Fred Groves Movies

Anticipating The Defiant Ones by nearly ten years, the British My Brother's Keeper concentrates on the exploits of two handcuffed-together escaped convicts. The protagonists are career criminal George Martin (Jack Warner) and terrified "first timer" Willie Stannard (George Cole). The film is one long chase, with a brief respite to establish the relationship between Martin and his girlfriend Nora Lawrence (Jane Hylton). Despite the fact that they're polar opposites, George and Willie develop a grudging friendship and dependence upon one another, broken only by the events in the final scenes. Director Alfred Roome's utilization of actual exterior locations adds a great deal of credibility to the story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Music-hall comedian Arthur Lucan first brought his "drag" character Old Mother Riley to the screen in 1937. Lucan went on to star in 14 films as the rambunctious Irish washerwoman, while Lucan's wife Kitty McShane co-starred as Old Mother Riley's daughter, who had a habit of bursting into song whether the audience liked it or not. The first series entry, aptly titled Old Mother Riley, found the title character put in charge of managing a huge luxury hotel. A jewel theft seriously compromises Mother Riley's new position, but everything is resolved in a climactic slapstick-fest, replete with pie-throwing. Perhaps because the character was too regional in her (his?) appeal, Old Mother Riley wasn't released in the U.S. until 1952, 15 years after it was made. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The oft-used title Night Beat was applied to the 1948 British melodrama. After serving as commandoes in WW2, Felix (Maxwell Reed) and Andy (Ronald Howard) follow widely divergent paths in peacetime. Andy joins the London police, while Felix falls in with the Black Market. As a result, their friendship and fidelity is sorely tested. The women in the case include Andy's fretting wife Julie (Anne Crawford) and sultry nightclub chanteuse Jackie (Christine Norden). Though its starts out strong, Night Beat metamorphoses into standard melodramatics towards the end. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Laurence Olivier plays a young Londoner implicated in a brutal murder. According to the rules of British law, he is permitted 21 days of comparative freedom from the time of the first hearing to the time of trial -- provided he does not leave London. As the three weeks pass, Olivier falls deeply in love with girlfriend Vivien Leigh, who at first believes in his innocence. But as the deadline approaches, Olivier's mood swings and erratic behavior shakes Leigh's faith in him. Scripted by British suspense expert Graham Greene, 21 Days Together was originally released under the simpler title 21 Days. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this crime drama, a clever detective and his trusty assistant look into the case of a woman accused of stealing. The woman is the investigator's own niece, a dancer, who is also being pursued by a fugitive from Devil's Island who seeks the diamond that he hid within the heel of her shoe. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Based on a story by Somerset Maugham, The Beachcomber was originally released in Great Britain as Vessel of Wrath. This English version was much franker--and much more fun--than the abbreviated, watered-down US release prints. Even the American version, however, is successful in capturing the spirit of Maugham's tale of slovenly remittance man Charles Laughton drinking and wenching away his monthly allowance in the picturesque Dutch Islands. Elsa Lanchester (the real-life Mrs. Laughton) plays the prim sister of sanctimonious missionary Tyrone Guthrie, who slowly regenerates the wastrelly Laughton. Our hero redeems himself fully through his courageous behavior during a cholera epidemic. This version of The Beachcomber is based on the stage adaptation by Bartlett Cormick; the 1955 remake, which played faster and looser with the Maugham original than the Cormack version did, starred Robert Newton, who plays the local British authority in the 1938 film. The Beachcomber was the only film directed by producer Erich Pommer, who spent most of the 1930s as Charles Laughton's business partner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this crime drama, a warehouse worker falsely accused of stealing and the murder of a cop, must prove his innocence while aboard a boat sailing between London and Margate. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The British Beloved Imposter was inspired by Ethel Mannin's novel Dancing Boy. Fred Conynghamplays a cheeky waiter who dreams of being a music hall star. Beautiful Germaine Aussey spurns the swelled-headed Conyngham's advances. When she disappears, he becomes obsessed with the belief that he's murdered her. But faithful Rene Ray, the "right" girl for Conyngham, solves the mystery. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hay Petrie ingests the scenery as the demonic, hunchbacked Mr. Quilp in this 1935 British adaptation of Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop. Quilp is the wicked landlord who dominates and later ruins the lives of shopkeeper Trent (Ben Webster) and his resourceful granddaughter Little Nell (Elaine Benson). The death of the heroine, which created quite a brouhaha when the book was first published, is here handled with discretion and taste. Scenarists Margaret Kennedy and Ralph Neale successfully tackle the challenge of whittling Dickens' massive novel into a playable 90 minutes. The Old Curiosity Shop would be remade three times, once as a musical with Anthony Newley as Quilp. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

His Hollywood career a thing of the past, director Herbert Brenon returned to his native England in 1934, where he continued making films until his retirement in 1940. Brenon's first project upon his arrival in London was the feature-length documentary Royal Cavalcade. Covering a 25-year period, the film is an encapsulation of the comings and goings of the British empire since the 1910 coronation of King George V. The highlights, drawn from the newsreel files of several English and European archives, include Captain Scott's arrival at the South Pole (and the tragic aftermath), the First World War, the Roaring 20s, and the Depression. Of special interest to show-biz buffs is the footage of the first Royal Command Performance at the Palace in 1911, featuring such matchless performers as Anna Pavlova and George Robey. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, a power-mad attorney, the bastard son of a baronet, plots the demise of the rightful heir so he can inherit the title himself. Fortunately he is caught. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this musical, an impoverished aristocrat's daughter tries for a singing career. She also falls in love with a radio star who is, unfortunately, in love with another. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi