Films

Dinosaur Films May 2008: We need help identifying the film in this month's Rarities section! We collect UK black/white films. Have you any obscure British films? David Moore email (NB- no attachments please)

Rarities . . . Actor Profile . . . Backstage Profile . . . Reviews . . . Danziger films . . .Merton Park. . . Searle Season . . Film Themes

MARRY ME
(1949, directed by Terence Fisher, Gainsborough Studios, 3*)

David Haigh is assigned to write an article on a Marriage Bureau- "rather unenglish in my opinion." This is one of those irritating potpourri of comic and dramatic tales cobbled together not allowing the characters much depth. Perhaps the common thread is most of them are not being entirely honest about themselves.
Zena Marshall: "I'm so ashamed I didn't tell you everything before."
Carol Marsh: "the men weren't what they said at all - such liars!"
Guy Middleton, ever the cad: "women should be kept in their place." He ends with his face slapped.
Patrick Holt, as a clergyman: "we're no worse than other men."
Alison Leggatt: "I never seem to meet Mr Right- until now."
Susan Shaw, who else could utter such a line?: "I've said a lot of things in my time. I meant none of them."
And my favourite quote is from Joan Hickson when told her daughter Doris might marry someone down under: "Australians aren't like foreigners!"

Answers to last month's Quiz

New Profile -
Lockwood West (1903-1989)
A stalwart of rep, his first acting role was in Alf's Button. He toured in many plays, The Ghost Train and Barretts of Wimpole Street are two he mentioned. During the war he was a police war reservist, after which he became a familiar voice on the BBC as a story reader and in plays for adults and on Children's Hour and schools' broadcasts.
His stage career thrived with parts, for example, in Nightmare Abbey (Westminster Theatre), The White Carnation (The Globe), as well as A Day by the Sea and Nina (Haymarket Theatre).
An early film role was in the 1948 A Song for Tomorrow, whilst the following year he had perhaps his most familiar type of part as a doctor in Celia. Indeed, many of his parts seemed to be authority figures, whether policemen or bank managers!
He continued acting, mostly on tv up to his death. Perhaps his most famous 'role' these days, is that he was father of actor Timothy West.
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New Backstage Profile -
Elizabeth Montagu (born 1909, died 2002)
Daughter of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, she billed herself as dialogue director and screenwriter for London Films, which she joined after the war. She was a natural as a result of her war experiences, to advise Graham Greene on his script for The Third Man.
She had studied at RADA and acted frequently on the London stage before becoming a literary critic. It was during the war that her film career briefly occurred when she acted in the 1943 film Marie Louise, made in Switzerland. She had found herself in this neutral country after fleeing from France, where she had been working as an ambulance driver for MTC, but had to run for it when the Nazis took control. Whilst in Switzerland she made this film appearance, as well as reviving her theatrical career by organising a touring company.
After the war ended she helped on the English dialogue for The Third Man and was also dialogue director on The Last Chance before joining the Korda organisation. Her final work as dialogue director was for the dreadful 1959 The Rough and The Smooth.
Note- imdb has some fascinating insights into other aspects of her interesting life.
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Film Reviews-
THE SAINT IN LONDON (1939, directed by John Paddy Carstairs, 5*)- George Sanders made the most stylish Simon Templar on film, here sparkling with Britain's best pre-war female lead Sally Gray as Penny Parker. Of course he has to rescue her from a gang who are attempting to flog a million pounds of currency. Athene Seyler steals one scene with Inspector Teal who has to tell The Saint "I'm investigating me own murder!" And the crooks have to realise "everything's backfired since that Saint stepped into the picture." Finally Simon captures The Brains (Henry Oscar). "Adventure," he smiles at Miss Parker, "makes you look even more beautiful"
NO SMOKING (1955, directed by Henry Cass, Southall Studios, 6*)- The typical English peaceful village, with just one difference. Most of Little Kinneford are non-smokers, because inventor Reg Bates (forgotten star Reg Dixon) has converted them with his non-smoking pills. Tobacconist George Pogson (Lionel Jeffries- who even sings!) has lost much of his trade, though he hopes to get his own back by proposing to Reg's intended, Millie. To win her, Reggie is persuaded to go into mass production of his pills, and Little Kinneford becomes only a microcosm of a much larger battle, as The Royal Tobacco Co resort to Fifth Column activities by getting their attractive secretary (Belinda Lee) to wheedle the secret formula out of Reg. By now an international crisis is looming, with pill sales booming the world over, and suddenly it's all over. George is beaten, Reg marries Millie and all's at peace once more in this pleasantly unambitious piece of fun
THE NAKED TRUTH (1957, directed by Mario Zampi, Walton Studios, 8*)- A host of fine stars are perhaps upstaged by Terry-Thomas as Lord Mayley, a deserving victim of a suave blackmailer (Dennis Price, ideally cast). In this light black comedy, his Lordship is only one of the many victims who vainly attempt to do away with their nemesis. Miles Malleson as a vicar makes an improbable fiance for Peggy Mount, and Joan Sims is the only one who really hams it up as Peggy Mount's petrified daughter. "Murder is so unenglish," Terry-Thomas comments after another botched attempt but the film itself is no botch, rather a delightful example of English humour with Lord Mayley finally solving the dilemma: "we've just been killing ourselves trying to murder him!"
MURDER ON THE CAMPUS (1962, Marylebone Studios director Michael Winner 5*)- "Why should he fall out of his own window?" asks reporter Mark Kingston of his brother, a scholarship student at Leicester College Cambridge. Mark plays "boy detective" whilst local policemen Wills and Willoughby (Donald Gray and Douglas Muir) hold a nonchalant watching brief as masonry falls on one witness and another is strangled. The theft during the war of antiques is behind this run-of-the-mill adventure but Terence Longden as Mark gives it all some integrity, even coping with a couple of dud actresses. There's an odd apppearance "indubitably" unrelated to anything in particular by Robertson Hare, and the location shooting in the university city gives the adventure some credibility
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The Boy About the Place
You can see a scene from this film made c1958, with the ubiquitous Paul Carpenter on the left. Centre is another favourite, Greta Gynt, watching over their screen daughter, played by, who else?, Mandy Miller.

I have to confess I can offer no more details than a synopsis about this film, which may possibly have been made for television-
Major Hyland (Paul Carpenter) and his wife (Greta Gynt) take over a large and isolated house on the Norfolk Broads. Their young daughter Jennifer (Mandy) makes friends with a small boy (Richard O'Sullivan), but Mrs Hyland soon realises a mystery surrounds him.
Also in the cast are:
Michael Brooklin as the Rev Robert Lloyd
George Ross as William Horder
John Miller as Mr Purvis
Brian Oulton as Mr Thomas
Fred Adderley as Rigley
Betty Turner as Mrs Stone and
Vi Stevens as Mrs Fisher.
If you can solve this mystery film, please email me

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Film Quiz -
Answers to last month's quiz on JACK HAWKINS .

1. Hawkins was born in London (Wood Green)
2. He made his film debut in 1932 according to contemporary accounts in The Lodger, though imdb does list a 1930 film.
3.He was 6 feet 1.5 inches tall
4.In the war was was given the rank of Colonel, in charge of troop entertainment in India and the Far East
5 His wife in the 1950's was Doreen (nee Lawrence)
6. His first television series was The Four Just Men
7. His favourite hobby (at least according to some magazine articles!) was Fishing
8. In the 1960's, sadly he contracted throat cancer
9.The 1960 crime film in which he played the mastermind of a daringly planned robbery was The League of Gentlemen
10. The thriller in which he co-starred with Arlene Dahl was Fortune is a Woman
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FILM MUSIC THEMES
Some of the fine filmed music that we especially like.
As you would expect from our site, we will be concentrating on the bargain basement end of the market.
Gaolbreak (1962)
Listen here to this wma file of the opening theme from this typical sixties' theme.
The composer was Johnny Gregory born 1924, well known in the recording studios as orchestral arranger for EMI, Decca, Embassy etc.
He wrote a number of striking film themes in the 1960's, but I like this quiet melody that develops into the sort of raucous blast that you'd expect from film music of this era.
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Francis Searle Season
FRANCIS SEARLE (1909-2002)
Reviews of some of the films by this neglected and often maligned British director.
This month
ONE WAY OUT (1955 Bray Studios, directed by Francis Searle, 4*)-
In a boogie woogie joint, enter a shapely pair of legs: "I gotta see him," him being Jim Danvers "biggest fence since the war." Investigating her 'suicide' is near retirement-age Superintendent John Harcourt (Eddie Byrne). On her body had been found stolen jewellery. This could be the evidence needed to get Danvers convicted at last. Danvers however arranges to frame Harcourt's daughter Shirley for a murderous garage robbery. John is left with no alternative but to drop his case against Danvers.
This improving story shows how the policeman's deception gets him in deeper and deeper. There's only one chance of redemption- bust Danvers. "I'm going out for a few minutes," John tells his wife, in the manner of Oates leaving that Antarctic tent. There's a final tense scene with an incredible 75 seconds without dialogue, as we await the inevitable.
Note: Sam Kydd has one of his uncredited parts as a getaway driver.
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