Lately I've been dipping into the old pool of movies that screen on TCM. I pick and choose what I might be interested in though I do like to surprise myself. Movies from the "Golden Years" may seem dated and certainly the plot lines are eerily similar within each genre. Dialogue often seems forced or overly theatrical, as if transferred straight from the music hall. But what is refreshing is the reliance on acting and the relative diminution of special effects. Someone like James Cagney is right there in your face and the energy in such performances is palpable.

The other day I watched Varsity Show - not a great movie but a 90 minute diversion into a time that has long passed. The ending has the wonderful choreography of Busby Berkeley. Of course, its no Fritz Lang but I am probably finished with the avant garde for now and prefer to watch what people were filling the cinemas with back in the day. Oh, and the slightly screwball performance by Mabel Todd - a funny blonde if there ever was one - was worth my time.