Patricia Roc Movies

Harry Baur, who in the 1930s was the most distinguished character actor in Europe, was the star of the 1936 French historical epic Tarass Boulba. Based on a story by Gogol, the film depicted the 16th century struggle between the Poles and the Russian Cossacks, with emphasis on the rift between Tartar leader Tarass Boulba and his scholarly son. The film did well enough on the continent to prompt an English-language version in 1939, The Rebel Son, which also starred Harry Baur. The film utilized generous portions of the 1936 French production; the result was a hodgepodge of contrasting styles. Andre Brunel, director of the English version, failed to properly match the film work of the original French version's director Alexis Granowsky; in turn, the additional scenes directed by an uncredited Albert de Coureville bore little relation to Brunel's work. Even at 88 minutes, The Rebel Son was tough sledding, with many filmgoers walking out after half an hour. In desperation, the British distributors pared the film down to 70 minutes and shipped it out to double bills under the title The Barbarian and the Lady (the "lady" in the film is the girlfriend of barbarian Tarass Boulba's son--the daughter of his hated rival). Despite the utter failure of this enterprise, producer Samuel Bronston had another go at the Gogal original with his 1962 production Taras Bulba, starring Yul Brynner and Tony Curtis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this mystery a Scotland Yard investigator and a police doctor unite to find "The Ringer" a mysterious killer and master of disguise before he can kill a lawyer who just received notice of his impending demise via a lovely bouquet with a note informing him that he has 48 hours to live. During their hurried investigation, the pair learn that the attorney's secretary had recently killed herself and that The Ringer blames the lawyer for the death. Time flies, and the lawyer does indeed die. It is only then that the investigators learn the killer's true identity. The story is based on an Edgar Wallace story. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Will Fyffe makes another appearance as Mr. Reeder, the seemingly absent-minded Scotland Yard sleuth created by Edgar Wallace. This time, the canny Reeder is hot on the trail of a counterfeiting gang. In his own disshevelled fashion, he puts the criminals off guard long enough to swoop in for the kill in the final reel. Among the suspects is George Curzon, the eye-twitching murderer from Hitchcock's Young and Innocent. In keeping with his character's essential Britishness, Will Fyffe dispenses with his trademarked Scottish accent in this outing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Boozy doctor O'Dowd gets into deep trouble after he is accused of operating under the influence and causing the death of his daughter-in-law in this sudsy drama. Now the Irish physician must somehow redeem his good name. He gets his chance during a diphtheria outbreak. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Eden Philpotts' "provincial" comic novel and play The Farmer's Wife was first filmed in the silent era by Alfred Hitchcock. The 1940 talkie version was directed by Leslie Arliss, son of stage star George Arliss. The story remained the same: A middle-aged widower attempts to select a wife from his rural district's eligible females (Basil Sydney). Three unsuccessful dalliances later, the farmer settles for his housekeeper, whom the audience has been rooting for all along. The Farmer's Wife is a prime example of the sort of fare that struck a proper chord with British filmgoers, but whose appeal would be lost to any other nationality. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Released in England as Gentleman of Venture, It Happened to One Man was produced in England with "frozen funds" accumulated in that country by RKO Radio Pictures. Inspired by a true story, the film stars Wilfred Lawson as financier Felton Quair. Thanks to the chicanery of his crooked business partner Ackroyl (Reginald Tate), Quair loses his fortune, his family and his freedom. The second half of the story deals with Quair's attempts to find redemption after a four-year prison term. Based on a stage play by Roland Pertwee and John Hastings Turner, the film wisely retains the play's ambiguous ending. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This musical is loosely based upon the career of the British "Forces' Sweetheart" Vera Lynn, a popular BBC radio singer who spent much time entertaining the troops in London. It all begins when she falls in love with a Scottish soldier who breaks her heart when he jilts her in favor of her best friend. Following the break up, she decides to leave London and spend her time entertaining troops all over Europe. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Suspected Person was one of several Associated British Pathe productions released in the U.S. by PRC pictures. Clifford Evans stars as Jim Raynor, one of a trio of American bank robbers. When Raynor flees to England with the loot, he leaves his two accomplices at the mercy of the Law. Winning unexpected acquittals, the two crooks chase after Raynor -- while Scotland Yard, hoping to recover the money, chases after all three. A very young Patricia Roc essays one of her first major roles as Raynor's sister, while future "Dr. Who" William Hartnell plays a minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The "2000 Women" of the film's title are the female inmates in a WW II German concentration camp in France. Though many of the women don't get along, they are united in their hatred for their Nazi captors. The story takes a truly melodramatic turn when three English airmen parachute into the camp, offering a ray of hope for those inmates planning an escape. Some of the humor is "black" indeed, involving a card-playing corpse and other questionable sources of laughter, but this was the sort of material that wartime audiences wanted. Heading the cast of 2000 Women are Phyllis Calvert, Flora Robson and Patricia Roc, fine British actresses all who overcome an abundance of script deficiencies. The film was the first production of Individual Pictures, formed by the producer-director-writer team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Johnny Frenchman uses humor to drive home the point that, despite all previous rivalries and hostilties, the French and English should pull together during WW2. Aldwych farceur Tom Walls plays Nat Pomeroy, harbourmaster of a Cornwall fishing village, who is continually outsmarted by clever French fish poacher Lannec Florrie (Francoise Rosay). Pomeroy is further aggravated by the fact that Florrie's son Yan (played by French-Canadian radio favorite Paul Dupuis) is busily romancing Pomeroy's daughter Sue (Patricia Roc). But when the Nazis rear their ugly heads, the Cornish fisherman and the French miscreants band together to thwart the German menace. Many of the cast members of Johnny Frenchman are actual Cornish villagers and members of the Free French resistance movement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dana Andrews -- in one of the best performances of his career -- plays Logan Stuart, a bold, ambitious general store and freight company owner based in the mining settlement of Jacksonville, OR, in 1856. He and his best friend, local banker and express company owner George Camrose (Brian Donlevy), share an attraction for young, beautiful Lucy Overmire (Susan Hayward). However, that's all the two men share -- Stuart sees life in the Oregon territory as a challenge, to be worked out and overcome with thought and time, with the opportunity to build something lasting and significant in the process. Camrose only sees the opportunity to get rich fast and live easy, and he's addicted to gambling at the local saloon. What no one knows is that he's been doing his gambling with the gold dust that the miners have left on deposit in his vault -- and he's been losing. He wants to get out of the territory, to someplace like San Francisco, and plans to take Lucy away. Stuart, by contrast, is as much a frontiersman as a businessman, and so much a part of the community and so trusted and liked that he might even be a potential political leader, if he ever had the time and the willingness to settle down and stay put. He finds consolation over his loss of Lucy in an engagement to Caroline Marsh (Patricia Roc), a daughter of an Englishman who came to Oregon only to see her father killed by Indians, who lives with the homesteading family of Ben Dance (Andy Devine) and his wife (Dorothy Peterson) and their children. Out of friendship, and also a little guilt over the fact that he would love to be engaged to Lucy, Stuart gives Camrose the money to get even, but Camrose can't resist one last card game, and not only loses what Stuart gave him, but the gold dust of one miner -- who shows up unexpectedly in town that night, planning on getting his dust the next day. When the man turns up drowned, Camrose is accused of murder; Stuart stands by his friend, but he's found guilty and the miners, led by hot-headed young Johnny Steele (Lloyd Bridges), plan on hanging him, and shooting anyone who tries to get in the way. But before his fate can be settled, an Indian war starts over the killing of a young Native American woman, and the lives of every white settler in and around Jacksonville are suddenly endangered. There's all of that, plus four songs (including "Old Buttermilk Sky") from Hoagy Carmichael (who does a great acting job), all convincingly woven into the drama along with one of the music legend's best acting performances. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

So Well Remembered was the first of a proposed series of Anglo-American co-productions underwritten by Hollywood's RKO Radio Pictures and England's J. Arthur Rank. In one of his better postwar roles, John Mills stars as George Boswell, the editor of the newspaper in the small English mining town of Bowdley. Tirelessly fighting for fairer treatment and better working conditions for the miners, Boswell is sidetracked by his covetous, ambitious wife Olivia (Martha Scott), who hopes to maneuver her husband into Parliament. Eventually, Boswell gets his priorities in order, neglecting his campaign to help local doctor Whiteside (Trevor Howard) combat a diphtheria epidemic. When he loses his own child to the disease, a tragedy caused in part by his wife's selfishness, Boswell withdraws completely from his campaign -- and from life. Years pass before Boswell can find some purpose in his existence again, this time by preventing the still-unregenerate Olivia from destroying the happiness of her son (Richard Carlson), from a second marriage, and the son's sweetheart Julie (Patricia Roc), Dr. Whiteside's daughter. John Mills' 5-year-old daughter Juliet and infant daughter Hayley appear in bit parts. Though director Edward Dmytryk received plaudits from most critics for his work on So Well Remembered, there were those who insisted upon reading Dmytryk's perceived "pro-Red" sentiments in the screenplay -- which was actually adapted by John Paxton from a novel by James Hilton (who also narrates the picture). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director David McDonald adapted the screenplay of The Brothers from a novel by L. A. G. Strong. Set at the turn-of-the-century, the story concerns the feud between two farming families on a remote Western Scottish island. Patricia Roc plays Mary, a serving girl who goes to work for the Macrae clan. This not only causes renewed hostility between the Macrae and the rival McFarish family, but also foments dissension between Macrae brothers Fergus (Maxwell Reed) and John (Duncan Macrae). In a break from tradition, the film substitutes the novel's unhappy ending with an even unhappier one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide