#ws van dyke

[kubelicatthemovies]

Trader horn (W.S. Van Dyke. 1931)

[citizenscreen]

Clark Gable and W. S. Van Dyke leaving their prints at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on January 20, 1937.

[the-myrna-loy-blog]

Birthday party for Myrna Loy on set of ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939).

More Myrna and cake!

L-R: LB Mayer, Myrna Loy, William Powell, director WS Van Dyke

[howardhawkshollywood]

The back of this publicity still reads

4969...VICTORIAN BANGS with shorter bob curled to the temples with wide waves across the top, a new coiffure for Myrna Loy worn in the MGM production The Prizefighter and the Lady, directed by WS Van Dyke.

Howard Hawks began work on the film while he was at MGM, but was replaced after shooting the first few scenes. There is some disagreement whether he was fired or he quit.

Myrna was miscast as a nightclub singer. Hawks envisioned MGM's biggest female star of the time, Jean Harlow, in the role.

[pacingmusings]

Seen in 2022:

Penthouse (W.S. Van Dyke), 1933

[fitsofgloom]

"Aye, you needn't think there isn't beauty to be found in Africa -- beauty and terror. Terror can be a sort of beauty, too. If two fellas stand up to it together. Sometimes, of course, it's better for two fellas to run away together."

[howardhawkshollywoodannex]

WS (Woody) Van Dyke on the set of Sweethearts (1938) with Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. This is Woodys second honorable mention, after Manhattan Melodrama.

[sloshed-cinema]

The Thin Man (1934)

Just how anyone made it through the 1930s with an intact liver is beyond this drunk cinephile.  TEACH ME YOUR SECRETS.  Nick and Nora drink like fish, yet remain cool as clams the whole damn time.  The same cannot be said of their Christmas party guests, who are reduced to frat-party bender status by the end of it all.  While it’s all good fun, there’s something a bit sad about Nick constantly reaching for the bottle, the biting core of the comedy.

Nick and Nora’s dynamic is infectious.  Constantly ribbing one another, they seem to be the only ones able to match their partner.  Yet for all the jokes and feigned disparaging comments, they can’t help but accidentally express the genuine affection underlying it all now and again.  “It’s just that I’m used to you, that’s all.”

THE RULES SIP

Someone says ‘Christmas’ or ‘interrupt’.

A type of relative is named.

Nick names a cocktail.

Asta appears onscreen.

Wipe transition.

BIG DRINK

Getting a job is the worst possible fate.

Someone mentions bonds.

Look of disapproval.

A person or group enters the Christmas party.

[lifejustgotawkward]

365 Day Movie Challenge (2019) - #27: The Thin Man (1934) - dir. W.S. Van Dyke

It had been eons since the last time I watched William Powell and Myrna Loy’s first Thin Man film in its entirety, so I took advantage of TCM’s programming of the classic Dashiell Hammett adaptation recently. Powell and Loy found the definitive roles of their careers here as Nick and Nora Charles, a couple who work together to solve a series of mysterious crimes in between elegant parties in their Manhattan hotel suite. (Given the nonstop boozing, I’m glad that the subsequent projects in the “Thin Man” franchise cut down on the martini-guzzling and placed greater emphasis on the whodunit aspect of the storytelling.) Lit in a satiny white glow by master cinematographer James Wong Howe, Van Dyke’s film gets by on the merits of style rather than substance; as ridiculous as the story becomes (including the reveal of a disappointingly obvious culprit in the end), there is certain enjoyment in the supporting cast of such notable performers as Maureen O’Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Porter Hall, William Henry, Harold Huber, Cesar Romero, Natalie Moorhead, Edward Brophy, Edward Ellis and, of course, Asta the dog, surely one of the most iconic canines in film history.

[moviesteve]

I Love You Again https://bit.ly/3CdHHRg I Love You Again is a knockabout Hollywood farce, a cock-eyed “comedy of remarriage” – The Philadelphia Story is the king of the genre – done in rat-a-rat style by the crack team of director WS Van Dyke and his stars, William Powell and Myrna Loy. Van Dyke was known as One Take Woody, for reasons that don’t need explaining, and at this point had worked together with Powell and Loy on three Thin Man films, which had done all three of them a lot of favours. If you’re not familiar with the Thin Man films (there would eventually be six; the first three are the best), they all feature Powell and Loy as … Read more

[rye-views]

Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) dir. W. S. Van Dyke. 7.4/10

I would not recommend this movie to my friends. I would not rewatch this movie.

I’m sad at the hippos, apes, and elephants being hurt. I also don’t know how they’re being used to film this. A lot of it feels real and I don’t like that. How are the fight scenes being filmed? I also hate the treatment of all the helpers and the depiction of the short people. Why are we using blackface? When Jane mentioned that Tarzan is white like her…I’m like how typical. This movie is so racist.

The apes are so cute. Tarzan interacting with them is cute. Eg. when he pushes Cheeta in a non-aggressive way.  The first scene with zebras was very cute.  I love seeing all the animals.  I love Cheeta.

Jane needs to stop screaming.

As if a bandage would heal him.

I love how good Tarzan is at swimming and gymnastics.

This movie portrays Tarzan as a hot fantasy. I’m not sure how to feel about that. I don’t really like it.

Tarzan was put in several poses that were Renaissance paintings vibes.

I love Tarzan’s animal crew. I love that we help each other when we call for help. How, unlike the human kingdom.

Such sturdy vines.

I’m uncomfortable with how Jane talks to her father. It’s too friendly.

Memorable Quotes: “There’s something sad about retracing.” “I feel very silent.”

[madmovieman]

A fun, likable film that nicely blends comedy and mystery, The Thin Man is an enjoyable watch with good laughs, engaging characters and great performances across the board.

Here’s my review.

[citizenscreen]

Cecilia Parker, director WS Van Dyke, Fay Holden, and Lewis Stone on set of ANDY HARDY GETS SPRING FEVER (1939)

[rhade-zapan]

Another Thin Man | W.S. Van Dyke | 1939

William Powell + Myrna Loy

Follow Rhade-Zapan for more visual treats

[howardhawkshollywood]

boxers Primo Carnera and Max Baer with director WS Van Dyke on the far right, and an older gentleman on the set of The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933). Howard Hawks directed the first few scenes before he was fired or quit.

[pacingmusings]

Seen in 2022:

Manhattan Melodrama (W.S. Van Dyke), 1934