1935 was a solid year for film. Some of the most famous and infamous films of all time got their first screenings. Drama and musicals were the big hits this year as the horror & gangster boom of the earlier part of the decade slowed down. The most famous singer/actor of all time arrived in a small shack in Tupelo, Mississippi and a couple of all time greats were both born and made their film debuts. It wasn't all good though, a couple of seedy scandals rocked Hollywood too.
Thelma Todd (left) was a popular actress contracted to Hal Roach studios who rose to fame starring in Laurel & Hardy and Marx Brothers films. In 1935 she was found dead in her car. Suicide was the verdict until rumours of a jealous boyfriend and murder arose. The boyfriend in question was director Roland West who supposedly admitted to the crime at a later date. His only punishment was being frozen out by the studios. Loretta Young (right) was an unwed actress who found herself pregnant (supposedly by her co-star Clark Gable, also above right). The studio she worked for, MGM, tried to force to her have an abortion but instead she went into hiding for 9 months claiming to be ill. After the birth her child was taken from her and placed into an orphanage. Where Loretta then adopted the child from. She adopted her own child to save the studio scandal. MGM of course had a hand in every part of this shameful tale.
The biggest film of the year was Mutiny On The Bounty which also won best picture at the Oscars. The second film version of the famous story is still surprisingly brutal and holds up after 84 years. TBH it is probably the best version of all. Laughton is a great Captain Bligh. A real bastard.
The 1930's gra for musicals was very evident in 1935. Top Hat was the big earner in this genre bringing two of Hollywood's most talented performers together. Modern day film fans will know it as the film that brings a smile to John Coffey's face in The Green Mile.
John Ford brought Ireland and all it's complexities to the big screen this year. The Informer was a big critical hit and won him best director. It's still masterful stuff. Brilliantly acted, tense as hell and a rare American film that managed to tap into our national psyche.
One of the more notorious films of the 20th century was released this year too. Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph Of The Will. A propaganda film made on the orders of ol' one ball himself, Adolf Hitler. Shot solely to show off the sheer size and power of the Nazi machine. It's a strange and unsettling film to watch but many filming techniques, like aerial photography, began here and are still in common use today.
Shirley Temple was the biggest star of 1935 and Curly Top built on that popularity. This film had the privilege of being the last film released by Fox studios before they merged with 20th Century films and became 20th Century Fox. Oddly enough the most wholesome film of the year ended up being banned in Denmark because it contained corruption. Ok.
Bride Of Frankenstein was the big horror release of the year. It's a brilliant movie and a rare sequel that not only lives up to it's predecessor but also surpasses it. Funny, scary, inventive as hell and technically astonishing for the time. A stunning performance from Elsa Lanchester kicked off a long and varied career for her that lasted over 40 years.
84 years after it's release The 39 Steps is still an essential film. Hitchcock was on fire with this one and a lot of modern day movies still take their cues from it pacewise. This was the movie that made America sit up and take notice of the master of suspense. I can't say enough good things about this.
The pet project of superstar producer David O. Selznick was one of the first big screen adaptions of a Charles Dickens novel and it was a gamble that paid off royally becoming the 3rd biggest movie of the year. It still holds up and still regularly appears on TV. Just look at that cast. There's even a famous Irish face in there. A daughter of Roscommon no less.
A fair few famous faces arrived this year. From left to right - Elvis Presley, Lee Remick, Donald Sutherland, Julie Andrews and Charles Grodin. Sadly Elvis and Lee were taken from us at terribly young ages but the remaining three are still here and happily still working. At the age of 83 Donald Sutherland still has a work ethic that would put people 50 years younger than him to shame.
It was a year of famous debuts too.
- Olivia De Havilland in Alibi Ike. Olivia is still with us too. 102 and going strong.
- Don Ameche in Dante's Inferno. This film is still remembered for its terrifying depiction of Hell.
- Joan Fontaine in No More Ladies.
- Henry Fonda in The Farmer Takes A Wife
- Vivien Leigh in Look Up And Laugh. Within 4 years she was the lead in Gone With The Wind. Wow.
Not a bad year for film at all. Scandals and fascism aside that is.
Now for a movie. As always the legality of watching films on youtube is a bit iffy so I'll leave it up to you what you want to do. It's worth bending you moral compass for this one though.
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1934
1933
1932
1931
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