G.H. Mulcaster Movies

A novel by Douglas Walshe was the source of the British meller Girl of London. Genevieve Townsend plays Lil, the much abused stepdaughter of narcotics-ring head George Duncan (Harvey Braban). Lil is rescued from iniquity by Peter Horniman (Ian Hunter), the disowned son of a British politician (Edward Irwin). Together, Lil and Peter seek out a new life, despite the differences in their stations in life and their checkered pasts. Not exactly a textbook example of subtlety, Girl of London is given class and stature by the performances of its stars and the direction of Henry Edwards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

England's Richard Greene and France's Anouk Aimee (here billed simply as Anouk) star in the fast-paced espionager Contraband Spain. Greene is cast as American federal agent Lee, who is dispatched to the French-Spanish border to break up a smuggling ring. Making things difficult for Lee is the fact that his own brother is one of the smugglers. Aimee plays Elena, a nightclub singer who plays both sides, but who eventually links up with Lee. As British customs official Ricky, Michael Denison virtually reprises his foppish "Algernon Moncrieff" characterization from The Importance of Being Earnest--but his broad behavior is all part of the plot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When blind veteran Whiley realizes that the love of his life, Brook, is in love with Griffith, Whiley bows out gracefully in this musical. ~ All Movie Guide

The British That Dangerous Age is based on Autumn, a play by Margaret Kennedy and Ilya Surgutchoff. Myrna Loy heads the cast as Lady Brooke, the wife of famed barrister Sir Brian Brooke (Roger Livesay). Neglected by her husband, Lady Brooke inaugurates an affair with a younger man. Meanwhile, Monica (Peggy Cummins), Brooke's daughter by a previous marriage, enters into her own romantic entanglement. When Sir Brian falls ill, his wife comes to her senses, and the result is lasting happiness for all, especially Monica. The story is set on the isle of Capri, allowing for several restful and pleasing landscape shots. That Dangerous Age was originally released as If This Be Sin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Old-timer Dennis O'Keefe and newcomer Ann Sears star in the British melodrama Lady of Vengeance. O'Keefe plays an American publisher headquartered in London, whose young ward (Eileen Elton) is driven to suicide. The distraught O'Keefe hires a professional criminal (Anton Diffring) to plot the murder of the man responsible for the girl's death, with the proviso that the victim undergo the torments of the damned before he is finally killed. Trouble is, the wrong man is targeted for the publisher's revenge. Nominal leading lady Ann Sears does what she can with the nondescript role of O'Keefe's secretary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this melodrama, an actress willingly sacrifices her career to marry a scientist and have a daughter. But try as she might, she cannot resist the call of the footlights and she goes back to the boards. Her husband then divorces her. Two decades pass and the daughter becomes a lovely young woman. Trouble ensues when she and her mother fall in love with the same radio producer. When her mother sees this, she gives the fellow up. The actress is then shot by a disgruntled old lover. This leads her to her ex-husband who has loved her all along. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Will Hay, he of the pince-nez, outraged sniff, and overall demeanor of dignified incompetence, stars in (and codirects) another of his popular British comedies. In My Learned Friend, Hay is a seedy lawyer, one of several people targeted for death by a vengeful escaped convict. As the criminal's victims pile up, Hay can't help but feel a bit insecure. When he ends up the only survivor on the list, Hay begins to really worry. A slapstick climax on the clock-face of Big Ben caps this rapid-fire comedy of murders. Released in 1943, My Learned Friend was Will Hay's final film; he died of a lingering illness in 1949. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this wartime comedy, a garage owner, and his pal, a ventriloquist enlist and head for France where they are soon captured by the Nazis. Fortunately, the ventriloquist throws his voice, and they manage to escape. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, father and son shipwrights join the River Patrol Service and find themselves inadvertently involved with spies. The trouble begins when the two find themselves mixed up in a spy ring and learn that a man carrying a time bomb has parachuted into the river. Now the two heroes must get it before it destroys the city. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

One of many cinematic collaborations between actress Anna Neagle and her real-life husband, director Herbert Wilcox, this light, romantic "drawing room" comedy was Britain's biggest box office hit of 1948. Neagle stars as Judy Howard, the niece of wealthy art collector Joshua Howard (Tom Walls), for whom she also works as a personal secretary. Uncle Joshua's newest employee is a footman, Richard (Michael Wilding), whose aristocratic bearing seems out of place on a lowly domestic servant. As Judy begins falling for Richard and he for her, the plucky girl discovers the truth. Richard is indeed a member of the upper class, hiding out in working class disguise because he believes that he accepted a bogus payment for his family's valuable art collection and fears their wrath. Of course, no one is in a better position to help Richard with his transaction than Judy and her uncle. Voted England's most popular actress every year for nearly a decade after WWII, Neagle's career in America never materialized. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

In this weird crime drama the murder of a ventriloquist is solved by a midget who goes undercover as a dummy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The semidocumentary war film The Lion Has Wings states its case in broad strokes, juxtaposing images of rampaging German-dictator Adolf Hitler and appeasing British prime minister Neville Chamberlain with stock shots of bleating sheep. The film then depicts Great Britain as a great lion, willing and able to sprout "wings" in the form of waves of planes to hurl back the Luftwaffe. The dramatic portion of the film, lensed in ten days to assure timeliness (and, incidentally, a low budget) features an all-star British cast reflecting their native country's many reactions to the inevitability of war. All the on-camera talent involved (including Merle Oberon, Ralph Richardson and June Duprez) donated their salaries to the war effort. Produced by Alexander Korda (who also directed a few bridging sequences, sans credit), The Lion Has Wings was distributed in the US by United Artists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally released in England in 1941 as This Man is Dangerous, The Patient Vanishes was distributed in the US in 1947 to capitalize on the burgeoning popularity of James Mason. The story concerns the friendly rivalry between private detective Mick Cardby (Mason) and his father, Scotland Yard inspector Cardby (Gordon McLeod). Both father and son work shoulder to shoulder to rescue the kidnapped daughter (Barbara James) of a wealthy industrialist. In "Bulldog Drummond" fashion, the girl had been abducted while a patient at a somewhat shady hospital, leading the detectives to interrogate several suspicious-looking medical types. What romance there is can be found in the bantering relationship between Mick Cardby and his secretary Mollie (Margaret Vyner). Though no evidence exists to support this theory, it's possible that The Patient Vanishes had been intended as the first in a series of "Ellery Queen"-style mysteries starring Mason and McLeod. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide