A music hall comedy act recall how they got together.
No doubting the star quality of Martin and the energy of Lewis. Some scenes work better than others, but it's exhausting to watch and in my opinion, the physical comedy is 'too much'. Sports movies just never seem believable. Movie went quickly and with refinement, could have been excellent. 6/10
A jealous woman tries to hire an unattractive girl as her husband's secretary.
People shouting at the same time and characters having an irritating laugh do not make a comedy. Shame, the idea was quite decent and beneath the surface, there was a charm trying to get out. 4/10
A TV talk show host retreats to his ranch and finds himself mixed up with murder.
Mixing comedy and mystery never really works, but Bob Hope has enough about him to raise a few laughs and despite being stupid, I quite enjoyed this. 6/10
The daughter of a wealthy criminal lawyer falls in love with one of her father's crooked clients.
Short movie. William Powell is comfortable and believable in his role, Liz Taylor is not bad, Fernando Lamas though had no chemistry with Taylor at all. All builds to a decent climax in last 15 minutes. 6/10
A young clerk gradually refuses to take part in life.
In a time before depression and autism is recognised and understood, this is a strangely moving piece. The boss displays a confused, frustrated character who clearly has a soft heart. Bartleby himself is brilliantly portrayed. We've still got a lot to do but have come a long way. 6/10
Escaped convicts hold up a playwright and his wife in their country cottage.
Too dark for too long, all a bit manufactured and Howard Keel seems completely miscast. Throw a couple of kids into the mix and there is a degree of tension. Some lines that were so bizarre, they made me laugh, James Donald played it all on one level, it did have its moments though. 6/10
A knowledgeable switchboard operator helps a financier with his problems.
Incredible to think that this is not far off 100 years old. Cary Grant plays the philanderer whose apartment renovation bill must have been enormous.
I believe this originated from a play and would certainly have worked in the theatre. Not Grant's most memorable work, but he gives a huge amount of energy, is engaging and his comic timing, as ever, was up to scratch. The Two main female leads, bespectacled susie and the lovely Anna, were both excellent and delivered their slapstick flawlessly. The rest of the supporting cast were very good too, this was a tight production that came in at about the hour mark.
So many modern comedies don't even make me smile, this had me laughing out loud on a few occasions and was great fun. 7/10
