Johnnie Schofield Movies

In this crazy British comedy, a Cockney corporal dreams of getting promoted so that he can finally receive his inheritance. To facilitate the raise in status, he masquerades as a priest and goes out one night with the vicar's glamorous, blond wife. His action starts a trend and soon he runs into a number of men in priestly garb. The trouble is, he cannot discern the real ones from the fakes until the end when he finds a fugitive convict and gets him arrested. Soon after, the plucky corporal gets his promotion. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Dorothy and Campbell Christie's witty courtroom comedy/drama Carrington V.C. was given a classy screen treatment by director Anthony Asquith. David Niven stars as Major Carrington, a war hero who is "kicked upstairs" in peacetime. Compelled to use his own money for his expense account, Carrington becomes convinced that he will never see his money again; thus, he takes back the money from his department's funds without permission. For this gaffe in military protocol, Carrington is court-martialed. During the trial, Carrington's shrewish wife (Margaret Leighton) gets even for a wartime affair conducted by her husband by supplying false testimony. Though Carrington is declared guilty, the implication is that he is well rid of both his wife and his dead-end government post. Carrington VC was released in the US as Court Martial. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A British football team fights to win a spot on the third division. If they succeed, they will win a tidy fortune. Unfortunately, things look bleak until Canadian ex-soldier Bob Regen shows up to save the day. Because he is so talented at soccer, other clubs use dubious means to try to steal him away. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Project M7 is the American title for the British The Net. Based on a novel by John Pudney, the film is set in an aviation research station. At the moment, the researchers are working on a revolutionary new aircraft, and competition to be first with the results is fierce. There's little love lost amongst the scientists, but no one expect the personal animosities to result in murder. The killing in question was committed by an enemy spy...but which one of the scientists is the guilty party? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Two step-brothers who co-own a garage have a violent falling out when the wild one's girl falls for the more responsible sibling. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The British Something Money Can't Buy offers a few smaller-scale variations on themes previously explored in the 1946 Hollywood Oscar-winner The Best Years of Our Lives. Harry Wilding (Anthony Steel), a high-ranking wartime military officer, has trouble adjusting to his go-nowhere civilian job and the monotony of his home life. Harry's wife Anne (Patricia Roc) tries to make things easier for her husband, but there are no easy answers to his plight. The inherent drama of the situation is leavened by moments of gentle humor, not to mention the warm rapport between stars. The supporting cast includes hirsute comic actor (and longtime David Niven crony) Michael Trubshawe and the venerable A. E. Mathews, at the time billed as England's oldest working actor. Director Pat Jackson co-authored the perceptive screenplay of Something Money Can't Buy with James Lonsdale Hudson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Reluctant Widow in this muted British comedy is young 19th-century governess Elinor, played by Jean Kent. Inadvertently inheriting a vast estate, Elinor is bedeviled by both British turncoats and French espionage agents, who hide out in the mansion while preparing to steal Lord Wellington's battle plans for Waterloo. One of the British traitors is played by Julian Dallas, who as "Scott Forbes" would later star on TV's Jim Bowie. For reasons unknown, the film was heavily re-edited and restructured before its general release, making certain portions of the storyline incomprehensible. Through it all, however, Jean Kent maintains her dignity and charm as she quietly outwits the many villains. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Barge worker Gordon Harker signs onto a suspicous-looking vessel as a crew member. Harker knows full well that the ship is being used by smugglers, and he intends to keep his mouth shut and do his job. But only until the opportunity arises for him to avenge the death of his best friend at the hands of his new employers. But the crooks get wise, and kidnap Harker's son and his pal David Hannaford (the "second mate" of the title). Tension mounts as Harker not only faces his own imminent demise, but also the deaths of those nearest and dearest to him. A literally explosive finale caps this British programmer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, a young Englishman wants to become a surgeon, but after medical school, his father dies, leaving him the responsibility of supporting his mother and paying for his brother's education. He becomes a partner in a small practice and watches the woman he wanted to marry go off with his brother. The brother is killed in WWI, after which his illegitimate son is born. The doctor marries the woman, but she dies in childbirth, leaving him to raise his brother's child. Eventually, he finds a new wife. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

Outrageously sexist, The Perfect Woman is also very funny if you're in a politically incorrect mood. A dotty scientist (Stanley Holloway), fascinated with the concept of artificial life, creates a synthetic woman (the staggeringly beautiful Patricia Roc) in his lab. This ersatz female is considered the "perfect woman" because she will do anything she is told, and will keep her mouth shut in the bargain. The scientist's niece (also Patricia Roc) decides to have some fun by posing as the robot girl. Based on a play by Wallace Geoffrey and Basil Mitchell, The Perfect Woman takes a while getting started, but the payoff makes up for the slow build. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Long before he became the Disney Studios' favorite stuffy Brit, David Tomlinson enjoyed top billing in the 1948 comedy Love in Waiting. The main story is carried by Peggy Evans and Elspeth Gray, cast as a pair of cute waitresses. Evans makes the mistake of crossing a fellow employee, and as a result she is set up on a petty theft charge. Her antagonist loses out in the end, and all is well. Originally aimed at the British "home market," Love in Waiting was telecast to death in the early days of American TV. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this comedy, a band of British birdwatchers fight to save a rare species of birds from destruction. The title bird is a skinny little thing that can wag its tail. It lives in English wheat fields. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Also known as While I Live, this British programmer serves as an excellent dramatic showcase for veteran farceur Tom Walls. Covering a period of 25 years, the story concentrates on the reclusive Julia (Sonia Dresdel), who has never come to grips with the fact that her sister Olwen (Audrey Fildes) committed suicide. Each year on the anniversary of Olwen's "disappearance", Julia has regaled the citizens of Cornwall with a sacrament-like radio broadcast of the poem Olwen was writing at the time of her demise. When a young woman who dimly resembles Olwen arrives on the scene, Julia becomes convinced that her sister has returned from the Beyond, leading to a series of mystical events, romantic encounters and tender reconciliations. Billed first, Walls dominates every scene he's in as a local faith healer named Jeremiah, who claims to possess "second sight"-and he's the most normal character in the story! While I Love was adapted from a play by Robert Bell, which also starred Sonia Dresdel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi