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Dear Ruth (1947)
Delightful Surprise
I just watched this for the first time and loved it! William Holden was amusing and charming as the naive, lovestruck GI. Joan Caulfield was pretty and sweet as the woman he thought he had exchanged all those letters with.
However, I thought the 3 best actors in this were Edward Arnold, Mona Freeman and Billy DeWolfe. They all were funny, and probably have the best lines. While it's hard to believe that Caulfield's character would ever want to marry DeWolfe's nerdy, boorish character, DeWolfe had some very funny lines. This is one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in a long time, and is now one of my favorite romantic comedies - a real treat from the Golden Age of Hollywood. I loved the very last scene too!
The Unfaithful (1947)
No Big Deal She Was Unfaithful? Not Buying It.
This movie was a big swing and a miss with me, though apparently not with many others.
Ann Sheridan's character marries Zachary Scott's character during WW II, then soon after he goes off to war, she decides she's lonely and cheats on him. But that seems to be OK according the movie's viewpoint. She had no one to turn to while he was away? Why didn't she decide to go to her sister's house like she's decided at the end of the movie she's going to do after the trial that takes place? And the movie deliberately makes Jerome Cowan's district attorney so unrealistically mean and harassing so as to make Sheridan's character more sympathetic. And for some reason I found Eve Arden's apparent humor to be very annoying.
The performances were fine from Sheridan, Lew Ayers, and Zachary Scott (the latter being more likable than normal in this movie).
The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)
A Superb Sequel
I really liked this movie, and I enjoyed it even more than the other two Thin Man movies I've seen: The Thin Man and After the Thin Man. William Powell was as witty and charming as ever, but I really loved Myrna Loy in this one: very charming, pretty and funny. She was hilarious in some of her scenes, including the one where she's doing her crazy swing dance, and the one in front of the barber shop window.
Some of the ongoing drinking gags concerning William Powell (who is actually on the wagon) are very funny. There's a strong supporting cast here, including Harry Davenport and Lucille Watson as Powell's parents; Edward Brophy is funny as Powell's pal Brogan.
Oh yes, the whodunit plot is pretty good too, but I was especially impressed with the comedy in this one. And kudos to Myrna Loy.
Angels Over Broadway (1940)
Interesting Discovery, Loved the Young Rita Hayworth Here
As one who loves old Hollywood movies and has been recently discovering old ones I haven't seen before, this was an interesting find. I was surprised to find this early Hollywood movie about down-and-out New Yorkers with 4 actors well-known to old movie buffs: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Rita Hayworth, Thomas Mitchell, and John Qualen.
Fairbanks Jr. Was very good playing a charming (but not-too-successful) con man, Mitchell solid as ever, and Qualen very good in a larger role than I was used to seeing him in, but the real joy in this movie was Hayworth: charming and endearing as a heart-of-gold showgirl. And as other reviewers have noted, she projected the Marilyn Monroe persona long before anyone had heard of Monroe. She looked and sounded like Marilyn in a charming performance. Did Marilyn copy Rita Hayworth's style in this movie? Don't know...
While not a great movie, it was overall an interesting one, namely to see stars in unexpected "loser"-type roles, and to see the young Hayworth's wonderful performance.
The Tin Star (1957)
Even Better the Second Time I Watched It
I saw this movie in its entirety for the first time a couple years ago, and remembered I liked it... but I really liked it when I watched it today for the second time. I love Westerns, and this is in my Top 20. Henry Fonda is excellent as the experienced bounty hunter who comes to town and befriends the young, inexperienced sheriff played by Anthony Perkins (very good in one of his early-career 1950s roles). It has a strong storyline and acting performances, where the shooting and fighting doesn't overwhelm the movie.