The following is an overview of 1933 in film, including significant events, a list of films released, and notable births and deaths.
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most important stand-up comedians of all time. Pryor won a Primetime Emmy Award and five Grammy Awards. He received the first Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1998. He won the Writers Guild of America Award in 1974. He was listed at number one on Comedy Central's list of all-time greatest stand-up comedians. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked him first on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time.
Gene Wilder was an American actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker. He was mainly known for his comedic roles, but also for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). He collaborated with Mel Brooks on the films The Producers (1967), Blazing Saddles (1974) and Young Frankenstein (1974), and with Richard Pryor in the films Silver Streak (1976), Stir Crazy (1980), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) and Another You (1991).
Silver Streak is a 1976 American thriller comedy film, about a murder on a Los Angeles-to-Chicago train journey. It was directed by Arthur Hiller and stars Gene Wilder, Jill Clayburgh, and Richard Pryor, with Patrick McGoohan, Ned Beatty, Clifton James, Ray Walston, Scatman Crothers, and Richard Kiel in supporting roles. The film score is by Henry Mancini. This film marked the first pairing of Wilder and Pryor, who were later paired in three other films.
K-9 is a 1989 American buddy cop action comedy film starring Jim Belushi and Mel Harris. It was directed by Rod Daniel, written by Steven Siegel and Scott Myers, produced by Lawrence Gordon and Charles Gordon, and released by Universal Pictures.
William Lee Tracy was an American stage, film, and television actor. He is known foremost for his portrayals between the late 1920s and 1940s of fast-talking, wisecracking news reporters, press agents, lawyers, and salesmen. From 1949 to 1954, he was also featured in the weekly radio and television versions of the series Martin Kane: Private Eye, as well as starring as the newspaper columnist Lee Cochran in the 1958–1959 British-American crime drama New York Confidential. Later, in 1964, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the film The Best Man.
Roman Scandals is a 1933 American black-and-white pre-Code musical film starring Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart, Edward Arnold and David Manners. It was directed by Frank Tuttle. The film features a number of intricate production numbers choreographed by Busby Berkeley. The song "Keep Young and Beautiful" is from this film. In addition to the starring actors in the picture, the elaborate dance numbers are performed by the "Goldwyn Girls". The title of the film is a pun on Roman sandals.
Raymond Walburn was an American character actor of stage and screen who appeared in dozens of Hollywood movie comedies and an occasional dramatic role during the 1930s and 1940s.
Willard Robertson was an American actor and writer. He appeared in more than 140 films from 1924 to 1948. He was born in Runnels, Texas and died in Hollywood, California.
Laddie is a 1935 American comedy-drama film directed by George Stevens from a screenplay by Ray Harris and Dorothy Yost, based on the 1913 novel, Laddie: A True Blue Story, by Gene Stratton-Porter. The film stars John Beal, Gloria Stuart, and Virginia Weidler.
Wanted! Jane Turner is a 1936 American crime drama film directed by Edward Killy from a screenplay by Edmund L. Hartmann and John Twist, based on Twist's story. Produced by RKO Radio Pictures, it was premiered in New York City on November 27, 1936, with a national release the following week on December 4. The film stars Lee Tracy and Gloria Stuart, with an extensive supporting cast.
Roger Pryor was an American film actor.
I Like It That Way is a 1934 American pre-Code musical film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Gloria Stuart, Roger Pryor and Marian Marsh.
Private Jones is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Russell Mack and written by Prescott Chaplin, Bill Cohen, George Jessel, William N. Robson and Sam Spewack. The film, which stars Lee Tracy, Gloria Stuart, Donald Cook, Emma Dunn, Shirley Grey and Frank McHugh, was released by Universal Pictures on March 25, 1933.
The Crosby Case is a 1934 American pre-Code crime film directed by Edwin L. Marin and written by Warren B. Duff and Gordon Kahn. The film stars Wynne Gibson, Onslow Stevens, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Alan Dinehart, Warren Hymer, William Collier, Sr. and John Wray. The film was released on March 5, 1934, by Universal Pictures.
The Love Captive is a 1934 American drama film directed by Max Marcin and written by Karen DeWolf, adapted from Marcin's play of the same name. The film stars Gloria Stuart, Nils Asther, Paul Kelly, Alan Dinehart, Renee Gadd, and Russ Brown. The film was released on June 7, 1934, by Universal Pictures.
Romance in the Rain is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Stuart Walker and written by Barry Trivers and Gladys Buchanan Unger. The film stars Roger Pryor, Heather Angel, Esther Ralston, Victor Moore, Ruth Donnelly and Henry Armetta. The film was released on August 13, 1934, by Universal Pictures.
Wake Up and Dream is a 1934 American musical film directed by Kurt Neumann, written by John Meehan Jr., and starring Russ Columbo, Roger Pryor, June Knight, Catherine Doucet, Henry Armetta and Andy Devine. It was released on October 1, 1934, by Universal Pictures.
Strange Wives is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Richard Thorpe, written by James Mulhauser, Barry Trivers, and Gladys Buchanan Unger, and starring Roger Pryor, June Clayworth, Esther Ralston, Hugh O'Connell, Ralph Forbes, and Cesar Romero. It was released on December 10, 1934, by Universal Pictures.
I'll Tell the World is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Henry Blankfort and Lester Pine. The film stars Lee Tracy, Brenda Joyce, Raymond Walburn, June Preisser, Thomas Gomez and Howard Freeman. The film was released on June 8, 1945, by Universal Pictures.
