Displaying items by tag: Lloyd Nolan

WE JOINED THE NAVY

UK, 1962, 104 minutes, Colour.

Kenneth More, Lloyd Nolan, Joan O’Brien, Jeremy Lloyd, Dinsdale Landon, Derek Fowlds, Mischa Auer, John Le Mesurier, Lally Bowers, Laurence Naismith, Andrew Cruickshank, Walter Fitzgerald, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, Esma Cannon, Kenneth Griffith, Warren Mitchell, Graham Crowden, Cameos: Michael Bentine, Rodney Bewes, Dirk Bogarde, Sid James.

Directed by Wendy Toye.

British comedy at the beginning of the 1960s, broadening of humour, the period of the beginning of the Carry on series… And, glancing at the cast list, quite a number of names of popular British actors of the time and those who were emerging (and a couple of celebrity cameos, particularly Dirk Bogarde as Dr Simon Sparrow, his character in the Doctor series, where he played with Kenneth More). Sid James does a chuckling variation on his Carry on characters. Notable supporting performances from Kenneth Griffith and, especially, Warren Mitchell. And for fans of veteran actress, Esma Cannon, this is one that definitely should be seen, decked out in official royalty costume and with an accent!

There are several Americans in the cast because of the screenplay, notably Lloyd Nolan, first appearing in American films in the mid-1930s, a 50 years career, his last film Woody Allen’s Hannah and her Sisters.

Much of the screenplay now seems very corny. And there is a great deal of farce. There are interview sequences for inept candidates for the Navy. There are plenty of training sequences. But, with Kenneth More as the central character, always speaking out and being transferred to other jobs, put in command of three potential officers, Jeremy Lloyd (actor but later writer of such television series as Are You Being Served and ‘Ullo ‘Ullo), Dinsdale Landon and Derek Fowlds who came to prominence as the meek public servant in Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.

There are sequences in the Riviera, clashes between the Brits and the Yanks, more farce about romance for Kenneth More.

Finally, an intervention in an African revolution, Kenneth Griffiths, often so meek on screen, as a yelling and ranting revolutionary, veteran Mischa Auer as two characters leading the country, extremely eccentric.

This comedy has, some humour, but a great deal of silliness as well.

JUST OFF BROADWAY

US, 1942, 65 minutes, Black-and-white.

Lloyd Nolan, Marjorie Weaver, Phil Silvers, Janis Carter, Richard Derr, Joan Valerie, Don Costello.

Directed by Herbert I. Leeds.

The fouth in the Michael Shayne series starring Lloyd Nolan. Based on a character created by Brett Halliday, various screenwriters have elaborated stories of private detection, murder mysteries, a rather comic treatment of most of the characters, including Michael Shayne.

A this short film opens, there has been a murder, witnesses interrogated in court, Lloyd Nolan’s Michael Shayne appear 10 minutes after the opening, and then as a member of the jury. Marjorie Weaver, appearing in her third film with Lloyd Nolan, is the leading female character but not continuity of characters from the previous films. This time she is an eager reporter, collaborating with Shayne, his leaving the jury lockup, taking a knife from under the lawyer’s table after one of the jurors was murdered in the court by a knife thrower.

The various escapades include visiting the club where the knife thrower performs, taking another of his knives, getting the phone number of an address of a mysterious call, following it through, finding the knife thrower dead, the police called, chases, a visit to the jeweller who made a bracelet found on the dead knife thriower, the writing of information and getting his associate to mail it to one of the lawyers in the case.

In the meantime, Phil Silvers plays an eager photographer, thinking he is on a good case with finding the juror outside, but thwarted by the visit to her edited by the journalist and banning the development of the photo.

When Lloyd Nolan returns to his room, he pretends to be a janitor with an accent, eludes the sheriff and the photographer, back in bed.

During the case the next day, he controls the movements of the lawyers, does some interrogating himself and, while the audience has thought that the owner of the cafe in liaison with the singer is the murderer, there is an extraordinary 180° twists with the defence lawyer as the murderer!

And then on to the next Michael Shayne comedy adventure.