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Heat Lightning

Play trailer Poster for Heat Lightning 1934 1h 4m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Olga (Aline MacMahon) runs a hotel and gas station in the desert with her younger sister, Myra (Ann Dvorak). Olga tries to look out for the naive Myra, especially regarding her boyfriend (Theodore Newton), whom Olga doesn't like. One night, Olga sees an old love, a thief now named George (Preston Foster), on the run with his partner, Jeff (Lyle Talbot). Although Olga still cares for him, she is also suspicious about his intentions, especially since there are valuable jewels locked in her safe.
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Heat Lightning

Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader The proletarian era at Warner Bros. was still in full swing when Mervyn LeRoy directed this crackling 1934 adaptation of a play by Leon Abrams and George Abbott. Jun 20, 2013 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews The ambitious plot line is as satisfying as drinking Coca-Cola in the desert to quench one's thirst. Rated: B- Sep 30, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Itâ(TM)s a little bit depressing that this masterpiece has been around for 78 years now, and it is still almost entirely unknown. (However, Hollywood brought this on itself by releasing too many great films during the Pre-Code years.) The immediate physical presence of this location and the actors is overpowering. The day scenes are actually filmed out in the middle of the desert, and everyone looks like they are one glass of water away from passing out. Aline MacMahon looks like she stepped out of a Dorothea Lange photo. When the actors walk toward the camera, Leroy lets them come slightly too close for comfort, putting us in their space. A girl and a gas station, thatâ(TM)s all you need for a movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a really interesting movie. It's very low-key, and has a good cast of under-appreciated actors (that seems to be the theme running in today's reviews). It does have the feeling of being just a filmed play, but the acting is really excellent, especially from Aline MacMahon, who I'm more used to seeing in comedy. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member It's a good movie and I like it how Jerry is amazed after Olga transforms her-self into a pretty woman Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Heat Lightning

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Heat Lightning

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Movie Info

Synopsis Olga (Aline MacMahon) runs a hotel and gas station in the desert with her younger sister, Myra (Ann Dvorak). Olga tries to look out for the naive Myra, especially regarding her boyfriend (Theodore Newton), whom Olga doesn't like. One night, Olga sees an old love, a thief now named George (Preston Foster), on the run with his partner, Jeff (Lyle Talbot). Although Olga still cares for him, she is also suspicious about his intentions, especially since there are valuable jewels locked in her safe.
Director
Mervyn LeRoy
Screenwriter
Leon Abrams, George Abbott, Brown Holmes, Warren Duff
Production Co
Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2012
Runtime
1h 4m
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