One Rainy Afternoon (1936)

Odd little comedy set in France, where apparently men think it's de rigeur to kiss strange women in darkened movie theatres. The morality squad has something to say about that! They persuade the victim to go to court, where the dude loses despite his impassioned speeches! The victim pays his fine and starts dating him: ugh! Boo. Almost worth watching for Hugh Herbert's adorable befuddledness as the kisser's best friend. Ida Lupino glows, but there's too much wrong with the plot for me to recommend this one.

Silver Streak (1934)

Another train movie! This flick is loosely based on the record-setting "dawn-to-dusk" run of the Pioneer Zephyr on May 26, 1934. Lots of train action -- designing trains, building trains, testing trains, racing trains, trying not to crash super-experimental diesel train on cross-country speed trip to bring iron lungs to polio patients -- and not much acting ... Worked for me! During the cross-country speed run, a sceptical steam-engine conductor uttered a great line: "This aint railroading! It's insanity!"

Sleepers West (1941)

Sleepers West (1941) is film-noir-ish with some humorous touches, some tragedy, and two women as two important characters in the ensemble cast! It was pretty good; all fine actors. My favorite part was absolutely the train.

Topaze (1933)

This John Barrymore vehicle sorely underuses the glowing Myrna Loy. Essentially a "morality play" where the Everyman character of Dr Auguste Topaze encounters many vices to tempt him from the path of the honest, honorable man: pride, covetousness, lust, fraud, envy, greed, and capitalism.

Spoiler: he succumbs to many of these "sins," turns the tables on his users, and ends up with the girl of his dreams in an improved life. Hunh?

Cash McCall (1960)

This is #79 in my old-movie binge. James Garner and Natalie Wood star in this flick. Too much business talk, not enough romance. Mediocre. Sort of like Pretty Woman without the prostitute? Now that I think abt it, the business plot in PW is almost exactly the same! Aw, nothing is new ... No surprise.

One Frightened Night (1935)

This "comedic" murder mystery boasts a large cast. It was pretty good, with some funny gags. A woman was murdered though: it feels weird to laugh during a murder mystery. I did not figure out whodunit, but the reveal did make sense. Secret passages, poison, a trophy room full of human head-sculptures, random skulls as decorations, a thunderstorm knocks out the lights, everybody had a motive, lots of finger-pointing, a bumbling detective: this flick was stuffed with all the gags and tricks. That was #78 in my pandemic old-movie binge for 2020-21.

Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948)

Not recommended: British spy thriller murder mystery on a train. Train part was okay, but there was too much xenophobia and misogyny for me. Ugh!