Viola Compton Movies
- 1938
In this WWI drama, a group of captured British soldiers imprisoned in a German POW camp attempt to escape by building a tunnel beneath the camp. One of the prisoners is unable to stand the strain and lets the cat out of the bag, forcing the others to leave ahead of time. The pressure increases when the newest prisoner discovers that the group leader is the husband of his lover. In the end, the philandering new prisoner sacrifices his life for the leader. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1936
The all-purpose title The Big Noise was dusted off twice in 1936, once by Hollywood's Warner Bros. and once by 20th Century-Fox's British facilities. The British Big Noise stars Alastair Sim as the milquetoast clerk in a huge oil company. When it looks as though the oil executives will be apprehended by the authorities for their various misappropriations, the execs conspire to find a fall guy. Sim is elected, but once he's placed in a position of authority, he manages to rout the scoundrels and save the firm. To avoid confusion with this Big Noise, Hollywood's Big Noise was retitled Modern Madness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
In this musical drama, the successes and failures of three performing sisters aspiring for fame. Unfortunately, their grand schemes go awry and they encounter many hard knocks along the way. While they do achieve some success, it never seems to really do justice to the vast amount of talent they believe they have. Eventually the three go back to the drawing board and get an agent. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1936
The Man in the Mirror is Edward Everett Horton, making one of his periodic professional visits to England. Horton plays Jeremy Dilke, a meek, mild-mannered businessman who allows everyone to use him for a doormat. While looking into his mirror, Dilke is confronted by his brusque, assertive alter ego, who declares "I am the man you have always longed to be." Armed with his newfound confidence, Dilke becomes a go-getting dynamo -- much to the delight of heroine Helen (Genevieve Tobin), who knew he had it in him all along. Moon-faced Alastair Sim plays a wonderful cameo as a foreign interpreter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Everett Horton, Genevieve Tobin, (more)
- 1935
In this British crime drama, a jealous man seeks to murder his brother. He plans on electrocuting him, but slips up and fries the wrong fellow. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1935
The "Grand Hotel" format was mixed with elements from the popular railroad melodramas Rome Express and The Ghost Train in the British The Last Journey. The scene is a speeding passenger train, peopled by the usual polyglot of commuters. There's a pair of pickpockets, a detective in pursuit of those crooks, an eloping couple, a jilted suitor, a whining sourpuss, and so on and so forth. What none of these worthies know is that their ride may well be their last on Earth: The crazed engineer (Julien Mitchell), forced into retirement, intends to kill himself and his passengers by crashing the train. Fortunately, there's yet another passenger on this particular journey: A psychoanalyst (Godfrey Tearle), who anxiously tries to persuade Mitchell to give up his suicidal intentions before it's too late. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Godfrey Tearle, Hugh Williams, (more)
- 1933
Based on a novel by J. B. Priestley, this British musical-comedy follows an unlikely trio as they try to revive the fortunes of a floundering touring theatrical troupe. Inigo Jolifant (John Gielgud) is a schoolteacher with a talent for songwriting, and Jess Oakroyd (Edmund Gwenn) is a man with theatrical ambitions who has just lot his job. Together, they persuade Miss Trant (Mary Glynne), an older single woman looking for adventure, to back them as they try to bring "The Dinky Do's" back into the spotlight. Susie Dean (Jessie Matthews) is a chorus girl who dreams of stardom, and when she's made the new leader of the show, it looks as if her dreams may finally become a reality. The Good Companions is buoyed by the superb singing and dancing talents of Matthews, who was considered one of the screen's greatest musical stars in England and Europe, though she inexplicably never achieved the same fame in the United States; Gielgud also got a rare opportunity to display his vocal abilities in this film. Keep your eyes peeled for Jack Hawkins and horror film great George Zucco, who both appear in supporting roles. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessie Matthews, Edmund Gwenn, (more)
- 1933
In this British comedy, a ghost hunter believing he accidentally shot his boss, stuffs the body into a steamer trunk and races to the river where he will dispose of the body. Unfortunately before he can, the trunk gets mixed up with an exact duplicate. The one containing the body is taken by a woman who takes him into the supposedly haunted house where she stays. Meanwhile, deep within the trunk, the boss is waking up. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1933
Often mistaken for a screen adaptation of the popular radio series, the British The Shadow was actually based on a play by Donald Stuart. A series of brutal murders have occurred in London, and the culprit is a vicious blackmailer known only as The Shadow. It is up to Scotland Yard to stop the killings and expose the identity of the elusive killer. The Yard receives unexpected (and at first unwelcome) assistance from twittish socialite Reggie Ogden (Henry Kendall), who fancies himself a dilettante detective. But Reggie is harboring a secret agenda, one which isn't revealed until the very last moment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Kendall, Elizabeth Allan, (more)
- 1932
Manicurist Fields falls for songwriting hairdresser Dolman whose heart belongs to a gorgeous singer. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1931
In this comedy, a timid clerk musters up his courage to help his ward thwart the blackmailing scheme of his former lover. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 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
Based on a play by R.P. Weston and Bert Lee The Black Hand Gang affords modern-day viewers a rare glimpse at legendary British pantomime artist Wee Geordie Wood. Though he's well on in years, Wood plays a rich young boy whose nursery is invaded by burglars. The crooks prove no match for Wood and his cohorts, who retaliate in classic slapstick fashion. Once we get past the grotesque notion of men in their forties and fifties playing children, Black Hand Gang is a hoot. Incidentally, Wee Geordie Wood continued performing on stage into the 1960s; he died in 1979 at an age reported as being anywhere from 70 to 85. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1917
Severing all ties with his former partners Adolph Zukor and Jesse Lasky, producer Samuel Goldfish went into partnership with Edgar Selwyn, and the result was the Goldwyn Pictures Company (not to mention a new last name for Mr. Goldfish!) The first official Goldwyn production was Polly of the Circus, a vehicle for one-time Griffith contractee Mae Marsh. The titular Polly travels from town to town as star equestrienne for a three-ring circus. In the course of her travels, she falls in love with handsome minister John Douglas (Vernon Steele). A serious accident which renders her paralyzed sorely challenges Polly's faith in God and Mankind, but with Douglas' help she not only recovers but also wins a high-stakes horse race. Based on a play by Margaret Mayo, Polly of the Circus was remade in 1932, with Marion Davies as Polly and Clark Gable (!) as the minister. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
