Heat Lightning (1934)
Two sisters who run a service station in the desert come into contact with an assortment of characters, including two bank robbers on the run, one of whom used to know one of the sisters. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy.
This film was shown as part of the George Eastman Houses' Suprise Cinema, and tied in nicely with two film series from the previous months: WB Pre-Code and Not on Video. "Heat Lightning" comes right at the end of the pre-code period, and it certainly shows it: suggestive comments (and I do mean suggestive), sexual relations between non-married characters, violence, the works. It's a nice little film that clips along fairly well at 65 minutes, although it does show its roots as a stage play.
Aline MacMahon plays the older sister, Olga, attempting to escape from her past by working in the desert with no one around. Her kid sister, however, does not share her enthusiasism for being in the middle of nowhere. She has been seeing a local jerk, and Olga has been trying to keep her away from him.
The movie starts with a beleaguered husband pushing his broken car (with his wife inside) through the desert. They finally stop at the service station, and much is made about the fact that Olga does the repairs with no man around. After they leave two men show up, apparently on the run from a bank robbery gone bad, with a few people shot and killed. One gangster is very nervous while the other tries to calm him down. The calm robber soon realizes that Olga works here, and attempts to rekindle some of the romance they once shared in Oklahoma.
Another car eventually arrives with two rich women, who apparently have been recently divorced and have quite a bit of extra cash. The gangster decides that before they leave, they'll take some jewels from the women, and goes about biding his time.
The plot is really secondary and somewhat melodramatic. The movie is more about the characters and their interactions. The characters are interesting, and after seeing so many of the other WB pre-code pictures, the actors were identifiable as well. The print was in okay shape, with a number of scratches, but certainly viewable.
This film was shown as part of the George Eastman Houses' Suprise Cinema, and tied in nicely with two film series from the previous months: WB Pre-Code and Not on Video. "Heat Lightning" comes right at the end of the pre-code period, and it certainly shows it: suggestive comments (and I do mean suggestive), sexual relations between non-married characters, violence, the works. It's a nice little film that clips along fairly well at 65 minutes, although it does show its roots as a stage play.
Aline MacMahon plays the older sister, Olga, attempting to escape from her past by working in the desert with no one around. Her kid sister, however, does not share her enthusiasism for being in the middle of nowhere. She has been seeing a local jerk, and Olga has been trying to keep her away from him.
The movie starts with a beleaguered husband pushing his broken car (with his wife inside) through the desert. They finally stop at the service station, and much is made about the fact that Olga does the repairs with no man around. After they leave two men show up, apparently on the run from a bank robbery gone bad, with a few people shot and killed. One gangster is very nervous while the other tries to calm him down. The calm robber soon realizes that Olga works here, and attempts to rekindle some of the romance they once shared in Oklahoma.
Another car eventually arrives with two rich women, who apparently have been recently divorced and have quite a bit of extra cash. The gangster decides that before they leave, they'll take some jewels from the women, and goes about biding his time.
The plot is really secondary and somewhat melodramatic. The movie is more about the characters and their interactions. The characters are interesting, and after seeing so many of the other WB pre-code pictures, the actors were identifiable as well. The print was in okay shape, with a number of scratches, but certainly viewable.
posted by Mike at 9:49 PM
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