The Doorway to Hell (1930) Review: The Good, The Bad & How to Watch

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  The Doorway to Hell (1930) Review: The Good, The Bad & How to Watch  American Film, Crime, Drama Academy Awards, 1931- Nominee: Best Writing, Original Story The early 1930s in Hollywood were marked by a frantic, electric energy as the industry found its voice—literally. In the middle of this transition, a gritty little gem called The Doorway to Hell slipped into theaters, offering a blueprint for the gangster epics that would soon dominate the silver screen. While it often sits in the shadow of the titans that followed, this film captures a specific, raw moment in cinematic history that feels surprisingly modern even today. More on Wikipedia or Mubi  The Brutal Elegance of The Doorway to Hell  At its heart, the story follows a young gang leader who attempts to trade the chaos of the underworld for a quiet, respectable life. It is a classic American tragedy wrapped in the smoke of a speakeasy. The narrative leans heavily into the irony of a man trying to es...
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Watch The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947)

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The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947)
American Film, Comedy

Official Selection 

The Sin of Harold Diddlebock is a 1947 American comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring the silent film comic icon Harold Lloyd (in his final film appearance), and featuring a supporting cast including female protagonist Frances Ramsden, Jimmy Conlin, Raymond Walburn, Rudy Vallee, Arline Judge, Edgar Kennedy, Franklin Pangborn, J. Farrell MacDonald, Robert Dudley, Robert Greig, Lionel Stander and Jackie the Lion. The film's story is a continuation of The Freshman (1925), one of Lloyd's most successful movies.

The Sin of Harold Diddlebock was Sturges' first project after leaving Paramount Pictures, where he had made his most popular films, but the film was not successful in its initial release. It was quickly pulled from distribution by producer Howard Hughes who took almost four years to re-shoot some scenes and re-edit the film,finally re-releasing it in 1950 as Mad Wednesday – but the reception by the general public was no better the second time around. In 1951, Harold Lloyd received a Golden Globe nomination as "Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy", and the film was nominated for Grand Prize at the 1951 Cannes Film Festival.

Harold is a mild-mannered clerk who dreams about marrying the girl at the desk down the aisle. But then he loses his job, and when he is offered a potent drink at a bar, he goes on a very strange and funny rampage (with a lion in tow). More on Wikipedia or Mubi

Cannes Film Festival, 1951- Official Selection
Locarno International Film Festival, 1989- Official Selection
Golden Globes, 1951- Nominee: Best Actor - Comedy or Musical 

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