Heat Lightning | |
---|---|
Directed by | Mervyn LeRoy |
Written by | Brown Holmes Warren Duff |
Based on | Heat Lightning 1933 play by George Abbott Leon Abrams [1] |
Produced by | Samuel Bischoff (uncredited) |
Starring | Aline MacMahon Ann Dvorak Preston Foster |
Cinematography | Sidney Hickox |
Edited by | Howard Bretherton |
Music by | Leo F. Forbstein |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 63 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Heat Lightning is a 1934 pre-Code drama film starring Aline MacMahon, Ann Dvorak, and Preston Foster. It is based on the play of the same name by Leon Abrams and George Abbott.
The movie was one of the latter to be released before the Motion Picture Production Code was rigorously enforced. According to Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies, two months after its release, it was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency. The Hays Office objected to the seductions that occur in the film because they were in violation of the Production Code, particularly the scene in which "George" leaves "Olga's" room in the morning and buttons his coat. The Office also objected to the underlined portion of the hitchhiker's line to her friend, in reference to their driver: "Say, it's your turn to sit up in front with that old thigh-pincher." A print is held at the Library of Congress. [2]
Olga runs an isolated gas station and restaurant in the stifling hot desert somewhere in the American Southwest with her discontented younger sister Myra. The sisters clash when Olga forbids Myra from going to a dance with her boyfriend Steve.
The same day, chance sends Olga an unexpected and unwelcome customer, ex-boyfriend George. Unknown to her, George and his nervous partner Jeff are on the run from the police after a botched robbery that left two men dead, killed by George. Initially intent on sneaking across the border to Mexico, George decides to stay awhile when two jewelry-laden, wealthy divorcees, "Feathers" Tifton "Tinkle" Ashton-Ashley, are stranded there for the night by their long-suffering chauffeur Frank.
Frank pretends there is something wrong with their car so he can have a rest from driving. Olga, the mechanic, plays along. Mrs. Ashton-Ashley becomes worried about a large Mexican family spending the night nearby, and Olga offers to store the women's valuables in her safe.
George manipulates Olga's feelings, reviving the love she once felt for him. Although she tries to resist, she eventually succumbs to his charms, and they sleep together. This incident gives Myra the opportunity to sneak away to meet Steve. Myra returns later that night, terribly upset after having been taken advantage of by Steve. When Olga starts berating her for going off with her boyfriend, she responds by revealing she saw George leaving Olga's bedroom. The two miserable women then comfort each other.
Meanwhile, George orders Jeff to open the safe. Jeff is reluctant to cause trouble for Olga, but gives in when George pulls out his gun. Olga overhears George say he slept with her just to set up the theft. She gets her pistol and shoots him. As he lies dying, he apologizes to her. Olga lets Jeff go.
Using Abbott and Abrams' play for Heat Lightning, Allen Rivkin, Charles Kenyon, and Kenneth Gamet wrote the screenplay for Warner Bros. remake Highway West (1941). [3]
Five Star Final is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film about the excesses of tabloid journalism directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Edward G. Robinson, Aline MacMahon and Boris Karloff. The screenplay was by Robert Lord and Byron Morgan based on the 1930 play of the same name by Louis Weitzenkorn. The title refers to the practice of newspapers publishing a series of editions throughout the day, with their final-edition front page having five stars printed and the word "Final." "Five Star Final" is also a font introduced during World War I and then favored by newspapers for its narrow type.
Merrily We Live is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and written by Eddie Moran and Jack Jevne. It stars Constance Bennett and Brian Aherne and features Ann Dvorak, Bonita Granville, Billie Burke, Tom Brown, Alan Mowbray, Clarence Kolb, and Patsy Kelly. The film was produced by Hal Roach for Hal Roach Studios, and was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Gold Diggers of 1933 is an American pre-Code musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics). The film's numbers were staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It starred Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell. It featured appearances by Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks and Ginger Rogers.
Waterloo Bridge is a 1931 American pre-Code drama romance war film directed by James Whale and starring Mae Clarke and Kent Douglass. The screenplay by Benn Levy and Tom Reed is based on the 1930 play Waterloo Bridge by Robert E. Sherwood.
Street Scene is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn and directed by King Vidor. With a screenplay by Elmer Rice adapted from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, Street Scene takes place on a New York City street from one evening until the following afternoon. Except for one scene which takes place inside a taxi, Vidor shot the entire film on a single set depicting half a city block of house fronts.
The Young Doctors is a 1961 American drama film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Ben Gazzara, Fredric March, Dick Clark, Ina Balin, Eddie Albert, Phyllis Love, Aline MacMahon, George Segal, and Dolph Sweet.
I Live My Life is a 1935 American comedy-drama film starring Joan Crawford, Brian Aherne and Frank Morgan. It is based on the story "Claustrophobia" by A. Carter Goodloe.
Life Begins is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film starring Loretta Young, Eric Linden, Aline MacMahon, and Glenda Farrell. The film was adapted from the 1932 play of the same name by Mary M. Axelson. It was released by Warner Bros. on September 10, 1932. The film was praised for its honest portrayal of a maternity ward.
Beauty for Sale is a 1933 American pre-Code film about the romantic entanglements of three beauty salon employees. Based on the 1933 novel Beauty by Faith Baldwin, it stars Madge Evans, Alice Brady, Otto Kruger and Una Merkel.
Aline Laveen MacMahon was an American actress. Her Broadway stage career began under producer Edgar Selwyn in The Mirage during 1920. She made her screen debut in 1931, and worked extensively in film, theater, and television until her retirement in 1975. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Dragon Seed (1944).
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney is a 1929 American Pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Sidney Franklin. The screenplay by Hanns Kräly is based on the 1925 play of the same name by Frederick Lonsdale which ran on Broadway for 385 performances. The film was remade twice, with the same title in 1937 and as The Law and the Lady in 1951.
Kind Lady is a 1951 American film noir crime film directed by John Sturges and starring Ethel Barrymore, Maurice Evans, Keenan Wynn and Angela Lansbury. Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film is remake of the 1935 film of the same name which starred Aline MacMahon in the title role.
The Circle is a 1925 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Frank Borzage. The film stars Eleanor Boardman, Malcolm McGregor, and Alec B. Francis. A young Joan Crawford appears in the film's opening scene and later in a photograph viewed by other characters. The screenplay, written by Kenneth B. Clarke, was based on the 1921 play of the same title by W. Somerset Maugham.
Kind Lady is a 1935 American drama film directed by George B. Seitz starring Aline MacMahon, Basil Rathbone and Mary Carlisle. It is based on the play of the same name by Edward Chodorov and a short story called The Silver Mask by Hugh Walpole.
Because of You is a 1952 American drama romance film noir directed by Joseph Pevney and starred Loretta Young and Jeff Chandler. This film was surprising in that it showed a provocative "sexy side" of Miss Young, quite different from her usual dignified brunette "nice girl" part.
New Morals for Old is a 1932 American pre-Code romance-drama film produced and distributed by MGM. It is based on the 1931 Broadway play After All, in which Humphrey Bogart had a significant role. Bogart's stage role is portrayed by David Newell in the film.
The Wanters is a 1923 American silent society drama film produced by Louis B. Mayer, directed by John M. Stahl and distributed by Associated First National Pictures, which became First National Pictures in 1924. The film stars Marie Prevost, Robert Ellis, and Norma Shearer.
Once in a Lifetime is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film based on Once in a Lifetime by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The film was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, directed by Russell Mack and stars Jack Oakie, Sidney Fox and Aline MacMahon.
Side Streets, also known in the UK as A Woman in Her Thirties, is a 1934 American romantic melodrama directed by Alfred E. Green. The film stars Aline MacMahon, Paul Kelly, Ann Dvorak and Dorothy Tree. The screenplay concerns a spinster who hires, then marries, a destitute sailor who is not always faithful.
Highway West is a 1941 American crime film directed by William C. McGann and starring Brenda Marshall, Arthur Kennedy and William Lundigan. It is a remake of the 1934 film Heat Lightning. It was produced and distributed by Warner Brothers. The film's sets were designed by the art director Esdras Hartley.