Noel Gay Movies
- 1944
In this sci-fi comedy, a nutty inventor and his loyal butler use his time machine to travel to Elizabethan times. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1941
In the late 1930s-early 1940s, diminutive British music-hall and radio comedian Arthur Askey enjoyed a popularity commensurate to that of Hollywood's Abbott & Costello; accordingly, Askey's earliest starring films were all box-office bonanzas. In I Thank You, Askey and his perennial straight man Richard Murdoch are cast as Arthur and Stinker, members of a nearly bankrupt theatrical troupe. To raise some much-needed money, our heroes hire on as servants for Lady Randall (Lily Morris), who'd been an entertainer herself before marrying into the Upper Crust. When Lady Randall learns of Arthur and Stinker's plight, she bankrolls a major stage production for the boys' fellow performers, leading to the inevitable big-production-number finale. Way, way down the cast list of I Thank You is distinguished Shakespearean actor Felix Aylmer, who was seen to rather better advantage as Polonius in Lawrence Olivier's Hamlet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch, (more)
- 1940
Lambeth Walk is the film version of the evergreen West End musical Me and My Girl, which was still being successfully revived into the 1980s. The enormously popular music-hall entertainer Lupino Lane repeats his stage characterization as Bill, a diffident working-class cockney who finds himself heir to a title and a vast estate. Though he now has his pick of England's most gorgeous debutantes, Bill remains faithful to his blue-collar girlfriend Sally (Sally Gray). The film's new title was designed to cash in on a then-popular dance craze, which is performed by the high-kicking Lupino Lane in the course of events. In America, Lambeth Walk was distributed by MGM, whose British Elstree Studios facilities had put the film together in the first place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lupino Lane, Sally Gray, (more)
- 1937
A trio of American actors head the cast of the British naval drama Torpedoed. Noah Beery appears as the unnamed President of an equally unnamed South American banana republic. When a group of insurgents stage of revolt, His Majesty's Navy is dispatched to put down the uprising. Richard Cromwell carries the romantic subplot as Bill Armstrong, the sweetheart of Pamela (Hazel Terry), daughter of American businessman Mr. Brent (H. B. Warner). Robert Douglas, years before being typecast as a villain, costars as stalwart captain Markham, while Esme Percy, a specialist in indeterminate "foreign" types, plays the rebel leader. Originally filmed as Our Fighting Navy, the title was changed to keep apace of world events-specifically, the torpedoing of the Athenia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- H.B. Warner, Robert Douglas, (more)
- 1934
Back before there was "no-fault divorce" couples wanting to split up had to provide hard evidence of spousal wrong-doing before a judge. This comedy centers on the attempts of one such couple to prove that the other is a schnook so they can be rid of each other. Separately, they hire detectives from the same agency to follow the other around. Comical mishaps ensue when the investigators (who have never met) end up falling in love while doing their job on the French Riviera. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gertrude Lawrence, Laurence Olivier, (more)
- 1934
In this musical-comedy, a good-hearted composer sees a beautiful woman at a traffic light and is inspired to write a song. They then fall in love. She is a feisty, untamed sort and soon after the wedding, the fireworks begin as they constantly bicker. At one point their rows become so violent that they nearly destroy a house. The plot is based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thelma Todd, Stanley Lupino, (more)
- 1933
The Woman in Command in this well-appointed British musical is vaudeville star Maisie Marvello, played by Cicely Courtenedge. Born into a theatrical family that dates back to the 16th century, Maisie has every intention of carrying on the tradition into the 1930s, even though money is in short supply. The heroine's specialty is a Vesta Tillie-style male impersonation, which gives an added dimension to Maisie's on-and-off romance with effeminate stage manager Sebastian (Edward Everett Horton). The secondary romantic interest is handled by Anthony Bushell (later a prominent producer-director) and Dorothy Hyson. Woman in Command was co-scripted by Courtenedge's husband and frequent co-star Jack Hulbert. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dame Cicely Courtneidge, Edward Everett Horton, (more)
