The Gang's All Here (1939) aka The Amazing Mr. Forrest in the States, which is not surprising as there are a number of films with the UK title.

I know little of Jack Buchanan, who was very big at the time apparently, and starred in this with the lovely Googie Withers, but clearly a talented man as he made it in Hollywood too, whereas Googie said she had no interest to cross the pond.

Allegedly a comedy film (that was going to be produced by none other than Alfred Hitchcock, who got the call from Hollywood just before filming started and never looked back), it is typical of the very mild pre-war type of humour, with more slapstick than comic lines.

Good story though, about an insurance investigator (Buchanan) who retires early to pursue a book writing career, but gets persuaded to do one last job when his old firm have a load of gems stolen from their safe, and the prime suspects are some American gangsters who carried out their "business" behind a legit nightclub called the Bagatelle Club.

It's funny how time changes the meaning of things - one of the clues found by the safe was a bookmatch (wish I had that in my collection!!) and on picking it up Buchanan says to his ex-boss "Ho! Oh, been going gay, have we?"

Others of note were a very young looking Ballard Berkeley (the major in Fawlty Towers), Ronald Shiner (who I've said before, I'm not a fan of) and most remarkably an easily recognised (despite large black walrus tache) Robb Wilton in an uncredited part as a barman - using the same mannerisms of running his hand over his face when pondering a question.

A quite entertaining film, considering the year, and I'm glad I watched it.

7/10