Charles Mortimer Movies

The Way Out was originally released in Great Britain as Dial 999. The eponymous telephone number is the emergency line to Scotland Yard, which in this film is represented by detective John Bentley. Hollywood's Gene Nelson plays a philandering husband who tries to hide the fact that he's killed a man. Nelson's wife Mona Freeman and brother-in-law Michael Goodliffe concoct an elaborate scheme to evade the authorities, but it all proves futile in the film's ironic climax. Assembled by Merton Park productions, the low-budget firm later responsible for Edgar Wallace mysteries, Dial 999 was spun off into a 39-week TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Adapted from the stage hit by J. B. Priestly, When We Are Married is a barbed satire of smug British conservatism. Set in turn-of-the-century Yorkshire, the story concerns three middle-aged married couples, who tend to look askance towards anyone who does not come up to their high moral and religious standards. These pecksniffs are especially critical towards those who advocate a break from the repressive sexual taboos of the era. Imagine their dismay, then, when all three couples discover that they're not legally married. Their efforts to hide this fact, and their eventual comeuppance, provides several hearty laughs. When We Are Married remains a favorite of the British repertory circuit, due to its large number of colorful and well-rounded characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this psychological drama set in a small English village, the villagers become hysterical after a series of damning anonymous letters are posted accusing different residents of scandalous acts. The townsfolk are soon so panicked that murder and suicide ensue until the police hire an expert to analyze the handwriting. The results lead to the vicar's spinster sister--a virtuous, and highly respected local philanthropist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The fourth of Arthur Wonter's quintet of Sherlock Holmes films, Triumph of Sherlock Holmes was a fairly faithful adaptation of Conan Doyle's The Valley of Fear. This time, Holmes (Wontner) and Dr. Watson (Ian Fleming -- not the James Bond author!) investigate a mysterious murder at Birlstone Castle. The killings seem to be tied in with a secret American society of coal-miners called the Scowlers. The architect of all this skullduggery is that "Napoleon of Crime," Professor Moriarty (the magnificent Lyn Harding), who has conspired with an American gangster (Ben Welden) to assassinate the Pinkerton agent responsible for breaking the back of the Scowlers. There's very little in the way of mystery in Triumph of Sherlock Holmes, but it scores on its full quotient of thrills and chills. Originally 84 minutes, the film was cut to 75 for its American release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a group of shopkeepers unite to prevent the owners of a major department store from buying up their stalls. Together, the vendors plan an enormous sale in the hope that it will save their failing businesses. Unfortunately, their plan fails and they must sell out. Fortunately, their stalling tactics have forced the store to pay them each a considerable sum. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Arnold Grierson (Campbell Gulan) is a down-on-his-luck bookie with only one real asset left -- his attractive daughter. He pressures her into marrying Nevern, a highly successful songwriter who is as unpleasant as he is rich, in the hope that Nevern will provide him with a new source of income. When the daughter finds life with Nevern more than she can handle, she tells her father she is going to divorce Nevern and marry a news reporter by the name of Hardwicke. Fearful and realizing that he must act fast, Grierson plots to kill Nevern before his daughter can go through with the divorce, thereby assuring that she will inherit his fortune. Grierson makes sure he has an appropriate alibi, so that another man is blamed for the murder. Indeed, as long as he doesn't slip up, it looks as if Grierson will get away with the perfect murder. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Based on the character created by "Sapper" (Herman Cyril McNeile), Return of Bulldog Drummond was a British production starring Ralph Richardson in the title role. The film is closer to the jingoistic, near-fascist spirit of the original stories than were the Hollywood "Drummond" B-pictures of the mid-1930s. In fact, Richardson's Drummond organizes the "Black Clan," then goes on a crusade to rid England of all foreigners, on the theory that every "outsider" is a criminal or at the very least an undesirable. And according to the script, he's right: The villains are European armament merchants hoping to increase profits by sparking a new world war. Return of Bulldog Drummond is about as politically incorrect as it's possible to get, with Ralph Richardson coming across more as a heavy than a hero; two years later, he was more effectively cast as a criminal mastermind in the "Drummond" parody Bulldog Jack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this musical-comedy, a good-hearted composer sees a beautiful woman at a traffic light and is inspired to write a song. They then fall in love. She is a feisty, untamed sort and soon after the wedding, the fireworks begin as they constantly bicker. At one point their rows become so violent that they nearly destroy a house. The plot is based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide