365 Days: #6 The Maltese Falcon (1931)

I am continuing the pattern of following up on an actor/actress from the previous day's movie. After seeing Harold Lloyd's leading lady, Bebe Daniels, in yesterday's film short, I decided to revisit her performance in this early version of The Maltese Falcon. 

#6 The Maltese Falcon (1931)

Sam Spade is a detective with his hands full of women, but that doesn't stop him from taking on another lovely dame who comes to him appealing for help with a false story of a missing sister, especially when she's willing to throw big money at him. It turns out to be a bird that's missing, and he soon finds out there's more to the story when he gets drawn into a deal with a wacky group of characters. 

"You know darling, for that amount of money, I'd let you tell me a lie every day."

Many people may prefer the 1941 retelling with Humphrey Bogart, but I do enjoy this pre-code version with Ricardo Cortez and Bebe Daniels, which is quite a bit racier than the one that followed. Dwight Frye appears here as Wilmer, after playing Renfield in Dracula earlier that same year. 

Mrs. Archer

Laying it on thick.

Seduction

Before the interruption.

The dame packs a heater.

It appears to be a photo of Louise Brooks on the wall.

Bebe in the bathtub.

Found

"Well, make him lay off me or I'll fog him
 and nothing will stop me!"

Delivered

Police report.

Admission of murder.

Season of Horror: Frankenstein (1931)

Sunday afternoon seems ideal for watching one of Universal Pictures classic horror movies. I have selected Frankenstein for today's viewing. I know this film from childhood, but I still never tire of seeing it. I have always thought of this solely as a classic monster movie, but now that I've had quite a bit of pre-code movie experience, my perspective has changed somewhat.

I've seen Mae Clarke, who plays Elizabeth, as a moll who gets a grapefruit in the face in Public Enemy, as well as a prostitute hooking up with a naive soldier in Waterloo Bridge. John Boles plays Victor Moritz and is the face I recognize from Shirley Temple movies. Dwight Frye was Renfield before Fritz. Edward Van Sloan was Van Helsing before Doctor Waldman. Boris Karloff...well I still don't think of Frankenstein as being played by Boris Karloff, which is due to Karloff's brilliant acting and make-up. While this movie has been recreated many times over, there is nothing like the original Frankenstein.

"Where should we be if nobody tried to find out what lies beyond?"