Herbert Smith Movies

Director Tony Richardson adapted the screenplay of A Taste of Honey from the "kitchen sink" stage play by Shelagh Delaney. Rita Tushingham plays a working-class British teenager, living with her drink-sodden, libertine mother Dora Bryan. Denied affection by her selfish mother, Tushingham is pushed further in the background when Bryan impulsively marries her latest boyfriend Robert Stephens. The girl takes a job at a shoe store, then moves in with her kindly homosexual employer Murray Melvin. The two lost souls live in harmony until Tushingham becomes pregnant after a casual affair with black sailor Paul Danquah. Melvin comes to the rescue by offering to look after the baby. This relatively blissful state of affairs is short-lived; before long, Tushingham's hateful mother, having been kicked out by Stephens, descends upon her daughter and her "family," with all her debilitating emotional baggage intact. A poignant denouement caps this riveting slice-of-life drama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Six-Five Special is an expansion on the popular BBC TV variety series of the same name. Not unlike America Bandstand, the BBC's Six-Five Special spotlighted England's top rock-and-roll and R&B acts, as well as a few talented newcomers on the verge of stardom. The predictable plotline involves a group of teenaged hopefuls who compete for the honor of a few minutes' glory on the "telly." This slender scenario is, of course, an excuse to trot 16 well-known singing acts across the screen. Among the performers featured on 6.5 Special are Lonnie Donegan, Petula Clark, Jim Dale, Johnny Dankworth, Cleo Lane, Mike & Bernie Winters and the King Brothers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This not-so-subtle variation on Val Lewton's classic Cat People (1942) is enlivened by the presence of exotic Barbara Shelley -- who would later grace many Hammer Studios productions (most notably Terence Fisher's Dracula -- Prince of Darkness) with her feline beauty. Shelley plays Leonora, a woman who believes she has inherited a curse which will transform her spirit into the body of a ferocious, man-eating leopard. Though her disbelieving psychiatrist (Robert Ayres) tries to persuade her that this belief is merely a by-product of her rage toward her unfaithful husband, the vengeful "phantom" cat she releases from her subconscious triggers the curse and spells doom not only for those who betrayed her, but perhaps for Leonora's own soul as well. Despite a superb performance by the smoldering Shelley and noir-ish direction from Alfred Shaughnessy (though nothing to compete with that of Jacques Tourneur), it's hard to overlook the obvious parallels to Lewton's film, which outclasses it in nearly every respect and makes the entire effort seem unnecessary. Produced by British Lion, this film was later distributed in the United States by the ubiquitous American International Pictures, sometimes under the title Cat Woman. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Demi-Paradise stars Laurence Olivier as a Russian inventor (accent and all). In Europe to promote his new propeller device, Olivier is put off by English customs and manners-or, rather, the lack of the latter. No one in 1939 England trusts a foreigner, least of all one of those shifty "Reds", but when Russia and England become allies against the Nazis, the previously persona non grata Olivier is welcomed with open arms. Penelope Dudley Ward co-stars as Olivier's previously suspicious landlady, who ends up falling in love with him. Demi-Paradise was made before the comic quaintness that afflicted Olivier's later performances set in, thus his Russian portrayal is straightforward and most convincing. The film was released in the US as Adventure for Two. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a factory worker is sent off to deliver a message, he inadvertently gets enrolled in the navy. His bumblings take him far and wide in the service of the Royal Crown. ~ All Movie Guide

An American producer takes his daughter and heads for England to see a variety of London shows in this musical. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A Mississippi flood saves the life of a petty crook who is about to be lynched for a murder he did not commit. After he escapes, he flees to a nearby plantation where he and a woman (claiming to be his wife) are taken in and treated with great kindness. They are happy until the killer that framed the crook shows up. Things look bleak until once again, the Mighty Mississippi roars in to save the day. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Two American radio commentators (comedians in disguise) host a series of popular acts from movies and radio in this musical comedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Adapted from a stage play by Maurice Braddell, It's You I Want is a vehicle for veteran scene-stealer Sir Seymour Hicks. The star is cast as Victor Delaney, a middle-aged roue who decides to take a break from girl-chasing. This proves impossible when Delaney's bachelor flat becomes a veritable pit-stop for cheating husbands, vengeful wives and dizzy mistresses. Time after time, Delaney is caught in innocent but compromising situations, paying off in loud and long laughter from the audience. Director Ralph Ince does little to "cinematize" his material; it's essentially the original stage play on the original set with most of the original cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One man's attempts to convince his fellow jurors of the defendant's innocence provides the basis of this drama. The others point out that all the evidence presented proves his guilt, but the man is not swayed. Finally he asks them to reconstruct the crime. They do and find out that the holdout is indeed correct. They also find the real killer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a helpful friend offers to care for the apartment of a honeymooning couple. As soon as they leave, he brings his mistress to the place to spice it up. Meanwhile, in Paris, the honeymooners experience trouble after the husband accidently kisses a jealous man's wife. They quickly flee from France fighting all the way home. The couple is quite surprised by what they find at the apartment. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Henry Oscar plays Gabriel Perry in this rusty-dusty British courtroom drama. Perry is the local justice-of-the peace; his wife is played by Olga Lindo. When Mrs. Perry discovers that Gabriel has committed murder, she can do nothing; after all, a wife cannot testify against her husband (or could not back in 1935). Margaret Lockwood, on the verge of stardom, shows up in a nondescript ingenue role. The Case of Gabriel Perry was adapted from Wild Justice, a play by James Dale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide