Quote: john tregorran @ 1st March 2021, 7:44 AMhis son Noah Beery Jnr. was more famous - for those of us who are of a "certain age" will remember him in the TV series "Circus Boy"
yes and if were are not too senile as Rocky in The Rockford Files
Circus Boy also starred Mickey Dolenz pre-Monkees.
NB - remember to read previous posts!
Quote: Chappers @ 1st March 2021, 7:19 PMCircus Boy also starred Mickey Dolenz pre-Monkees.
NB - remember to read previous posts!
Yes, Mickey was Circus Boy. I used to watch it avidly.
A Window in London (1940) Yank title Lady in Distress
Glowing reviews of this on the IMDb, and yes, a good film, but don't know about those 10/10.
Film works for me though because it stars Michael Redgrave, who I've always rated highly, and has the very sexy lady Sally Gray, who I've mentioned before in a film, who did well for herself when she gave up films and devoted the next 50 years married to Dominick Geoffrey Edward Browne, 4th Baron Oranmore and Browne, 2nd Baron Mereworth until his death in 2001 - she died 5 years later aged 91.
So, Redgrave is on a train going home when he sees a murder on the balcony in a block of flats and investigates when the police can find no murder (clearly!) when the woman (Gray) and the man "murdering" her are both seemingly alive and well when they call at the flat.
Develops from there into a nice thriller, with twist at the end.
And some cracking scenes of post war London, with some filmed on the building of Waterloo Bridge, which was under construction then and where Redgrave had a job as crane driver in the film, of course! Fascinating!
I can't imagine Michael Redgrave as a crane driver 
Quote: john tregorran @ 2nd March 2021, 11:58 PMI can't imagine Michael Redgrave as a crane driver
I think it was early in his career. 
The Diplomatic Corpse (1958)
Mediocre drugs/murder/foreign embassy "thriller" with the odd casting of Robin Bailey (usually plays suave posh types - unsuited in this role) in the lead part of a reporter trying to solve a murder mystery, along with his fiancé and fashion reporter, the pretty Susan Shaw. (Yawn) But at least this time they involve the police from the outset.
Other names, were Harry Fowler playing his usual Cockney geezer just on the right side of the law, beaky tashed Bill Shine and John Briggs, better known as Johnny Briggs, who died at the weekend just gone.
OK, thank heavens it was short.
Grand National Night (1953) Yank title Wicked Wife
I'm not a fan of horse racing by any means, especially the Grand National, but let's not get into that debate, so I thought I wouldn't enjoy this and only watched it because the blurb said man kills wife and hides her in the car boot of a love rival.
So, horse racing is just the background and the dastardly deed takes place on Grand National day, which for me was fortunate as it doesn't feature much.
Rich horse owner Nigel Patrick accidentally stabs his wife as she lunges at him with a dagger (a real bitch played out of character by Moira Lister!), and disposes of her by taking the body up to Liverpool (Aintree) in the boot of this enormous American car, and the ever faithful butler sees what happens and backs up his master's lies, so proves a key witness to keep him in the clear.
Didn't know anyone else in this except for police inspector Michael Horden who sets out to prove that Patrick murdered his wife via car/petrol/mileage/times etc etc and the vital clue of a railway ticket.
Finishes up with a very neat double twist at the end and makes for a very good film.
Well worth a watch!!
Tread Softly (1952)
I really can't be bothered to write this up as I wish I hadn't seen it to the bitter end, so here's the IMDb review :-
"The star of a London musical walks out before the curtain up, but the show must go on in a haunted theatre, The Regency. 40 years previously, the star of Hamlet was murdered, and more are dying to keep a dark secret.
And the only people I knew in it were John Bentley (later of Crossroads) and John Laurie.
All in all pretty mundane.
Black Memory (1947)
Made just after the war and it shows with cheap sets etc., but interesting to see a young Michael Medwin as a poor man's Pinkie and someone called Sydney (sic)James in his first ever film, in a minor part as owner of a very run down greasy spoon with criminal links. I liked the sign in the caff that read "Hot Meat Pies 4d" - that's about 2p in today's money and I expect you got more than just meat in them.
Not a bad story though, and only about 1¼ hours long :-
"Danny Cruff (Michael Atkinson - never heard of him before) returns home years after his father was wrongly accused and hanged for murder. But he can't escape his past."
Father falsely accused of murder and is hung. Just after that, his mother dies and all they can do with a boy like that is to put him in a reform school (!) because they cannot find a foster parent, but the boy is determined not to get mixed up with the semi criminal lot, and later meets one of them again (Medwin) when they are both in their 20s.
Worth a look
The Monster of Highgate Ponds (1961)
This weekend's offering in the Saturday Morning Pictures series, and one again from the CFF. I wouldn't normally watch anything later than the 1950s, but I was curious, especially to see how they dealt with portraying the "monster" - Ray Harryhausen it ain't!! With a mixture of stop/go motion when it was a "baby" and man in rubber suit when it had grown up.
Two actors in it I knew - one, children's scientific uncle who brought this ostrich size egg back from the jungle, played by Leslie Howard's brother Ronald (looks very much like him) and in his usual role of crook, Michael Balfour.
As for the three children, I do notice with these child actors they rarely go onto have a career in films or make a name for themselves, and this is/was the case with this trio, hence I knew none of them.
Strictly for the kids, naturally! But I don't think I would have been very amused to see this amateurish production when I went to the Saturday morning flicks. Lolly pop sticks and various missiles would have been launched in the semi darkness to liven up the morning in the cinema.
Tangled Evidence (1934)
Most of them in this came from the school of "How Not to Act" with their stilted and wooden acting.
A miserable clairvoyant is murdered and his niece is the main suspect, as the film goes at length to point out, but in the end, you know it's not going to be her as they made it too obvious and finally it is the least likely person who is the killer.
Only person of note was Sam Livesey, who apparently was the father of the much more famous Roger Livesey, and the other one I noticed was Davina Craig, who I'd seen before in "The Ghost Camera" playing an identical part of drippy house maid - perhaps she cornered that market, AND in parts it was like a comedy as she complained about how she couldn't think straight since she had an "incident" with a mangle - I have to admit it actually made me laugh, the way she kept going on about it. The mind boggles as to what the incident was.
Not bad I suppose as a curiosity and the mangle joke was worth while
I'll Turn to You (1946)
I don't know why I watched this, perhaps it was because Irene Handl had a main part, as it just dragged on and on and on - SO SLOW!!
Didn't know anyone else in this film about a man who comes back from the war and can't settle to civvy life after the excitement of flying fighters in the RAF.
This makes him so morose (I know the feeling watching this film!) that he turns against everyone, and especially his sweet wife who has borne him a lovely baby and made the best of a grotty flat they rent off Irene Handl. But he just chucks in it her face, saying he has let her down and goes off to find a new life.
Perchance he is found by a family friend who gives him a good talking to "She's worked like a n****r to get the flat nice for you and the baby" Shock Horror, but TPTV had muted the word - nevertheless I was most surprised to hear it used. Only other time I can remember that word being used was in The Dam Busters, when they called their black lab that name.
At over 1½ hours long, I was glad when it finished.
Escape by Night (1953)
Slow moving gangster film, only made interesting for me to see Sydney [(sic)[/i]James as a tashed Italian mobster on the run from the police as he tries to retrieve what's left of some diamonds from previous gang members who have run out on him. Sid with broken Italian accent .
And in this he is assisted by a newspaper reporter, ironically played by Bonar Colleano, the American who died in a car crash while filming in the UK aged only 38.
The two of them hide out in a derelict London theatre and are given assistance by wide eyed innocent 14 year old Andrew Ray, playing yet again an 8 year old, much the same as he did in "The Yellow Balloon", only this time his father is played by his actual father Ted Ray, stand up/radio comedian.
The moll, played by Simone Silva (dark sultry type - not my fancy), I did not know, and no surprise as she had a very short film career, dying aged only 29.
Bit parts for Ronald Adam, Ronan O'Casey, Michael Balfour and Harry Towb.
Not bad, but certainly not a film I would watch again.
Skid Kids (1953)
One of these made for kids films by the Children's Film Foundation, that were very popular in the 50s, quite often featuring on Saturday Morning Pictures, although I don't remember it.
Not bad I suppose about a bunch of London kids who ride for or are fans of Cycle Speedway (also very popular then, and I presume a sort of training ground for Motorcycle Speedway) who gang together to hunt down a pair of (laughable) "Flash Harry" spivs who go round stealing bicycles.
Mostly kids playing the kids with some of them who went on to better things, such as Barry MacGregor who had a reasonable film career, which included playing Johnny Bull in the TV series Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School - Anthony Lang also did quite well with minor parts in the likes of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi and Python's The Meaning of Life - Pauline Black in her first film and married Paul Carpenter.
One only professional actor was A.E. Matthews, but blink and you'd miss him.
Obviously, all a bit amateurish, but worth a look to see what the 1950s was like, and on a personal level, I was reminded of the so called "reinforcing" twin rods that were put on the front forks of bikes to make wheelies safer and the cow horn handle bars - all to make your bicycle very cool! LOL
The Seventh Veil (1945)
If anyone else had been in the lead part, I wouldn't have watched this very slow burner, but it was James Mason who I think is superb, with Ann Todd the female interest - her supposed "beauty" is lost on me.
She's a concert pianist groomed by Mason, her ward of court, since she was a child and basically it was about the three men who were all in love with her and the traumatic event that blocked her mind from ever playing the piano again, until Herbert Lom came along with his narcosis treatment, freeing her mind and showing her who she really loved.
Still not sure who she went off with in the end, and not my cup of tea by any means.