Donald Wolfit Movies
One of the last of England's great actor/managers, Donald Wolfit began his stage career in 1920. Wolfit made his well-received London debut in The Wandering Jew, and by 1929 was a member in good standing of the Old Vic. In 1937, he formed his own company, specializing in abridged versions of Shakespeare. During the darkest days of the Battle of Britain, Wolfit and his players gave over 100 morale-boosting lunchtime performances. It was for this patriotic effort, coupled with his theatrical accomplishments, that Wolfit was knighted in 1957. Though he made his first film in 1934, he didn't turn to moviemaking on a full-time basis until the 1950s. He starred in 1954's Svengali, and also essayed such colorful character roles as Sgt. Buzfuz in Pickwick Papers (1953), Mercier in I Accuse (1958), and General Murray in Lawrence of Arabia (1962). He also showed up in a couple of horror films, never giving less than his best even when the material wasn't there. Toward the end of his career, Wolfit starred in the 1962 TV series The Ghost Squad. Wolfit's career and personality served as the inspiration for Ronald Harwood's play The Dresser. Married three times, Sir Donald Wolfit's third wife was actress Rosalind Iden, with whom he frequently co-starred. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1951
That deathless Edgar Wallace thriller The Ringer was taken out of cold storage once more in 1951. Donald Wolfit, whose legendary thespic excesses were later fictionalized in the stage play The Dresser, is perfectly cast as a vengeance-seeking master of disguise. He announces publicly that he intends to kill the crooked lawyer (Herbert Lom) responsible for his sister's death. What is more, The Ringer has even appointed the exact time of the lawyer's demise. Scotland Yard surrounds the lawyer with a battalion of constables...but no one knows what the Ringer looks like, nor what disguise he plans to adopt. 1951's The Ringer was the third talkie version of Wallace's classic tale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Calling the Tune uses its skeletal plot to celebrate the British record industry, circa 1936. Adele Dixon plays the daughter of a powerful record company executive. She falls in love with Clifford Evans, who happens to be the man her father once cheated in order to build up his show business empire. Amidst several specialty numbers, love finds a way. Calling the Tune anticipates the 20th Century-Fox "feel good" musicals of the 1940s by spotlighting several prominent guest stars, including actor Cedric Hardwicke, music hall legend George Robey, conductor Sir Henry Wood, and the Queen's Hall Light Orchestra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1935
Drake of England was released variously to the British Empire, its commonwealths and the United States as Drake the Pirate and Elizabeth of England. In an agreeably compact fashion, the film recounts the exploits of British privateer Sir Francis Drake (played by the slightly long-in-tooth Matheson Lang), culminating with his 1588 triumph over the Spanish Armada. Athene Seyler appears as Queen Elizabeth I, bad wig and all. A goodly portion of screen time is devoted to the secret marriage between Drake and one of Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting (Jane Baxter). Drake of England was based on a flagwaving stage play by Louis N. Parker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matheson Lang, Athene Seyler, (more)
- 1935
In this mystery, ace detective Sexton Blake returns to solve the puzzling murder of a prominent violinist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1935
Walter Hackett's popular stage farce Hyde Park Corner was smoothly transferred to the screen in 1935. Gordon Harker repeats his stage role as insouciant cockney Cheatie, a central figure in a bit of history that repeats itself. A duel to the death in 1780 turns out to have long-reaching effects for the ancestors of the two participants. When in 1935 it looks as though the duel will be repeated -- under the same circumstances, at the same location -- the outcome is significantly different, and a whole lot happier. Binnie Hale co-stars as Sophie, a role originated on stage by Marion Lorne (yes, the same Marion Lorne who later played dithery Aunt Clara on TV's Bewitched). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Harker, Binnie Hale, (more)
- 1935
In this drama, a cub reporter from the Daily Gazette attempts to catch a bank robber. He is assisted by a woman who wants to provide him with valuable information. Unfortunately she is killed before he can meet with her. The reporter eventually finds the crook, catches him and sends him to the police. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1935
Sir Francis Drake (Lang), first English circumnavigator of the globe, is featured in this exciting adventure with his amazing defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and a romance between the dashing sailor and a lady-in-waiting for Queen Elizabeth (Baxter). ~ All Movie Guide
- 1935
Peter Haddon plays Dorothy L. Sayers' amateur detective Lord Peter Wimsey in the Anglo-American The Silent Passenger. A scurrilous blackmailer is murdered by one of his victims, but it is innocent John Loder who is suspected of the crime. Making the casual acquaintance of Loder, Lord Peter Wimsey sets about to prove his new friend's innocence. It all takes place on a train trip from London to the English Channel, with Loder acting as bait to flush out the real killer. Dorothy L. Sayers wrote the original story for Silent Passenger directly for the screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1934
Originally released in 1934 as Death at Broadcasting House, this musty British whodunit was distributed in the US in 1941 to cash in on the Hollywood-engendered popularity of its star, Ian Hunter. Set in a BBC radio studio, the story gets under way when a much-despised airwaves personality is murdered in the middle of a live broadcast. Scotland Yard inspector Gregory (Ian Hunter) shows up to piece together the clues and sift through the suspects. The solution of the mystery hinges on the fact that the victim insisted upon broadcasting in a private room, far removed from his fellow actors. Inspector Gregory provides this solution by coming up with a transcription of the fatal broadcast (this at a time when few radio programs were recorded for posterity). Elements of Death at a Broadcast resurfaced in the 1942 Abbott & Costello comedy Who Done It? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Hunter, Austin Trevor, (more)
