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Movies 'Til Dawn BLOG

GEORGE RAFT; THE DANCING GANGSTER PT. DEUX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTkl_Nyzh90https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXPr32BHmNAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTY6GpGdDF8 Above are three rare clips of George Raft dancing–one from the 1944 wartime propoganda musical ‘Follow The Boys’ (1944), another from one of his earliest films ‘Quick Millions’ (1931) and finally a duet with Alice Faye from ‘Every Night At Eight’ (1935).  The quality of the second two clips

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January 24, 2024 No Comments

GEORGE RAFT–THE DANCING GANGSTER (PT.1)

George Raft was a perfectly good actor but a great dancer as witness in the above clip from ‘Bolero’ (1934) where he dances with Carole Lombard. Raft began his career in New York in the so-called roaring twenties, first as the driver of prohibition kingpin gangster Owney Madden, then as

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January 23, 2024 1 Comment

WEEKEND STOOGEFEST

‘Grips, Grunts and Groans’ (1937) is the 20th short comedy made by The Three Stooges for Columbia Pictures. It was photographed from Friday, October 30th through Thursday, November 5th, 1936 and was released on Friday, January 15th 1937 (the 15th day in the Gregorian calendar). This is a deeply unsettling

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January 20, 2024 No Comments

JEAN HARLOW AT A PREMIERE

Apropos of yesterdays post featuring home movies (I think) of Jean Harlow in the early 30s, here’s documentary footage of the premiere of ‘Hells Angels’, Howard Hughes World War 1 aviation epic, in 1930. It was the first big time role of Harlow’s career which makes the announcers description of

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January 19, 2024 No Comments

JEAN HARLOW IN WHITLEY HEIGHTS

Here’s a completely obscure, not to say befuddling, piece of footage showing us Jean Harlow in conversation with her ‘vocal coach’ Samuel Kayzer. (It somehow makes sense that this footage is entirely silent). Who shot it? For what purpose? It doesn’t look professionally done so was it some kind of

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January 18, 2024 2 Comments

‘HOLIDAY’–THE 1930 EDITION

Try this one on for size in the bad-luck show-biz department. You’re a successful Broadway actor in the 1920s. The movie business comes calling. You land roles of increasing prominence. The talkies arrive and it’s found that your voice is more than adequate for leading man status (at a time

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January 17, 2024 1 Comment

A LITTLE NICHOLAS BROTHERS

Given the hugeness of their talent, the above title is ludicrous and reductive to say the least. Lets kick off this early 2024 week with the terrific ‘Jumpin’ Jive’ number from ‘Stormy Weather’. You have to sit through a minute and a half of Cab Calloway (not an easy task)

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January 8, 2024 1 Comment

WEEKEND STOOGEFEST

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twBwZz1GXKM ‘Woman Haters’ (1934) is the first of 190 short comedies made by The Three Stooges for Columbia Pictures. It was photographed from Tuesday, March 27 through Friday, March 30 1934 and was released on Saturday, May 5th of that year (the 125th day of the Gregorian calendar and the

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January 6, 2024 No Comments

LAUREL & HARDY SILENT-FEST (DAY 7!)

Yesterday I posted ‘Putting Pants On Phillip’ (1927),, the first film in which Laurel and Hardy are paired as a team even though they play characters unassociated with each other prior to their on-screen meeting. Today’s silent L&H, ‘Do Detectives Think?’ (also 1927) is their following film and the first

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December 30, 2023 No Comments

LAUREL AND HARDY SILENT-FEST–DAY 6

‘Putting Pants On Phillip’ (1927) is the first official teaming of Laurel and Hardy, though they had appeared in a handful of films together prior to this (but not as a team). They’re not really a team here either which makes this silent comedy a real curiosity. Laurel plays a

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December 29, 2023 1 Comment

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