Edward Thompson Movies
- 1968
Cars are crashing everywhere in this action film that tells the story of Nero Sagittarius, a mobster, and his partner Cateye Meares are determined break into the Southern stock-car circuit. Their entry is opposed by Steve Cullen as it was Meares who killed his brother. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
Fabian of the Yard is a feature-length compilation of episodes from the British TV series of the same name. Bruce Seton plays Scotland Yard superintendent Fabian, a man who prefers brain over brawn but isn't averse to cracking a few skulls to make his point. In three "Fabian" episodes represented herein, the good inspector goes after a serial-killing truck driver, a blackmailer and a group of bomb-happy IRA terrorists. The supporting cast features such familiar faces as Sarah Churchill (Winston's daughter) and Victor Maddern. When Fabian of the Yard was syndicated in America, its title was helpfully altered to Fabian of Scotland Yard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1951
Golden Girl is the life story (sort of) of legendary 19th-century American entertainer Lotta Crabtree. The daughter of a luckless gambler (James Barton), young Lotta (Mitzi Gaynor) supports herself and her dad by singing and dancing in mining camps during the California Gold Rush of 1849. She carries on her activities into Indian territory, where she saves her scalp by winning over her Native American audiences. During the Civil War, Lotta falls in love with a dashing Confederate spy (Dale Robertson), with whom she is briefly reunited in San Francisco before his inevitable demise. The finale is one of those "smiling through the tears" contrivances that always worked so well in musical films. Golden Girl was produced for 20th Century-Fox by entertainer George Jessel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mitzi Gaynor, Dale Robertson, (more)
- 1940
This tuneful mystery features an all African-American cast and chronicles the search for the killer who cleverly poisoned a talented trumpet player. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1940
Idealistic black doctor James Dunbar (Ralph Cooper) wants to minister to his people in Harlem, and to this end sets up a free clinic. But a gang of racketeers threaten to shut Dr. Dunbar down unless he becomes an "underworld doctor", taking care of wounded crooks without notifying police. The doc resists at first, but finally succumbs because he needs the money to keep his clinic going. So here's the question: Is committing a crime OK if the result is for the greater good? The answer is quite surprising in this refreshingly non-formula film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Cooper, Sybil Lewis, (more)
- 1939
Like many all-black films of the 1930s, Reform School is shabbily produced and unevenly acted, but still a rewarding experience for those patient enough to sit through the seedier passages. The magnificent Louise Beavers, so often wasted in maidservant roles, heads the cast as Mother Barton, a reform-minded matron who strives to improve conditions in a run-down reformatory. The youthful inmates at first resist her efforts, which include an Honor System, but they prove themselves to be good kids at heart by solving a robbery for which the middle-aged heroine has been arrested. The young reform-schoolers are billed as the "Harlem Tuff Kids", in obvious emulation of the Dead End Kids. The supporting cast includes Reginald Fenderson, one of the featured players in the original Broadway production of The Green Pastures, and Eugene Jackson, formerly "Pineapple" in the silent Our Gang comedies and later a member of the singing Jackson Trio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louise Beavers, Reginald Fenderson, (more)
- 1939
African- American singer-dancer Jeni Le Gon starred as a nightclub singer in this "all-Negro" crime melodrama produced by small-time Argos Pictures. Monte Hawley co-starred as Jim McCoy, a hardworking black man in love with Nita (Le Gon). Despite warnings, Jim's younger brother Tommy (Freddie Jackson) turns down a respectable job as a Pullman porter in favor of working for gangster Dude Markey (Edward Thompson), older brother Jim's rival. During a disagreement, Dude shoots and kills nightclub owner Murray Howard (Maceo Sheffield) and blames young Tommy. Jim catches the real murderer red-handed with a cache of stolen diamonds and during their ensuing fight, Dude is shot and killed by Lanny (Charles Gordon), Jim's policeman friend. As part of the nightclub floor show, Shelton Brooks sang his own composition "Hole in the Wall" and Le Gon performed "Gettin' in Right with You." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1938
Starring in what the trade-papers would term her "first all-Negro picture," the always delightful Louise Beavers played the widowed mother of two very different sons. Henry (Reginald Fenderson, a wastrel who gets in trouble with underworld characters, and Bob (Edward Thompson, a studious young man who earns a law degree. When Henry finds himself falsely accused of a gang-related murder, Ma persuades brother Bob to defend him in court. Produced by the white-owned Million Dollar Productions, Life Goes On was directed by former cinematographer William L. Nolte, a Caucasian. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Also known as The Duke Is Tops, this is one of the best examples of the many all-black films made in the 1930s for what were then designated as "colored" theatres. Looking about 15 years old, Lena Horne plays the main attraction for the stage shows put on by a fellow named Duke (Ralph Cooper). When she gets a chance at a Broadway show, Lena swiftly severs all ties with Duke. But when Lena's big-time debut threatens to be a disaster, it is Duke who saves the day. The dialogue is for the birds, but The Duke Is Tops is aces when it comes to musical numbers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Cooper, Lena Horne, (more)
