Love Affair, 1939 (Grade C+)

Director: Leo MCarey

Any Awards?  nominated for lots of Academy Awards but I don't thik it won any

Cast: Charles Boyer; Irene Dunn; Maria Oupenskaya; Lee Bowman; Astrid Allwyn; Maurice Moscovitch

PLOT SUMMARY: While on an ocean cruise, strangers Michel Marnet (Charles Boyer) and Terry McKay (Irene Dunne) are instantly taken with each other. Unfortunately, they're both engaged to other people, so they promise to reunite in six months to see if their passion still burns. En route to the reunion, Terry is crippled in a car accident, heightening the drama of this Oscar-nominated romance.

sez says: Playboy falls for a young woman who has promised herself to a rich man..neither love their intended-and they grow increasingly found of each other.  What a sappy swamp this turns into. But to be together they will have to give up the things their rich fiances will provide. The point being that they care for each other more than they want the money. Then she is hit by a car and crippled trying to get to him on the day they planned to meet to confirm their love.  She loves him too much to tell him she is crippled, and to force him into a life of taking care of her. ... oh my, what an over the top gusher this is -- I guess you could do anything during the Great Depression that tried to convince people that what REALLY MATTERED wasn't money...  And what a lot of hooey. I  wonder if stuff like this ended making people feel their real life love interests were not up to snuff. But still well acted and a rather famous movie--do I';ll give it its due -- but wow, what tripe.

mjc says: It is no wonder that the romance NY permeates our culture when movies like this celebrate the streets and the skyline as places for lovers to meet.

A Star Is Born, 1937 (Grade B)

-DIRECTOR:  William A Wellman 

Any Awards? Yes, numberous Academy Awards, and AFI Top 100 List 

Cast: Janet Gaynor; Fredric March; Adolphe Menjou 

story (SPOILER ALERT) --young woman in Dakotas does not want to spend her life in dulls-ville.  Grandma slips her the $ to go to Hollywood and follow her dream. With no training but a sweet and pure personality our little miss makes it big.  Her 'big chance' comes via a drunken/famous actor who recognizes in her 'something special' --and eventually, once he agrees to quite drinking, they get married but not before his drinking has destroyed his career.  
She loves him truly--and he loves her truly --and it is all very, very sad. She is now supporting him and so he takes to drinking again.  She is going to give up her career to nurse him--but he can't have that--so he commits suicide.  She is is so down trodden by his death that she is going to give up her career. But in the nick-of-time grandma appears and says something like: "I told you to follow your dreams that you'd have to put up with pain and suffering.  And now it is time to prove your worth and not disappoint your fans", etc.. So our sweet and lovely STAR bravely goes back to work 

Sez says:  We are currently watching ALL the versions of this movie that have been made.  This may well be the best one. It is a lot better than I expected it to be. You can see reviews of the others via a search on the title. 
The story is predictable and past silly in places.  I guess any female that is sweet and nice can be a star even with no training in her field at all.   But it does deal with alcoholism in a more realistic way than anything else I've seen from this era.  And the acting is good. (Grade B)

MJC Says:  Great script via Dorothy Parker and pals..principles did their jobs.