Vera Pearce Movies

A typical British slapstick farce, this comedy by Darcy Conyers based on Basil Thomas' play The Love Birds, involves reincarnation, huckstering, and jealousy. Cecil Gibson (Ronald Shiner) led a shady professional life as an antique furniture restorer, and after he dies his widow Julie (Dora Bryan) and her new husband Bertie (Brian Rix) pay the consequences. A gangster is after them because of a bogus antique bed that the late Cecil pawned off for a quick buck. Aside from this constant threat, Cecil has reincarnated as a talky parrot whose main ambition is to make life difficult for his wife and Bertie. Several hilarious slapstick scenes involving chases or sexual encounters, as well as the more reserved wit found in caricatures like an inept magistrate, are all hallmarks of a typically British sense of humor here (shared by many non-Brits). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this British comedy, two look-a-likes, an airman and a secret agent, find double trouble when they are assigned a top-secret task by their government. The airman is to impersonate the agent to confuse the Nazis while the real agent sneaks into France to investigate the new buzz bombs. Unfortunately, their orders get switched and the airman ends up in France. When he is accidentally shot back to Europe inside one of the defused bombs, the airman becomes a national hero. Meanwhile the real agent tries and tries to prove his true identity. No one listens. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This low-budget swashbuckling film is not in the same league with the Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn portrayals, but still fun if the viewer doesn't do comparisons. Standard Robin Hood plot. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

Though it pales in comparison to the Royal Shakespeare Company's epic staging of the original novel in the early 1980s, this compact adaptation of Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby is most entertaining on its own terms. Derek Bond plays the title character, a resourceful young Britisher forced to protect his family against the demonic machinations of his wicked Uncle Ralph (Cedric Hardwicke at his most odious). Cast out into the cold cruel world, Nicholas Nickleby deals adroitly with friend and foe alike, eventually coming full circle to mete out just desserts to his unspeakable uncle. With only 108 minutes' running time at his disposal, screenwriter John Dighton (later a mainstay of the Ealing Comedies) was forced to eliminate several of the novel's 52 highly distinctive characters and intricate subplots. There is evidence that there was even more cutting after the film was completed; for example, the tatty touring theatrical troupe managed by the delightfully pompous Vincent Crummles (Stanley Holloway) appears only in a series of abrupt vignettes, while Crummles himself is confined to a mere handful of lines and gestures. Still, many of Dickens' colorful characters are vividly realized, especially the unfortunate, mentally challenged Smike (Aubrey Woods). When released in America, Nicholas Nickleby was pared down to 95 minutes, with surprisingly little damage to the continuity. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this silly comedy, a jobless fellow is nursing a hangover after a wild night at a Turkish bath when he is handed a telegram informing him that his aunt has died and he has inherited her fortune which is stashed within a bust of Napoleon in the house he will also inherit. He wastes no time getting to the residence, but is appalled to discover that the house has become a girl's school and no men can enter. He then poses as a brother to one of the students and begins roaming about in search of the appropriate bust. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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, Rovi

Dapper, diminutive Monty Banks was a major comedy star in silent pictures, but his pronounced Italian accent proved a drawback in talkies. Accordingly, Banks' most successful sound vehicle was So You Won't Talk?, during which he utters only a handful of words. His silence is motivated by the terms of a will, wherein Tony (Banks) will inherit a huge fortune if he keeps his mouth shut for 30 days. Nor is he even permitted to write down his thoughts during this period: in other words, he's strictly incommunicado. Naturally, events conspire against our hero, placing him in several uncomfortable situations brought about by his self-enforced muteness. Very funny in spots, So You Won't Talk? may be a bit too thin to stretch across nine reels. Helping things considerably is the snappy direction of William Beaudine, who before his descent into "B" pictures was regarded as one of the best all-around craftsmen in the business. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Dapper song-and-dance man Jack Buchanan was both star and director of That's a Good Girl. Hoping to replenish his bank account, Jack Barrows (Buchanan) tries to marry his female cousin off to a wealthy American. This plan is sidetracked when Barrows, wandering backstage at the Milan opera house, is mistaken for a chorus singer and forced onstage, starting an altogether new plot tangent. None of this nonsense dissuades lady detective Joy Dean (Elsie Randolph) from tracking down Barrows on behalf of his creditors. That's a Good Girl is the film version of a popular stage musical which also teamed Jack Buchanan with Elsie Randolph. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi