Crashing Hollywood (1938)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Lew Landers

Writers:

Paul Dickey (play) and
Mann Page (play) ...

Release Date:

7 January 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Plot:

An ex-con, just out of prison, and his wife meet a screen writer on the train and decide that, since...

Plot Keywords:

Train | Gangster | Hollywood | Actress | Ex Convict

Cast

Lee Tracy	...	Michael 'Mike' Winslow
Joan Woodbury	...	Barbara Lang
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Herman Tibbets
Lee Patrick	...	Goldie Tibbets
Richard Lane	...	Hugo Wells
Bradley Page	...	Thomas 'Tom' Darcy / 'The Hawk'
Tom Kennedy	...	Al, The Hawk's Henchman
George Irving	...	Bank President Alexander Peyton
Frank M. Thomas	...	Detective Decker
Jack Carson	...	Movie Director Dickson
Alec Craig	...	Movie Studio Receptionist
Jimmy Conlin	...	Crisby, Wells' Secretary (as James Conlin)

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

USA:Passed (PCA #3840)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

The original play opened in New York City, New York, USA on 14 August 1922, but closed after only 12 performances.

Movie Connections:

Version of Lights Out (1923)

A decent enough B-picture, but Cagney did it better

A couple (Paul Guilfoyle and Lee Patrick) of ex-crooks stumble into Hollywood and manage to make it big. Although the film starts with them, later it switches emphasis to their partner screen writer (Lee Tracy) and his lady love (Joan Woodbury)--though this relationship seems a bit unreal. After all, they barely know each other, yet it's the clichéd "love at first sight" sort of rot--especially for Tracy.

This film is highly reminiscent of Jimmy Cagney's exceptional film, LADY KILLER. Both films are about criminals who move to Hollywood and make it big making gangster films because they know best how to play themselves. There are a few changes, as the criminal couple are collaborators to a screen writer and there are a few other twists and turns, but otherwise it's the same plot--though Cagney clearly did it better and did it first. My advice is see the Cagney version and only CRASHING Hollywood if you are curious. Much of it was because Cagney was so great and part of it was that I usually find Lee Tracy about as welcome as a minor headache--though he's less annoying here than usual.