Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)These days there is a natural curiosity about the 1930's and the Great Depression because of the parallels between our current times and that time. However, these films are not great studies in the Depression era and its time and people. They are 22 public domain films, 4 of which are westerns and one of which is a 20 minute short, not a movie. A western is a western no matter when it was made, and really doesn't tell you anything about the Great Depression or anything other than how the early west was perceived at the time a western was made. These films are in the public domain largely because the companies that made them failed, with a few exceptions. This would have been an OK collection if it had been marketed 50 Movie Pack style with a price commensurate with its value (under twenty dollars). But putting each film on its own disc is just too much. I'll go through each film and give comments on the ones worth seeing. The rating comes from a popular internet database, and I largely agree with the rating given.
Disc I: The Girl From Calgary (1932) 4.2
Disc II: Manhattan Tower (1932)7.1 (This one is very good. It's a lot like "Skyscraper Souls" in attitude, and is worth a look.)
Disc III: Slander House (1938) 4.8
Disc IV: The Fighting Deputy (1937) 4.5 (Western)
Disc V: Disorder in the Court (1936) 7.7 (A great Three Stooges short, and the early Stooges do have something to say about Depression era life. However, get The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 1: 1934-1936 to see a much better transfer.)
Disc VI: Gang Bullets (1938) 5.8
Disc VII: Honor of the Range (1934) 5.3 (Western)
Disc VIII: Hard Hombre (1931) 4.8 (Western)
Disc IX: Revolt of the Zombies(1936) 2.8 (There is nothing worse than boring horror, and that's what this is.)
Disc X: Gunsmoke Ranch (1937) 5.7 (Western)
Disc XI: Roaring Roads (1935) 6.8 (Throw together racing, gangsters, and an overprotected young heir who wants to break out of his shell and you've got to love this one, even though there's nobody in it I've ever heard of.)
Disc XII: The President's Mystery (1936) 6.8 (Now this little mystery has an interesting backstory. FDR is cowriter of the script. He didn't do a bad job but I think he made the correct career choice in the long run.)
Disc XIII: Crashing Through Danger (1938)4.6 (This one is your standard issue 1930's postcode potboiler, but the interesting thing about it is you get to see utility workers in LA 70 years ago. Plus it stars Loretta Young's sister.)
Disc XIV: Danger Lights (1930) 6.0 (worthwhile look at railroad work in the 1930's disguised as a romance plus very early Jean Arthur.)
Disc XV: Here's Flash Casey (1938) 6.2 (Flash is a newspaperman, not a superhero and this one is pretty good for a 30's mystery)
Disc XVI: Devil Diamond (1937) 6.2
Disc XVII: Under the Big Top (1938) 6.8 (Marjorie Main who was later Ma Kettle in a Film about acrobats. This one is pretty good.
Disc XVIII: Telephone Operator (1938) 7.2 (I liked the uniqueness of this one. A drama about a telephone operator set against the backdrop of a big flood in California. There are some great shots of what looks to have been a real 1937 flood. The sad part - seeing Grant Withers and Alice White and how far they've fallen since their glory days at Warner Bros. in 1930.)
Disc XIX: Shadows Over Shanghai (1938) 5.1 (This thriller about the Japanese invasion of China has too much talk and not enough action.)
Disc XX: New Adventures of Tarzan (1935) 5.1 (This is not MGM or Johnny Weismuller. This is Bruce Bennett as Tarzan. I'd pass on this one.)
Disc XXI: Night Alarm (1934) 4.5
Disc XXII: Go Get 'Em Haines (1936) 5.2 ( I liked this one OK, mainly because I always liked William Boyd. This is not a western, but the plot is confusing.)
My recommendation: If you want to know about the Great Depression start with The Forbidden Hollywood series (there are three volumes so far) and the Warner Gangsters (there are four volumes so far). Also get The Busby Berkeley Collection (Footlight Parade / Gold Diggers of 1933 / Dames / Gold Diggers of 1935 / 42nd Street) for biting commentary on the depression mixed with great music and comedy.
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