Henry Edwards Movies
Tall, patrician-featured British stage actor Henry Edwards made his first film in 1914. Under the guidance of producer/director Cecil Hepworth, Edwards became one of England's most popular leading men. His most frequent leading lady was Chrissie White, whom he married in 1922. Celebrated as Britain's answer to Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, Edwards and White co-starred in 22 films, playing everything from aristocrats to the "working poor" with consummate artistry; unfortunately, only two of their features survive. During his stay with Hepworth, Edwards was given the opportunity to direct. Though he continued starring in such well-received films as The Flag Lieutenant (1926), after 1925 Edwards was best known for his directorial efforts; the best of these included the Boris Karloff melodrama Juggernaut (1935) and the Sir Seymour Hicks version of Scrooge (1935). Henry Edwards returned to acting in 1946, essaying small character roles in films like Green for Danger (1946), Oliver Twist (1948) and the all-star The Magic Box (1952). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1941
The Strangler is the American title of the British East of Piccadilly. London's Soho district is terrorized by a strangler who favors silk stockings as his method of disposal. All evidence points to American millionaire George Pughe. Thanks to the diligence of girl reporter Judy Campbell, Pughe is condemned to be hanged. But Judy begins to have second thoughts, and together with mystery writer Sebastian Shaw she tracks down the real killer-nearly ending up a victim in the process. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1940
An innocent country maiden living in the early 19th century is forcibly betrothed to a gambling louse after her father gets indebted to him. She endures her lot, but then an officer from the British army, who had secretly loved her for years, discovers that the cad cheated and also has a wife in Brussels. This melodrama chronicles what happens next. The story is also called Ken John Peel. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Garrick, Winifred Shotter, (more)
- 1937
In this musical drama set during the reign of Charles I, an Irish priest is assigned to educate the prince. The prince becomes a king and one day the priest approaches and asks the king to release a political prisoner who belongs to the vicar's parish. The king, who promised to grant his former teacher one special request, complies and happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stanley Holloway, Hugh Miller, (more)
- 1937
In this musical, the village smithy and his son (who looks just like him because they are played by the same actor) have a terrible fight after the son announces that he wants to become an engineer. Enraged and hurt, the father disowns his son. Years pass and the young man returns as a magnate in the auto industry. Seeing that his father is on the verge of bankruptcy, he uses his vast wealth to save him. Soon they reconcile and happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1937
A transatlantic race is featured in this exciting drama. One of the captains involved almost loses after he saves an actress from her sinking yacht. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1937
In this drama, an officer is perjured by another and is sentenced to Devil's island. Meanwhile, the perjurer is flirting with a beautiful woman who turns out to be a spy. She gets enough evidence to prove that he lied and he is convicted. The officer is then free to rescue the spy from a dubious future. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1937
British author W.W. Jacobs, whose love of the sea and seafarers permeated everything he wrote, was responsible for the story upon which Beauty and the Barge was based. Judy Gunn plays the headstrong daughter of an Army officer who runs away from home. She is later adopted by bargeman Gordon Harker. A very young Jack Hawkins portrays a handsome lieutenant (or "leff-tenant", if you prefer) who signs on as a common seaman on Harker's barge in hopes of winning Hawkins' love. Beauty and the Barge also features the unforgettable Margaret Rutherford, doing pretty much what she'd been still doing in movies nearly thirty years later-shamelessly stealing every scene she's in. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
The old H. V. Esmond stage play Eliza Comes to Stay proved a perfect vehicle for British screen sweetheart Betty Balfour. Wearing huge, owlish glasses, Balfour plays orphaned Eliza Vandan, who finds herself the ward of wealthy Sandy Verrall (Seymour Hicks). This comes as quite a jolt to old man Verrall, who'd been led to believe that Eliza was a little baby. Once the two protagonists have adjusted to one another, Eliza and Verrall find that they can't live without each other. Originally set during WWI, Eliza Comes to Stay has been updated to the 1930s, allowing for a brief nightclub number featuring popular entertainers Diana Ward and Nelson Keys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Balfour, Seymour Hicks, (more)
- 1936
In this British comedy, a barrister badly botches his first case and begins to think he has chosen the wrong career. To assist with their bills, he and his wife sublet their apartment to several people at the same time. To fool them all, the couple pretends to be household servants and throws a dinner party for their guests. The wife then sprinkles sleeping powder into their soup. When the renters awaken, they find themselves in assorted compromising positions. The "servants" then blackmail them for their money. They wind up with a tidy sum of money. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This British programmer tells the dark, thrilling tale of a research scientist who resorts to murder to ensure continued funding for his experiments. The killing begins after the slightly insane Dr. Sartorius (Boris Karloff) runs out of money for his experiments with curing paralysis. He is so close to a breakthrough and so desperate for cash that he agrees to kill the wealthy husband of Lady Yvonne Clifford, in exchange for half of her husband's cotton fortune. To do this, he gets hired as Sir Charles Clifford's personal physician and so begins to slowly poison him with injections. Things go awry when the ailing Sir Charles figures out the scam and changes his will to benefit his son from his first marriage. Unfortunately, word gets out and Lady Yvonne changes her deal with Sartorius, claiming that now he must kill the father and the son. But neither the doctor nor the conniving wife count on interference from nurse Eve, who has fallen in love with the son. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Boris Karloff, Joan Wyndham, (more)
- 1935
An uncharacteristically light-hearted Edgar Wallace yarn was the basis of this mild British comedy-drama. Gordon Harker stars as The Lad, a cheeky ex-convict who is mistaken for a private detective. Paid a huge sum of money not to dig up dirt on the Fandon family, our hero is all for taking the money and running. But upon being reunited with old flame Pauline (Jane Carr), now the Fandon's maid, he decides to leave the money behind and turn over a new leaf. A cute surprise ending allows The Lad to come out on top without resorting to dishonesty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Harker, Betty Stockfeld, (more)
Starring Seymour Hicks as the title character, Scrooge is a faithful adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol about a heartless miser who discovers the true meaning of Christmas when three ghosts visit him on Christmas Eve. Hicks co-wrote the screenplay to this film, which is a thoroughly entertaining and effective retelling of a familiar story ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seymour Hicks, Donald Calthrop, (more)
- 1935
In this romantic comedy, an aged wine maker ignores his sons' disapproval and marries a much younger woman. The angered sons then do all they can to destroy the relationship. They nearly succeed when they inform her that her hubby, whom she thought was 45, is really 62 years old. Angered by his lie, she leaves. Fortunately, the husband's granddaughter gets involved and persuades her to return. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seymour Hicks, Claire Luce, (more)
- 1935
In this British Victorian comedy, a wealthy Englishman comes back from a journey to India to discover that instead of becoming successful, his beloved nephew has run up so many debts that he has had to disguise himself as a minister to evade his creditors. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1935
In this musical comedy, a Cockney flower girl is in love with a policeman whom she wants to marry. Unfortunately, her father opposes the union because he is involved in a little crooked investing. Fortunately, the young woman wins a lottery and is able to find wealth and marital bliss. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1934
This British Edgar Wallace derivation was originally released as The Man Who Changed His Name. That ripe old barnstormer Lyn Harding plays Shelby Clive, who has been obliged to shorten his last name so that he won't be confused with a notorious (and never-apprehended) wife murderer. Not long afterward, Clive tries to claim a valuable piece of Canadian property, owned by his wife Nita (Betty Stockfield). When it develops that he can only take possession of the property upon his wife's death, the audience is immediately primed to suspect the worst. Sure enough, several mysterious "accidents" befall poor Nina, leading her to believe that she's actually married to that infamous wife-killer mentioned earlier. But there's more to this than meets the eye, as Clive reveals in the film's final moments. Though the story is rife with melodrama, The Man Who Changed is believably acted throughout, even by the chop-licking Lyn Harding. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lyn Harding, Betty Stockfeld, (more)
- 1934
Imitation Masons make a mess when their ruses are discovered in this British comedy. For many years, Amos Bloodgood has told his wife that as a Mason he must regularly attend meetings. Actually, he knows nothing of the fraternal order; he uses the "meetings" as an excuse for going out on the town. His scheme is nearly derailed when his daughter and son-in-law Frank show up for a little visit. Believing that Frank is a real Mason, Amos tries to impress him with everything he knows about the group. He doesn't realize that Frank is also a phoney and is equally anxious to impress him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sonnie Hale, Robertson Hare, (more)
- 1934
In this mystery, an adaptation of an Agatha Christie tale, the unflappable Poirot looks into the death of a wealthy nobleman. His avaricious young wife is the most obvious suspect, but Poirot proves that she is innocent and that someone else was behind the dastardly deed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Austin Trevor
- 1934
The tumultuous relationship between a self-made man and his no-account son is chronicled in this drama. The father is proud that he has worked his way into wealth and power. He is deeply disappointed that his playboy son did not follow in his footsteps. When he learns that the boy jumps a ship bound for Australia so he can see his lover, a married woman, the father goes berserk and almost beats his son to death with a horsewhip. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1933
Anne One Hundred was adapted from Sewell Collins' stage play, which in turn was taken from Rescuing Anne, a novel by Edgar Franklin. Betty Stockfield plays Anne, a girl of modest means who suddenly inherits a soap factory. This gives her a leg-up in her battle with a rival over her boyfriend's attentions. The hero balks at being "kept" by a wealthy woman, but golden-hearted Anne wins out by proving that money really means nothing to her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1933
After 2 aristocrats become engaged, they fall in love with people in a lower class in this romantic comedy. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1933
A classy woman has an affair with a rake after she learns that she has a terminal disease in this British melodrama. When the cad dumps her, the woman's husband soon learns of her shenanigans, but he forgives her. She then gets even better news when her doctor tells her that they have finally found a cure for her disease. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1933
In this romantic drama a struggling composer tries to protect his wife from the lecherous Lord Quilhampton. The nobleman is producing a anonymously written stage show, and to win the wife's affection, wants to use her as his star. Fortunately for the marriage, the unknown author of the production is the composer and this gives him the final say when it comes to casting. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1933
Based on a play by George A. Birmingham, General John Regan is a remake of the 1921 film of the same name. Henry Edwards, who also directed, stars as Dr. O'Grady, general practitioner of a small Irish village. As a gag, O'Grady convinces a visiting American newspaper publisher (played by future Superman villain Ben Welden) that a resident of this village was General John Regan, liberator of Bolivia. This harmless prank mushrooms into a major headache when the American spreads this "fact" to the rest of the world. Co-starring with Henry Edwards is his actress wife Chrissie White, whose last film this was. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Edwards, David Horne, (more)
