Category Archives: 1937 Films

1937 Films, Comedy, Marx Brothers, Maureen O'Sullivan, Sam Wood

A Day at the Races-1937

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A Day at the Races-1937

Director Sam Wood

Starring Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx

Scott’s Review #1,011

Reviewed April 13, 2020

Grade: B

The Marx Brothers created a collection of successful films throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including A Day at the Races (1937), which continues the zany adventures of the bumbling men.

Not as laugh-out-loud funny as their earlier works, particularly the memorable Duck Soup (1933), which is considered their best achievement, the film has trademark chuckles and physical comedy for miles that celebrate their vaudeville roots.

A horse and a private sanitarium are the major players in this installment.

The film suffers from a myriad of stereotypes and startling racial overtones, as any apt viewer will likely need to remind themselves of the decade the film was made. Thankfully, these scenes are brief and not the highlight of the story.

A Day at the Races belongs to the Marx Brothers as their klutzy humor and one-liners are the best parts, leaving the romantic leads and the foils as standard characters. Backstage problems were prevalent, leaving some continuity issues for the final product.

Judy Standish (Maureen O’Sullivan) owns the struggling Standish Sanitarium, which she can barely afford to keep afloat. The devious J.D. Morgan (Douglass Dumbrille) owns a nearby racetrack and nightclub and aspires to use the sanitarium space to open a successful casino.

Hugo Z. Hackenbush (Groucho Marx), a horse doctor, treats the wealthy Mrs. Upjohn (Margaret Dumont), who she thinks is a “real” doctor, and agrees to back the sanitarium financially, but only if Hackenbush runs it.

Suspicions arise when Morgan and his business manager attempt to locate the real Hackenbush in Florida.

Meanwhile, Judy’s fiancé, singer Gil Stewart (Allan Jones), who performs in Morgan’s nightclub, has just spent his life’s savings on a racehorse named Hi-Hat. He hopes that the horse he purchased from Morgan will win a big race and the money will save the sanitarium.

Hi-Hat is afraid of Morgan and runs away whenever he hears Morgan’s voice. All the principal players gather for a hysterical conclusion as an exciting horse race ensues with a case of mistaken identity mixed in for good measure.

The main attractions are Groucho, Harpo, and Chico, as they provide a robust dose of clumsy, action-filled pranks, misunderstandings pop, and bops that keep them fluttering about the silver screen in a fast-paced fashion.

The other characters serve as either foils or support for the trio of funny men, so much so that they feel like stock characters. Jones and O’Sullivan have some chemistry as the straight leads and a few tender moments, but neither is the film about them.

The running time of one hour and fifty minutes feels long for a genre film like this, and several scenes meant only to balance the physical comedy could have been eliminated.

The famous exchange between Hackenbush and Mrs. Upjohn, in which she exclaims, “I’ve never been so insulted in all my life!” and he replies, “Well, it’s early yet,” is a classic comedy and heartwarming to the eyes and ears, as the pacing between the characters is nice.

A Day at the Races (1937) feels dated during some scenes and is a stark reminder that inclusion did not always exist in cinema and that laughs were to be had at the expense of minority groups. Putting this aside, the writing is witty and entertaining as a comic creation and a perfect showcase for the Marx Brothers to continue their fantastic run of films.

The film might be suggested as part of a marathon or binge-watching effort rather than as a stand-alone since better chapters can be found elsewhere.

Oscar Nominations: Best Dance Direction

1937 Films, Allan Dwan, Children, Drama, Jean Hersholt, Mary Nash, Musical, Musical Drama, Shirley Temple

Heidi-1937

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Heidi-1937

Director Allan Dwan

Starring Shirley Temple, Jean Hersholt

Scott’s Review #826

Reviewed November 2, 2018

Grade: A-

During the 1930s and 1940s, Shirley Temple was the most prominent and profitable child star around, starring in dozens of films deemed “wholesome” and “cute.”

Heidi (1937) is one of her most popular and best-regarded treasures of earnest and sentimental riches.

The film is forever known in pop culture as the ruination of the 1968 Super Bowl when the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets game was interrupted at a crucial moment due to the film’s scheduled airing.

An interesting side note is that, amazingly, Temple relinquished her Hollywood title with dignity and without scars. She left the scene entirely and became a successful world diplomat.

In an era in American cinema when child stars were treated as property and sometimes like cattle, her relatively healthy exit was a remarkable feat.

The story of Heidi is based on the 1880 Swiss story of the same name. In the title role, Temple plays an orphan living in the cold mountains with her grizzled grandfather, Adolf (Jean Hersholt). At first bitter for being saddled with raising a child, Adolf finally accepts the girl, and he and Heidi become fast friends, exhibiting a warm and tender bond.

Heidi’s self-absorbed aunt ruins the dynamic and whisks the child away to live with a wealthy family. The little girl will be a companion for their disabled daughter, Klara, as Heidi and Adolf are determined to find each other.

Adding drama to the story is Klara’s evil housekeeper and her jealousy of Heidi, leading to attempts to sell Heidi off to gypsies for profit.

By 1937, Temple was beginning to be deemed “too old” for cute roles, but Heidi is one of her best-remembered films, and the actress is in top form.

As one might expect from any Shirley Temple film, musical numbers are included- a dream sequence in Holland culminates with Temple belting out the charming “In My Little Wooden Shoes.”

There are millions of Shirley Temple fans worldwide, but there are also her detractors. Some feel her films are completely dated and that the young star was not as talented as they thought she was.

Admittedly, watching her films approaching the one-hundred-year mark can be peculiar. On the surface, they seem a bit hammy and overly sentimental, but my personal experience elicits a return to childhood days.

Despite being decades before my existence, Shirley Temple films were commonplace in my childhood household.

Heidi is not a groundbreaking cinematic experience or all that deep. What the film does provide, though, is comfort. The audience assuredly must know a film like Heidi has a happy ending, as the child provides warmth and spirit to every person she meets, making their lives better.

Even during peril, the girl has an “awe-shucks” manner of being and makes the best of her lousy situation.

The strongest appeal of Heidi comes from her friendship with Klara, a disabled woman. Klara is kind and naive, unaware of her servant’s jealousy and rage. Helpless, she comes to depend on Heidi, and we root for Heidi to rescue Klara and bring her to a better life.

The film has sappily written all over it but somehow works simultaneously.

Films such as Heidi, the best of all the Temple films, can be watched and enjoyed as an ode to days gone by or a tribute to someone’s grandmother’s favorite film.

Despite being irrelevant and too sappy in today’s modern world, they undoubtedly provide comfort and support to some, which cannot be such a bad thing.

Heidi (1937) can easily be enjoyed because of the film’s popularity and its warm message.

1937 Films, Animated, Ben Sharpsteen, Best Film of the Year, Children, David Hand, Disney, Eric Larson, Fantasy, Les Clark, Musical, Wilfred Jackson, Wolfgang Reitherman

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs-1937

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs-1937

Director David Hand

Starring Various Voices

Scott’s Review #625

Reviewed March 18, 2017

Grade: A-

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) is Walt Disney’s debut feature-length production and the first animated feature.

Until their release, animated stories were not features at all but shorts that were shown as gag-filled entertainment not to be taken very seriously.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made animated films something to be appreciated and respected. The 1937 film was re-released in theaters many times until the 1990s and is a blueprint for what animated features would become.

The film is based on the famous fairy tale of the Brothers Grimms, and it is a cherished treasure.

Beautiful inside and out, Snow White is a lonely princess who lives with her devious, wicked stepmother, the Queen. Making the most of her troubled life, Snow White hums and sings with her bird friends, who gather to keep her company as she is forced by her stepmother to work as a scullery maid.

The Queen is a vain woman, jealous of Snow White’s natural beauty. She constantly consults her mirror to ask, “Who is the fairest one of all?”

One day, the Queen decides to put an end to Snow White and orders a henchman to kill her in the forest and return her bloody heart to her in a box. When the henchman cannot do the deed, he pleads with Snow White to flee.

She winds up in a bit of cottage housing seven dwarf men whom she befriends as the Queen is determined to take drastic measures to find her.

Circa 1937 and for years to come, animated features were not created as they are today. Instead, they were simplistic- and excellent- in using storyboards and drawings in their creation.

This daunting task and the creativity involved make them just lovely to look at.

Since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the debut animated feature, the drawings are fantastic to view- like pictures- and to appreciate the craftsmanship involved.

The characters are richly created, with bright, vivid colors that distinguish them from one another—Snow White’s bright red lips and the blue and gold colors of her dress contrast with the regal purples used on the Queen, to say nothing of the deep red color of the poison apple.

The color makes the apple appear delicious but also dangerously blood red. These nuances make the characters deep with texture.

The friendships Snow White makes with the dwarfs and the animal life in the forest are whimsical and filled with love, and the animal element later becomes a staple of Disney’s works- Dumbo and Bambi.

The animals are naturally fond of Snow White because she is joyous and kind. They, in turn, warn her of impending danger as the Queen turns herself into an old woman and lumbers towards Snow White, snug in the cottage.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs features an old-style romance. The handsome Prince takes a shine to Snow White, noticing her natural beauty as she sings, and is later determined to save her—which he does when he magically kisses her in the film’s finale.

The songs featured only enhance the love story—”Some Day My Prince Will Come” is a lovely ode to romance, tenderly sung by Snow White as she longs for the Prince’s touch, frustrated with her life.

The seven dwarfs are created magically, and seven little men living together seem quite natural in those innocent times.

Each is distinctive—Dopey is my personal favorite in his innocence and playfulness—and Happy, Doc, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, and Bashful are all written with great zest. We fall in love with each of them from the first moment we meet them as they belt out “Heigh-Ho” in unison.

Since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs deserve merit for being Disney’s first, overlooked can be the omission of any family members of Snow White’s besides the evil Queen. Where are Snow White’s father and mother? Any siblings? Indeed, they are presumed dead, but they are never mentioned.

Also, why does the Queen have a Magic Mirror and has special powers that nobody else has?

At one hour and twenty-three minutes, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a quick film but does not feel underdeveloped. The story and the characters are rich with appeal and intrigue, making the film a classic that should be shared with all youngsters.

It is a classic tale of good versus evil and a great love story, and it sets the tone for other Disney masterpieces to follow.

Oscar Nominations: Best Scoring