Madeleine Carroll Movies
With her ladylike aura of British gentility, blonde actress Madeleine Carroll was among the first English leading ladies to find a career in Hollywood. Prior to becoming an actress, she worked as a French teacher and hat model, then in 1927 made her London stage debut; she began appearing in British films (at first silents) in 1928, going on to become England's biggest female star. She made 22 films in England, including the two Hitchcock films The 39 Steps, (1935), and Secret Agent (1936) that brought her to Hollywood's attention. She moved there in 1936 to sign a contract with 20th Century-Fox. She became an American citizen in 1943. Following her sister's death during the London blitz of WW II, Carroll largely abandoned films to work in England for war relief. She participated in USO and war-bond drives, and served as a Red Cross volunteer in Italy and France; such work led her to receive France's Legion of Honor and the U.S. Medal of Freedom. Carroll appeared in three more films before retiring, her final film being The Fan (1949). She then went on to work for UNESCO while also occasionally appearing on stage, radio, and TV. Her four husbands included actor Sterling Hayden and French film producer Henri Lavorel. ~ All Movie Guide- 1928
This British WWI drama was directed by Sinclair Hill, who also penned the original screenplay. Henry Victor stars as John Grimlaw, a ruthless armaments manufacturer. Grimlaw is in love with Diana (Madeline Carroll, in her film debut), while she in turn is partial to Clive (Donald McArdle), an army officer. Even so, Diana wavers between both men, unable to make a commitment even as they march off to the battlefields of France. Under fire for the first time in his life, Grimlaw loses his nerve, much to the delight of Clive. Taunted mercilessly by his rival, Grimlaw regains his courage, saving his entire company and losing his eyesight in the process. Returning home at wars' end, Grimlaw single-handedly settles a strike at his old factory. Impressed by his surfeit of new-found bravery, Diana chooses Grimlaw as her husband. Future film favorite Hermione Baddeley shows up in a minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Victor, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1929
This costume drama is set in the midst of a European war during the early 1800s and follows the exploits of a young woman who is forced to marry the wicked man who is threatening to make her father pay a major debt. One day, she meets a wounded fugitive, an American prisoner who was injured while escaping from his French captors. She helps him recover, and by the war's end he is well, they have fallen in love with each other and flee together. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carl Brisson, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1929
Nearly 70 years before James Cameron made the Titanic tragedy his own personal property, E. A. DuPont offered his own spectacular spin on the same story in the landmark early talkie Atlantic. Adhering to the classic three-act structure, the first portion of the film concentrates on the passengers -- both above and below deck -- of a huge luxury liner on its maiden voyage. The middle portion deals with the liner's collision with an iceberg and the reactions of the passengers, ranging from mild annoyance to outright panic. Dupont reserves the best for last, as the great ship Atlantic begins its final descent amidst the terrified cries of the passengers as they try to crowd into too few lifeboats. Stalwart courage and craven cowardice come head to head in the climactic scenes, but in the final summation it is the special effects, rather than the behavior of the characters, that linger longest in the memory. Amazingly, the film fades before the ship sinks beneath the waves, which may be why Atlantic came nowhere near the box-office success of Cameron's Oscar-winning Titanic (besides, who had a billion dollars back in 1930?) In addition, too much time is spent on a comedy-relief steward, as if the death of the great ship was some sort of Broadway musical revue. Based on a stage play by Ernest Raymond, Atlantic was simultaneously filmed in English, French and German-language versions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franklin Dyall, Ellaline Terriss, (more)
- 1930
Financially strapped Stuart Rome sells all of his horses except one colt which goes on to win the big race giving him the needed capital to get back on his feet. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1930
Richard Brinsley Sheridan's stage comedy The School for Scandal made theatrical history in 1777 as the first play to use an onstage prop (a dressing screen) as an important plot device. While this proved exciting to 18th-century audiences, the effect wasn't quite the same when the Sheridan play was brought to the screen in 1930, though Sheridan's potent witticisms remained intact (one suspects that the 1916 silent version wasn't quite as effective). The story concerns the misadventures of young Lady Teazle (Madeleine Carroll), who must not only fend off the jealous accusations of her elderly husband (Basil Gill) but also the envious barbs of every gossip in London. Meanwhile, two handsome brothers -- one virtuous, the other a cad -- become inextricably involved in Lady T's travails, both demonstrating their true colors in the final act. The very famous "screen scene" goes on much too long in this version, though its resolution still pays off in big laughs. The best scenes occur amongst the various and sundry gossips, who bear such spell-it-out character names as "Lady Sneerwell" and "Sir Benjamin Backbite"! Sharp-eyed viewers will spot future stars Rex Harrison and Anna Neagle in bit parts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeleine Carroll, Basil Gill, (more)
- 1930
In this espionage drama an international spy goes searching for secret papers hidden within an isolated inn. He is accompanied by various spies and detectives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1930
Based on the play by John Van Druten, Young Woodley stars Frank Lawton in the title role. An 18-year-old student, Woodley nearly throws away his future when he falls in love with Laura Simmons (Madeleine Carroll), the wife of his schoolmaster (Roger Livesey). The husband can't throw Woodley out of school for fear that Laura will leave him. But when Woodley gets into a fight with another student over Laura's honor, Simmons pounces upon the opportunity and "sacks" the boy. Rather than divide the film up into heroes and villains, the screenwriters have been scrupulously fair with everyone: even the stuffy, sardonic husband comes off as a human being rather than a mustache-twirling villain. A big hit in England, Young Woodley didn't do quite as well in the U.S., where romantic-triangle films were fairly commonplace in 1930. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Lawton, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1930
In this early talkie, Capt. Matt Denant (Gerald du Maurier) is a former war hero who intervenes when he sees a crooked detective threatening a woman on the street. Denant and the detective soon fall into a brawl, and the detective is accidentally killed. Sentenced to five years in prison at hard labor, Denant finds that he cannot stand the indignities of life behind bars and escapes. A number of friends and compassionate strangers help him hide from the law, but when Denant goes into hiding in a church, he puts the pastor in the difficult position of having to lie about him in order to protect his safety. Escape was the first production for RKO Radio Pictures' British branch; leading man Gerald du Maurier is the father of famed novelist Daphne du Maurier. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerald du Maurier, Edna Best, (more)
- 1931
This romance takes place during the French Revolution. The lovers are an aristocratic woman and a populist lawyer. At first she rejects him, but then marries him at the onset of the uprising. When her husband volunteers to be guillotined in her stead, the woman reveals her social standing and turns herself in. In the end, both are spared by a phony pardon. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1931
The time is WWI. British guerilla fighter Col. Duncan Grant (Brian Aherne) makes his way behind enemy lines to foil the Germans' plans to destroy those towns presently controlled by the Allied Expeditionary Forces. The Germans have planted a series of mines throughout the countryside, in a pattern resembling the letter "W" hence the film's title The W Plan. Assisting Grant in his mission is his pre-war sweetheart Rosa Hartman (Madeleine Carroll), German by birth but sympathetic to the Allied cause. Based on a novel by Graham Seton, The W Plan was distributed in the U.S. by RKO Radio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Aherne, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1931
In this drama, a disillusioned wife prepares to leave her husband, a physician, after he loses his eyesight in an auto accident. Since the accident, she has found a new love. Unbeknownst to her, her husband's sight gradually returns. Still he feigns blindness so he can try and win her back. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1931
Madeleine Carroll plays a dual role "sort of" in the WWI comedy French Leave. When her husband Harry (Haddon Mason) marches off to the Front, Dorothy Glennister (Carroll) can't stand the idea of being separated from him. Sooooo, she sneaks into the French town where Harry is stationed and poses as a local coquette named Juliette. Unfortunately, her little stratagem backfires when she's suspected of being a German spy. Virtually every British officer depicted in the film is a pompous idiot, making one wonder how they ever won the war. Originally released at 100 minutes, French Leave was pared down to an hour for its American release -- and judging by what was left, those missing 40 minutes were no great loss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeleine Carroll, Sydney Howard, (more)
- 1931
The marriage between Larry and Vera Maitland (Carl Harbourd and Dorothy Bartlam) may be over before it begins when Larry falls for glamorous actress Gwenda Farrell (Madeleine Carroll). Rather than storm out of the house in high dudgeon, Vera opts for a more civilized approach. She visits Gwenda in her dressing room, whereupon the two ladies talk over their mutual attraction for Larry. Vera and Gwenda become close buddies, obliging the sheepish Larry to return to his wife. The "money scene" in Fascination shows the two heroines kissing and making up, which tended to make audiences in 1931 a tad uncomfortable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeleine Carroll, Dorothy Bartlam, (more)
- 1933
In this romance, a wealthy woman is duped by a charming conductor. Later she ends up using him so she can remain in France. In the end, the sparring partners fall in love for real. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ivor Novello, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1934
In the tradition of Fox Studios' Oscar-winning Cavalcade, The World Moves On covers over one hundred years in the lives of two Louisiana families: The Girards, of French extraction, and the Warburtons, formerly of Manchester. Forming an alliance by marriage in 1825, the families rapidly corner the cotton business in the South. Years later, three of Girard/Warburton sons split up to head business operations in England, France and Germany: as a result, descendants of the original families find themselves fighting on opposite sides during WW I (this episode is similar to a memorable sequence in the 1928 silent Four Sons, which like World Moves On was directed by John Ford). Surviving the war, Richard (Franchot Tone), the last of the descendants becomes a sharkish Wall Street speculator in the 1920s, ultimately losing his fortune in the Wall Street Crash. Bloody but unbowed, Richard and his wife Mary (Madeleine Carroll) cut their losses and return to their ancestral home, to start all over again. Both The World Moves On and the subsequent Fox production Road to Glory rely to a considerable extent upon stock footage from the grim 1931 French antiwar drama Wooden Crosses. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeleine Carroll, Franchot Tone, (more)
- 1934
This story of espionage in World War I is based on a true story. Marthe McKenna (Madeleine Carroll) is a nurse from Belgium who uses her beauty and charm to serve her native land during the war. McKenna is able to ferret out secret information from German officers and pass it along to Allied intelligence officers with the help of fellow spy Stephan (Herbert Marshall). When the evil Commandant Oberaertz (Conrad Veidt) discovers what McKenna has been doing, she's sentenced to be executed, and Stephan must step in to save her. I Was a Spy was the first American sound feature for German actor Conrad Veidt, who electrified audiences with his performance in the silent classic Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari; Veidt left his homeland when the Nazis began their rise to power, though ironically he was to play a number of Nazi villains during his stay in Hollywood. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeleine Carroll, Conrad Veidt, (more)
- 1935
In this romantic costume drama, a man in the service of a king finds that falling in love with the queen can carry a high price. Struensee (Clive Brook) is a doctor from Hamburg who is called upon to treat Denmark's King Charles VII (Emlyn Williams) while the potentate visits Germany. The grateful King brings Struensee back to Denmark with him where he will be afforded a life of luxury. However, Struensee's new and idyllic life hits a considerable snag when he falls in love with Queen Caroline (Madeleine Carroll). The Queen is also infatuated with Struensee, but the Queen Mother (Helen Hayes) soon learns of their affair and has both Struensee and Caroline put behind bars. Struensee is able to arrange for the Queen's escape, but she refuses to leave without the man she loves. The film was also shown under the titles The Loves of a Dictator, The Love Affair of the Dictator, and For Love of a Queen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clive Brook, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
This classic British thriller was one of Alfred Hitchcock's first major international successes, and it introduced a number of the stylistic and thematic elements that became hallmarks of his later work. Richard Hannay (Robert Donat), a Canadian rancher on vacation in England, attends a music hall performance by "Mr. Memory" (Wylie Watson); in the midst of the show, shots ring out and Richard flees the theater. Moments later, a terrified woman (Lucie Mannheim) begs Richard to help her; back at his room, she tells him that she's a British spy whose life has been threatened by international agents waiting outside. Richard is certain that she's mad until she reappears at his door in the morning, near death with a knife in her back, a map in her hand, and muttering something about "39 Steps." Discovering that a group of thugs are indeed waiting outside, Richard slips away and takes the first train to the Scottish town on the dead woman's map. Richard learns that he's now wanted by the police for murder, and he must find a way to clear his name. He begins trying to do so with the help of a woman he meets en route, Pamela (Madeleine Carroll), who serves as his unwitting assistant, even after she tries to turn him in. The 39 Steps was later remade in 1959 and 1978 -- both without Hitchcock's participation. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1936
When wealthy Mr. Ames is murdered, his beautiful wife Hope (Madeleine Carroll) is the principal suspect. She is acquitted through lack of evidence, but it's hardly a happy ending: her son Bobbie (Scotty Beckett) is taken away from her by spiteful relatives, who poison the boy's mind against her. Making matters worse, assistant DA Matt Logan (George Brent) is still convinced that Hope is guilty. Upon seeing Hope's devotion to her child, Logan softens a bit and alters his strategy. He offers a huge reward for additional information pertaining to the case, ostensibly to prove Mrs. Ames' guilt, but actually to clear her name so that she and her son can be reunited. If the outcome of The Case Against Mrs. Ames seems predictable, it is only because the actor who plays the real murderer was nearly always revealed as the "surprise" culprit in the final reel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeleine Carroll, George Brent, (more)
Based on the novels of W. Somerset Maugham, The Secret Agent is the second in a trilogy of Alfred Hitchcock spy movies (along with The 39 Steps and Sabotage). Set during WWI, John Gielgud plays British novelist Edgar Brodie who discovers that a government agency has faked his own death. He is then given orders to go to Switzerland to kill a German agent. He goes by the name of Richard Ashenden and travels with secret agent Elsa Carrington (Madeleine Carroll), who poses as his wife. Richard joins professional killer the General (Peter Lorre) to look for clues, which leads them to suspect the tourist Caypor (Percy Marmont). Elsa occupies Caypor's wife, Florence Kahn, while Richard and the General attempt to complete their mission during a climbing trip in the Alps. It turns out he was the wrong man, so the spies reluctantly start another search for clues that leads them to the American charmer Robert Marvin (Robert Young). Unfortunately, he has just boarded a train to Greece with Elsa, so they have to get onboard and warn her. The situation is complicated with an air attack, where several key players meet their fate. The Secret Agent marked a rare instance where Hitchcock was pressured into changing the ending from the more grim original. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeleine Carroll, Peter Lorre, (more)
- 1936
Lloyds of London traces the rise to prominence of the venerable British insurance company, as seen through the eyes of fictional 19th-century Londoner Jonathan Blake (Tyrone Power, in his first starring role). A lifelong friend of naval hero Lord Nelson, Blake puts his job (and the future existence of Lloyds) on the line when he announces Nelson's victory at Trafalgar -- before it takes place. For those not interested in policies and premiums, the script serves up a romance between Blake and the lovely Lady Elizabeth (Madeleine Carroll), the unhappily married spouse of snotty aristocrat Lord Everett Stacy (George Sanders). Among the few real-life historical personages depicted in the film is Lloyds founder John Julius Angerstein, played by Sir Guy Standing. A box-office bonanza, Lloyds of London proved that 23-year-old Tyrone Power could carry a picture -- and that the recently-formed 20th Century-Fox was truly a major Hollywood studio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Freddie Bartholomew, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1936
General Yang (Akim Tamiroff) is a politically ambitious Chinese bandit who holds the Northern districts in a grip of terror. Yang is opposed by O'Hara (Gary Cooper), an American mercenary who fights on behalf of the peasants. When he is entrusted with a large sum of money to buy guns, O'Hara becomes the target of Yang and his minions. Betrayed by a cowardly Caucasian (Porter Hall), O'Hara nonetheless falls in love with his betrayer's daughter Judy (Madeline Carroll). Yang captures both O'Hara and Judy and spirits them away on his junk, where the General intends to torture O'Hara so as to find out where the money is. A bizarre and gloomy ending caps this atmospheric thriller, adapted from Charles G. Booth's best-selling novel by Clifford Odets--who, along with director Lewis Milestone, novelist John O'Hara and Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky, appears as an extra in one scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
