Sensation Hunters - 1933 ***

'Sensation Hunters' doesn't particularly stand out, although it was apparently good enough for a remake to be made 10+ years later. 

A woman named Dale is taken under the wing of the aristocratic first class passengers of a Pacific liner, but is soon outed as a cabaret girl and shunned by society. 

It wasn't bad, and Arline Judge is quite good in her part. 

His Private Secretary - 1933 ***

Not a bad offering from John Wayne, showing that he can actually be funny, and not just hover around on a horse in movie after movie.
The first film I have seen Evalyn Knapp in and actually she was quite good. Dick (Wayne) has to prove to his father, his friends, and his potential girlfriend Marion (Knapp) that he is more than just a playboy. His father in particular finds his behaviour disgusting and vows never to employ him again at work, or to accept any relationships that he has. Once he marries Marion, she decides to go undercover as his father's new secretary to gain his trust and win him round for his son's sake.
Quite a sweet, albeit predictable story, I liked it.

Design for Living - 1933 ***

I can't quite make out Ernst Lubitsch. He's someone that is merited highly by film critics everywhere. However, this (the second offering from him that I have seen) just didn't cut the mustard. I seem to be more disappointed than I was after the first film. Noel Coward is brilliant, witty and intelligent with his plays. I bet this was hilarious on the stage, but on screen it sadly didn't translate that well. Gary Cooper has that permanent look on his face like he has just had botox and cannot construct any meaningful facial features, and Miriam Hopkins squints constantly like there is no tomorrow. 2 penniless pals, an artist and a playwright, meet a free spirited lady named Gilda on a train to Paris, and they decide that they will all share a cramped room (very Bohemian) and that Gilda will criticise their work and push them to succeed. They enter into a gentleman's agreement whereby neither of the men has sex with her. The trouble is, Gilda is no gentleman, and if she wants sex, she will darn well have it. Daring for it's time, and has a few funny scenes, but lacking something fundamental.

Don't Bet on Love - 1933 ***

Notably the film that took Ginger and Lew up the aisle, this is a mediocre movie about a plumber who is addicted to betting on horses because he gets hints before each race. His girlfriend Molly will not marry him unless he stops his gambling and saves up $1000. He wins the money but continues to gamble, and although Molly is not happy, she takes his word that he will never put money on races again. However, when she finds out on her wedding day that he is taking her to Saratoga for their honeymoon because of the horses, she has had enough, and finishes with him. 

I love Lew Ayres and I'm pretty keen on Ginger as well, so this it was nice to see how they met and got together. 

Morning Glory - 1933 *

Oh dear. Time and time again I try to watch things with Katherine Hepburn in the hope that I will become a fan. So far the only film I have vaguely liked her in is 'Bringing Up Baby' but that was largely due to how hilarious Cary Grant was. I just find her completely over the top as an actress and totally egotistical. This story of a woman's rise to fame etc was very forgettable. If Adolphe Menjou hadn't been in this the film wouldn't have got any stars from me.

The Ex-Lady - 1933 ****

It's surprisingly shocking how taboo the subjects in this film are, but had it been a few years later then the Hayes Code would have been put in place to prevent them.

Davis plays Helen, a beautiful and independent woman who is totally against marriage, fearing that it will spoil her career and turn her old before her time. Her boyfriend Don however is desperate to marry her, and only after a visit from Helen's moralistic father does she decide to keep him happy and tie the knot. However, problems begin to arise when financial problems with Don's business cause marital problems at home, and Helen decides (after finding out that

Don has been seeing someone else) that the marriage is the main reason for the problems and therefore they should go back to just 'seeing' each other. I think it's quite a daring film for it's time, but Bette Davis looks gorgeous and I totally fall in love with the decor, clothes and way of life everytime I see a film from the 1930s.

Hold Your Man - 1933 ****

A great film. Jean Harlow can never be in a bad film and I think she knew this by the time she starred in 'Hold Your Man.' By this time her social life was constantly in the tabloids and she was one of the most talked about stars of the early 1930s. So basically we know for sure that if Harlow is in something then it's going to be great.

In this snappy picture she plays Ruby, a wisecracking and smarmy girl who bumps into con Clark Gable whilst he is running away from his latest scheme (well to be precise he runs in on her in the bath!) and she hides him when the police come looking. Gable is also smooth talking and the pair hit it off immediately, bouncing off jokes and insults at each other as fast as Grant and Russell in 'His Girl Friday'. However after a plan of his goes wrong, Ruby gets blamed and taken down and placed in a penitentiary for 'fallen women.'

Harlow looks absolutely stunning in every scene, and her presence lights up the whole shot. She has this amazing quality whilst acting that means you can't take your eyes off her. A bit like Monroe. She also has some lovely costumes. Harlow was a national treasure.

This is one of a number of films that Gable and Harlow did together and I can't wait to see the first one they did (Red Headed Woman).

PS What I love about films like this is how much they incapsulate the time period they were filmed in. You really get to see what the city and the restaurants/bars, vehicles etc looked like and so from that aspect it's good to have as a keepsake of how the world has changed.