Arthur Finn Movies

In this three-hanky crime drama, a junkman offers a little sage advice for a young woman who has fallen in love with a cowardly crook. The woman tries to convince her lover to reform. He does try, but then he is later arrested while robbing a bank. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The enigmatic Charles Frank, who wrote and directed several fascinating British productions before seemingly falling off the face of the earth, was responsible for this Jean Cocteau adaptation (the Cocteau original was previously filmed in France). Stripped down to essentials, the plot centers around George (Harold Warrender), who while married to Yvonne (Marian Spencer), keeps Madeleine (Marian Spencer) as a mistress. George's young son Michael (Russell Enoch), already in the formative stages of an Oedipus complex, falls in love with Madeleine. Yvonne is torn between keeping her son from going astray and preventing his unnatural mother fixation from getting out of hand. The fifth character is the exposition-spouting aunt Leonie (Ruth Dunning) who tries to smooth over her family's problems--and to overcome her own carnal desires. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama a Detroit secretary working at a small school finds herself inheriting $500 upon her principal's death. She decides to use the money for a London vacation. Unfortunately, the new principal fires her for insisting on time off. She goes to England anyway where she finds her impoverished relatives who believe that she is a wealthy heiress. When it appears that she is too cheap to help them, they become quite nasty to her. Fortunately, in the end, they discover the truth, and somehow all financial turmoil is settled and happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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

The Three Maxims are trapeze artists Pat (Anna Neagle), Toni (Tuilio Carminati) and Mac (Leslie Banks). After spending most of their careers in the small time, the threesome finally get their big chance in Paris, at which point Mac realizes he's in love with Pat. Too shy to propose, he asks Toni to do it for him. But it's "Miles Standish" time, since Pat has been crazy about Toni all along. When Mac finds this out, he threatens to kill Toni, whereupon a nervous Pat agrees to marry him. Finally Mac wises up, removing himself from the picture to allow nature -- and true romance -- to take its course. Three Maxims was released in the U.S. as The Show Goes On. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The British Excuse My Glove proves that Hollywood had no monopoly on trying to turn athletes into actors. Top British boxer Len Harvey stars as a peace-loving collector of fine glass. He is goaded into fisticuffs at a funfair, where the mercenary carnival manager sizes up Harvey as a potential goldmine. The reluctant pugilist rises to fame, despite the efforts of a rival entrepreneur. While Excuse My Glove may seem like so much plum pudding to American moviegoers, the film is a treat for English boxing fans, with many British boxing greats of the 1930s (including the modestly named Bombardier Billy Wells) in supporting and bit roles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dreams Come True for Ilona Ratkay (Frances Day), a popular opera singer who falls in love with gangly farm boy Anton (Nelson Keys). Not so lucky is Anton's father Albert (Hugh Wakefield), who is left all alone when his son runs off to the Big City with Ilona. Things really get sticky when Albert becomes obsessed with the notion that Ilona is actually his own illegitimate daughter! The more censurable aspects of the story are neatly skirted and circumvented with liberal doses of music and comedy. Dreams Come True is a remake of the German operetta Liebesmelodie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a young husband tires of living off of his mother-in-law's money and decides to allow a film crew to use his mansion in exchange for a small fortune. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide