Herbert Mason Movies

A cynical wounded war hero becomes the athletic director at a boys' camp. The lively children brighten his days and make him more optimistic about life. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

Scads of color stock footage from the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth was strategically deployed in John and Julie. The story involves two little provincial children (Colin Gibson, Lesley Dudley) whose parents have no plans to attend the Coronation. Left to their own devices, John and Julie run off to London, where with the help of several eccentric types they get to see the Queen's installation. On the basis of its content, it isn't surprising that John and Julie isn't revived much these days. But some enterprising distributor might take note that the film features an early supporting appearance by Peter Sellers, once again hiding his youthfulness beneath a ton of makeup. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The British Conflict of Wings was also released as Fuss over Feathers: Both titles are applicable, but only the second title captures the mood of the proceedings. The story takes plays in a Norfolk-country village, where the populace is up in arms over the announcement that the RAF plans to build a target range. It seems that the village is the site for a bird sanctuary that was allegedly established 400 years earlier by King Henry VIII. Faced with an intractable government and an equally unsympathetic bureaucracy, the villages decide to resolve matters in their own inimitable way. Commendably, the RAF is not cast as the villain of the piece: both sides are well represented in the argument, though audience sympathy understandably leans in the direction of the bird-huggers. Conflict Over Wings was adapted by Don Sharp from his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Background is a tearful flashback drama centering around a dysfunctional family. Valerie Hobson and Philip Friend play a long-married couple on the verge of divorce. As they ponder the question of who will receive custody of their children (Janette Scott, Mandy Miller and Jeremy Spencer), the couple has second thoughts about their upcoming litigation. It is the children who eventually bring Hobson and Friend back together, though the reunion seems strangely without passion. Background was released in the US as Edge of Divorce. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The popular British music hall and radio team of Gert and Daisy (Elsie and Doris Waters) heads the cast of It's in the Bag. The whole thing starts when the cackling cockney duo sells an old dress. Turns out that there's 20,000 pounds sewn in the lining of the frock, a fact that precipitates a merry chase. Also in pursuit of the money is Reginald Purdell, whose honesty is a matter of grave doubt. It's in the Bag comes to a literally explosive climax in a deserted theater. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

British radio funster Arthur Askey inherits British film comedian Will Hay's longtime stooges Moore Marriot and Graham Moffatt in Back Room Boy. Big-Hearted Askey plays a cuckoo scientist seeking peace and quiet in a Scottish lighthouse. No such luck: the house is being used as a rendezvous for Nazi spies. Beyond the presence of Marriot and Moffatt, one gets the impression that Back Room Boy was originally intended as a Will Hay vehicle, inasmuch as Hay's longtime scripters Val Guest and Marriot Edgar wrote the yarn. Young Googie Withers fares well in an a thankless leading-lady assignment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A London jeweler who fences stolen goods so that he too might become wealthy and therefore respectable, learns the value of true love in this drama. His first foray into l'amour leads him into the arms of a socialite. She convinces him to abandon the criminal world and start anew, but still he is never really happy until he realizes that his true love is living a simple existence in the East End slums. ~ Rovi

Boozy doctor O'Dowd gets into deep trouble after he is accused of operating under the influence and causing the death of his daughter-in-law in this sudsy drama. Now the Irish physician must somehow redeem his good name. He gets his chance during a diphtheria outbreak. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This mystery is set aboard the Orient Express bound for Istanbul. There a French agent thwarts a scheme by revolutionaries to blow up a politician. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this musical comedy, a wealthy couple is duped out of their money. They decide to capture the crook themselves by dressing up as servants and working in their former butler's hotel. They masquerade as several different characters before they manage to recover their wealth and bring the crook to justice. Songs include: "I Was Anything but Sentimental" and "I'm Like a Little Birdie out of My Cage." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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, Rovi

Also released as A Man of Affairs, His Lordship was adapted from The Nelson Touch, a play by Neil Grant. George Arliss essays the dual role of British foreign secretary Lord Dunchester and his lordship's twin brother Richard, a private detective. Hoping to solve the murder of a foreign Emir, which may have long-ranging diplomatic consequences, Richard kidnaps his brother and assumes his identity. He saves Britain from all-out war, but generously allows Lord Dunchester to take the credit. Bereft of lavish production values or a stellar supporting cast, His Lordship is George Arliss' show all the way. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi