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Reviews
Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937)
Definitely dated, but with quality performances
After finding success with the two previous "Broadway Melodies", MGM must have realized they had something.... However, this third installment is not the best, although there are some fun performances from Eleanor Powell, Sophie Tucker and Judy Garland.
Eleanor's finale is something to see, as is the sweet song "Dear Mr. Gable (You Made Me Love You)" that Judy sings as a love letter to Clark's portrait.
Pigskin Parade (1936)
Light fare, lots o' fluff
Pigskin Parade is a light-hearted football-themed musical (how many of those are there?) and is most notable for being the feature debut for a young Judy Garland. MGM loaned her out to Fox (the only time she made a film at another studio for the next 14 years) because they didn't know what to do with the little girl with the grown-up voice. Guess they solved that problem, huh?
Not too much of the film is noteworthy aside from Judy's performances and it's interesting to note that she co-starred with Jack Haley, the father of the Tin-Man who she would star with, 4 years later, in the Wizard Of Oz.
Every Sunday (1936)
It's just a test....
Every Sunday was basically made as a screen test for MGM execs to choose which prodigy they wanted to contract. Obviously, they chose Garland, and Durbin went on to great success for Universal in "Three Smart Girls".
I love this short film, and although it has no plot, it is interesting to observe the dueling divas sing their hearts out.
Outrage (1950)
Interesting, But Dated
I saw this little (only an hour and 15 minutes) movie last night, remarkable for it's subject matter (rape and its aftermath) and notable because it's director is Ida Lupino. It was interesting because rape is not a subject that was often depicted in dramatic features, albeit a B-level feature in the early 50's. The story was told in an honest way, and after I got used to the avoidance of the term "rape", substituted for "criminally attacked" (hey, this was the 50's and it did have to get an MPAA rating) I was kept interested for the rest of the film.