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Hollywood Classics 2: B Movies, Bad Movies, Good Movies

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The definition of a "B" movie varies widely. Producers generally regard not only any film made on a limited budget as a "B", but also all productions emanating from the studio's "B" unit, despite their actual cost or the presence of major stars.

To a distributor, however, a "B" picture is any reel on his shelves that cannot (for one reason or another) be sold as a main attraction. A title change often offers a clue to this kind of distributor desperation. Thus "Young Man with a Horn" was marketed as a "B" in England and Australia under the title, "Young Man of Music".

In many cases, of course, the distributor, although equally desperate, was stuck with the original title. Take "The Phantom of Paris". There's a salable title in any territory. The problem in this case was an unsalable star: John Gilbert.

The case of "Guest Wife" is different again. Here we have two reasonably popular stars, Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche, a little past their prime but still reasonably marketable, but stuck in an independent movie. Generally speaking, ticket-buyers tended to be wary of movies that were not produced by the Hollywood majors.

What about "From Headquarters"? A Warner Brothers picture with a major star in George Brent, yet it was sold as a "B". Why? The problem here was the running time: Only 63 minutes.

As for "The Florentine Dagger" with its extensive cast list and impressive production values (and a running time of 70 minutes), it was marketed as a support feature simply because it was actually produced by the Warners' "B" unit.

"Fast and Furious" was the third of MGM's "Joel and Garda Sloane" series in which the studio tried to ape the success of "The Thin Man". Despite its extensive "A" cast and enormous entertainment appeal, it was sold as a "B" because the studio had second thoughts on the desirability of trying to displace "The Thin Man".

"Dead Reckoning" with Humphrey Bogart was sold as a "B" in many territories because the studio felt the movie fell below the standard Bogie's fans had come to expect.

On the other hand, "Trader Horn" was regarded by the studio as a write-off "B" picture until its producers convinced Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executive, Irving Thalberg, that it could be salvaged. The picture went on to reap a bonanza at the box-office and was even nominated for Best Film!

Such are the stories of just a few of the 100 movies examined in detail in this fascinating, 162-page, large-format book.