REMEMBER THE DAY

John Payne and Claudette Colbert

REMEMBER THE DAY (1941). Director: Henry King.

"Remember when Dan and I took the train together. I was so proud of him in his uniform." -- Dewey

"The House of Representatives will never pass an income tax plan." -- the Dean

Teacher Nora Trinell (Claudette Colbert) waits at a Washington reception to renew her acquaintanceship with an old pupil, Dewey Roberts (Sheppard Strudwick), who is now a Presidential nominee. She thinks back to when Dewey was a boy (Douglas Croft) and developed a big crush on her, even as she became secretly married to another teacher, Dan (John Payne), who goes off to war. One might wonder why this woman would want to go see a man that she hasn't been in contact with since he was a boy -- presidential nominee or no -- but it is made clear in a scene between Nora, Dewey and his wife, (Frieda Inescort) at the very end of the picture. Remember the Day is a lovely and touching film with excellent performances from Colbert, Payne [The Crooked Way] and especially young Douglas Croft [George Washington Slept Here], the screen's first Robin (of Batman and Robin), who nearly walks off with the movie. (Tragically, Croft died at only 37 years of age, which adds another poignant element to the picture.) There are other fine performances from Anne Revere as another teacher; Jane Seymour and Harry Hayden as Dewey's parents; Steve O'Brien as a bellboy; and William Henderson and Ann E. Todd as students; Marie Blake and Chick Chandler are also in the cast.

Verdict: Sentimental in the right way. ***1/2.

COLLEGE HOLIDAY

Jack Benny and Jed Prouty

COLLEGE HOLIDAY (1936). Director: Frank Tuttle.

J. Davis Bowster (Jack Benny) somehow winds up in business with Mr. Smith (Harry Hayden), whose daughter Sylvia (Marsha Hunt), has just encountered a young man, Dick (Lief Erickson), whose name she doesn't know. In the meantime, Carola B. Gaye (Mary Boland) and Professor Hercules Dove (Etienne Girardot) are looking for perfect physical specimens for their eugenics experiments at Cornucopia college and the hotel co-owned by Smith. However, the boys and girls must be kept apart. After appearances by the likes of George Burns and Gracie Allen, Martha Raye, Johnny Downs [Trocadero], and Jed Prouty (of The Jones Family films), as well as a host of male and female dancers, there is a climactic show to save the hotel which involves putting half of the cast in a freezer. Could this movie get any worse? Well, there are blackface numbers as well. For the most part, this is just plain awful. Benny [George Washington Slept Here] seems lost and somewhat disinterested throughout the movie. Marsha Hunt and Lief Erickson make an unlikely musical comedy team.

Verdict: A mish mosh with just a few funny moments. *1/2.

DOCKS OF NEW ORLEANS

John Gallaudet and Roland Winters

DOCKS OF NEW ORLEANS (1948). Director: Derwin Abrahams.

Simon LaFontanne (Boyd Irwin of The Invisible Killer) comes to Charlie Chan (Roland Winters) for help when he fears for his life. Watch out -- whenever someone comes to Chan or any other Great Fictional Detective afraid they'll be killed, you know their hours are numbered! Sure enough, LaFontanne is killed by poison gas in his own office. Suspects include the bitter chemist Oscar Swenstrom (Harry Hayden); LaFontanne's partners in the chemical syndicate, Von Scherbe (Stanley Andrews) and Castanaro (Emmett Vogan); the officer manager, Thompson (Rory Mallinson); and the mysterious Countess Aguirre (Carol Forman) and her sinister associates, Grock (Douglas Fowler) among them. Chan is assisted in the case by Capt. Pete McNally (John Gallaudet), who is involved with the victim's niece, Rene (Virginia Dale). If there's anything wrong with the film, it's that it's essentially a remake of the first Mr. Wong [!] movie, Mr. Wong, Detective, and even has the same killer [with a minor added twist]. Mantan Moreland and Victor Sen Yung are along for the ride, and we even have Birminghan Brown's cousin, Mobile Jones (Haywood Jones), although their antics are kept to a minimum. Roland Winters seems less Oriental than Toler and Oland, but he's quite effective as Chan. Of the rest of the cast, the best impression is made by Carol Forman of The Black Widow.

Verdict: Okay if it hadn't been recycled. **.

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER, BORIS KARLOFF

Percy Helton flirts with Lou in drag as a maid

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER, BORIS KARLOFF  (1949). Director: Charles Barton.

Running out of monsters to exploit, Abbott and Costello simply decided to star in a comical murder mystery with Boris Karloff chief among the supporting cast. House dick Casey (Bud Abbott) and fired bellboy Freddie (Lou Costello) are up to their necks in intrigue when one of the guests at the hotel where they're employed is murdered. While Inspector Wellman (James Flavin) suspects Freddie because the dead man got him sacked, there are others who may have done the deed, including possible husband-poisoner, Angela (Lenore Aubert), Mike Relia (Vincent Renno), T. Henley Brooks (Roland Winters), desk clerk Jeff (Gar Moore), his sweetie Betty (Donna Martell), her father Crandell (Harry Hayden), and the sinister pseudo-swami, Talpur (Boris Karloff), who is fairly murderous but may not be the main killer of the story. Melton, the hotel manager (Alan Mowbray) is appalled by the whole business: "We don't permit murders at this hotel," he insists. Unfortunately, more dead bodies begin turning up in Freddie's bath tub and closet, and worse, they keep disappearing as well. There's an exciting climax in vast caverns with a bottomless pit, with impressive scenic design and special effects, but the second most memorable sequence has Great Old Movies favorite Percy Helton flirting with Freddie when he's in disguise as a maid! The boys are in fine form, as are Karloff, Helton, Mowbray and Flavin, and the rest of the cast seems to be having fun as well. This is a delightful black comedy and one of the team's best movies. Gar Moore later turned up in Curse of the Faceless Man and Lenore Aubert was in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein which was also directed by Charles Barton.

Verdict: Quite entertaining and often very funny. ***.