Edmund Gwenn Movies

Based on the stage play by Stanley Houghton, this silent film by Maurice Elvey tells the story of a factory girl named Fanny (Estelle Brody) who takes a short vacation to Blackpool, sometimes called "England's Coney Island." There, she meets the rich and handsome Allan (John Stuart), whose father owns a mill. They take a liking to each other and spend some time alone, all the while trying to keep their fling a secret to escape its societal consequences. The plan eventually backfires, however, and Fanny's parents find out about the affair, confronting Allan's father and demanding that he force his son to marry Fanny. Allan's father agrees, but it is Fanny's surprising decision about the matter that has earned Hindle Wakes its reputation as one of the first feminist works of literature in the 20th century. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

Ship's steward Howes unhappily inherits an earldom and a fortune and his friend Dempster convinces Howes to revert back to his youth. ~ All Movie Guide

In this melodrama, a woman bears a child out of wedlock during WW I. She gives the child up to a rich old woman. Twenty years pass and the old lady dies. The girl's mother finally weds the real father who only does it because he feels responsible for the child. This causes the despondent wife to kill herself. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this romantic comedy, an impoverished gambler falls in love with a coquette playing hard-to-get. The fellow's luck changes when he is mistaken for a prominent banker. Although, now enjoying the highlife-thanks to the error, he still cannot get the girl. Instead, he decides to run to the Riviera with her pretty maid. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Definitely no relation to the horror-film series of the same name, the British Friday the 13th is a variation of the "Bridge on the San Luis Rey" theme, set in motion by a London bus accident. Two passengers are killed and two injured in the crash, but the screenplay (co-written by Hitchcock-contributor Sidney Gilliat) keeps the audience in suspense as to the identities of the victims. In a series of flashbacks, the viewer is introduced to the passengers and the various trials and tribulations they were dealing with before the accident. The characters include a chorus girl en route to a date with a man she doesn't love; a henpecked husband whose wife was cheating on him; a blackmailer who'd been bleeding an unfortunate young man dry; a wise-guy crook who was about to be caught by a nasty detective; and so on. Extraordinarily well cast for a mid-1930s British film, Friday the 13th affords excellent acting opportunities for the likes of Jessie Mathews, Ursula Jeans, Frank Lawton, Ralph Richardson, Max Miller, O.B. Clarence and Emlyn Williams, among many many others. While American critics were impressed by the film, British reviewers were less kind, commenting that the constant switch from one character to another only results in confusion (PS: It doesn't). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Robert Donat stars as a businessman struggling to keep his company afloat in this British comedy also known as Cash. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

The "Admiral" of the title is played by Edmund Gwenn, as twinkly and lovable as he was thirteen years later in Miracle on 34th Street. The Admiral's secret is a large cache of jewels, which he has "borrowed" from a gang of thieves. Abraham Sofaer plays Don Pablo y Gonzales, who will go to any length to retrieve the gems. The reason it takes 71 minutes for this to unfold is that both hero and villains are hopeless bumblers. The Admiral's Secret was based on a play by Cyril Campion and Edward Dignon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Anxious to finish off his contract with British International Pictures, Alfred Hitchcock agreed to direct Waltzes from Vienna, a schmaltzy musical about "waltz king" Joseph Strauss and his son Joseph Jr. Edmund Gwenn stars as the elder Strauss, with Esmond Knight as his talented progeny. The crux of the film is the intense rivalry between the two Strausses, which is somehow resolved by the inaugural performance of Joseph Junior's "The Blue Danube." Displeased with his work in this film, Hitchcock at one point threw up his hands and confessed to his actors "I hate this sort of stuff. Melodrama is the only thing I can do." Hitch regarded Waltzes in Vienna and his silent Champagne as his worst films, and never directed anything like them again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

In this crime thriller, a renowned German crime scientist becomes the victim of a con and loses his life savings. To get his revenge, he enlists the aid of a self-serving thief. Together they plot the perfect crime and plan on stealing millions. Unfortunately, before the crime is committed, the thief reveals that he is actually a Scotland Yard Detective and keeps the German criminologist from making a tragic mistake. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide