This Day in History: 1934-05-25
There was the usual variety in local movie fare this week. The Lafayette Theater in Suffern had “Sadie McKee”, which starred Joan Crawford as a femme fatal. She had previously played reserved ingenue parts. Here she was cast as a torch-singing vaudeville headliner. Another film involving a singing plot followed later in the week. It was the first National film ever shown at the theater “Twenty Million Sweethearts”. In it Dick Powell plays a singing waiter who wants to be a radio crooner. Also featured ware Ginger Rogers and the Mills Brothers. Another version of a familiar plot was the vehicle for Constance Bennett in “Moulin Rouge”. She was cast as a stage struck wife of a play write, who led a double life as Raquel, a notorious artiste in the famous Paris night spot. If all of this musical stuff was too much for you, there was always “The Black Cat” at the warner theater in Ridgewood. This starred both Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi as recently released prisoners of war out to get revenge on the world for their sufferings. Of course the second feature on the double bill was “Finishing School” with Frances Dee, Billie Burke and, again, Ginger Rogers. (Bristow)