Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Micransix Crappy film

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

brando647 The early years of film are, for me, yet still a vast untapped resource of entertainment. I've seen a dozen or so of Chaplin's silent films, I've seen a couple of the classic Universal monster movies, and I've watched some of the classics (e.g. CASABLANCA), but the majority of those first few decades of film entertainment are almost completely unknown to me. So it's always a nice surprise when I get the opportunity to watch one I've never heard of and find it to be a fun, if ultimately forgettable, little romp. Such is the case with TRAPPED BY TELEVISION from 1936. It's a heart-warming, optimistic story in the world of science where Fred Dennis (Lyle Talbot) is an inventor who has nearly perfected a new form of television broadcast. He is putting the finishing touches on a system that will sent sound and images wirelessly across distances from the camera directly to the receiver unit. He almost hits a snag when a debt collection agency sends out an agent to collect on money owed for some of Dennis's equipment. But it just so happens that Rocky (Nat Pendleton), the collection agent, loves the idea of science; as he's overly fond of reminding people, it's his hobby. So instead of busting Dennis's kneecaps and taking the machinery back, the two of them become quick friends and partners, taking the invention to struggling investor Bobby Blake (Mary Astor) for financial aid. Bobby, seemingly more interested in Dennis than his television invention, agrees to help him shop it around and uses her connections to shop it to the Paragon Broadcasting Company, where its board members are contemplating entering the world of broadcast television. But another shady group of men have their eye on Paragon's investment funds and have no problem busting cathode ray tubes or faces to keep their plan in motion.After watching TRAPPED BY TELEVISION, my first impression was just how happy a film it was. It's just so unapologetically optimistic and its characters are so lovable that you want them to succeed. The four main characters… Dennis, Rocky, Bobby, and Mae (Bobby's personal assistant and best friend, played by Joyce Compton)…are in this together with everything to lose. Dennis is obviously in dire times if he's got debt collectors sending hired muscle to wring the money out of him. Bobby and Mae are on the verge of poverty with her investment company going broke after a series of poor decisions (that automatic potato-peeler just didn't take off as she'd expected). Rocky's really the only one here with nothing to lose except his new best friend and his chance to be a scientist by proxy. They're all on the way to the poorhouse but they've got the spunk to keep going in search of their next big accomplishment. I loved all of them, especially the simple-minded Rocky. His enthusiasm for science and Dennis's project is contagious and I couldn't help but chuckle with the running gag of his interactions with Dennis's flustered landlady. When she discovers Rocky works for a debt-collector, she asks him to muscle the overdue rent out of Dennis while he's at it; he puts her fears to rest with a wink and a wag of his finger, over and over again, and it works every time. A little gesture of "don't you worry none, I've got this…" It's minor and it's stupid but I loved it.The struggle of perfecting the invention and getting the chance to present it to Paragon would've been enough of a plot to carry the movie because, like I said, the characters are enjoyable enough. But we've still got the added dilemma of some men hoping to manipulate Paragon into paying for their radio services. There's something about missing radio technicians and one of the Paragon board members in on the scheme. Anyway, it gives the film a little bit of a gangster vibe and some drama for the final act. Maybe unnecessary but it didn't hurt anything. The main problem with a quick-and- easy bit of fun like TRAPPED BY TELEVISION is that it's not all that memorable. There's nothing spectacular that's really going to set it apart from the droves of early films that were fun but tended to fade from memory pretty easily. It's got a quaintness to it from the fact that it comes from a period where television was still a technical marvel. The idea of wireless broadcast television was science fiction at the time and came in the form of an enormously bulky unit with dials and antennae but, of course, I can download and watch it from a phone that fits in my pants' pocket. The adorably outdated ideas, the fantastic cast, the upbeat vibes, and the painless hour or so runtime make TRAPPED BY TELEVISION an easy recommendation from me if you happen to stumble across it. It should be enough to elicit a few grins.

dougdoepke I tuned in because of the intriguing title. I didn't even know the TV idea was around in the 1930's, so the plot came as a revelation. The movie itself, except for the TV premise, is fairly standard gangster boilerplate. A pseudo-respectable businessman uses his gangster underlings to sabotage inventor Dennis's new-fangled TV camera. Instead, he wants a collaborator's technology to get the expected market. Columbia produced, so production values are respectable, especially the elaborate TV camera. All in all, the narrative is lively if not exactly gripping. But then the acting is better than the boilerplate, especially Astor in her pre-Maltese Falcon (1941) days. Also, scrawny Marc Lawrence is convincing as heck as the lead gangster, and might have stolen the film with more screen time. Talbot may not seem the inventor type, but he does show why he became a professional nice guy on TV's Ozzie & Harriet, and Bob Cummings Show, while muscle-man Pendleton ingratiates as comedic relief. From what I see here, I'm guessing that except for a disruptive WWII, TV would have gotten an earlier start as a mass medium. Apparently the technology was pretty much in place. Be that as it may, the movie's definitely a worthwhile curiosity and okay as entertainment.

morrison-dylan-fan With Christmas coming up,I started to look round on IMDb for movies to get my dad as X-Mas gifts.Taking a look at a fellow IMDber's page,I spotted an excellent review about a potboiler which had the then- ground breaking television medium as its main focus,which led to me getting up,and turning the TV on.The plot:Being ordered by his mobster boss to go round & collect a debt,a geeky gangster called Rocky O'Neil discovers that would-be scientist Fred Dennis is attempting to create an intriguing invention called the "television." Relating to Dennis's ambitions,O'Neil uses his streets skills to get Dennis's debt pushed aside.Catching the attention of would-be manager Barbara 'Bobby' Blake,Dennis finally gets the cash needed to complete his landmark invention.Getting ready to finally show his creation to the world,Dennis,O'Neil & Blake soon discover that there are some parts of the city's underworld,who would very much like to keep Dennis's TV off….forever.View on the film:Despite the lack of a full score giving the film a "hollow" soundtrack,the screenplay by Lee Loeb, Harold Buchman, Sherman L. Lowe & Al Martin keep the title moving at a lively pace,thanks to the writers steaming potboiler gangsters with fun Slap-Stick Comedy and wacky scientists.Made a few months before the BBC was to start TV broadcasts,director Del Lord shows a real excitement towards the new medium,with the warm glow of the TV being cast across the screen,as Dennis's device captures a screwball gangster fight,as Dennis,O'Neil and Blake find themselves trapped by the TV.

Woodyanders Nice guy inventor Fred Dennis (a solid and likable performance by Lyle Talbot) needs backing for his new television invention. He gets involved with shrewd and assertive crooked businesswoman Barbara 'Bobby' Blake (delightfully played with winning sass and spark by Mary Astor) while a bunch of gangsters plot to steal his invention. Director Del Lord, working from a compact script by Leo Loeb and Harold Buchman, relates the entertaining story at a snappy pace, offers a pleasing blend of comedy and drama, and delivers some rousing action at the very end. Moreover, it's acted with zest by an enthusiastic cast: Nat Pendleton as amiable lug Rocky O'Neil, Joyce Compton as Barbara's spunky gal pal Mae Collins, Thurston Hall as grumpy CEO John Curtis, and Marc Lawrence as ruthless mobster Frank Griffin. Allen G. Siegler's cinematography makes nice use of wipes. Plus it's a kick to see a motion picture made at a time when television was an exciting technological marvel. A fun little romp.