first (hu)man into (outer)space

navy test pilot lt dan prescott, in the experimental rocket-plane y-12, breaks through the ionosphere, the controlability zone and out to the edge of the atmosphere before returning to the terrestrial.  the rocket is badly damaged, but the controls are salvageable.  prescott, after the experience, is described by local cops as funny.  lt prescott’s commanding [...]

my eyes are like telescopes

no one likes to be typecasted.
take  james cagney — warner brothers just wanted to give him gangster roles and all he wanted to do was dance.  luckily, his wish came through in footlight parade.

as chester kent.  (the film starts with a series of these kind of freeze frames introducing all the characters.)
immediately following the credits, [...]

p.o.e.

i read about this study where the fluoridation of water may lead to an increase in violent crime.  supposedly fluoride in the water enhances the body’s uptake in lead which is a “neurotoxin that lowers dopaminergic function in the inhibitory circuits of the basal ganglia.”
so maybe col ripper was right about the communist plot of [...]

it’s tough to bring a king to trial for treason, unless you’re cromwell

hollywood in the early 30s was an interesting time/place for movies. i’m no film historian, but it seems to me that you’ve got the end of the silent era, the replacement of silent era stars, the mass production of studio movies, pre-code subject matter and it’s all taking place in the midst of the great [...]