Daily Archives: June 7, 2014

‘Pimpernel’ Smith (AKA “Mister V”)
Directed by Leslie Howard
Written by Anatole de Grunwald, A.G. MacDonald, et al
1941/UK
British National Films
First viewing/Amazon Prime Instant Video

[box] Professor Horatio Smith: May a dead man say a few words to you, General, for your enlightenment? You will never rule the world… because you are doomed. All of you who have demoralized and corrupted a nation are doomed. Tonight you will take the first step along a dark road from which there is no turning back. You will have to go on and on, from one madness to another, leaving behind you a wilderness of misery and hatred. And still, you will have to go on… because you will find no horizon… and see no dawn… until at last you are lost and destroyed. You are doomed, Captain of Murderers, and one day, sooner or later, you will remember my words.[/box]

After England declared war on Germany, Leslie Howard devoted almost all his time to the war effort.  This patriotic morale booster is part of that work, building on Howard’s identification with the Scarlet Pimpernel.  I enjoyed it.

The story takes place in the days before the Nazi invasion of Poland.  Mild-mannered Professor Horatio Smith (Howard) is leading a group of his archaeology students on an expedition to Germany to see if there are any traces of an early Aryan civilization.  At the same time, a mystery man is spiriting victims of Nazi oppression out of the country. The viewer is not left in doubt for long as to his identity.  Gestapo General von Graum (the wonderful Francis L. Sullivan) is on his trail.  The rest of the story is devoted to the chase and some clever escapades by this modern-day Pimpernel.

This is good fun with some nice suspense and a fine performance by Howard directing himself.  Worth seeing for lovers of this kind of thing, of which I am one.  I watched it streaming for free on Amazon Prime Instant video.  The complete film is also currently available by searching for the title on YouTube.

Clip – The “You are doomed” monologue

Hold That Ghost
Directed by Arthur Lubin
Written by Robert Lees, Fred Rinaldo, and John Grant
1941/USA
Universal Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Ferdie: Oh a bed, that’s just what I need, a nice big bed to hide under.[/box]

OK, it’s official.  I find Lou Costello annoying.  This movie was slightly redeemed by the appearance of the Andrews Sisters.

Chuck (Abbott) and Ferdie (Costello) work at a gas station when they are not moonlighting as waiters at a night club.  One day, they are working in a gangster’s car when the gangster gets in to escape the police.  The gangster is killed in a shootout.  It turns out that his will left his fortune to whomever was with him when he died and the boys are his heirs. However, the gangster’s only known asset is a cabin.  No one knows where the loot is hidden.  The boys head out to the cabin with one of the gangsters and some hangers on. They soon find out that it is not only full of other gangsters treasure hunting but is haunted as well.  With Mischa Auer as a waiter, Joan Davis as a foil for Costello, Richard Carlson and Evelyn Ankers as the juvenile and ingenue, and Ted Lewis and His Band as nightclub entertainers.

I have a real problem with comedians whose acts are based on acting like infants.  This includes Costello and especially Jerry Lewis.  So I am not the right person to write this review.  Fans of the act have given this movie a very respectable IMDb user rating.  The only person in this movie that I found more dire than Costello was Ted (Is everybody happy?) Lewis.  Not a fan.

Trailer

Joe Dante on Hold That Ghost on Trailers from Hell (I just love watching trailers with commentary by filmmakers on Trailers from Hell – www.trailersfromhell.com)