Reginald Long Movies

The angel of the title is Jane Baxter, the wife of country physician Patrick Barr. Everybody in the small British village where she lives thinks the world of Baxter; thus, when she is murdered, the authorities are out for blood. Dr. Barr seems above suspicion, at least until he begins behaving eccentrically. As time passes, most everyone learns that Baxter wasn't quite as angelic as she seemed-and that quite a few people might have wanted her dead. This 64-minute programmer was based on This is Mary's Chair, a play by Frank King. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ann Markham (Margaret Lockwood) is an employee with the British Embassy in Rio de Janeiro. Though ostensibly businesslike and intelligent, Ann can't help falling in love with irresponsible Charlie Kent (Griffith Jones). On their wedding day, Ann discovers that Charlie is on the lam from fraud charges throughout the world. Still, she believes his promise that he'll mend his ways once they've tied the nuptial knot. Not unexpectedly, Charlie goes back on his word, and it is up to handsome millionaire Ashley Morehouse (Norman Wooland) to save Ann from her poor judgment. It was surprising to see the British film industry's resident "wicked lady" Margaret Lockwood playing so gullible a character -- so surprising, in fact, that audiences tended to stay away from Look Before You Love in droves. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally released in 1945 as Shop at Sly Corner, Code of Scotland Yard is an effective British imitation of the Hollywood film noir genre. Oscar Homolka plays a seemingly benign antique dealer who maintains a comfortable lifestyle by fencing stolen goods. Homolka's daughter (Muriel Pavlow), an aspiring musician, is the only person he genuinely cares about. Thus when the girl's future is threatened by a slimy blackmailer (Kenneth Griffith) who is unsatisfied with a mere cash settlement, Homolka is left with no choice but to get rid of the bounder. Oscar Homolka, a Viennese character actor who worked prolifically on both sides of the Atlantic, is the principal attraction in Code of Scotland Yard, which was based on popular London stage play by Edward Percy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this British thriller, a chemist finds himself framed for a murder. He leaves his lover and escapes to South Africa. There he quickly becomes renowned for his good work with the medical profession. Unfortunately, a terrible explosion in a lab disfigures him so badly that he believes himself unidentifiable. He now feels that it is safe to return to London. He does and learns that his lover has married. More trouble ensues when, despite his scar, he is recognized. Fortunately, the whole mess is straightened out by the film's end. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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, Rovi

Hollywood's Conrad Nagel heads cast of the British Ball at Savoy. The tux-garbed Nagel plays a baron who, while vacationing in Cannes, falls in love with opera star Marta Labarr. The prideful Labarr will have nothing to do with Nagel because of his wealth, so he poses as a waiter. When he's accused of being a thief, Nagel learns that there's two sets of justice, one for the rich, another for the poor. This 1936 remake of an earlier German film, was based on a novel by Alfred Grunwald and Fritz Lohner-Beda. Distribution of Ball at Savoy was handled in Britain and the US by RKO Radio Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

American actor Noah Beery Sr. heads the cast of the British meller The Avenging Hand. Beery is one of several persons skulking about a mysterious inn. The plot is motivated by a reserve of stolen money, hidden somewhere on the premises. One by one, the bad guys (and bad girls) are decimated by an unseen assassin. Featured in the cast of The Avenging Hand is Ben Welden, an American character player who spent several years in England before settling into comedy gangster roles in Hollywood. Also featured is Reginald Long, who cowrote the screenplay. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, a British journalist is invited to be a guest journalist with a Chicago paper. He is en route to the Windy City aboard a ship when he mistakenly identifies some passengers as dangerous criminals. The addled reporter then mistakes an heiress for a cabaret singer resulting in the abduction of the real singer by the real crooks. Fortunately, the journalist saves the girl, but ends up missing a big scoop. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this comedy, two dopey sailors serve aboard the Improbable and get involved in all sorts of slapstick trouble while trying to deal with a ring of smugglers and their petty chief petty officer. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi