Norma Varden Movies
The daughter of a retired sea captain, British actress Norma Varden was a piano prodigy. After study in Paris, she played concerts into her teens, but at last decided that this was be an uncertain method of making a living--so she went to the "security" of acting. In her first stage appearance in Peter Pan, Varden, not yet twenty, portrayed the adult role of Mrs. Darling, setting the standard for her subsequent stage and film work; too tall and mature-looking for ingenues, she would enjoy a long career in character roles. Bored with dramatic assignments, Varden gave comedy a try at the famous Aldwych Theatre, where from 1929 through 1933 she was resident character comedienne in the theatre's well-received marital farces. After her talkie debut in the Aldwych comedy A Night Like This (1930), she remained busy on the British film scene for over a decade. Moving to Hollywood in 1941, she found that the typecasting system frequently precluded large roles: Though she was well served as Robert Benchley's wife in The Major and the Minor (1942), for example, her next assignment was the unbilled role of a pickpocket victim's wife in Casablanca (1942). Her work encompassed radio as well as films for the rest of the decade; in nearly all her assignments Norma played a haughty British or New York aristocrat who looked down with disdain at the "commoners." By the '50s, she was enjoying such sizeable parts as the society lady who is nearly strangled by Robert Walker in Strangers on a Train (1951), the bejeweled wife of "sugar daddy" Charles Coburn in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and George Sanders' dragonlike mother in Jupiter's Darling (1955). Norma Varden's greatest film role might have been as the mother superior in The Sound of Music (1965), but the producers decided to go with Peggy Wood, consigning Varden to the small but showy part of Frau Schmidt, the Von Trapps' housekeeper. After countless television and film assignments, Norma Varden retired in 1972, spending most of her time thereafter as a spokesperson for the Screen Actors Guild, battling for better medical benefits for older actors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1932
In this farce, a playboy falls for a nightclub dancer who is being blackmailed by the club owner over a necklace she borrowed. The playboy and an Irish cop ensure that everything turns out OK. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- 1933
In this comedy, two good friends spend Christmas at the home of one of their fiancees. While there, her beloved falls in love with another woman. His buddy falls for the newcomer too and romantic mayhem ensues. Fortunately things are set to right by the story's end and romantic bliss ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1934
Too expensive for a "quota quickie" but not quite costly enough to qualify as an "A" picture, Happy is a shapeless but generally satisfying vehicle for several of England's top music-hall attractions. Stanley Lupino (Ida's dad) and Laddie Cliff star as Frank and George, a pair of nightclub musicians living in an attic owned by irascible Scotsman Simmy (Will Fyffe). Hoping to get rich quick, Frank invents a device that, when attached to an automobile, will immediately alert the police if the car is stolen. A millionaire car manufacturer is interested in the device, but agrees to purchase it only after his pretty daughter falls in love with Frank. Balking at the idea of marrying the girl for her money and influence, Frank nearly throws away his chance for true happiness, but it's all smiles and happy songs at the end. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stanley Lupino, Laddie Cliff, (more)
- 1934
The Iron Duke is one of the best of the George Arliss biopics -- and one of the few that can claim near-total accuracy (with the usual glossovers and embellishments, of course). Arliss plays the Duke of Wellington, the brilliant and foresighted British diplomat -- warrior of the Napoleonic Era. The film covers the years 1815 and 1816, reaching a climax as Wellington faces down Napoleon's armies at Waterloo (an exciting sequence, despite obvious production economies). On the home front, Wellington must contend with political enemies, prevaricators and turncoats -- and also with those who demand impossible sanctions against the French, thereby setting the stage for future wars (the parallels between Wellington's era and the post-WW I years are impossible to miss). Of the supporting players Gladys Cooper is sheer vitriol as the Duchess of Angouleme, daughter of Marie Antoinette, while Emlyn Williams is equally effective as an anti-Wellington journalist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Arliss, Ellaline Terriss, (more)
- 1935
In this British comedy, an aging aristocrat with a gambling addiction borrows money from a relative and ends up winning big at the track. Unfortunately he quickly loses it all in Nice. Impoverished once again, he encounters another loser. Together the two get in cahoots with a diamond thief masquerading as a count who cons the wealthy tourists out of their gems. The two end up going to rat on the count to the police when they are arrested. They go to trial, and at the last minute they are acquitted. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Walls, Ralph Lynn, (more)
- 1935
This musical features the BBC bandleader trying to deal with his musicians in the recording studio. Meanwhile, outside the studio, his music helps save a band in the jungle from cannibals, helps a group of mountain climbers get out of a foggy area, and starts and ends relationships. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- 1935
A Student's Romance was based on the operetta I Lost My Heart in Heidelburg, which in turn owed a lot to that old chestnut The Student Prince. In 1825, impoverished composer Max (Patric Knowles) enrolls at Heidelburg University. Local girl Veronika (Carol Goodner) falls in love with Max, helping him to finance his education and clear his debts. Alas, Veronika is left out in the cold when Max becomes enamored with gorgeous tourist Helene (Grete Natzler). Little does he know that Helene is the daughter of the Grand Duke (Ivan Simpson), meaning of course that their romance is doomed to disappointment. Leading lady Grete Natzler later changed her screen name to Della Lynd, and under that cognomen co-starred with Laurel & Hardy in Swiss Miss (1938). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Grete Natzler, Patric Knowles, (more)
- 1936
Winding up his Hollywood film career in 1935, venerable British stage star George Arliss returned to his homeland for his last movie assignments. In East Meets West, the 68-year-old Arliss dons turban and monocle to portray an Eastern sultan who is inordinately proud of his son. The young man bids fair to break his father's heart by conducting an affair with the wife of a notorious criminal. Arliss exercises his usual third-act prerogative of tying up all loose plot ends and providing confusion unto his enemies. East Meets West was based on an old George Arliss stage vehicle, Edwin Greenwood's The Lake of Life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Arliss, Lucie Mannheim, (more)
- 1936
Will Hay plays Benjamin Stubbins, an unsuccessful and incompetent English lawyer with a tendency to tip the bottle and an inability to pay any of the considerable debts he has managed to accumulate. His wealthy family, of course, disapproves of him and has taken custody of his daughter so that she will receive a proper upbringing. Stubbins does not improve matters by visiting his brother-in-law and accidentally getting the butler drunk when he recommends alcohol as the cure for his toothache. He gets no more respect at the office, where lazy office boy Willie ignores his instructions in favor of reading the comics. Stubbins' life changes, however, when a gang of American crooks shows up. They know that the safe to a bank is located directly underneath his office and they employ the unsuspecting solicitor to track down a family tree, thus keeping him out of the office while they stage a robbery. Later, they show up at Stubbins' brother-in-law's house during a Christmas party, planning to fleece the host and his guests. Fortunately, Stubbins also shows up, disguised as Santa, and after the usual chase, the gang is captured. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Hay
- 1936
While the Hollywood output of director William "One-Take" Beaudine was largely uninspired, he turned out several first-rate efforts while employed in England in the mid-1930s. Beaudine's Boys Will be Boys stars the inimitable Will Hay, cast in his standard role as a pompous, ineffectual schoolmaster. Upon learning that the father (Gordon Harker) of one of his students is a thief, do-gooder Hay tries to redirect the reprobate towards the Straight and Narrow--and nearly gets pinched as a criminal himself. Hay's perennial comic foils Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott are nowhere to be found in this escapade, but they're not really missed this time around. Star Will Hay co-wrote the screenplay with Robert Edmunds. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
In this comedy, a blustery sailor loves to tell whoppers about his abilities and adventures. All the wind leaves his sails when he is asked to show off those talents. The trouble begins when a wealthy yachtsman hires him to take charge of his boat. Unbeknownst to the sailor, the boat is slated to be sabotaged so the owner can collect the insurance. Fortunately, the sailor proves his mettle and saves the day. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Hay, Moore Marriott, (more)
- 1937
In this comedy, a street artist has successfully conned his wife and family into believing that he is a well-to-do businessman. This scam has been going on for many years. Unfortunately, it all blows up in his face when his alter ego is believed murdered and he becomes the prime suspect. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1937
In this drama, a doctor disguises himself as a circus clown and starts a new life. When a wealthy young woman is knocked out by an elephant, he reaches into his medical bag of tricks and saves her. The two then fall in love. Unfortunately Dr. Clown's foster child does not approve of the match until the socialite proves her innocence after the girl is accused of killing the lion tamer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nils Asther, June Clyde, (more)
- 1937
In this comedy, a mild-mannered shipping clerk and his wife get into deep trouble after they are mistaken for jewel thieves by gangsters who want them to steal some valuable jewels. Despite the couple's protest, the crooks force them into pulling off the job during a ritzy party. While there, they realize that the real jewel thieves are also in attendance. The two ingeniously engineer the capture of the crooks and bring them to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- ZaSu Pitts, Claude Dampier, (more)
- 1938
In her only Warner Bros. starring film, Carole Lombard plays a Hollywood movie actress who makes the park-bench acquaintance of an impoverished French marquis (Fernand Gravet). Hoping to coerce Carole into marriage, the nobleman poses as a butler and enters her household. His plan is to compromise Lombard and force her to make him an "honest man"--with the attendant cash settlement. Ralph Bellamy, as ever, is the poor clod who really loves Lombard but who loses her in the end to the chastened Gravet. Rodgers and Hart were commissioned to write several songs for this film, but found most of their efforts consigned to the cutting room floor. Fools for Scandal was based on Nancy Hamilton's stage play Return Engagement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carole Lombard, Fernand Gravey, (more)
- 1938
In this comedy a young woman weasels out of a vacation with her parents and away from the young man they want her to date by conning a scientist to pose as a doctor and tell them she is terribly ill. The daughter and her "physician" end up traversing the country in their attempts to avoid her family and the suitor who disgusts her. Along the way, the two fall in love. Marital bliss ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1938
As cleaner-salesman/electioneer Miller learns of the actions of evil Maltby in running the orphanage, he turns his loyalties to the kind Burtwell. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1939
In this comedy, an inmate relishes the peace and solitude of prison life as it affords him a welcome escape from his nagging wife. He tries everything he can do to stay there, including committing more crimes, but it is to no avail: they release him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1939
In this British comedy, a young woman begins managing her free-spirited father's waterfront pub and does a great job of it until the shipyard is closed down. To help the poor workers, she gathers them together to walk to London in protest. No one goes along with the scheme, so the plucky gal then does all she can to single handedly get the shipyard to open again. She does so by pretending to be someone else so she can get an audience with an important diplomat. One song from the show, "Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye," was a favorite of soldiers heading off to fight WW II. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gracie Fields, Sydney Howard, (more)
Given the omnipresence of the Motion Picture Production Code in 1940, the second film version of Robert E. Sherwood's Waterloo Bridge would have to be laundered and softened to pass muster. In the original, made in 1931, the heroine is nothing more or less than a streetwalker, patrolling London's Waterloo Bridge during World War I in hopes of picking up the occasional soldier. She falls in love with one of her clients, a young officer from an aristocratic family. Gently informed by the young man's mother that any marriage would be absolutely impossible, the streetwalker tearfully agrees, letting her beau down gently before ending her own life by walking directly into the path of an enemy bomb. In the remake, told in flashback as a means of "distancing" the audience from what few unsavory story elements were left, the heroine, Vivien Leigh, starts out as a virginal ballerina. Robert Taylor, a British officer from a wealthy family, falls in love with Vivien and brings her home to his folks. This time around, Taylor's uncle (C. Aubrey Smith), impressed by Vivien's sincerity, reluctantly agrees to the upcoming marriage. When Taylor marches off to war, Vivien abandons an important dance recital to bid her fiance goodbye, losing her job as a result. Later, she is led to believe that Taylor has been killed in battle. Thus impoverished and aggrieved, she is given a motivation for turning to prostitution, a plot element deemed unecessary in the original-which indeed it was. Now the stage is set for her final sacrifice, though the suicidal elements are carefully weeded out. Waterloo Bridge was remade for a second time in 1956 as Gaby, with Leslie Caron and John Kerr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vivien Leigh, Robert Taylor, (more)
- 1940
The schizophrenic screenplay of The Earl of Chicago is rendered even more bizarre by the uneven performance by Robert Montgomery. He plays Silky Kilmont, a Runyonesque American gangster who inherits a British title (Earl of Gorley) and mansion. Taking charge of his new estate, Silky has an amusing time trying to acclimate himself to the customs of the "landed gentry". Things take a sinister turn when Silky discovers that his trusted attorney Doc Ramsey (Edward Arnold) is actually a bigger crook than he is. In a rage, Silky murders Ramsey, then goes into what appears to be a catatonic shock, refusing to defend himself at his murder trial. Blood finally tells at the climax when Silky Kilmont, aka the Earl of Gorley, meets his fate with a dignity and decorum worthy of his aristocratic forebears. The queasy atmosphere of the film is heightened by its utter lack of romance; outside of character actress Norma Varden, there are barely any women in the film at all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Montgomery, Edward Arnold, (more)
- 1940
Former child star Jackie Cooper headlines this sentimental behind-the-scenes comedy drama. He plays an ex-child star who now jerks sodas for a living in Hollywood. He gets back into the movie business when he overhears a conversation between producers discussing their newest prodigy. Cooper butts in and suggests the producers remake Skippy (a real-life 1931 film that made young Cooper a star). The bigwigs like the idea and then hire Cooper to become the boy's acting coach. Once back on the backlot, Cooper finds both trouble and romance while helping the young boy adjust to life as a movie star. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Cooper, Susanna Foster, (more)
- 1941
In this remake of the 1930 film of the same name, a bank robber suffers a war wound and undergoes plastic surgery. Upon his recovery, he discovers that he is the exact double of a banker (who is trapped in a German POW camp). Being an opportunist, the fellow then assumes the banker's identity and his wife while he plans another caper. Fortunately, an observant Yard inspector sees through the robber's masquerade. Later the robber goes straight after revealing the plans of a German spy ring to steal every penny from the bank. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nancy Kelly, Edmund Gwenn, (more)
