Jack Billings Movies
- 1953
This romantic and tuneful war drama tells the story the singer who captured the hearts of Allied soldiers during WW II. It begins when she refuses to marry the American reporter she loves. She vows not to say yes until she becomes a star. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
The Anglo-American musicomedy Happy Go Lovely is set in Edinburgh, Scotland, during a major film festival. The gathered throngs are aghast when unknown dancer Janet Jones (Vera-Ellen) steps daintily from a limousine owned by a Scottish millionaire. A few miles earlier, the girl had thumbed a ride from the limo driver, but the public doesn't know this, and soon rumors are flying. Before she knows what has happened, Jones has become the festival's main attraction. She is also romanced by B.G. Bruno (David Niven), whom she assumes to be a reporter but who, of course, is the millionaire in disguise. Ostensibly a musical, Happy Go Lovely is limited to two songs, though both are performed con brio by the fabulous Vera-Ellen. The film was produced independently by N. P. Rathvon and released by Rathvon's former studio, RKO Radio. It was shot in black and white but is now reportedly only available in a colorized print. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Niven, Vera-Ellen, (more)
- 1950
The tantalizingly titled Mystery at the Burlesque was originally released in England as Murder at the Windmill. It must be explained that, for many years, London's Windmill Theatre was famous for its scantily clad chorus girls and potty-mouthed comedians. Filmed on location at the Windmill, the story gets under way when a corpse is found in the last row of the theater. To reconstruct the crime, the detective inspector (Garry Marsh) insists that the Windmill troupe repeat the same show they'd performed on the night of the murder. The film's high or low point (depending on one's own tastes) occurs when one of the seedy Windmill comedians performs his magnificently unfunny monologue before an audience of one. Featured in the cast as Marsh's assistant is future "Dr. Who" Jon Pertwee. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Garry Marsh, Jon Pertwee, (more)
- 1950
In the Anglo-American The Body Said No!, actor Michael Rennie plays his most challenging role: "himself." The scene is a British TV studio, where Rennie is performing in a live dramatic broadcast. On another set, singer Yolande Donlan mistakes a director's hand signals as "secret code" in a murder plot. Future Dr. Who star Jon Pertwee pops up as a studio watchman. Believe it or not, commercial television had been a reality in Great Britain for 14 years at the time of The Body Said No!'s 1950 release. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1946
Peter Graves (not the Mission: Impossible star, but a same-named British actor) heads the cast of the nostalgic Spring Song. Covering the years 1911 to 1946, the story chronicles two different love stories, with the same actors playing both couples. Graves portrays Tony Winster and his own nephew, also named Tony, while Carol Raye plays Janet Hill and her daughter Janet Ware. The 1911 romance ends unhappily due to parental interference; the lovers in 1946 vow not to repeat the mistakes of their forebears. Figuring prominently in the closing scenes is an experimental jet flight piloted by Geoffrey de Havilland (a relative of actresses Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine), who was killed in a crash shortly before the release of Spring Song. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Carol Raye, (more)
