Clifford Mollison Movies

Bill Fraser and Raymond Huntley star in the raucous British farce That's Your Funeral. Fraser and Huntley play Bullstrode and Holroyd, rival undertakers. The animosity between the two is amplified when drug traffickers attempt to use coffins and hearses to smuggle their wares. David Battley and John Ronane co-star in the sitcomish goings-on. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Terrence Rattigan, the playwright who brought us the multicharactered, multistoried Separate Tables, again offers us an episodic cross-section of humanity in The V.I.P.'s. When a heavy London fog paralyzes all air traffic, the lives of several people are profoundly affected. As indicated by the title, most of the characters in this portmanteau film are of the social and/or financial elite. Elizabeth Taylor wishes to leave her enormously wealthy husband Richard Burton in favor of playboy Louis Jourdan. Peripatetic European film producer Orson Welles is hoping to escape London with his newest protegee Elsa Martinelli in order to avoid paying his income tax. Australian businessman Rod Taylor, accompanied by his devoted (and adoring) secretary Maggie Smith, is anxious to head to New York to stave off a hostile takeover of his firm. And impoverished aristocrat Margaret Rutherford (who won an Oscar for her performance) would rather not go to Florida to accept a job as a social arbiter, but the wolf must be kept from the door. Before the fog disperses, you can be sure that at least one of the many plotlines will intersect with another. David Frost, in a tiny part as a reporter, was fond of recalling in later years that, while the major stars of The VIPS were introduced in the opening titles with animated limousines, he was consigned a tiny Volkswagen; alas, no such cartoon joke appears in the film, though on occasion the actors-particularly Mr. Welles-behave as though they were cartoons. Mercilessly skewered by the critics, The VIPS was a winner at the box-office, due in great part to the Cleopatra-inspired publicity concerning the top-billed Liz Taylor and Dick Burton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

British sailors John Mills and Richard Attenborough would like to take Neopolitan lass Lisa Gastoni out on a date. But Gastoni can't leave the house unless her baby brother tags along. During a rowdy evening on the town, Mills is forced to sneak the infant on board his ship. When Gastoni and Attenborough arrive to claim the kid, they find that the ship has already sailed. Essentially a British Abbott & Costello picture, Baby and the Battleship manages to deliver a sufficient supply of hearty chuckles. The film was based on a somewhat subtler novel by Anthony Thorne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

There's no folly like a Blind Folly, as scripters H.F. Maltby and John Hunter strive to prove in this British comedy. Gus McNaughton plays the head of a criminal gang who heads to the spot where they had long before hidden their stolen loot. Alas, the cache of cash is now sequestered somewhere in a roadhouse that has been built on the site of the hiding place. Now the criminals are forced to steal what they've already stolen--and to keep Clifford Mollison, the inn's current owner, in the dark. Lilli Palmer provides decoration as Mollison's girlfriend. Blind Folly was distributed in the United Kingdom by RKO British. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

In this romantic comedy, the king of Ruritania marries an impoverished commoner after he is exiled. Trouble shows up when the king must return to his country and marry an heiress. Fortunately, his first bride has fallen for an army officer and is happy to have her royal marriage annulled. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Freedom of the Seas is sometimes listed as French stage director Marcel Varnel's first film; it's actually his first British film, after a two-year stay in Hollywood. Clifford Mollison stars as a meek London clerk who surprises his colleagues by being among the first to sign up when World War I is declared. Though he hardly cuts a dashing figure, Mollison is a steadfast and courageous soldier. In his own mild-mannered fashion, Mollison becomes a hero by foiling a German sabotage plot. Based on a Walter Hackett play, Freedom of the Seas bears a slight resemblance to the 1944 Edward G. Robinson vehicle Mr. Winkle Goes to War. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This by-the-numbers quota quickie at least has the advantage of brevity. Clifford Mollison stars as Lord Victor Wilby, whose lofty title belies his present penniless state. Hoping to make a lot of money in a hurry, Lord Victor plans to marry wealthy American heiress Helen Sowersby (Frances Dean). This requires our hero to end his relationship with his longtime mistress Joan Lynton (Constance Shotter). Now if only his Lordship can convince Joan to pose as his sister. Meet My Sister is stolen by veteran music hall entertainer Fred Duprez, the father of 1940s leading lady June Duprez. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though Donald Calthrop, as the butler, has all the best lines, top billing in Almost a Honeymoon goes to British stage actor Clifford Mollison. The star plays a middle-aged transient who always avoids long-term relationships. But elderly Dorothy "Dodo" Watts is not about to let Mollison get away. She's especially determined to snare Our Hero when he finds himself unwittingly sleeping with the old girl. This British programmer was based on a play by Walter Ellis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide