The Scamp (1957) Yank title Strange Affection, which seems a bit weird as it was about a young boy - more innocent times then!?

Anyway, I shouldn't think there are many on this forum would remember, let alone see at the time, the film "Smiley", about an Australian scamp and what he got up to - strictly for kids, and at the time I enjoyed it, wanting to be Smiley's mate.

And so, we move forward a year to this film with a certain Colin Petersen, playing the same part with name change, but set in England, and now he has a nasty Dad played by Terence Morgan in his usual role of nasty piece of work, with Richard Attenborough as a nosey local teacher wanting to take the boy away from his fly by night father, to prove he can change the boy's scampish behaviour.

Mix in with that Attenborough's doctor wife who doesn't quite agree with the "experiment" of taking the boy on, while his father goes of on another of his jaunts, then comes back to watch the sparks fly.

Not a bad film, which my wife got into and enjoyed too, especially as we are fans of Richard Attenborough.

A number of fairly well-known faces Jill Adams, Geoffrey Keen, Charles Lloyd Pack (Trigger's Dad) and oh, yes, look there's Sam Kydd again in a small part as the local shopkeeper.

Wide Boy (1952)

Love these 50s film titles taken from contemporary everyday street slang - there was another one like this called "Cosh Boy", which starred Joan Collins in one of her early films. Just makes me smile.

Anyway, our B movie regular Sydney Tafler has the title role in this as a chancer selling dodgy/stolen goods out of a suitcase in the street, where he is moved on or arrested, and an opportunity shows itself for him to go into big time by blackmailing somebody who was careless, but it gets in way above his head in what he can handle.

Needless to say, it all goes wrong for him, and all makes for one of the better gritty post war B&W films.
I enjoyed it - not too long, and has beginning, middle and end. 8/10

That's good.I hate it when they just have a middle.

ha ha f**king hilarious

"Lured" or "Personal Column" - take yer pick, see below :-

The title was changed to "Personal Column" midway through the original U.S. theatrical release because staff at the Production Code Administration thought the word "lured" sounded too much like "lurid". Director Douglas Sirk felt the title change confused potential audiences and led to the film's box-office failure.

And I only watched this as it had a number of British actors who'd decamped to The States, AND it starred Lucille Ball in a serious role, and very good she was too!

So, it's one of these American films, set in London, filmed in Hollywood, and you can tell just be looking at the American idea of what houses/cafes/restaurants/offices + furniture looks like in England - stands out a mile.

Anyway, pretty girls are being lured via small ads offering dream jobs etc. etc., then bumped off, after which the killer sends in a poem to Scotland Yard, bragging of the murder method etc.

Throw in the too obvious Boris Karloff, and you have the makings of a good race against time to catch him, before he bumps to many off, and this is where Lucille Ball comes in as "bait", recruited by Scotland Yard to flush him out. Plenty of red herrings, the main one being the ultra-smooth George Sanders.

Very good film, actually 8/10

Little Red Monkey (1955) aka The Case of the Red Monkey

Which was a load of bollocks really, trying to give the impression that it was a small macaque (?) monkey that was going round bumping off defecting Russian scientists, by shooting them with a gun, and the "red" meant nothing in a B&W film, not unless it was a Russian monkey, of course.

So, to ensure the final scientist actually makes it to The States, they send over a special agent, played by Richard Conte, who I've always rated; but of course, bumbling Scotland Yard make a hash of it. Throw in love interest in the shape of Rona Anderson, better known maybe as Gordon Jackson's wife, and you have a sort of thriller.

Not bad. 6/10

Eye Witness OR Your Witness (1950) Take yer pick

Not a bad film with token Yank Robert Montgomery playing a successful lawyer in New York, who goes to England (all filmed in England this time) to see if he can help to clear an English friend who saved his life in the war, but he comes up against the British judicial system, which is totally different to what he is used to, and basically was told by the court not to interfere.

And so, he plays detective to find the one witness they think saw that the murder was self-defence, in that the victim was the one with the gun.
Few familiar faces with Leslie Banks (last film - died two years later), Felix Aylmer, Andrew Cruickshank, Noel Howlett, Erik Chitty, Dandy Nichols and James Hayter, with a brief appearance of Stanley Baker, who I didn't recognise.

7/10 and worth a watch, if only for the scenery and cars

The Browning Version (1951)

As I got into this, I thought I had seen it before, but as it went on, I realised it was a different film, also set in a school.

Anyway, a very good film with Michael Redgrave absolutely superb as a crusty old fart of a teacher of the classics, with a flighty wife in the shape of the brilliant Jean Kent, totally playing against type as she has an affair with another teacher, played by Nigel Patrick, and the lovely Wilfrid Hyde-White as the Head.

"The Browning Version" refers to a classic Greek translation, but I won't bog you down with details.

So, written by Terence Rattigan, and it was then it clicked as I remembered the other film, also set in a school, was
"The Winslow Boy" (1948) also by Terence Rattigan, but a totally different story, and also a very good film.

The Last Load (1948)

Apparently this is a precursor to the CFF Series films for children, and involves kids helping to solve the crime of sabotaged lorries, and quite exciting in parts it was too, as well an unintentional funny chase and action sequences.

Vaguely knew of Douglas Barr (one of the fathers involved) but the rest I'd never heard of, and only mention this film because it featured the ubiquitous Sam Kydd in a bit part playing a police radio operator. Hooray! ?

Thunder in the City (1937)

This is an odd ball film and the only reason I watched was out of curiosity as it was a British one off film made by Atlantic Film Productions, which appears to be the only film they ever made, and given the name and the star being none other than Edward G Robinson, it makes me wonder if it was his money behind it.
Anyway, there's him, Ralph Richardson as foe and Nigel Bruce as friend, as he comes over to the UK to promote and run a Rhodesian mine.

Wasn't a bad film, and nice to see Edward G, though I prefer him as his Little Caesar gangster type, which he always played so well.

Nice scenery, nice cars and fairly well made - I'm glad I watched it.

The Haunted Strangler (1958)

Little too much like the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for me, but Boris Karloff puts in a good performance as a demented soul, and there is a half decent twist at the end, which saves it from complete plagiarism.

5/10

The Ware Case (1938)

They're running a series of 1930s British films presently, with a presentation and final piece by big fan of the period, Melvyn Hayes, who goes on a bit, but some of the facts are interesting.

So, hopeless with money Lord (Rupert Brook) is accused of killing his rich brother in law (Peter Bull), who has no heirs, the whole mess goes to court, which is where the film starts, and a then you get the story. And throw in the barrister being in love with the wife, which spices it up a bit.

Despite one mediocre review on the IMDb, I thought it was quite a good film.

Murder in Reverse (1945) - Yank title "Query"(why, I've no idea!)

So, William (titles) or Billy (credits) Hartnell in one of his few leading roles, and very good he was too as a man convicted of murder, a murder he is convinced he never committed - his victim being John Slater, who never looks any different whenever you see him in a film or on TV.

Hartnell, then comes out of prison after 15 years (looking like his Dr.Who!) determined to track down his murder victim - the only thing I don't understand is him being convicted of murder, when there was no body found.

And the other odd thing, is his 8 year old daughter, played by a 13 year old Petula Clark, in her third film and someone I didn't recognise at all, had supposedly lost all memory of her father and all that entails, when she comes back into his life, but doesn't recognise him or remember him, even when details of the "murder" are laid before her.
The now older daughter is played by the gorgeous Dinah Sheridan, who was married to Jimmy Hanley at the time, who was the newspaper reporter who helps Hartnell find the man he was supposed to have murdered.

So did he get to commit "double jeopardy"? You'll have to watch the film to find out..............the main barrister is played (of course) by Kynastion Reeves who is also one of those actors who never looked any different, now matter what date the film.

Yes, very good 8/10

The Flying Scotsman (1929)

This is historic for a couple of reasons - it was the first British sound film, albeit it starts as a silent with titles, and it was the first credited role for, of all people Ray Milland, who I thought was born in America.

The star was Moore Marriott, who was completely unrecognisable from his usual parts of toothless old man Harbottle, playing comedic roles in Will Hay films, with his film "partner" Graham Moffatt as Albert.

So, not a comedy this one, and it's about Marriott being the prestigious driver of the Flying Scotsman making his last run to Edinburgh, but before that he has to report his fireman for being continually drunk on duty, and so, loses his job, for which he says he will get his revenge on Marriott.

Come on to the scene, is a love-struck fireman, who falls in love with Marriott's daughter, and tries to woo her, not knowing who her father was. He gets the job of new fireman and it's only when the old drunk fireman joins the train as a passenger and climbs along the outside of the Flying Scotsman,( which is now going a full belt at 80mph!!) that things start to fall into place, when there's a fight on the footplate.

There was no trick photography with this, the actor did actually scramble from coach to coach until he reached the tender of the engine and attacked Marriott from that position.
Even more incredible, the daughter boarded the train and seeing what the villain had done, decides to do the same, and so with the help of her love, overpower the drunk fireman.

As I say, no trick photography, no blue screen, this young slip of a girl (Pauline Johnson) actually did also clamber along the side of the train and entered the cab of the engine via its tender. Absolutely bloody amazing, and riveting!!

Good film 8/10

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 1st February 2023, 4:33 PM

The Flying Scotsman (1929)

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I watched it mainly because both the Talking Pictures info and IMDB had Gordon Harker as the first name on the cast, suggesting he was a leading character (although I note that IMDB does not have a character name for him). But I failed to catch sight of him; I have my doubts that he was ever in it.

Surprised when, after the first break for adverts, as you say, it became a "talkie", when, prior to that, it had been completely a silent film.

An enjoyable film nevertheless.