Penguin Pool Murder (1932)

Stockbroker Gerald Parker (Guy Usher) is found floating dead in the penguin pool at the NY aquarium, the aquarium that just happens to be owned by the guy (Clarence Wilson) he recently ripped off. Not long before that he was in a fracas with his wife Gwen's (Mae Clarke) lover Seymore (Donald Cook) and punched out cold. But did Seymore kill Parker? And who is this lawyer (Robert Armstrong) who seems so keen to help?

It falls on the police Inspector Piper (James Gleason) to try and unravel the mystery though the school teacher Hilda Withers (Edna May Oliver) seems to have more idea than the police. So this is basically a neat little Golden Age mystery with all of the common ingredients (plenty of murder suspects, bumbling police and a keen amateur).

It is a fun romp with a good cast. Gleason and Oliver make a good double act with plenty of good one-liners. What elevates the film to another level is the setting, the penguins are little stars.

The Great Train Robbery (1903)

One of the earliest surviving American movies and one of the first films with an actual plot and one of the earliest Westerns. The Great Train Robbery depicts a gang robbing a train and then being hunted down by a posse.

Although a short film there isn't a huge amount of story in it, quite a lot of time is wasted by the actors standing around seemingly doing very little. Everyone is rather anonymous too with the film largely in long shots (apart from the iconic close-up of Justus Barnes at the end) though for such an early film it is very well made. Many of the techniques used in this film such as location shooting and cross cutting, which are taken for granted nowadays, were truly innovative for 1903.

The Amazing Adventure (1937)

Cary Grant stars in this light hearted (if rather unlikely) comedy drama (which is also known as The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss). Rich playboy Ernest Bliss (Grant) is afflicted by some sort of illness, a doctor (Peter Gawthorne) prescribes it as idle-itis. Bliss bets with the doctor that he can survive for a year without his riches and live on only what he earns himself...

It doesn't turn out to be quite as easy as Bliss imagines but he soon gets a job as an oven salesman. This doesn't go down too well until he uses his money to generate sales. However he moves on to become a chauffeur but also falls for secretary Frances (Mary Brian). As the months roll on he successfully manages to survive but various shenanigans mean his life becomes... interesting... when the mob gets involved.

A charming little film, Grant's star quality making the film though the story itself is nothing special. It passes pleasantly on by.

A Stranger in Town (1943)

Supreme Court Justice Grant (Frank Morgan) heads out of the capitol, incognito, to shoot some ducks on vacation. There he finds corruption in a small town and an election contest between the incumbent mayor (Robert Barrat) and a young lawyer Bill Adams (Richard Carlson) out to take him down.

With the local judge and the police in the mayor's pocket Bill finds himself locked up, Grant decides to help Bill out - without telling anyone who he really is.

Grant is great in the role, bringing a dignified air. The film is a nice commentary of small town America with plenty of light touches, maybe a bit preachy but in these dark times maybe we do need a bit of idealism. Bill and Grant's secretary Lucy (Jean Rogers) give the film a romantic angle.

Trapped by Television (1936)

Early television appears to have held a fascination for the movie makers, in this film television (which was still a few months from the first public broadcast by the BBC) was portrayed a bit more realistically than in Murder by Television.

Lyle Talbot is Fred, a struggling inventor of a revolutionary television system. Debt collector Rocky (Nat Pendleton) comes calling but instead of putting the heavy on Fred joins him in trying to complete his invention. Also getting involved is investor Barbara (Mary Astor) who ends up falling for the invention and Fred.

Barbara's plan is to sell the television to Paragon Broadcasting however Paragon's own system has been put on ice after their inventor was snatched (then put on ice) by the mob and who are then trying to sell Paragon their own invention back to them. Unbeknown to everyone one of Paragon's own board is behind the scam and is now out to stop Fred from spoiling their plans at all costs...

Although the plot is nothing out the ordinary and could really have used any kind of invention it is a very enjoyable film. For a start the film looks very good, the television is a rather fabulous looking Art Deco prop. The film has a somewhat unusual mix of humour and drama, maybe sometimes it is a bit confusing exactly what kind of film it is. However never mind that as the film sparkles. A good cast with some good lines, especially from Pendleton.