Heather Thatcher Movies
Blonde British leading lady Heather Thatcher first appeared before the cameras in the 1915 version of The Prisoner of Zenda, but it was as a musical comedy star in West End productions that she achieved her greatest fame. From 1937 to 1944, Thatcher was a resident of Hollywood, appearing in regal, sometimes eccentric character roles. She played the Queen of France in If I Were King (1937), Lady Brandon in Beau Geste (1939), Rose Waterford in The Moon and Sixpence (1942), and Lady Delroy in Gaslight (1944). Heather Thatcher returned to the Britishfilm industry with Anna Karenina (1947), continuing to appear in supporting parts until her retirement in 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1937
Two members of the Russian monarchy pose as French servants while hiding the Czar's fortune. This unlikely plot is at the core of this successful 1937 Hollywood comedy-drama starring the French-born Charles Boyer as Prince Mikail Alexandrovitch Ouratieff. The prince and his wife, Grand Duchess Tatiana Petrovna (Claudette Colbert), are entrusted with a huge fortune by the Czar, which they take with them while fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution. They arrive in Paris and put all the money in a bank, not wanting to take any for themselves. To fend off poverty, they take a job as servants in the home of wealthy businessman Charles Dupont (Melville Cooper) and his wife Fernande (Isabel Jeans). At a dinner party, their secret is exposed by one of the invited guests, a top Soviet official named Gorotchenko (Basil Rathbone), who had tortured and interrogated Ouratieff before the prince left Russia. Gorotchenko now asks for the fortune to help Russia, which is in economic trouble. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudette Colbert, Charles Boyer, (more)
- 1935
In this romantic costume drama, a man in the service of a king finds that falling in love with the queen can carry a high price. Struensee (Clive Brook) is a doctor from Hamburg who is called upon to treat Denmark's King Charles VII (Emlyn Williams) while the potentate visits Germany. The grateful King brings Struensee back to Denmark with him where he will be afforded a life of luxury. However, Struensee's new and idyllic life hits a considerable snag when he falls in love with Queen Caroline (Madeleine Carroll). The Queen is also infatuated with Struensee, but the Queen Mother (Helen Hayes) soon learns of their affair and has both Struensee and Caroline put behind bars. Struensee is able to arrange for the Queen's escape, but she refuses to leave without the man she loves. The film was also shown under the titles The Loves of a Dictator, The Love Affair of the Dictator, and For Love of a Queen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clive Brook, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1934
Producer and director (Alexander Korda) followed up The Private Life of Henry VIII (one of the first internationally successful British films) with this historical comedy. After years in exile, the great lover Don Juan (Douglas Fairbanks) returns to Seville, the city of his salad days. However, Don Juan is now married and middle-aged, and his days as a spoiler of women seem to be behind him. When he learns that a young man in town (Barry McKay) has been posing as him and making time with the local ladies, Don decides to prove who the great lover truly is and attempts the seduction of Antonia (Merle Oberon), a beautiful dancer. However, Don's doctor informs him that girl-hunting will tax his fragile health, and his wife Dolores (Benita Hume) will no longer turn a blind eye to his infidelity. When the impostor is killed by a jealous husband, Don is relieved, as his "death" allows him to retire from his career as a rake with his reputation intact. But when the old itch returns, Don makes the sad discovery that if he can't convince women he's Don Juan, they simply aren't interested in him. The Private Life of Don Juan provided one of the few speaking roles for silent screen swashbuckler Douglas Fairbanks, and proved to be his last picture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas Fairbanks, Merle Oberon, (more)
- 1934
It's a Boy was freely adapted from a German play by Franz Arnold and Ernest Bach. On the eve of his marriage to Anita Gunn (Heather Thatcher), Dudley Leake (Edward Everett Horton) is confronted by Joe Piper (Albert Burdon), who claims to be Dudley's illegitimate son. Best man James Skippett (Leslie Henson) smells a rat, especially when Joe demands money for his silence. Investigating on his own, Skippett learns a few awful truths and saves the day. Heavily made up as an old duffer, Edward Everett Horton garners most of the film's laughs, keeping the very thinnish plotline afloat. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Henson, Albert Burdon, (more)
- 1934
In this British drama, based on a popular play, a wealthy young Jew goes to a weekend house party and finds himself victimized by anti-Semitic guests. To add insult to injury, his wallet is then stolen. The fellow exposes the pilferer and threatens to take him to court until the other guests, terrified of scandal, offer to make him a member of their exclusive club. It seems, like a good offer until the other members express their racist reservations about his joining. The angered fellow decides to take it to court after all. The distraught thief is found guilty and subsequently suicides. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Basil Rathbone, Heather Thatcher, (more)
- 1932
Ivor Novello's elegant stage play The Truth Game was the source for MGM's But the Flesh is Weak. C. Aubrey Smith and Robert Montgomery star as Florian and Max, father-and-son fortune hunters whose ethics and integrity wax and wane throughout the picture. Eventually, Florian outsmarts himself and ends up broke and heavily in debt. To save his father from committing suicide, Max agrees to marry wealthy Lady Joan (Heather Thatcher). Will he be saved from this rash act in time by his true love, poor but proud widow Rosine (Nora Gregor)? In cold print, But the Flesh is Weak may seem like a stark tragedy, but is in fact a witty, polished polite comedy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Montgomery, Nora Gregor, (more)
- 1930
In this comedy, a business magnate goes to Monte Carlo for a vacation. There his pal encourages him to begin a flirtation with a lovely young woman. Later he returns home. There he learns that the girl is secretly married to a friend's nephew. Fortunately, the fellow is saved when the woman claims that his pal was really her lover. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1929
In this romance, a Scotsman, dull as cold oatmeal, attempts to become a suave and witty rake to impress an effervescent, sophisticated lady with expensive tastes. But despite his best efforts, the fellow simply cannot sparkle. Finally he sees that he was only attracted to her gaudy exterior and decides that he would rather be his dour old self than someone else. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1916
Despite its somewhat kinky title, the British Altar Chains is a rather sedate domestic drama. Dawson Milward plays a military captain who runs up a huge debt. Milward is compelled to turn to moneylender Philip Hewland. As "collateral," Milward promises that his ward, Heather Thatcher, will marry Hewland if the debt can't be paid. It can't, and the odious Hewland demands that Milward make good his promise. An officer and a gentleman, Milward cannot go back on his word-but when he discovers that he has only a month to live, he can take drastic measures to ensure Thatcher's happiness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
