My Little Chickadee (1940, USA) – When Mae West is good, she’s very good. When she’s bad, she’s better. No, actually, when she’s bad she’s just bad. But this is one of her good ones. Chased out of town by the prudes for flirting with the local gentleman bandit, she finds herself another town with the usual sheriff/crook/idealist triangle. Features W. C. Fields in bed with a goat, and Mae West teaching a class of unruly teenage boys. Watched it all.

The Howards of Virginia (1940, USA) – Cary Grant (36) plays an unconvincing early 20′s Matt Howard, young Thomas Jefferson’s comical sidekick, in this patriotic movie where the slaves always seem to hover right outside of the screen. Credited with being the flop that taught Grant never to star in costume dramas. Watched: 16 minutes.

Three Faces West (1940, USA) – A doctor from Vienna finds wartime refuge in the US, but in order not to cause competition for big-city doctors, he cheerfully allows himself to be auctioned on a radio show to whatever tiny backwater town wants him. I’m sure the producers didn’t find this premise the least bit condescending. Watched: 15 minutes.

Li’l Abner (1940, USA) – Bad comic book adaptations have a long history. Watched: 4 minutes.

The Lady in Question (1940, USA) – French drama comedies haven’t impressed me so far, and neither does this American drama comedy set in France. A bicycle store owner becomes juror at a murder trial. Hilarity Ensues. Watched: 13 minutes.