I hear about a movie taking the most time in a courtroom, my immediate thought is, "Oh no! That's going to be so boring!" which is funny, because most movies dealing with the law in that way that I've seen are not boring. This one was especially the opposite. I was always interested in what was happening and it was, to tell the truth, riveting! Very well done and it was definitely worth watching. Plus, Judy Holliday had such an impacting role, and I was so glad to see Jean Hagen!

Will I watch again?: I most certainly will! With a lot of Katharine Hepburn movies I'm very anxious about how it will turn out when I am first viewing it (the exception obviously being Bringing Up Baby (1938)), but when I watch it again I find myself enjoying it a lot. In one way I was not satisfied with the ending, and in another I was very much so, so I don't know what to tell you, readers! I look forward to multiple rewatches!

For the blogathon:

This is my entry in The Third Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn Blogathon, hosted by Love Letters to Classic Hollywood and In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood!

Last year I reviewed one of my favorite movies, The Philadelphia Story (1940), which stars our wonderful Katharine, but this year I wanted to feature Spencer, too! As I said in my intro, I'd been wanting to talk about this film on my blog for awhile, so I picked it as my contribution. I'm sorry that I'm, once again, at the last minute, but it completely slipped my mind that this was happening until today! Rebecca at Taking Up Room also reviewed this movie, so check out what she has to say HERE.

When I finally watched this I'd been meaning to do it for such a long time. I was not disappointed! The story was so good and I liked all of the points brought up. It didn't say "Women are better than men." but it didn't say "Men are better than women", it had a wonderful balance of how all people are equal. I agree that there are biases towards both genders and they are valid points to bring up. Kate was so energetic and fun to watch as Amanda, but Spencer Tracy stole the show for me with Adam. He was so emotional in the role! I applaud both of them as they worked together perfectly.

Thanks to Michaela and Crystal for hosting! Check out the other entries HERE or HERE.

Your turn to talk to me! Has anyone else seen this? What is your favorite movie, or book, set in a court? Mine is To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), but this one is close!

MovieCritic