Author Archive: Retro

Don Juan finds his life complicated by an imposter. Produced by Alexander Korda. Dir. Alexander Korda.

Three beachcombers board an Australia-bound ship and encounter a lunatic.

A jockey imprisoned for a crime escapes and wins the big race.

Inventor of a unique broadcasting/listening device is murdered, and it’s up to a reporter and a photographer to solve the mystery. Produced by Albert Herman. Dir. Al Herman

Street sweepers Stan & Ollie inadvertently foil a bank robbery during their lunch break, and are rewarded with an Oxford education. This classic film contains several of L & H’s funniest routines, and received some of the team’s best reviews. Note: Contrary to popular belief, the featurette “A Chump At Oxford” is not just a shorter version of the 63 minute European cut. Upon release of the 42 minute version, Roach decided to expand the film to 63 minutes. A 21 minute segment (a talkie remake of “From Soup To Nuts”) was shot and all the footage turned over to editor Bert Jordan, who ignored the 4 reels already assembled and started from scratch, drawing upon unused takes, alternate set-ups, and scenes of different length. Dir. Alfred J. Goulding

A gangster is shot in his hotel room and manages to make his way to a nearby wax museum, where he dies. A female reporter discovers the body and determines to break the case, but she must maneuver around a rival reporter, who happens to be her boyfriend.

Despite its fervently flag-waving title, the British Salute John Citizen is a simple, low-pressure study of the wartime “home front.” Edward Rigby plays Mr. Bunting, an out-of-work clerk who is rehired during the manpower shortage of World War II. Bunting’s son Ernest (Jimmy Hanley) is determined to stay out of the line of fire, but changes his mind after witnessing the horrors of the London Blitz. In its own quiet, unassuming war, Salute John Citizen paints a truer portrait of a proud populace besieged by war than the more celebrated Mrs. Miniver. The film was based on a brace of novels by Robert Greenwood.

Witty comedy about a shy, successful businessman who is driven to distraction by a beautiful girl. Dir. Bernard B. Ray.