Joan Gardner Movies
British leading lady Joan Gardner began supplementing her stage income with film roles in 1932, showing up in such quickies as Men of Tomorrow (1932) and Wedding Rehearsal (1932). Looking smashing in period costumes, Gardner was seen in the larger-budgeted Catherine the Great (1934) and The Private Life of Don Juan (1934). Perhaps her best screen assignment was as the lady friend of Roland Young in the 1937 fantasy The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1937). Joan Gardner retired from films in 1939 upon marrying producer/director Zoltan Korda. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The story of how Santa Claus came to be is brought to life through the magic of stop-motion animation in this Christmas-themed production for the family. A friendly postman (voiced by Fred Astaire) explains how friendly Kris Kringle (voice of Mickey Rooney), a foundling taken in by a family of toymakers, took it upon himself to bring some happiness to the children of Sombertown, despite the grumpy opposition of Burgermeister Meisterburger (voice of Paul Frees) and the Winter Warlock (voice of Keenan Wynn). Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town was directed and produced by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., who created another popular animated story of the season, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1965
This hysterically awful rubber-suit monster romp stars Jon Hall (who also directed) as an embittered marine researcher who is so incredibly annoyed by the rock and roll antics of the fun-loving teens who hang out near his Waikiki beach house that he decides to create a slimy fish-monster to silence them once and for all. The beast manages to wipe out a fair portion of beach bums and bummettes, but somehow the pesky kids just keep multiplying and coming back more annoying than before -- surfing, gyrating (to tunes by Frank Sinatra, Jr.) and throwing the odd clambake. Not a very distinguished comeback for former Ramar of the Jungle Hall, this nevertheless has a certain ugly charm, according it "so-bad-it's-good" status. Released to television as Monster from the Surf. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1964
The near-sighted cartoon character Magoo inhabits the role of Friar Tuck in this animated version of the Robin Hood legend. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
In the wake of the success of Disney's "101 Dalmatians," Warner Brothers has come up with a story about cats called "Gay Purr-ee." This song-filled adventure begins with Mewsette, a rural femme feline longing for the exciting life in Paris. She is kidnapped by some criminal cats. Things look bad until Jaune-Tom and his faithful friend Robespierre discover the crime and claw their way to Mewsette's side in hopes of rescuing the purloined pussy. Judy Garland does the voice of Mewsette, and sings eight songs by Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen. The most memorable is "Paris Is A Lonely Town." Robert Goulet is the voice of Jaune-Tom, with Red Buttons as Robespierre. Other voices are by the legendary Mel Blanc, Hermione Gingold, Paul Frees, Morey Amsterdam, Julie Bennett and Joan Gardner. The superior animation was supervised by Chuck Jones, with the screenplay by Jones and his wife Dorothy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, (more)
Having made a bundle on their 130-episode package of Mr. Magoo TV cartoons, the folks at UPA studios decided to star Magoo in a 60-minute musical version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. First telecast over the NBC network on December 18, 1962, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol deftly uses the device of depicting Magoo as a famous Broadway star, returning to the stage to essay the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge. This "framing" device has, unfortunately, been eliminated from currently available TV and video versions of this hour-long animated special. Still, Magoo has plenty of time to shine as Scrooge, a role ideally suited for the character's crotchety demeanor and comic nearsightedness. The five original songs by Jules Styne and Bob Merrill are wonderful-far more so than the disposable score of the 1970 live-action Christmas Carol musical adaptation Scrooge. The principal voices are provided by Jim Backus as Magoo, Jack Cassidy as Bob Cratchit, Royal Dano as Marley's Ghost, and Joan Gardner, Morey Amsterdam and Paul Frees. Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol served as the pilot for the 1964 animated anthology series The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, wherein Magoo essayed such literary roles as Friar Tuck, Gunga Din, and all seven of Snow White's dwarves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
This cartoon series, consisting of 130 5-minute programs, looked a lot like Mr. Magoo, which was understandable as both the Tracy and Magoo series produced by United Productions of America. Dick Tracy, drawn in the realistic style of the newspaper strip (and voiced by Everett Sloane), was primarily seen in the opening segment, sitting at his desk at headquarters, contacting his various operatives by the two-way wrist-radio and assigning them their tasks. Tracy's operatives include Officer Heap O'Calorie, Hemlock Holmes, Go-Go Gomez, and Joe Jitsu -- these characters were drawn in exagerated cartoon style which, in the case of Japanese detective Joe Jitsu, was also highly ethnically offensive in decades to come (which is why the series disappeared from syndication in the 1970's). The villains were more interesting, an array of physical grotesques drawn right from the comic strip -- Pruneface, Itchy, BB Eyes, Flat Top et al, drawn in a more realistic style. The voices of the supporting detectives were based, in most instances, on some familiar movie figures: Cary Grant for Hemlock Holmes, Andy Devine for Heap O'Calorie etc. The cartoons were long on laughs and short on logic and excitement, and the production values, even by the standards of the limited animation typical for television, were somewhat threadbare. Indeed, the most memorable and exciting part of this series was the opening and closing sequences -- an overhead shot of a big city street, looking a lot like midtown Manhattan in the early 1960's, shows a police car at full siren cutting through traffic, and gunshots spell out "Dick Tracy," accompanied to swish-pan shots of panicked onlookers; the patrol car pulls up in front of a police station, and we cut to Tracy at his desk, telling the chief on his intercom that he "get right on it." The closing sequence was similar, a police car cutting through traffic at full speed, siren blaring, while onlookers stare. The credit sequence animators at least knew the look and feel of film noir, as well as a good action show. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1939
In this African adventure, a band of Englishmen search for a buried cache of diamonds. Unfortunately, their greed creates considerable friction that erupts in violence culminating in the death of one party member and the wounding of another. The rest of the men end up abandoning the killer and opting to share their new-found wealth equally. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Gardner, Ian Colin, (more)
- 1938
American leading lady Marian Marsh plays the title character in the British Girl Thief. Actually, the biggest thing young Juliet (Marsh) steals is the heart of Bill (Anthony Bushell), the best friend of her fiance Allan (Claude Hulbert). It is subsequently a considerable source of discomfort when Bill is asked to serve as best man for Allan and Juliet's wedding. Everything turns out OK when it's revealed that Allan is himself still carrying a torch for an ex-sweetheart. This charming but utterly forgettable frivolity was originally released in England as Love at Second Sight. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marian Marsh, Anthony Bushell, (more)
- 1938
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
- 1938
The British adventure film The Challenge is based on a real-life turn-of-the-century competition. The race is on between a team of British mountain climbers and a government-sponsored Italian team to conquer a hazardous alpine peak. Edward Whimper (Robert Douglas) heads the English expedition, while Jean-Antoine Carrel (Luis Trenker) is in charge of the Italians. Actual footage of the Alps is seamlessly blended with studio mockups. Emeric Pressburger, on the verge of his felicitous teaming with Michael Powell, wrote the original story for The Challenge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Douglas, Luis Trenker, (more)
- 1937
The unorthodox teaming of Vivien Leigh and Conrad Veidt is but one of the many pleasures of the 1937 spy yarn Dark Journey. Leigh plays a Stockholm dress-shop owner during World War I, who, being a neutral, is permitted to travel unmolested to and from France. Veidt plays a supposedly disgraced German officer who is actually head of his country's secret service. The two fall in love, despite the fact that Leigh has a secret as well: she is a double agent, sympathetic towards the Allied cause. During one of Leigh's voyages to France, her ship is captured by a German U-boat. Veidt swaggers on board, threatening to sink the ship if Leigh is not turned over to him. But the circumstances reverse themselves, and Veidt finds himself Leigh's prisoner--a circumstance that is not altogether unpleasant for him. When originally released in England, Dark Journey bore the title The Anxious Years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Conrad Veidt, Vivien Leigh, (more)
- 1936
The Alexander and Zoltan Korda production Forget Me Not serves as a splendid showcase for that matchless Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli. The star is cast in the strangely unsympathetic role of opera star Enzo Curti, who falls in love with impressionable tourist Helen (Joan Gardner). After their marriage, disillusionment quickly sets in for Helen, who can't cope with sharing her new husband with his thousands of fans. When seductress Irene (Jeanne Stuart) moves in on Enzo, Helen leaves him, returning to her former sweetheart. Now contrite, Enzo spends the rest of the film desperately trying to win his young wife back. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beniamino Gigli, Joan Gardner, (more)
- 1936
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As a result of a discussion between a trio of gods over the true worthiness of Earth, a retiring British shop assistant is granted miraculous powers in this fantasy based on an H.G. Wells story. Roland Young stars as George McWhirter Fotheringay, whose new powers are virtually limitless; choosing to use them for good, he sets out to create a utopian society. Still, despite a succession of miraculous deeds, George's plans to cure all of the world's ills is met with disbelief. As proof of his power, George wills the earth to stop spinning on its axis, which results in its citizens flying off the planet into space. Because George is indestructible, he is able to shout out his last wish, which restores the world--and George himself--back to normal. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roland Young, Joan Gardner, (more)
- 1935
Archie Pitt not only starred in the British Barnacle Bill, but also wrote the story upon which the screenplay was based. Pitt plays an elderly, widowed seaman who has raised his daughter Joan Gardner all by himself. Having spent his life scrimping, saving and sacrificing to ensure Gardner's happiness, Pitt is aghast at his daughter's choice in men. Your tear ducts will likely get quite a workout in the closing scenes. Sybil Jason, later a briefly popular Hollywood child star, is seen as young Joan Gardner. Neither the 1942 Barnacle Bill (a Wallace Beery vehicle) nor the 1958 film of that name (starring Alec Guinness) has any relation to the 1935 film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1935
Originally released in 1932, Men of Tomorrow represented the film debut of Robert Donat. The story follows a young, idealistic Oxford student in the years following his graduation. Now a successful novelist, Allen Shepherd (Maurice Bradell) has married college sweetheart Jane Anderson (Joan Gardner). A firm proponent of the "woman's place is in the home" school, Allen walks out on Jane when she accepts a teaching post in Oxford's chemistry department. Eventually he realizes what a heel he's been, and the couple is reunited. Though both Robert Donat and Merle Oberon are cast in supporting roles, they were given top billing when Men of Tomorrow was distributed in the U.S. in 1935. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1935
Previously filmed in 1929 as S.O.S. (also the title of the Walter Ellis play that is its basis), Her Last Affaire switches the sexes of its leading characters so that the protagonist is now a male, Alan Heriot (Hugh Williams). Heriot is the secretary to Sir Julian Weyre (Francis L. Sullivan) a politician of increasing power and influence; he also has designs on Weyre's daughter (Sophie Stewart), and wishes to marry her. Weyre and his new wife, Lady Avril (Viola Keats), are against the marriage, primarily because Heriot's father was involved in a criminal scandal. As the film unfolds, the viewer comes to doubt the sincerity of Heriot's affection toward the boss' daughter, for he arranges a suspicious assignation at a country inn with Lady Avril. Eventually, however, it becomes clear that he has done so because he knows Lady Avril has information that could clear his family's name, and he is attempting to force her to sign a document to that effect. Unfortunately, while he is trying to persuade her, Lady Avril suffers a heart attack and dies. Panicking, Heriot flees and thus becomes the prime suspect in what is declared to be a murder. With motive and without a valid alibi, things look bleak for the young man, who comes to rely upon a maid at the inn to help him out of this difficult situation. Thought lost for many years, the film was rediscovered and restored in the 1980s. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Williams, Viola Keats, (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)
This film from director Harold Young is the second big-screen adaptation of Baroness Emmuska Orczy's 1905 novel The Scarlet Pimpernel. Leslie Howard stars as Sir Percy Blakeney, a British aristocrat who rescues innocent victims of the French Revolution under the guise of The Scarlet Pimpernel while maintaining the identity of a foppish dandy by day. Even his wife, Lady Marguerite Blakeney (Merle Oberon), is unaware of Percy's heroic alter-ego as he and his band of likeminded masked men save countless people from the guillotine. Perhaps the most famous adaptation of the classic book, The Scarlet Pimpernel would later be lampooned in 1966's Don't Lose Your Head. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, (more)
- 1934
This historical drama recounts the events that led up to the rule of Russia's 18th-century Catherine the Great. Arriving from Germany as a young woman who is to wed Grand Duke Peter, she soon becomes caught up in the court intrigue and marries the lit-fuse duke. As the Grand Duke's mother lays dying, she relates her fears about her son's mental states, leaving Catherine to contend with his irrational and cruel behavior. When he goes too far with his antics, he is overthrown and put to death, though not by her wishes. Soon, however, Catherine is made the new Czaritza and restores order to her country. Elisabeth Bergner stars with Douglas Fairbanks in this British production. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Elisabeth Bergner, (more)
- 1933
When bumbling private eye Kendall investigates a case of stolen jewels he finds that the police inspector is at the head of the heist. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Kendall, Gillian Lind, (more)
- 1932
Quite popular when first released, Wedding Rehearsal is a bit obscure today, which is a shame when one considers the talented cast and production staff. Roland Young plays a diffident aristocrat who is pressured to marry by his veddy proper family. Imagine their shock when Young falls in love with (ugh!) a commoner. His working-class bride is played by Merle Oberon, who in real life became the wife of the film's producer/director Alexander Korda. The very first effort from Korda's London Film Productions, Wedding Reharsal costarred theatrical giant Maurice Evans and Hollywood stars-to-be John Loder and Wendy Barrie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Grossmith, Roland Young, (more)
