The 39 Steps 1935  N/R, 87 min.
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
aka: The Thirty-Nine Steps
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Madeleine Carroll, Robert Donat, Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle, Peggy Ashcroft, John Laurie, Peggy Simpson, Helen Haye, Frank Cellier, Wylie Watson, Gus McNaughton, Jerry Verno, Miles Malleson, John Turnbull, Frederick Piper
Canadian citizen Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) is visiting England when he goes to the Palladium where he sees an act starring "Mr. Memory" (Wylie Watson). In the middle of the show, a shot rings out, and Richard is approached by terrified Miss Annabelle Smith (Lucie Mannheim) who begs him to help her. She tells him that she is a British spy being targeted by international agents out to kill her. The next morning, Annabelle appears at Richard's door–dying from a knife wound, muttering "39 steps," and giving Richard a map. Richard uses the map that leads him to Scotland. He meets Pamela (Madeleine Carroll) on the trip to Scotland, and she ends up serving as his assistant when the two of them become involved in a world of espionage and murder.
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As You Like It 1936  N/R, 100 min.
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Romance
Director: Paul Czinner
Cast: Elisabeth Bergner, Laurence Olivier, Henry Ainley, Sophie Stewart, Felix Aylmer, Aubrey Mather, Austin Trevor, John Laurie
This British production relates William Shakespeare's story of Rosalind (Elisabeth Bergner) who has fallen for Orlando (Laurence Olivier). When Orlando pays no attention to her, Rosalind's solution is to disguise herself as a boy, Ganymede, and follow Orlando into the forest. Confusion reigns–until Rosalind reveals her true identity, and love blossoms.
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 Devil Girl from Mars 1954  N/R, 77 min.
Genre: Sci-Fi
Director: David MacDonald
Cast: Hugh McDermott, Hazel Court, Patricia Laffan, Peter Reynolds, Adrienne Corri, Joseph Tomelty, John Laurie, Sophie Stewart, Anthony Richmond, James Edmund
Assorted people at a Scottish inn receive a visit from black leather-jacketed Martian Nyah (Patricia Laffan) and her robot. She's beautiful, but ruthless, and tells them that a revolution on Mars resulted in a takeover by women, and she is after healthy males for use as breeding stock. Bizarre but sort of fun.
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The Edge of the World 1937 N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Michael Powell
Cast: John Laurie, Belle Chrystall, Eric Berry, Kitty Kirwan, Finlay Currie, Niall MacGinnis, Grant Sutherland, Campbell Robson, George Summers, Michael Powell
Fishing is no longer successful, and, as its economy dies, citizens leave a Shetland island fishing port and move to the mainland. Three friends are among the remaining population; this is their story.
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Fanny by Gaslight 1944  N/R, 102 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: Man of Evil
Director: Anthony Asquith
Cast: Phyllis Calvert, James Mason, Wilfrid Lawson, Stewart Granger, Jean Kent, Helen Haye, Margaretta Scott, Nora Swinburne, Cathleen Nesbitt, John Laurie
Hard-drinking Lord Manderstoke (James Mason) falls for Fanny (Phyllis Calvert), and the influence he exerts threatens her chance for a happy life.
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 Hamlet 1948  N/R, 153 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Laurence Olivier
Cast: Laurence Olivier, Basil Sydney, Eileen Herlie, Jean Simmons, Felix Aylmer, Norman Wooland, Terence Morgan, Peter Cushing, Stanley Holloway, John Laurie, Esmond Knight, Anthony Quayle, Niall MacGinnis, Harcourt Williams, Christopher Lee
This film represents Laurence Olivier at his best starring as the melancholy Dane, Prince Hamlet. Soon after his father's death, Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude (Eileen Herlie), marries her brother-in-law Claudius (Basil Sydney). Now his father's ghost returns to speak to Hamlet and tells him that his own brother Claudius murdered him. He wants Hamlet to be kind to Gertrude but to kill Claudius. Hamlet vows to avenge his death and fakes madness to accomplish that goal. His acts lead to the end of several lives–including Claudius, Gertrude, Hamlet's chief counselor Polonius (Felix Almer) and Polonius' daughter Ophelia (Jean Simmons) who loves Hamlet, and, finally, Hamlet. There was a well-deserved Best Actor Oscar presented to Olivier. The film also won Oscars for Best Picture, Art Direction/Set Decoration, and Costume Design. Olivier also received a nomination for Best Director, and Simmons was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
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Hobson's Choice 1954 N/R, 107 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: David Lean
Cast: Charles Laughton, John Mills, Brenda De Banzie, Prunella Scales, Daphne Anderson, Richard Wattis, Helen Haye, Joseph Tomelty, Raymond Huntley, John Laurie, Derek Blomfield, Julien Mitchell, Gibb McLaughlin, Philip Stainton, Dorothy Gordon
Henry Horatio Hobson (Charles Laughton) is a shoemaker with three independently thinking daughters–Maggie, Alice, and Vicky (Brenda De Banzie, Daphne Anderson, and Prunella Scales). Maggie proves a match for her stubborn father when she decides to marry Willie Mossop (John Mills) who is one of his employees. Next, Maggie encourages Alice and Vicky to choose their own husbands and ignore the directives of their father to not marry.
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I Know Where I'm Going 1945  N/R, 91 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Michael Powell
Cast: Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey, Pamela Brown, Finlay Currie, Petula Clark, John Laurie, Walter Hudd, Catherine Lacey, Valentine Dyall, Jean Cadell
Joan Webster (Wendy Hiller) is determined to marry her fiance, a wealthy industrialist, when she embarks on her trip to the Scottish Hebrides. However, along the way she falls in love with Torquil MacNeil (Roger Livesey) and decides on marriage for love rather than for money. A Scottish delight.
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Jericho 1937 N/R, 77 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: Dark Sands
Director: Thornton Freeland
Cast: Paul Robeson, Wallace Ford, Henry Wilcoxon, Princess Kouka, John Laurie, James Carew, Lawrence Brown, Rufus Fennell, Ike Hatch, Frank Cram, George Barraud
Unjustly convicted of the crime of striking an officer, Cpl. Jericho Jackson (Paul Robeson), is given the chance to escape when Capt. Mack (Henry Wilcoxon) allows him to attend a Christmas celebration. Robeson does get away and begins a new life in Africa. Mack, however, is court-martialed for his part in the escape and serves five years at Leavenworth. Upon his release, Mack spots a picture of Jackson in a newsreal and sets out in pursuit.
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Kidnapped 1960  N/R, 97 min.
Genre: Family / Drama / Adventure
Director: Robert Stevenson
Cast: Peter Finch, James MacArthur, Bernard Lee, Niall MacGinnis, John Laurie, Finlay Currie, Peter O'Toole, Miles Malleson, Oliver Johnston, Andrew Cruickshank
This Disney film is based on the Robert Louis Stevenson tale of David Balfour (James MacArthur) who inherits a fortune and is kidnapped by his evil uncle. David teams up with Alan Breck Stewart (Peter Finch) and the duo travels across Scotland in an attempt to regain what is rightfully his.
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Laughter in Paradise 1951 N/R, 94 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Mario Zampi
Cast: Alastair Sim, Guy Middleton, Fay Compton, George Cole, Hugh Griffith, Joyce Grenfell, John Laurie, Beatrice Campbell, Anthony Steel, Audrey Hepburn
Four relatives share a fortune–if they perform the actions designated in a very strange will left by a practical joker. That cigarette girl is Audrey Hepburn in her film debut.
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The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp 1943 N/R, 163 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Cast: Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, Anton Walbrook, James McKechnie, Roland Culver, David Hutcheson, Ursula Jeans, John Laurie, Felix Aylmer, Albert Lieven, Neville Mapp, Spencer Trevor, David Ward, Jan Van Loewen, Valentine Dyall
This story is told through flashbacks to relate experiences of British army officer Clive Candy (Roger Livesey) as he participates in the Boer War, World War I, and World War II and fights propaganda used in the wars. Over several decades, with each war Clive becomes involved with different women (each played by Deborah Kerr). "Colonel Blimp" is adapted from a comic strip about upper-crust members of the military created by cartoonist David Low.
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Madeleine 1950 N/R, 101 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: The Strange Case of Madeleine
Director: David Lean
Cast: Ann Todd, Norman Wooland, Ivan Desny, Leslie Banks, Elizabeth Sellars, Edward Chapman, Barbara Everest, Andre Morell, Barry Jones, Anthony Newley, Patricia Raine, Eugene Deckers, Susan Stranks, Ivor Barnard, John Laurie
Madeleine Smith (Ann Todd) was a 19th-century Scottish woman who was accused and put on trial for poisoning her French lover Emile L'Anglier (Ivan Desny) in 1857. The trial is reenacted in this interesting film that leaves the audience guessing. Based on a true story.
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 The Prisoner of Zenda 1979  PG, 108 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Richard Quine
Cast: Peter Sellers, Lynne Frederick, Lionel Jeffries, Elke Sommer, Gregory Sierra, Jeremy Kemp, Catherine Schell, Simon Williams, Stuart Wilson, Norman Rossington, John Laurie, Graham Stark, Michael Balfour, Arthur Howard, Ian Abercrombie
In this comedy version of the classic story, Peter Sellers plays a Cockney cabby who gets involved in palace intrigue because of his unique resemblance to Rudolf IV (Peter Sellers). One of Sellers' worst.
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Q Planes 1939 N/R, 82 min.
Genre: Adventure / Thriller
aka: Clouds Over Europe
Director: Tim Whelan, Arthur B. Woods
Cast: Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Valerie Hobson, George Curzon, George Merritt, David Tree, Gus McNaughton, Hay Petrie, John Laurie, John Longden
This is a fine suspense film about espionage after Britain's entry into the war involving Scotland Yard's attempt to recover secret military plans stolen by the Nazis. Clever.
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The Reptile 1966 N/R, 86 min.
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: John Gilling
Cast: Noel Willman, Jennifer Daniel, Ray Barrett, Jacqueline Pearce, Michael Ripper, John Laurie, Marne Maitland, Harold Goldblatt, Charles Lloyd Pack, Harold Pinter
Mysterious deaths occur in an English village, and a naive young couple, Valerie (Jennifer Daniel) and Harry (Ray Barrett) Spalding, seem to be right in the middle of the action.
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Richard III 1955 N/R, 158 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Laurence Olivier
Cast: Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Cedric Hardwicke, Clive Morton, Mary Kerridge, Pamela Brown, Stanley Baker, Michael Gough, Nicholas Hannen, Helen Haye, Laurence Naismith, Norman Wooland, John Laurie
You cannot go wrong with this Shakespearean effort directed by and starring Laurence Olivier. This is the dark tale of ruthless Richard III (Olivier), murdering his way to his brother Edward's (Cedric Hardwicke) throne of England. Richard does become king but then must deal with Henry Tudor (Stanley Baker) and defend his realm at the Battle of Bosworth. At the battle field, Richard cries out, "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" just before he is struck down. Olivier was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award.
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Treasure Island 1950 N/R, 96 min.
Genre: Family / Adventure
Director: Byron Haskin
Cast: Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney, Walter Fitzgerald, Denis O'Dea, Ralph Truman, Finlay Currie, John Laurie, Francis De Wolff, David Davies, Geoffrey Wilkinson, Geoffrey Keen, John Gregson, Andrew Blackett, William Devlin
Bobby Driscoll is delightful as young, cabin boy Jim Hawkins, whose treasure map is coveted by a band of pirates headed by one-legged Long John Silver (Robert Newton). Jim must contend with Long John Silver and the pirates who are also aboard the ship. A good Disney version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic.
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Trio 1950 N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Ken Annakin, Harold French
Cast: James Hayter, Michael Hordern, Nigel Patrick, Jean Simmons, Michael Rennie, John Laurie, Felix Aylmer, Finlay Currie, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Marjorie Fielding
Another group of Somerset Maugham (who again introduces each one) stories following the four presented in "Quartet" the previous year. Good acting and directing are again evident in these tales: "The Verger," "Mr. Knowall," and "Sanatorium."
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Uncle Silas 1947 N/R, 98 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: The Inheritance
Director: Charles(1) Frank
Cast: Jean Simmons, Derrick DeMarney, Derek Bond, Katina Paxinou, Esmond Knight, Sophie Stewart, Manning Whiley, Marjorie Rhodes, John Laurie, Guy Rolfe
A corrupt uncle has plans for his young niece's inheritance in this story set in the Victorian era.
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The Way Ahead 1944 N/R, 115 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: The Immortal Battalion
Director: Carol Reed
Cast: David Niven, Stanley Holloway, James Donald, John Laurie, Jimmy Hanley, William Hartnell, Raymond Huntley, Leslie Dwyer, Hugh Burden, Reginald Tate
This excellent film follows a group of recruits as they evolve from civilians into a well-trained team of soldiers. They understand why the training was necessary when they are sent to North Africa during World War II. Director Reed had joined the Army and served in the role of making documentaries. Likewise, David Niven, an officer, was a motivator for this film.
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| 1. The 39 Steps (1935)
aka: The Thirty-Nine Steps
2. As You Like It (1936)
3. Devil Girl from Mars (1954)
4. The Edge of the World (1937)
5. Fanny by Gaslight (1944)
aka: Man of Evil
6. The Four Feathers (1939)
7. Hamlet (1948)
8. Hobson's Choice (1954)
9. I Know Where I'm Going (1945)
10. Jericho (1937)
aka: Dark Sands
11. Juno and the Paycock (1930)
12. Kidnapped (1960)
13. Laughter in Paradise (1951)
14. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
15. Madeleine (1950)
aka: The Strange Case of Madeleine
16. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)
17. The Prisoner of Zenda (1979)
18. Q Planes (1939)
aka: Clouds Over Europe
19. The Reptile (1966)
20. Richard III (1955)
21. Treasure Island (1950)
22. Trio (1950)
23. Uncle Silas (1947)
aka: The Inheritance
24. The Way Ahead (1944)
aka: The Immortal Battalion
In The News
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