Colin Keith-Johnston Movies

Fancy Pants is a musicalized remake of the oft-filmed Harry Leon Wilson story Ruggles of Red Gap, tailored to the talents of "Mr. Robert Hope (formerly Bob)". The basic plotline of the original, that of an English butler entering the service of a rowdy nouveau-riche family from the American West, is retained. The major difference is that main character (Bob Hope) plays a third-rate American actor who only pretends to be a British gentleman's gentleman. Social-climbing American heiress Lucille Ball hires Hope to impress her high-society English acquaintances, then takes him back to her ranch in New Mexico. Though there are many close shaves, Hope manages to convince the wild and woolly westerners that he's a genuine British Lord--even pulling the wool over the eyes of visiting celebrity Teddy Roosevelt (John Alexander). Never as droll as the 1935 Leo McCarey-directed Ruggles of Red Gap, Fancy Pants nonetheless works quite well on its own broad, slapsticky level. If the ending seems abrupt, it may be because the original finale, in which a fleeing Bob Hope and Lucille Ball were to be rescued by surprise guest star Roy Rogers, was abandoned just before the scene was shot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Decked out with leftover sets and stock footage from 1946's Bandit of Sherwood Forest, Columbia's Rogues of Sherwood Forest stars John Derek as the son of legendary do-gooder Robin Hood. When King John (George Macready) revives his old cycle of taxation and repression, Robin Jr. summons forth his father's Merry Men and inaugurates a rebel movement. Aiding the younger Robin in his fight for rights is Lady Marianne (Diana Lynn), who exhibits a lot more leg and decolletage than was customary in 13th-century England. Prominent among the Merry Men is Little John, played by Alan Hale Sr., who'd previously essayed the same role in the 1922 and 1938 filmizations of Robin Hood. Attractively lensed in Technicolor, Rogues of Sherwood Forest seems far more expensive and ambitious than it really was. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this film noir drama, Bill Saunders (Burt Lancaster) is a former Prisoner of War living in England whose experiences have left him emotionally unstable and prone to violence. One night, while drinking in a pub, he gets into an argument with the owner which quickly escalates into a brutal fist fight; Bill kills the publican and flees with the police giving chase. Bill is given shelter by Jane Wharton (Joan Fontaine), a kind-hearted nurse who believes Bill when he tells her that the killing was an accident and that he's innocent of any wrongdoing. Bill soon gets in a fight with a policeman and ends up in jail, but Jane, who has fallen in love with Bill, still has faith in him, and upon his release she finds him a job driving a truck delivering drugs for the clinic where she works. Career criminal Harry Carter (Robert Newton), who witnessed Bill's murder of the pub owner, now sees a perfect opportunity for blackmail, and he forces Bill to tip him off for his next major drug shipment, which can then be routed to the black market at a high profit. Bill has little choice but to agree, but when Jane ends up tagging along when Bill is to make the delivery in question, he refuses to jeopardize her and makes the delivery to the clinic without incident. This quickly earns Harry's wrath, and they soon find themselves at the mercy of a very dangerous man. Miklos Rozsa composed the film's highly effective score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is the title character, a young king exiled by evil conspirators. Forced to live far from his homeland, Fairbanks is harassed by the wicked Henry Daniell, who has been appointed to keep the young monarch from reclaiming his throne. After falling in love with commoner Paula Croset (later billed as Mara Corday), Fairbanks decides to take on the corrupt elements that have ousted him, and he dispatches Daniell in an exciting sword duel stage in an old windmill. Many of Fairbanks' more dangerous stunts were handled by David Sharpe, who received credit as second-unit director. Filmed in black and white, The Exile was originally released to theatres in "Sepiatone", a process which enhanced the film stock with a light brown tint. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This tragic drama chronicles the last days of an exiled Russian duke. To support himself, the duke worked at an all-night restaurant until his employer, wanting younger workers, fires him. After completing his final shift, a young man in the restaurant gets involved with a murder. To protect him, the aging nobleman takes the rap freeing the young many to take his dying wife to Vienna. Later that night, the duke goes home, writes a confession, and commits suicide. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this musical, a singing Yankee stable boy works for a rich Irishman. When he meets his boss's granddaughter and they soon fall for each other until he must head back to the States where he becomes a singing clerk at the music counter of a major department store. Back in Ireland, the girl he loves finds that an evil villain is about to foreclose on her estate. Songs include: "Love is a Dreamer," "For the Likes O' You and Me," and "When They Sing 'The Wearing of the Green' in Syncopated Blues." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide