Clifford Buckton Movies

King Shadov (Charles Chaplin), the newly deposed monarch of a small European country, arrives in New York to face a life in exile. No sooner does he get here, however, than he discovers that his prime minister has stolen the entire royal treasury and departed for parts unknown. Stranded in New York in a luxury hotel without any money, the king tries to adjust to life in America and elicit interest in his plan for the peaceful use of nuclear power. He finds America in 1957 to be too noisy for his taste, however -- a run-in with some rock & roll dancers leads to some slapstick antics, and he doesn't take much to modern movies or the blaring entertainment that goes with them. He meets a pretty young lady (Dawn Addams) in a slightly risqué slapstick encounter in which he is trying to "rescue" her, and she maneuvers him into helping to plug a deodorant on television. The king proves so beguiling on the small screen that he is deluged by offers from advertising agencies, which he rejects at first. But the king soon finds that advertising may be the only thing he can do to earn enough money to keep him living like a king in exile, and he tries to work the system to his advantage, his earnings from television enabling him to remain in the country and push his peaceful nuclear plan. He soon finds the true dark side of life in the United States, however, when he crosses paths with an unhappy little boy (Michael Chaplin, the star/director's own son) whose parents are about to be jailed as part of the anti-Communist hysteria of the period. In the end, the king provides a shelter to the boy but compromises himself in the process, and while he does make the Congressional committee investigating him look foolish, he sees that he has done all of the good that he can do for now in the United States and leaves. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

This biopic chronicles the true experiences of a British government representative who is sent with his wife to wild, exotic Samoa. Their primary task is to somehow please the persnickety resident bureaucrat. Unfortunately, he is not easily pleased and the harder the representative tries, the worse he botches things up. As a result he is sent to an even tinier island. Depressed and feeling a failure, cracks begin appearing in his stiff-upper lip. Fortunately, his loyal wife is not so easily discouraged and helps him find courage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A vicious murderer suffers amnesia and his psychiatrist finds his brain waves indicative of violent tendencies. After he escapes and kidnaps the doctor, police follow and soon uncover evidence of gangsters and drug smuggling. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Originally filmed in 1934 (see entry 84314), R.C. Sheriff's venerable stage comedy Badger's Green was given another screen treatment in 1949. The plot is the same as before: a group of villagers revolt when their precious cricket field is threatened with demolition by a fat-cat business firm. Most of the character names remain the same as well, with one curious exception: the heroine, played by Barbara Murray, is named Jane Morton rather than Molly Butler. Though shorter than the 1934 version, the 1949 Badger's Green enjoys far better production values. Still, the comedy content is rather dated, especially the jokes concerning class consciousness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Yellow Canary was one of several wartime collaborations between British producer-director Herbert Wilcox and Hollywood's RKO Radio Pictures. The film stars Wilcox's wife Anna Neagle as pretty aristocrat Sally Maitland. Having alienated many of her friends with her prewar Nazi sympathies, Sally continues hobnobbing with the Third Reich once war has been declared. Actually, her pro-German activities are a sham; she's actually working hand and glove with the British government to smash an Axis spy ring in Canada. Along for the ride is British intelligence officer Jim Garrick (Richard Greene), who ultimately falls in love with Sally. There's a "mystery" angle to the plotline of The Yellow Canary, but it is largely ignored when the story takes a melodramatic turn in the last few reels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this music hall comedy, an army sergeant and three privates team up to help another private court the lovely daughter of their commanding officer. They try and try, but it is only when the sergeant begins masquerading as a lovelorn housekeeper, that they finally succeed and romantic bliss ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Tom Burke essays the title role in the Irish-made Father O'Flynn. Like many Hibernian films of the era, the story is allegedly based on the popular title song. Father O'Flynn's ward Macushia (Jean Adrienne) falls in love with local boy Nigel (Robert Chisholm), but her long-missing father (Denis O'Neil) reappears to gum up the works. The plot hinges on the audience's acceptance that the feisty, independent Macushia would willingly allow herself to become the virtual prisoner of her wayward father. All this is forgotten in the final scenes, when the hero settles the villain's hash with a good old donnybrook. Not surprisingly, the film is an inventory of sentimental Irish ballads, performed with verve by stars Burke and Adrienne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gitta Alper is cast as Mme. Marguerite Savini, a celebrated Hungarian opera star. Her romance with British intelligence officer Richard Carter (John Loder) leads to dire consequences, forcing her into an espionage plot against the British government. The villain of the piece is Mme. Savini's husband Galloni (Nils Asther), who blackmails her into making a phonograph record containing a secret code message. The melodrama is never permitted to impede upon the musical highlights, which include an operatic medley performed early in the proceedings by star Gitta Alper. Based on a novel by Hans Rehfisch, Guilty Melody was simultaneously filmed in a French-language version, Disque 413 ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide