Commentary
One letter in the mail can disrupt your whole world. “Invitation” is a classic film that explores this premise by focusing on one woman’s happy life, which is based on love and lies. Starring Van Johnson, Dorothy McGuire, and Ruth Roman, it’s a dramatic MGM film from 1952 directed by Gottfried Reinhardt, a German-born filmmaker whose father, Max, and brother, Wolfgang, were also in the production end of show business.
Just about everybody has seen some old movie at some point in his life, even if only a few clips. Movies like “Casablanca,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Citizen Kane,” and “Gone with the Wind” have entered the fiber of American culture since they were originally released 70 to 85 years ago. These few famous examples don’t even scratch the surface, however, of the amazing body of films Hollywood produced during its Golden Era, specifically 1934-1954. During these miraculous twenty years, Hollywood followed the moral guidelines of the Motion Picture Production Code, which were carefully enforced by Joseph I. Breen at the Production Code Administration (PCA). The result was movies that were vital and entertaining yet tasteful and subtle. Whether you enjoy comedy, drama, Westerns, adventure, war, tragedy, or romance, there is a wealth of obscure Code masterpieces which are now readily available, just waiting to be discovered….