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Reviews
Variety Jubilee (1943)
Of historical value
It is difficult to classify this type of film or give it a quality rating. As a musical it does not compare well with MGM productions but I hope copies exist. It tells the story of a Music Hall and was made in 1942 when many Music Halls and theatres were still doing good business. The film contains several acts, such as Wilson,Keppel and Betty,which may not be recorded elsewhere. My memory may be wrong and maybe someone can correct me on this but I think The Ganjou Borthers and Juanita were also shown.One of the acts is Charles Coborn, not to be confused with Charles Coburn.(Coborn was the Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo) Not a great film by modern standards but of considerable historical interest.
Bengazi (1955)
It gets worse
In the first few minutes Bengazi earns a weak 4 rating and then gets worse.Richard Conte looks for gold in a desert and ends up finding that happiness is in his own back yard.On the way he meets characters suffering from improbable Scotch and Irish accents.Another of his difficulties is that, in a ruined building, he is being attacked by a band of desert nomads.He drives them off by firing a machine gun into the darkness of the night.Fortunately these nomads are not very smart (They attack the building on one side only - The side with the machine gun). Mini-spoiler coming: Warning to all minor characters - Never ever say what you want done with your body if you die. If you do so you will be dead before the end of the reel. A generous 2 rating.
Date with a Dream (1948)
Of interest as a period piece.
This is a film of little quality as a comedy musical. The main characters did not make me laugh and the musical numbers,apart from one in which the orchestra plays in the hall and staircase of a boarding house, are not memorable. The brightest spot is the few seconds in which Norman Wisdom is shown performing part of one of his stage routines. It is of some historical interest in showing the demob kitting out of ex-servicemen,in the shots of 1948 London,and in its portrayal of the attempts of demobbed servicemen to cope with civilian life.
Riding High (1943)
De gustibus
Not one of the great musicals.Good lyrics by Johnny Mercer but forgettable melodies. Whether you enjoy it or not depends on your taste.Victor Moore does his Victor Moore act and Cass Daley gives a Cass Daley performance. Some will be amused by her grimaces as she belts out "He loved me till the all clear came"(the film was made during WW2) and "Willie the wolf of the west".Others will think that she is like a female Jim Carrey. The dresses by Edith Head for Dorothy Lamour and the chorus are excellent but the dance routines are weak apart from a solo eccentric dance by Cy Landry.There are two band routines.The first involves Cass Daley and two others as non-playing fiddlers.The second is longer. It features Gil Lamb and the band in expertly timed knock-about comedy. Warning - - The average shot length in these routines is high, there are very few close-ups, there are no audience reaction shots, a static camera is used and a clear view of the perfomers is given at all times. Watch it and decide for yourself - Some like oysters - some don't.
Desperate (1947)
Beware, Burr is here
A good film noir of its period is given extra merit by the outstanding performance of Raymond Burr exuding menace in every look and gesture.He takes control of the screen in every scene that he appears in.In a small part,Cy Kendall gives a scene stealing display of petty evil.
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
twist on an old story
This is an interesting dark version of the Cinderella story. Cinderella[Leigh]is a happy orphan who lives with her step sisters of the corps de ballet.She meets a handsome prince[Taylor]and stays away from the ball[ballet]too long.To punish her the wicked step mother[Ouspenskaya] throws her out along with one of her stepsisters[Field].The story becomes darker from then on.She meets her handsome prince again and also her fairy godparents[Watson and Smith]but in this version,nobody lives happily ever after.
My Irish Molly (1938)
poor
A vain attempt to find another Shirley Temple. Not even Maureen O'Hara,in her days before Hollywood stardom,could save this film from being embarrassingly bad.
Late at Night (1946)
London crime
This a poor quality B-feature program filler of the sort that gave quota quickies a bad name. It is of interest only because of the appearance of Barry Morse in his early screen career before he went to Hollywood.