William Hartnell Movies
British actor William Hartnell once billed himself as "Billy," befitting his previous life as an apprentice jockey and flyweight boxer. Yearning to be a comedian like his idol Charlie Chaplin, Hartnell went on the stage at age 16 with Sir Frank Benson's Shakespeare company. In films from 1933, he spent several frustrating years playing minor villains and nondescript walk-ons. Hartnell rose to prominence in British films of the 1940s; ironically, he played an Army sergeant in his starmaking film, 1944's The Way Ahead. His film assignments diminished in importance in the 1950s, though he gained a new following in the supporting role of Sergeant Major Bullimore on the BBC TV series The Army Game. On the strength of his performance as a crusty sports agent in the 1963 film This Sporting Life, Hartnell was cast as the first of eight actors to portray TV's Doctor Who. This internationally popular sci-fi series made Hartnell a star all over again; alas, multiple sclerosis forced him to relinquish the role to Patrick Troughton in 1966. William Hartnell was long married to actress/playwright Heather McIntyre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1932
In this musical drama, an amnesiac composer is comforted by a helpful bandleader who uses music and reminiscences to help his friend remember his past. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1933
In this comedy, everything gets blown out of proportion after a young man, believing that he has drunk an explosive chemical concoction created by his brother begins suing the government. In truth the drink was harmless, but the brother tells no one, leading all to believe that the other brother is a walking bomb. He wins his suit and uses the settlement to marry his sweetheart. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1933
In this mystery, two men, in love with the same woman go to a house party and trouble ensues. The woman, a widow, is also there. When one of the friends steals a rare gem from his rival's brother, the two begin to argue heatedly. The thief is murdered that night. It is his rival that devises the ingenious plan that exposes the real murderer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1934
In this drama, a clerk and another get involved in an easy-money scam. Unfortunately things go horribly awry and the clerk must murder a stockbroker if he is to stay out of jail. Unfortunately, he can't do that either. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1934
A bungling band of bandits steal a new drug that alters the personalities of those who take it in this comedy. The trouble begins when the gang finds themselves pursued by rivals and the police. A riotous chase ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1935
In this British drawing room comedy, a poor-but-plucky shopgirl decides to teach a prominent family the true meaning of social graces when she begins dating one of the son's. During the relationship, she discovers that his brother has been having an illicit affair with a society matron. The clever girl uses this information to force the matron to become more tolerant of the lower classes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1936
In this comedy of mistaken identity, an over-eager press agent "helps" the career of an aspiring actress by having her pretend to be an American heiress. Unfortunately, a female thief is also posing as the heiress. When the real Mc Coy turns up, mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Largely filmed on location inside Madame Tussaud's Wax museum, this horror movie centers on a banker who bets that he can spend an entire night in the London attraction's notorious Chamber of Horrors. Unfortunately, once there, he discovers himself to be a potential murder victim. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1938
- NR
Not to be confused with either Nicholas Ray's melancholic 1949 crime tale They Live by Night or Raoul Walsh's 1940 action-melodrama (which borrowed only its title), this British thriller concerns one flawed man's attempts at clearing his name. They Drive by Night stars Emlyn Williams as Shorty, a just-released convict eager to reunite with his girlfriend -- whom he finds strangled to death when he reaches her apartment. Certain the police won't look favorably upon him should he report the dead body, Shorty enlists the help of ex-girlfriend Molly (Anna Konstam) in an attempt to find the real killer, amidst the intrusions of Walter Hoover (Ernst Thesiger), a creepy forensic criminologist who might know more than he lets on. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- 1939
It took two directors to bring this modest British thriller to the screen. The story concerns a gang of international jewel thieves, headed by a "mystery man" who is never seen and who communicates with his minions through a microphone. Rival criminal Jacques LeClerq (Sebastian Shaw) gains the gang's confidence, joining them on their biggest caper. Only when it's too late to back out does LeClerq reveal that he's actually a member of the French police. Without revealing the identity of the criminal mastermind, it's worth noting that one of the actors plays a dual role, a fact spelled out in the opening credits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sebastian Shaw, Anna Konstam, (more)
- 1941
Wings and the Woman was a reverent (read: dull) British biopic about pioneer aviatrix Amy Johnson. Anna Neagle portrays Amy, whose fame in the 1930s is such that songs are written about her and a worldwide fan club is organized. See RKO Book. Ms. Johnson's fame exacts a toll on her marriage to pilot Jim Mollison (Robert Newton), a daredevil in his own right who chafes at being overshadowed by his wife (the film is careful not cast Mollison in an envious light). The film ends with Amy's death while transporting a fighter plane from a defense factory to an RAF field, a tragedy which gives producer/director Herbert Wilcox ample opportunities to wave the Union Jack. Released in Great Britain as They Flew Alone, Wings and the Women was heavily edited by its American distributor RKO, with some dialogue sequences ending in mid-sentence! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1942
Set during WW II, this drama follows the travails of a cargo ship captain as he launches a desperate search of his vessel for a possible saboteur. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1942
In this comedy, a work-aholic husband pacifies his complaining, neglected wife by buying her the fabulous Peterville Diamond while they are on vacation in Mexico. He then returns to his work. Meanwhile, a jewel thief learns of her acquisition and begins courting the lonely wife so he can steal the stone. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1942
Produced by Britain's Teddington Studios on behalf of Warner Bros., The Flying Fortress stars Richard Greene, who had to be furloughed from the Army to participate in this wartime morale-booster. Greene plays millionaire playboy Jim Spence, a carefree aviation enthusiast whose avocation becomes his vocation when the war breaks out. Giving up wine, women and song for the duration (well, at least wine and song), Spence mans the controls of a British "flying fortress" for periodic bombing forays over Berlin. The film's "money scene" finds Spence clambering out of his plane to repair a hole in its side in mid-air-a bit of bravado which, amazingly, is based on a true incident. For unknown reasons, Flying Fortress was heavily edited for its American release, rendering its storyline a tad hard to follow at times. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Greene, Carla Lehmann, (more)
- 1943
Headline serves as a vehicle for handsome David Farrar, who in 1943 was Britain's fastest-rising leading man. Farrar is cast as Broogle, a crime reporter who'll do anything-ANYTHING-for a story. When the wife of the publisher disappears after witnessing a murder, Broogle ignores Scotland Yard's warnings to "lay off" and endeavors to solve the mystery himself. The film's best performance is rendered by BBC radio favorite Richard Goolden, cast as a self-styled "psychological" detective. While genuine journalists howled at the innacuracies in Headline, audiences ate it up. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1943
Beneath the gay billows of the big-top seethes a veritable stewpot of illicit romance, false friends, rivalry and murder in this crime drama that contains the feature film debut of distinguished character actor Herbert Lom who plays a recently hired hypnotist who falls in love with a female trapeze artist, whose jealous partner is the brother of the circus owner. Desperately wanting the woman for himself, the new fellow mesmerizes the girl and suggests that she drop her partner during the next performance. She does, but the wicked hypnotist gets his comeuppance at the end. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Lyon, Anne Crawford, (more)
- 1943
Suspected Person was one of several Associated British Pathe productions released in the U.S. by PRC pictures. Clifford Evans stars as Jim Raynor, one of a trio of American bank robbers. When Raynor flees to England with the loot, he leaves his two accomplices at the mercy of the Law. Winning unexpected acquittals, the two crooks chase after Raynor -- while Scotland Yard, hoping to recover the money, chases after all three. A very young Patricia Roc essays one of her first major roles as Raynor's sister, while future "Dr. Who" William Hartnell plays a minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clifford Evans, Patricia Roc, (more)
- 1943
The Bells Go Down is a dramatization of London firefighting efforts during the 1940 Blitz. In structure, the film is very much like any other smoke-eating melodrama, with perhaps more emphasis on comedy than usual. The omnipresence of the Luftwaffe gives the film an urgency that others in its genre tend to lack. Making it all the more remarkable is the fact that most British studios were just as vulnerable as London's burned-down landmarks--a fact not lost on the actors, who perform with heightened credibility. Many of the better composed shots in The Bells Go Down would find their way into TV documentaries of the 1950s and 1960s as "reality" footage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Trinder, James Mason, (more)
- 1944
The Immortal Battalion has a bit of a convoluted history. It started life as a training film, The New Lot, which ran 44 minutes. When Winston Churchill approached David Niven about creating a film that would do for the British Army what In Which We Serve had done for the Royal Navy, he contacted Carol Reed and suggested expanding The New Lot. The result, written by Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov, was the acclaimed The Way Ahead. For its U.S. release, Way Ahead was edited to a shorter length and retitled The Immortal Battalion. In either of its feature length forms, the film is concerned with the training of a bunch of raw recruits into a capable and efficient fighting regiment. Niven stars as Jim Perry, a lieutenant and former ordinary guy who finds that he must learn to take a tough line in order to make his wildly diverse crew come together and understand the importance both of the war and of their place in it. Although it takes time and constant effort on the part of Perry and his sergeant, the eight men eventually overcome their different backgrounds and feelings, and transform themselves into a unit which performs its tasks with admirable skill and dexterity, preparing them for their battle against the Desert Fox in Africa. Told in a semi-documentary style, Battalion also features the screen debut of Trevor Howard. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Niven, Raymond Huntley, (more)
- 1945
Future "Doctor Who" star William Hartnell dominates the proceedings in the British drama Query. The story concerns a young stevedore who is falsely accused of manslaughter, and is shipped off to prison. Upon his release, the now-elderely protagonist wreaks vengeance on the man responsible for framing him. The legal question arising from all this is a delicate one: Is there truly such a thing as a justifiable murder, and can a man successfully plead in court that it is his legal right to take the law in his own hands? It's a tricky premise, but one carried off with expertise by star Hartnell and writer-director Montgomery Tully. Based on a story by "Seamark", Query bears a strong (perhaps too strong) resemblance to the old Elmer Rice play It is the Law. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hartnell, Jimmy Hanley, (more)
- 1945
In this drama, a farmer marries an uptown chorus girl and tries to help her settle down to the simplicity of farm living by giving her a little heifer. Unfortunately, she does not settle down right away and begins spending their money so freely that the farmer soon loses everything. When it looks like all is lost, the woman takes off on her horse. She ends up suffering a fatal fall, leaving her hapless husband destitute and filled with guilt. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hartnell, Carol Raye, (more)
- 1945
Future Dr. Who star William Hartnell heads the cast of the 1949 sociopolitical melodrama The Agitator. Set in a British industrial town, the film stars Hartnell as idealistic union organizer Peter Pottinger. His value as an agitator is compromised when Peter falls heir to the very factory where he works. Now that he's "Capital," Peter finds that he hasn't a friend in the world: his old co-workers despise him for what he represents, while his new colleagues can't forget his previous radicalism. Perhaps to avoid movie-industry ramifications, Capital and Labor are treated with equal fairness in The Agitator. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hartnell, Mary Morris, (more)
