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jpheifer-1
Reviews
Test Pilot (1938)
What a strange movie
First of all, I am not a critic. This is just a visceral reaction to the movie.
It starts out as a fun screwball comedy and then gets really deep. Halfway through I was still wondering where this movie was going. And after it got deep, most of the time I had no idea what the characters were talking about. Of course, by the context I knew they were talking about life, death and love, but what they were really trying to say wasn't clear. On one hand, I would think that this movie was quite a surprise to '30s audiences expecting a "Clark Gable movie," but on the other hand, '30s audiences weren't a bunch of innocents. They'd been through a lot of crap, so maybe this movie spoke to them.
On the positive side, is there anything lovelier to look at than Clark Gable? Especially a young (about 37 years old) Gable. It's also fun to see Lionel Barrymore as a nice guy. Whoda thunk it?
Cain and Mabel (1936)
A lot of fun
This is a wonderful screwball comedy. Marion Davies is lovely and Clark Gable is lovelier. This is a movie that could easily be re-made today, as stars still have handlers and hangers-on who place their own interests at higher priority than the "cash cow," a.k.a. star, with whom they are associated.
The dialog is great and well-delivered. Everyone gets a good line in. I found myself fast-forwarding through the song and dance numbers--never been a song and dance fan. The costumes are fairly plain, but elegant. There are some unfortunate sleeves and a laughable head-gear for poor Marion at the end of one of the numbers. And, you get to see Clark Gable in shorts.