lugonian
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Robert Louis Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1934) directed by Victor Fleming, reunites Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper for the third time. Following their earlier pairings in THE CHAMP (1931) for which Beery won the Academy Award as Best Actor, and loan-out assignment to 20th Century Pictures for THE BOWERY (1933), followed by their final and overlooked collaboration for O'SHAUGNESSY'S BOY (1935), this screen adaptation is not only their best known but most revived. With several screen adaptations of TREASURE ISLAND during the silent era, the only other classic retelling of honorable mention is Walt Disney's 1950 color adaptation starring Bobby Driscoll and Robert Newton.
For this first sound edition, the story sets sail in England during the 18th century, with prologue at the seacoast residence of the Admiral Benbow Inn with Widow Hawkins (Dorothy Peterson) and her son, Jim (Jackie Cooper) as proprietors. The birthday celebration of Mrs. Hawkins is interrupted by the arrival of the drunken seaman, Captain Billy Bones (Lionel Barrymore), scaring the patrons with his rudeness and outburst singing of "Fifteen Men on a Dean Man's Chest, Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Rum." Calmed down by Doctor Livesey (Otto Kruger), a magistrate and good friend of Mrs. Hawkins, the inn is soon met by other frightful characters, "Black Dog" (Charles McNaughton) and the blind Pew (William V. Mong), enemies of Captain Bones out for his hidden treasure map. Meeting his sudden death at the stroke of 10 p.m. Jim enters Bones' room looking through his sea chest where he locates the map of an island in the Caribbean tracing the whereabouts of buried treasure. Through the arrangement by Livesey and Squire Trelawney (Nigel Bruce), they book passage on the Hispaniola ship run by Captain Smollett (Lewis Stone) to, along with Jim working as cabin boy, go on their expedition. During the ocean voyage, Jim befriends Long John Silver (Wallace Beery), a pirate with a wooden leg. Smollett warns Jim to be careful for that he and the other members of his crew are not to be trusted. Further adventure and possible danger await Jim once the vessel reaches the island.
Other members of the Spanish Main include Douglass Dumbrille, Edmund Breese, Charles Irwin and Edward Pawley. Charles "Chic" Sale stands out as Ben Gunn, a white bearded old pirate marooned on the island for three years; and Paul Hurst as another pirate called "Torch Face." That's Cora Sue Collins as the little girl at the inn annoying Jim.
What makes this edition more acceptable among the many screen adaptations is how many of the actors properly fit in with their characters, especially Beery the one-legged pirate leader with his pet parrot. More Cooper than Beery, it's also a grand mix of Stevenson adaptation and MGM adventure, one of the main reasons why this TREASURE ISLAND remains a classic, right down to Cooper's frequent catch phrase of "Bless my soul." Followed by 1935 releases of DAVID COPPERFIELD, ANNA KARENINA and A TALE OF TWO CITIES, no studio like MGM could make classic literature transferred to screen worth viewing.
Being one of the earlier distributions on video cassette and colorization in the 1980s, followed by availability on DVD, TREASURE ISLAND (at 102 minutes) can be seen and enjoyed whenever shown on Turner Classic Movies and other cable television networks. Bless my soul! (***)
For this first sound edition, the story sets sail in England during the 18th century, with prologue at the seacoast residence of the Admiral Benbow Inn with Widow Hawkins (Dorothy Peterson) and her son, Jim (Jackie Cooper) as proprietors. The birthday celebration of Mrs. Hawkins is interrupted by the arrival of the drunken seaman, Captain Billy Bones (Lionel Barrymore), scaring the patrons with his rudeness and outburst singing of "Fifteen Men on a Dean Man's Chest, Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Rum." Calmed down by Doctor Livesey (Otto Kruger), a magistrate and good friend of Mrs. Hawkins, the inn is soon met by other frightful characters, "Black Dog" (Charles McNaughton) and the blind Pew (William V. Mong), enemies of Captain Bones out for his hidden treasure map. Meeting his sudden death at the stroke of 10 p.m. Jim enters Bones' room looking through his sea chest where he locates the map of an island in the Caribbean tracing the whereabouts of buried treasure. Through the arrangement by Livesey and Squire Trelawney (Nigel Bruce), they book passage on the Hispaniola ship run by Captain Smollett (Lewis Stone) to, along with Jim working as cabin boy, go on their expedition. During the ocean voyage, Jim befriends Long John Silver (Wallace Beery), a pirate with a wooden leg. Smollett warns Jim to be careful for that he and the other members of his crew are not to be trusted. Further adventure and possible danger await Jim once the vessel reaches the island.
Other members of the Spanish Main include Douglass Dumbrille, Edmund Breese, Charles Irwin and Edward Pawley. Charles "Chic" Sale stands out as Ben Gunn, a white bearded old pirate marooned on the island for three years; and Paul Hurst as another pirate called "Torch Face." That's Cora Sue Collins as the little girl at the inn annoying Jim.
What makes this edition more acceptable among the many screen adaptations is how many of the actors properly fit in with their characters, especially Beery the one-legged pirate leader with his pet parrot. More Cooper than Beery, it's also a grand mix of Stevenson adaptation and MGM adventure, one of the main reasons why this TREASURE ISLAND remains a classic, right down to Cooper's frequent catch phrase of "Bless my soul." Followed by 1935 releases of DAVID COPPERFIELD, ANNA KARENINA and A TALE OF TWO CITIES, no studio like MGM could make classic literature transferred to screen worth viewing.
Being one of the earlier distributions on video cassette and colorization in the 1980s, followed by availability on DVD, TREASURE ISLAND (at 102 minutes) can be seen and enjoyed whenever shown on Turner Classic Movies and other cable television networks. Bless my soul! (***)
LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY (United Artists, 1936) directed by John Cromwell, stars Freddie Bartholomew in a role, next to Harvey Cheyne in CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS (1937) for which he was born to play. Previously filmed in the silent movie era (United Artists, 1921) starring Mary Pickford as both Cedric and his mother, this latest sound edition ranks one of the finest literary classic editions transferred to the screen at that time. With Bartholomew having recently acquired the title role as DAVID COPPERFIELD and later appearing in ANNA KARENINA (with Greta Garbo as Anna, not Bartholomew) both in 1935 from his home studio of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Bartholomew goes on loan-out assignment to Selznick International for another memorable performance.
Set in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1880s, the story begins with brief prologue centering upon the death of Captain Errol, leaving his widow (Dolores Costello-Barrymore) and their young son to mend for themselves. Some years pass. Cedric, age nine, better known as Ceddie (Freddie Bartholomew), who affectionally calls his mother, "Dearest," is well liked by those who know him well, especially Mrs. McGillicuddy (Jessie Ralph), an old apple woman; Silas Hobbs (Guy Kibbee), a neighborhood grocer; and Dick Tipton (Mickey Rooney), a bootblack (better known as a shoeshine boy) who fights for him whenever Ceddie is confronted by bullies. All goes well until Mr. Havishan (Henry Stephenson), a lawyer from England, a representative of Ceddie's paternal grandfather on a mission for the boy to come live in the castle of his grandfather where he is to earn the title of Lord Fauntleroy. Not wanting to leave his friends so dear to him, Dearest advises Ceddie to go. Because Dearest has been wrongly accused of marrying for pecuniary reasons, she will be ordered to live outside the castle, never to communicate with her son again. While in England, Ceddie tries not only to do his best getting accustomed to his new surroundings and winning the love of his stern grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt (C. Aubrey Smith) but to prove himself not the imposter from his accuser, Joshua Snade (Walter Kingsford), a lawyer claiming his clients (Helen Flint and Jackie Searl) to be the rightful heirs. Other members of this impressive cast include Constance Collier, Jackie Searl, E. E. Clive, Virginia Field and Robert Emmett O'Connor.
Due to frequent television broadcasts and availability on both video cassette and DVD, this 1936 retelling of the Frances Hodgeson Burnett story happens to be the best known of the screen adaptations. Shown more regularly since the 1980s first on public television and later on numerous cable channels as American Movie Classics (1995-1999) and Turner Classic Movies, this 102-minute edition makes good family viewing. In closing, aside from the aforementioned 1921 edition, there was also a 1980 made-for-television remake of LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY starring Ricky Scroeder and Alec Guinness. Even though it hasn't been televised as much as the 1936 version recent years, that latest installment is hailed to be another fine edition to the story worth viewing whenever it should become available again. (****)
Set in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1880s, the story begins with brief prologue centering upon the death of Captain Errol, leaving his widow (Dolores Costello-Barrymore) and their young son to mend for themselves. Some years pass. Cedric, age nine, better known as Ceddie (Freddie Bartholomew), who affectionally calls his mother, "Dearest," is well liked by those who know him well, especially Mrs. McGillicuddy (Jessie Ralph), an old apple woman; Silas Hobbs (Guy Kibbee), a neighborhood grocer; and Dick Tipton (Mickey Rooney), a bootblack (better known as a shoeshine boy) who fights for him whenever Ceddie is confronted by bullies. All goes well until Mr. Havishan (Henry Stephenson), a lawyer from England, a representative of Ceddie's paternal grandfather on a mission for the boy to come live in the castle of his grandfather where he is to earn the title of Lord Fauntleroy. Not wanting to leave his friends so dear to him, Dearest advises Ceddie to go. Because Dearest has been wrongly accused of marrying for pecuniary reasons, she will be ordered to live outside the castle, never to communicate with her son again. While in England, Ceddie tries not only to do his best getting accustomed to his new surroundings and winning the love of his stern grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt (C. Aubrey Smith) but to prove himself not the imposter from his accuser, Joshua Snade (Walter Kingsford), a lawyer claiming his clients (Helen Flint and Jackie Searl) to be the rightful heirs. Other members of this impressive cast include Constance Collier, Jackie Searl, E. E. Clive, Virginia Field and Robert Emmett O'Connor.
Due to frequent television broadcasts and availability on both video cassette and DVD, this 1936 retelling of the Frances Hodgeson Burnett story happens to be the best known of the screen adaptations. Shown more regularly since the 1980s first on public television and later on numerous cable channels as American Movie Classics (1995-1999) and Turner Classic Movies, this 102-minute edition makes good family viewing. In closing, aside from the aforementioned 1921 edition, there was also a 1980 made-for-television remake of LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY starring Ricky Scroeder and Alec Guinness. Even though it hasn't been televised as much as the 1936 version recent years, that latest installment is hailed to be another fine edition to the story worth viewing whenever it should become available again. (****)
TRACY THE OUTLAW (Foto-Art Studios, 1928) directed by Otis B. Thayer is a silent western based on the then legendary story of Harry Tracy (1875-1902). Distributed by C. John Predari, 723 Seventh Avenue, New York City, and taken from the play by Pierce Kingsley, aside from the title character virtually unknown to film history, so is this 70-minute production.
FORWARD: "Thirty years ago - fate changed a fun-loving and reckless westerner into an outlaw - in the flash of a gamblers gun. Misfortune made Harry Tracy a killer." The story opens with Harry Tracy (Jack Hoey), a drifter cowboy out of a job and broke. With the help of his good friend, Billy Weston (Howard Chandler), Tracy obtains work as a hired hand at the Gallagher ranch. While in San Antonio, Texas, Tracy goes in a game of cards with a man he discovers to be cheating. A fight ensues. The cheater's gun goes off, killing him. Harry is accused and sent off to jail. He later escapes jail with another prisoner, Dave Merrill (Jean LaRue), heading for the state line. When a paymaster is robbed and killed by a couple of bandits, Tracy, who happens to be found with the postmaster's saddlebag strap inside his pocket, is arrested. Even though the robbery was witnessed by a boy hiding up a tree, claiming the arrested man is innocent, he's not believed by the sheriff. With the help of Mary Merrill (Dorris Chadwick), who discovers Dave is not her real brother, Tracy escapes an angry lynch mob but not his reputation as "Tracy the Outlaw."
Although TRACY THE OUTLAW is not produced by a major studio as Fox, Paramount or Universal using top-name movie cowboys as Fred Thompson, Tom Mix or Buck Jones, the four actors listed in the casting credits are unknowns who remain unknowns. All other actors in support go uncredited. Had this been a major 90-minute production, possibly TRACY THE OUTLAW would have turned into one of the classics of the silent screen. The name of Harry Tracy might have been as known as other cowboy legends as Jesse James, Billy the Kid or Wyatt Earp. Although the Harry Tracy character never became a major subject matter talkie western of the 1930s or 40s, he did turn up again decades later for the 1982 adaptation of HARRY TRACY - DESPERADO starring Bruce Dern.
Reportedly on DVD from distributors of public domain titles, this is one movie I never knew existed until I accidentally came across it on MGM-Plus on-demand cable channel. Even though the story in itself has possibilities, benefitting from fine location scenery and action scenes, the print viewed was mute, having no underscoring whatsoever, making this more unpleasant viewing than watching a scratchy print with acid stains. At least after all these years, it's available for viewing. I'll give it that. (**)
FORWARD: "Thirty years ago - fate changed a fun-loving and reckless westerner into an outlaw - in the flash of a gamblers gun. Misfortune made Harry Tracy a killer." The story opens with Harry Tracy (Jack Hoey), a drifter cowboy out of a job and broke. With the help of his good friend, Billy Weston (Howard Chandler), Tracy obtains work as a hired hand at the Gallagher ranch. While in San Antonio, Texas, Tracy goes in a game of cards with a man he discovers to be cheating. A fight ensues. The cheater's gun goes off, killing him. Harry is accused and sent off to jail. He later escapes jail with another prisoner, Dave Merrill (Jean LaRue), heading for the state line. When a paymaster is robbed and killed by a couple of bandits, Tracy, who happens to be found with the postmaster's saddlebag strap inside his pocket, is arrested. Even though the robbery was witnessed by a boy hiding up a tree, claiming the arrested man is innocent, he's not believed by the sheriff. With the help of Mary Merrill (Dorris Chadwick), who discovers Dave is not her real brother, Tracy escapes an angry lynch mob but not his reputation as "Tracy the Outlaw."
Although TRACY THE OUTLAW is not produced by a major studio as Fox, Paramount or Universal using top-name movie cowboys as Fred Thompson, Tom Mix or Buck Jones, the four actors listed in the casting credits are unknowns who remain unknowns. All other actors in support go uncredited. Had this been a major 90-minute production, possibly TRACY THE OUTLAW would have turned into one of the classics of the silent screen. The name of Harry Tracy might have been as known as other cowboy legends as Jesse James, Billy the Kid or Wyatt Earp. Although the Harry Tracy character never became a major subject matter talkie western of the 1930s or 40s, he did turn up again decades later for the 1982 adaptation of HARRY TRACY - DESPERADO starring Bruce Dern.
Reportedly on DVD from distributors of public domain titles, this is one movie I never knew existed until I accidentally came across it on MGM-Plus on-demand cable channel. Even though the story in itself has possibilities, benefitting from fine location scenery and action scenes, the print viewed was mute, having no underscoring whatsoever, making this more unpleasant viewing than watching a scratchy print with acid stains. At least after all these years, it's available for viewing. I'll give it that. (**)
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