Jean Colin Movies
British singer/actress Jean Colin appeared in numerous British musicals and revues beginning in the 1930s and continuing through the mid 1950s. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1952
A small Scottish island has never paid its mandatory road tax. This brings forth an investigating committee of Parliament members, including the formidable Ronald Squire. The committee heads to the delinquent Hebridean isle, where they succumb to the easygoing charm of the residents. Cowritten by director John Eldridge, Laxdale Hall was an adequate imitation of the Ealing farces (notably Tight Little Island), with an overload of whimsy in place of originality. out to the Hebridean isle to check into this breach of law. The film made it to the States under the title Scotch on the Rocks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ronald Squire
Informed that he has only a short time to live, salesman Alec Guinness decides to enjoy his last months to the fullest. He withdraws all his savings from the bank and heads to a posh hotel. Here he makes more contacts and opens more professional doors than he'd ever done before, thanks to his willingness--at long last--to take risks. He also spends every penny that he's earned in life. Then he discovers that the doctor's diagnosis was in error, and that he's in no danger of imminent death. An ironic ending caps this fast-paced black comedy. Last Holiday was co-written and co-produced by J. B. Priestly, author of many other "if I had to do it all over again" pieces, notably An Inspector Calls. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beatrice Campbell, Kay Walsh, (more)
- 1941
There's no one named Bob in the British comedy Bob's Your Uncle; the title is a bit of cockney slang, which we won't attempt to interpret here. Albert Modley stars as a Royal Guardsman who pines for Jean Colin, the daughter of commanding officer H. B. Maltby. To prove his worth, Modley spearheads a pass-the-plate movement to finance a tank for his little village. One can gauge the subtlety of Bob's Your Uncle by its character names: Dolly Diehard, Sgt. Brownfoot etc. The film was based on the rollicking stage play by Vera Allinson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1940
In this wartime comedy, set after the beginning of WW II, a British entertainer is drafted and immediately finds himself at odds with his new CO. After he uses his show-biz know-how to save the camp, the performer is given a commission. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Though it boasts an American director and star, this Technicolor cinemadaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operetta The Mikado is a faithful record of what it must have been like to attend a performance of Britain's D'Oyly Carte opera company. Less annoying than in his other film appearances, radio tenor Kenny Baker stars as Nanki-Poo, the wand'ring minstrel who wanders into a curious set of situations in the Japanese village of Titi-Pu. D'Oyly Carte perennial Martyn Green plays the leading role of Ko-Ko, the timorous Lord High Executioner who must perform one execution per day or he'll lose his job-and his own head. Ko-Ko finds a likely candidate for decapitation in the form of Nanki-Poo, who feels mighty suicidal when it seems as though his sweetheart Yum-Yum (Jean Cola) is out of his reach. Unbeknownst to Ko-Ko, Nanki-Poo is the son of none other than The Mikado, played with a combination of pomp, circumstance and Noel Cowardlike waspishness by Sydney Granville. Most of the delightfully satiric Gilbert & Sullivan songs have been retained, including "The Lord High Executioner", "Three Little Maids from School are We", "Tit Willow", "Here's a How-de-Do", and "The Object Most Sublime". The grandiose musical accompaniment is provided by the London Symphony Orchestra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenny Baker, Martyn Green, (more)
- 1937
This British musical comedy boasts one of the most eclectic casts in film history. Brash Wallace Ford and smoothie Ben Lyon play Jackson and Hartley, a couple of fly-by-night producers hoping to slap together a movie project. They hire showgirl Carla (Lupe Velez) as their leading lady, enhancing her publicity value by passing her off as an Argentinian cattle heiress. When the deception is revealed and the movie's backers pull out, bumbling brewery heir Otto (Harry Langdon) comes to the rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lupe Velez, Wallace Ford, (more)
- 1936
In this comedy, an Englishman returns from a holiday and discovers that his tony London apartment has been commandeer by a talented loser. Despite his hyper personality, the returning millionaire is impressed by his new tenant's chutzpah and hires him to be his personal secretary. Soon he finds his whole life disrupted. Later, the millionaire falls in love with a typist and begins masquerading as a mere talent agency clerk (of course, he actually owns the agency). In his humble capacity, he helps the girl become a big star. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1935
Charing Cross Road is a London thoroughfare where several theatrical boarding houses have set up shop. Each one of these establishments is chock full of show-biz hopefuls, wannabes, has-beens and never-weres. John Mills and June Clyde play Tony and Pam, "at liberty" vaudevillians who arrive in London on the lookout for their Big Chance. In danger of developing a swelled head, Tony is chastened by an elderly trouper (Derek Oldham) who tells him the sad story of a once-great entertainer who hit the skids. Based on a BBC radio play, Charing Cross Road enjoyed a built-in fan following even before the cameras turned. Among the film's many pleasures is the presence of musical-comedy favorite Belle Baker as "herself," and a very young Coral Browne as a haughty aristocrat. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Mills, June Clyde, (more)
- 1931
In this comedy, a rebellious son of a powerful industrialist returns home to prepare to take over the company. While their he marries a boarding-house servant because she helped him heal from a hangover. His actions enrage his family. The rest of the movie chronicles the sly father's attempts to destroy the relationship. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Lyon, Jean Colin, (more)
- 1930
The Hate Ship starts out as a fancy yacht, presided over by wealthy scoundrel Vernon Wolfe (Jameson Thomas). On board the yacht is financier Wardell (Carl Harbord), whom Wolfe hopes to sucker into a phony oil-well promotion. Wolfe's partner in crime is Count Ivanoff (Henry Victor), who spends most of his time putting the moves on Sylvia (Jean Colin), daughter of the financially embarrassed Colonel Paget (Ivo Dawson). Though Wolfe tries to be a convivial host, the air is thick with tension, due to the fact that the Count's father previously died on the yacht under mysterious circumstances. Things get even more dicey when Wardell is shot and killed by one of the guests, leading to a series of accusations, recriminations and sudden tragedies. Featured in the cast as a disgraced nobleman-turned-valet is Claude Rains, some four years before his "official" film debut in The Invisible Man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jameson Thomas, Jean Colin, (more)
