Mallory & McCall

I've mixed feeling about the TV series which I happened to tune on in Netflix. The three leads are engaging and charming but some of the supporting cast I find irritating. Featured are three women that are pushy and make me uncomfortable, especially the "mayor" and the two catty glamor gals. I don't quite know what they were going for with these over the top characters but I don't like them. Oddly the supporting men are fine. Also, not enough witchery! I tuned in hoping to find some lightweight fantasy, but there isn't much. It's more like a light soap opera. However I'm watching it, so it can't be impossible. Try it and see for yourself. It must be popular as it seemed to go on forever.

We loved this as it so well gave us a last look at the 1920s. Most of the '30s films (after the crash) have an entirely different look and feel about them. Although none of the performers seemed able to sing very well, we really didn't mind. Besides, we don't recall either of the leads being known for their singing voices. (We seem to recall that early sound films preferred tenors as they recorded better--hummmm. Everyone seemed to be singing in about the same range.) There was a real feel of period vaudeville rarely seen as well. She was lovely--he was handsome, and some of the chorus girls toward the end didn't wear much (pre-code), nor were they particularly curvy. Gowns were roaring twenties and grand. Don't miss this wonderful peep into another time.

Early pre-code (but don't expect much there) film with fine cast: Including silent stars Rod LaRocque, Barbara Stanwyck (her first sound pix), William "Stage" Boyd (the other one, not "Hoppy"), Betty Bronson, Mack Swain and ZaSu Pitts. Loved the women's costumes, the cars, sets, et al. They just don't made them like this anymore! One wonders why LaRocque didn't do more sound films--I'll have to Google him!