Blonde Venus (1932)

This makes the fifth collaboration of Marlene Dietrich and director Josef von Sternberg that I've seen. Ordinarily, I wouldn't watch it only a month and a half after the previous, but again, I'm prioritizing oldies in anticipation that they'll soon be hard to find.

When chemist Ned (Herbert Marshall) learns that his best hope to survive his radium poisoning is an expensive, multi-month treatment overseas, his wife Helen (Dietrich) resumes her nightclub singing career to help pay for it, with the titular stage name. Then she finds a more profitable method: dating rich patron Nick (Cary Grant), who advises her to quit the stage so she can properly look after her young son, Johnny (Dickie Moore). They plan to discontinue before Ned comes home, but he does so earlier than expected, discover's Helen's infidelity, and kicks her out. Refusing to surrender custody, she goes on the lam with Johnny, until she realizes how bad it is for all involved.

Operation Petticoat (1959)

A common problem for war movies is a shortage of female characters. Maybe that's a reason I thought to check out this one, where female presence is a key plot point. Of course, the year of release wasn't promising for a good depiction thereof.

When a World War II U.S. Navy submarine, the Sea Tiger, gets blown up in a Pacific harbor before it can ever participate in battle, LCDR Sherman (an arguably too old Cary Grant) badly wants it rebuilt. He gets a mixed blessing in new LT Holden (Tony Curtis), who is highly irregular and good at stealing, generally to the undersupplied crew's benefit. Things are already pretty comedic for the barely functional sub before the real awkwardness begins, when Holden rescues five stranded U.S. Army nurses. (We're told the Sea Tiger was their only hope, but we have to ignore ships in the background.) Never mind the old sailor superstition that women on ships spell bad luck; how can Sherman hope to maintain any discipline?

Mr. Blandings Build His Dream House (1948)

I may have first known this title from a bookshelf, but what got me interested in the movie was its inclusion in AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs at #72. Of course, I always took that list with a grain of salt; some of its entries do little to nothing for me, but that's likely to be true of anyone's 100 favorite comedies. Regardless, Jim Blandings is played by Cary Grant, who, tho previously unmentioned on this blog, has starred in 20 films that I've seen and has a fine track record in my view.

Tired of having little space for four in their New York apartment, Jim and wife Muriel (Myrna Loy) jump at the chance to move to rural Connecticut. Despite Jim's experience as an advertiser, he doesn't see through a slick pitch, and they buy a house fit to be condemned. This could be a blessing in disguise, as they now have the excuse to rebuild entirely to their specs. But that, too, is not their strong suit....