Harry Herbert Movies
- 1982
- R
Writer/director Neil Jordan's debut feature is a tense thriller played out amid the violence in Northern Ireland. Stephen Rea stars as Danny, a saxophone player in a traveling band who witnesses the brutal murders of the manager of the band (who is involved in some extortion payoffs) and a deaf and dumb girl, who has seen the killing of the manager. After observing these cold-blooded executions, Danny becomes obsessed with hunting down the killers. His obsession develops into a murderous rage so intense that he ends up becoming as heartless a killer as the people he is trying to find. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Rea, Alan Devlin, (more)
- 1953
Time Gentlemen Please is a phrase that is all too familiar to British pub patrons; it means that it's closing time, and everyone is invited to go home. Actually, the film has less to do with elbow-bending than with the vagaries of British traditions. A tiny English village is thrown into a panic when the Prime Minister announces an impending visit, to honor the community for 100-percent employment. Alas, Irish reprobate Dan Dancer (Eddie Byrne) steadfastly refuses to get a job. In trying to force Dan into seeking work, the locals lock him up in the local almshouse -- where, thanks to an archaic law, Dan finds himself in line for a yearly income of 6000 pounds! Time Gentleman Please is based on R. J. Nimmey's novel Nothing to Lose. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Byrne, Hermione Baddeley, (more)
- 1953
The contentious world of prizefighting provides the setting of this episodic drama that chronicles the lives of five different fighters. Each of the fighters explains their reasons for becoming professional pugilists. One of the fighters, Kid Curtis, ends up dead after a particularly brutal beating. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Warner, Robert Beatty, (more)
- 1952
Based on the stage farce by Vernon Sylvanie, Will Any Gentleman? stars George Cole as milquetoast bank clerk Henry Sterling. While attending a music hall show, Sterling accidentally falls under the spell of stage hypnotist Mendoza (Alan Badel). Undergoing a complete change of character, Sterling becomes an unregenerate womanizer, much to the amazement and dismay of his wife (Veronica Hurst). Anxiously, Mendoza tries to track the latter-day Lothario down and snap him out of his spell. The plot of Will Any Gentleman? certainly wasn't new in 1953, but it was still good for a full supply of belly laughs. Featured in the cast are pair of future "Doctor Who" stars, Jon Pertwee and William Hartnell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Cole, Veronica Hurst, (more)
- 1950
Once again comedian Arthur Lucan dons an old woman's togs to become the tart-tongued Irish washerwoman. This time Mother Riley somehow is appointed the headmistress of a girl's school. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1946
This heartwarming British drama is based on Beth the Sheepdog, a novel by Ernest Lewis. Beth is played, quite well indeed, by a magnificent animal named Fleet. The story concerns the efforts of various interested human parties to enter Beth in the All-England Dog Championship. When a farmer is unsuccessful in his efforts to purchase Beth for his own, he spitefully accuses the dog's owner of sheep stealing. After this mess is straightened out, the plot segues into the Championship, and it is at this point that the film finally comes to life. Percy Marmont is the biggest "name" actor in Loyal Heart, while Marmont's daughter Patricia plays a pivotal role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Welchman, Percy Marmont, (more)
- 1943
In this weird crime drama the murder of a ventriloquist is solved by a midget who goes undercover as a dummy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1942
Cockney cafe workers Elsie and Doris Waters keep everyone on their toes while they stop the black market activities of grocer Ambler. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1942
Comic actors Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen, members in good standing of Britain's "The Crazy Gang", head the cast of the wartime mirthspinner We'll Smile Again. The film is set at a movie studio, where production of an Arabian Nights epic is constantly interrupted by the fumbling and bumbling of Bob Parker (Flanagan) and Gordon Maxwell (Allen). The two screw-ups redeem themselves by capturing a Nazi spy ring, headed by film star Gina Cavendish (Phyllis Stanley) and Teutonic director Steiner (Meinhardt Maur). Bumptuous radio comedian Horace Kenny contributes to the zaniness as a self-important studio makeup man. The producers engagingly make fun of the film's ultra-low budget with the opening disclaimer "The Anglo-American Film Corporation announces proudly that no expense has been spared to save money on this production." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Flanagan, Chesney Allen, (more)
- 1941
A courageous canine, a former mascot for the Marines during WW II, almost ends up destroyed after he is framed by thwarted dognappers who claim that the dog attacked them without provocation. Believing that Danny Boy is suffering from shell-shock and is therefore dangerous, the court send's down a death sentence. Danny's young master and a vet fight to see that the dog dies honorably. The youth, also begins investigating the dog's accusers and just before Danny Boy dies, finds the proof he needs to save him. This emotional drama is one of the few to examine the effects of war upon the dogs who served alongside the soldiers. Watch Danny the dog carefully during the film and it can be seen that he did not always cooperate with his director. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Farrar, Wilfred Lawson, (more)
- 1940
Plumber/coronet player Lupino and retired major Maltby bumble through the organization of a show for the soldiers in this World War II comedy. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1938
This comedy, the second film version based on a popular stage play, chronicles the exploits of a tricky old lady who cheats her landlady out of rent and then masquerades as her wealthy sister in order to reclaim the trunk she left behind. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
