Finlay Currie Movies
Scottish actor Finlay Currie's pre-theatrical occupations included choirmaster and organist. He entered show business at the turn of the century as a musical performer, billed as "Harry Calvo, the double-voiced vocalist." For ten years, Currie toured Australia as principal comedian in Sir Benjamin Fuller's acting troupe. He returned to the London stage in 1930, where over the next three decades he would appear in such hits as The Last Mile and Death of a Salesman. In films from 1932, Currie's most memorable screen role was as the surly convict Magwitch in Great Expectations (1946). He spent much of the early 1950s in Hollywood, playing such forceful character roles as St. Peter in Quo Vadis (1951) and the mysterious Mr. Shunderson in People Will Talk (1951). Still in harness into the mid-1960s, Finlay Currie was at one juncture the oldest working actor in Great Britain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1943
In this WW II espionage drama, German paratroopers drop into England to take over Buckley Hall and kidnap the lord within. Following the abduction, they replace him with an impostor. They then replace the staff with German operatives and begin waiting for the expected guest, Winston Churchill, to arrive. Fortunately, the lord's niece was in the house during the entire operation. Soon she creeps out and goes for help. The British army arrives and wipes out the evil household before the Prime Minister arrives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1943
The Bells Go Down is a dramatization of London firefighting efforts during the 1940 Blitz. In structure, the film is very much like any other smoke-eating melodrama, with perhaps more emphasis on comedy than usual. The omnipresence of the Luftwaffe gives the film an urgency that others in its genre tend to lack. Making it all the more remarkable is the fact that most British studios were just as vulnerable as London's burned-down landmarks--a fact not lost on the actors, who perform with heightened credibility. Many of the better composed shots in The Bells Go Down would find their way into TV documentaries of the 1950s and 1960s as "reality" footage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Trinder, James Mason, (more)
- 1943
In this comedy, a prop man working at the nearly bankrupt Theatre Royal organizes a musical benefit featuring the talented theater staff, to save the establishment from an avaricious rival. When backers catch the rehearsals, they immediately offer to support the show. It is a great success and in the end, the theater owner offers the prop man a partnership. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1943
The Shipbuilders is a rare film of true merit from prolific British "quota quickie" director John Baxter. Clive Brook heads the cast as the owner of a shipbuilding firm, presently dedicated to the War effort. Though naturally concerned that his business will flag once the war is over, it is shown that Brook has nothing to worry about, so long as diligent, patriotic men like riveter Morland Graham are on his payroll. The film's message is clear: While it's important to think of one's service to the present National Crisis, it is equally important to take the Future into consideration. Actual footage shipbuilders at work give this hastily assembled patriotic exercise a veneer of reality. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clive Brook
- 1943
Undercover is a British-made WWII picture glorifying the efforts of a small group of Yugoslavian resistance fighters who struggled against the Nazis. In the tradition of Hollywood, virtually all the Slavic characters are played by such doggedly British types as Tom Walls, Michael Wilding and John Clements. As was customary, the Nazi invaders are shown to be the products of an evil totalitarian regime (quite true) while the Yugoslavs are freedom-loving individuals treated with equanimity by their expansive Communist government (not quite true). After the war, it became common knowledge that many supposedly patriotic Yugoslavian partisans, notably those commandeered by General Mihajlovic, were actually pro-Nazi. As a result, films like Undercover and Hollywood's Chetniks were hastily, and without explanation, withdrawn from circulation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Clements, Tom Walls, (more)
- 1942
Also known as The Avengers, the British The Day Will Dawn is set in Norway at the outbreak of WW2. British foreign correspondent Lockwood (Ralph Richardson), forced out of Norway by the Nazi invasion, returns to the occupied Scandanavian country at the request of the War Office. Lockwood's assignment is to guide the RAF to a heavily camouflaged German U-boat base for sabotage purposes. With the help of patriotic Norwegian seaman Alstad (Finlay Currie), Lockwood completes his mission, only to be arrested as a spy and sentenced to be shot. The final portions of the film detail our hero's attempt to escape back to England with Alstad's daughter Kari (Deborah Kerr), with whom he has fallen in love. The intricately crafted screenplay is attributed to three of Britain's finest scriveners, Terence Rattigan, Anatole de Grunewald and Patrick Kirwen-and one suspects that there were even more talented hands involved in this thrill-packed wartime adevnture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Richardson, Deborah Kerr, (more)
- 1942
Robert Ardrey's theatrical semi-fantasy Thunder Rock was transformed in 1944 into one of the most successful British films of the year. Michael Redgrave stars as a disillusioned war correspondent, David Charleston, who shuts himself away from society by taking up residence in a Lake Michigan lighthouse. During one particularly stormy evening, Charleston's solitude is invaded by several strangers, all dressed in 19th century costume. It develops that these strangers are the ghosts of immigrants whose ship went down some 100 years earlier. Through their optimistic example, Charleston renews his own spirits and gives the world a second chance. When Thunder Rock threatens to get too ethereal for its own good, it is brought back to earth by the sardonic presence of James Mason, playing a live visitor to the lighthouse who spars both verbally and physically with the self-pitying Charleston. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Redgrave, Barbara Mullen, (more)
49th Parallel is a British wartime entreaty for Empire solidarity, concentrating on rousing the patriotic fervor of the citizens of Canada. A group of Nazi naval officers and crewmen are stranded on Canadian soil (we have no sympathy for the castaways, inasmuch as we have just seen them refusing food and water to a group of torpedoed British seamen). Led by lieutenant Eric Portman, the Nazis try to stir up sympathy amongst the Canadians, beginning with apolitical Quebeckian trapper Laurence Olivier. Failing to convert Olivier--even by force--the Germans move on to a Hutterite farming community, where again they are unsuccessful in winning adherents (though, conversely, German seaman Niall Mac Ginnis defects to the other side). They then cross the path of professorial author Leslie Howard, who is living amongst the Indians to soak up "local color". Even Howard proves too formidable for the Nazis, and by film's end the surviving invaders are hiding out in a train, where they are discovered and captured by AWOL Canadian soldier Raymond Massey. Most TV viewers know 49th Parallel under its alternate title, The Invaders. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Howard, Raymond Massey, (more)
- 1938
In this British murder mystery, a novelist finds the killer of a librarian. He also finds the family treasure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1938
This film tells the story of Tracy's struggle to become a famous singer. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1938
An American producer takes his daughter and heads for England to see a variety of London shows in this musical. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1937
A young woman, desiring to be wealthy, attempts to smuggle French jewels into America. When her boat docks, she is immediately caught by a US customs agent who convinces her to return the jewels to France. If she does that, he will not arrest her. Unfortunately, before she can get back she is accosted by three different groups of criminals who are all after the gems. One of the groups is headed by Pola, a Chicago gangster. He gets murdered. The film climaxes with a prolonged shoot-out aboard the ship. Justice prevails. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1937
British musical-comedy star Jack Hulbert and Hollywood ingenue Patricia Ellis share top billing in Gaiety Girls (aka Paradise for Two). Hulbert plays Martin, a straight-laced Parisian millionaire who falls in love with saucy chorus girl Jeannette (Ellis). The plot requires that Martin pose as a reporter who is called upon by Jeannette to pose as her wealthy benefactor: in other words, he's hired to impersonate himself! With all this going on, it's a wonder that our hero has time to offer a few song-and-dance numbers of his own, but Jack Hulbert does not disappoint his fans. Billed fourth in Gaiety Girls is Googie Withers, whose name would mean a lot more at the box-office within a few short years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Hulbert, Patricia Ellis, (more)
- 1937
The popular Ivor Novello musical play Glamorous Night was given a conservative film treatment in 1937--minus much of the Novello score that had made it famous. Opera singer Mary Ellis plays an opera singer (why not?) who falls in with a band of roguish but likeable gypsies. Mary manages to convince her Bohemian cohorts to rescue the King from the machinations of his ambitious prime minister. As "cast insurance" to make certain that Glamorous Night would get American bookings, Hollywood character actors Otto Kruger and Victor Jory are given leading roles. The US distributors also sliced the film down from 81 to 65 minutes, through the simple expedient of removing several songs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Ellis, Otto Kruger, (more)
- 1937
In this romantic drama, a renowned stage singer leaves the theater to become a gypsy after his voice weakens. The break down of his voice is caused by nerves. In the gypsy camp he continues to sing on the street. In camp, he falls for a beautiful, naive gypsy girl who doesn't know that he is famous. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arthur Tracy, Lilli Palmer, (more)
A key film in the career of director Michael Powell, The Edge of the World was his first original idea to be realized onscreen, and its success attracted the attention of producer Alexander Korda. Korda's bankrolling of Powell's next several films catapulted the filmmaker into the first rank of British directors. Powell was attracted to the idea of building a dramatic story around the evacuation of St. Kilda, an island north of Scotland, whose aging population could not sustain life there. Forbidden from filming on St. Kilda, Powell and his crew journeyed farther north to Foula, an island whose sheer cliffs play an important role in the story. Two young men, Robbie Manson (Eric Berry) and James Gray (Niall MacGinnis), disagree on their island's economic future. James loves Robbie's twin sister Ruth (Belle Chrystal). The rivalry between the two men and their strong-willed fathers threatens to tear apart the island community, but an unexpected pregnancy and a rescue in dangerous seas serve to unite the islanders in common purpose. Powell took full advantage of the magnificent locations to tell this simple but affecting story of survival and adaptation to changing times. A restored version of the film, available on video, also includes the documentary Return to the Edge of the World. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Laurie, Belle Chrystal, (more)
- 1937
In this comedy, a mild-mannered shipping clerk and his wife get into deep trouble after they are mistaken for jewel thieves by gangsters who want them to steal some valuable jewels. Despite the couple's protest, the crooks force them into pulling off the job during a ritzy party. While there, they realize that the real jewel thieves are also in attendance. The two ingeniously engineer the capture of the crooks and bring them to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- ZaSu Pitts, Claude Dampier, (more)
- 1936
The Improper Duchess is never as naughty as its title, or else it wouldn't have made it to the screen in 1936. Yvonne Arnaud heads the cast as the Duchess of Tann, who comes to Washington D.C. on matters of state. In her efforts to secure a much-needed loan for her country, our heroine must first do battle with a cartel of crooked oil executives. Romance enters the picture in the form of the King of Poldavia (Hugh Wakefield). The satirical nature of the story eventually gives way to farce, which in turn concedes to slapstick. Improper Duchess was adapted from a play by James B. Fagan, which also starred Yvonne Arnaud. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yvonne Arnaud, Hugh Wakefield, (more)
- 1936
The Gay Adventure is a typically verbose and complicated comedy-drama from the pen of playwright Walter Hackett. A gang of American con artists manage to convince gormless Englishman Darnton (Barry Jones) that he's a direct descendent of French swashbuckler D'Artagnan. Their motive is to shake down a French family for inheritance money, but Darnton has no way of knowing this. Enchanted by the notion that one of his ancestors may have rubbed shoulders with the Three Musketeers, Darnton imagines that he's back in the 15th century, crossing swords with the minions of Cardinal Richelieu. In traditional movie fashion, all of the characters who appear in the "modern" portions of the film likewise show up in period garb in the flashback sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yvonne Arnaud, Barry Jones, (more)
- 1935
To save her country from revolutionaries, a princess decides to accept the marriage proposal of a neighboring king she has never met. The king then assigns a naval commander to escort the princess to his kingdom, but unfortunately, the escort is captured in a revolt and the only way he and the princess can escape is to get married. They go through many trials before reaching the kingdom where they are told to have their marriage annulled. But as this film is a romance, the couple, who are by now, truly in love, refuse and must then escape from the angry king. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Evelyn Laye, Henry Wilcoxon, (more)
- 1934
The Cinderella story is turned upside down in this musical. This time, the story focuses upon an impoverished young man related to a wealthy family. The family treats him terribly while doing all they can to marry their two sons to a wealthy American heiress. To find out more about the fellows, she disguises herself as a household servant. In the end she saves the poor fellow from a frame-up and eventually marries him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1934
Hollywood movie-making is satirized in this comedy. The trouble begins when an American filmmaker decides to us a British army barracks and soldiers to add a realistic touch to his newest Foreign Legion film. The trouble is, the director is neither very good, nor well informed about military life, something that the brigadier general that helps the filmmaker is quick to point out. But this does not stop the director from trying to get the whole British army into the act. The real kicker is that the American film crew does not have permission to use the soldiers or the facilities. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlotte Greenwood, James Gleason, (more)
- 1934
The plotline of the Audrey and Waveney Carlton play Gay Love was so well known in 1934 that Variety considered a synopsis "a waste of time." For the benefit of those not familiar with the story, here's a quick run-down: Music-hall comedienne Gloria Fellows (Florence Desmond) falls in love with her sister's well-heeled fiancé Lord Tony Eaton (Ivor McLaren). Good-hearted Gloria is willing to step aside for her sister's sake, but a happy ending is in store for both girls. Famed impressionist Desmond goes through her usual celebrity repertoire, including Garbo, Mae West and ZaSu Pitts, while "Red Hot Mamma" Sophie Tucker plays herself, which is all any of her fans could have asked for. The film's production-number highlight is a New Years' Eve ball, which must have consumed three-fourths of the budget. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Florence Desmond, Sophie Tucker, (more)
- 1934
Its title inspired by Albert Chevalier's world-famous music-hall ballad, My Old Dutch is a treacly tale of mother love. Marrying against her wealthy father's wishes, young Betty Balfour is left a widow when her husband is killed in WW I. Doing her best to raise her baby by herself, Balfour is challenged by her own father, who wishes to gain custody of the child and raise him in a "proper atmosphere." All sorts of misfortunes are heaped upon the hapless heroine before the tear-stained climax. The screenplay for My Old Dutch was put together by two "second generation" screenwriters, Leslie Arliss (son of George) and Bryan Wallace (son of Edgar). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Balfour, Gordon Harker, (more)
