By Daisy Sage and PandaRobots
Daisy: PandaRobots and I have many times expounded on the joys of watching our favorite black and white films from the 1930s and early 1940s.
I suppose it would make sense at this juncture to mention that my screen name, Daisy Sage, and my avatar were taken from a character in one of my favorite movies from the early 1930s, The Animal Kingdom (1932) . The photo I used for my avatar is a publicity still from the movie of Ann Harding, who played Daisy in the movie.
Like many “pre-code” movies of the very early 30s, there’s no real salacious content in The Animal Kingdom by our contemporary standards. And yet, this film touches on subjects that would be quite taboo in “post code” era movies. Premarital and marital sex is both alluded to, and it is mentioned that two of the characters previously lived together as an unmarried couple.
It’s also interesting that several of the protagonists in the story take a fairly bohemian view of life; artists pursue their art without worrying about money (even in the very beginning of the Depression era!), and look down upon friends who “sell out” and create commercial crap in exchange for financial security.
So Panda, why don’t you tell us what attracted you to the films of the 1930s and early 1940s?
Panda: What initially drew me to these films were the strong female characters. The women have lines! And personalities! And tell jokes!
I do think the world in which these characters live is idealized to a certain extent. The Depression is rarely mentioned. Sometimes vagabonds or people down on their luck will be shown (the mother and child in It Happened One Night, My Man Godfrey, Meet John Doe ), but in general at least one of the leads is incredibly wealthy.
Daisy: Yes, I’ve noticed that too. In My Man Godfrey (1936), which is basically a romantic comedy with some class-consciousness thrown in, you have the “forgotten man” theme juxtaposed with the very rich and spoiled.
One comedy I like that makes light of the difficult financial times is Three Broadway Girls (1932) . They do mention the stock market crash and refer to the stresses of being broke. However the three main characters are young attractive ex-showgirls who have nice lives as “gold diggers”, so you don’t see any actual suffering.
Another thing I like about these movies is the depiction of romantic love and how it develops. It seems so much more genuine than contemporary depictions of love. Sentimental, without necessarily being soppy. Panda, what are your thoughts about this?
Panda: I totally agree. The way they treat sex is fascinating, too. On one hand, I like that the filmmakers couldn’t substitute the characters sleeping together for actual relationship development; they have to write dialogue or think up other situations to show the couple falling in love. I think that makes the relationship seem more genuine, as you said. On the other hand, I was initially surprised at how modern they are about it, too. Even if everything’s done with a wink and a nudge, they don’t pretend that sex doesn’t exist. In fact, sometimes it’s a major plot point, as in The Philadelphia Story (1940) and It Happened One Night (1934) – two of my favorites.
Daisy: I love both those films, too! The Philadelphia Story was written by Phillip Barry, who also wrote The Animal Kingdom a few years previous. He had a wonderful talent for dialogue.
Panda: Oh yes, the dialogue is so important in these films. That’s another reason why I like movies from the ’30s and ’40s – the scenes last longer, there’s a lot more exchange between the characters, barbs being traded back and forth, etc.
One of my favorite lines is when the heroine tells the hero “You’re the most contemptible man I’ve ever met in all my life!” in The Lady Vanishes (1938). It set the stage for so many of today’s romantic comedies – and basically every Nora Ephron movie ever.
Daisy: It seems like a lot of care was taken with the plot twists, too. One thing I really like about The Philadelphia Story is that it’s one of the only romantic comedies I’ve ever seen, from any era, wherein the first time I saw it, I couldn’t figure out which of the guys the heroine would end up with at the end. The writer did nothing to broadcast the ending.
Panda: Choosing between Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart would be hard for anyone. Who are some of your favorite leading men?
Daisy: I like Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart a lot, too. But I have an especially soft place in my heart for Dana Andrews. William Holden didn’t really start to get prominent roles until the late 40s and early 50s, but I’m a big fan of his too.
Panda: What is it about the leading men in these films that is so appealing or different from today’s leading men?
Daisy: I think one thing that makes these male characters so appealing to me is the sincerity element. When a guy falls for a girl in these movies it looks like he decides pretty quickly and pretty solidly. You can tell that there’s not a lot of waffling or indecision, even if it takes three quarters of the story arc to do something about it.
Panda, why do you think that so many movies of that era had newspaper people as the protagonists?
Panda: I researched it a little, and I found that many former journalists worked as scriptwriters and between 1928-1935, there were 79 newspaper movies. These movies helped to shape the public idea of the journalist as a hard-hitting, tough reporter, chasing after the biggest story (be it serious or gossip) no matter the obstacle, making wisecracks, and usually making some sort of moral or heroic decision. When I see the fast-talking female reporters, like in His Girl Friday (1940) , I think they were the archetype for today’s romantic comedies where every heroine is a high-powered magazine executive or wants to write for one.
Okay, let’s sum up with descriptions of some of these movies.
It Happened One Night – 1934
The master of the wink and nudge sexual tension. Claudette Colbert is absolutely gorgeous and portrays an innocent, vivacious, spoiled girl with hints of a burgeoning sultry woman in a very believable way.
His Girl Friday – 1940
This actually isn’t my favorite Cary Grant movie, but it should be mentioned. I like that Rosalind Russell isn’t a simpering ingénue. Plus, her and Cary Grant’s characters were colleagues – there was no “Now that we’re married, you won’t have to work” from Grant.
The Philadelphia Story – 1940
Cary Grant’s character is a recovering alcoholic. Katharine Hepburn’s character, a beautiful but chilly divorced heiress, refuses to embrace human flaws (and there’s kind of a “needs to get laid” subtext.) There’s a funny and fascinating “love rectangle” as well.
Daisy: Besides The Animal Kingdom, and My Man Godfrey, which I described above, I’d like to recommend:
The Women – 1939 directed by George Cukor, and starring Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, and a talented ensemble cast comprised entirely of women. Full of great dialogue, it shows how one woman deals with her husband’s infidelity while trying to save face amongst her pitying friends.
Here are places you can view some of Panda’s and my favorite movies of the 1930s and early 1940s. Enjoy!
My Man Godfrey (on Netflix )
Meet John Doe (on YouTube)
Free downloads at Archive.org:
His Girl Friday – (streaming on youtube) (free download)
Daisy Sage and PandaRobots are two classic movie enthusiasts who like it better in black and white.
