The Great Depression: bad for the economy, good for movies. The 1930s proved to be a prosperous time for Hollywood, with several film genres — screwball comedies, gangster films, socially conscious dramas, epics and horror films — coming of age and resonating with audiences looking for any kind of escape. In today’s tough times, many films from that era seem ripe for recycling with just a little tweaking.
Here are a few remakes we’d like to see:
My Man Godfrey (1936)
Irene, a spoiled, rich girl on a scavenger hunt for a “forgotten man," finds him at the city dump in the form of an erudite bum named Godfrey. He soon becomes the butler for her highly dysfunctional family. Through a series of comedic circumstances -- and a savvy stock deal -- Godfrey ends up helping her father, who is in dire financial straits
The update: So why is Godfrey penniless this time around? Why, he's lost all of his savings thanks to Bernie Madoff. And in this remake, he saves the family by brokering a deal to have them star in their own reality TV show.
Suggested casting: Since the film's original stars -- Carole Lombard and William Powell -- were ex-husband and wife in real life, it seems fitting to reunite former spouses Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston in the lead roles.
The Invisible Man (1933)
H.G. Wells tale of a scientist whose experiments make him insane.
The update: This time around, the brilliant young scientist comes up with the idea that creating an invisible army would give the military a leg up in the battle against terrorists. But when the government backs off on financing for the project, he decides to test an invisibility serum on himself and transforms into a murderous madman intent on killing the president.
It Happened One Night (1934)
A charming down-on-his-luck newspaper reporter comes across the story of the decade when he discovers a runaway heiress traveling “incognito" on a bus. The bus trip also leads to a road romance for the two.
The update: How to get these two on a Greyhound in 2009? The heiress discovers the authorities (and paparazzi) are combing airports and train stations looking for her, so the bus is the safest option. And considering that dailies are giving little to no compensation to their axed journalists, an unemployed reporter could afford to travel only by bus as he searches for a new job.
Suggested casting: Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway
