Flash Gordon (Serial) (1936)

Classic serial action (in fact in many ways the classic serial) as Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe) and Dale Arden (Jean Rogers) travel to the world of the evil Ming the Merciless (Charles Middleton) which is travelling towards Earth...

The planet Mongo is inhabited by various warring factions including the Hawkmen and Lionmen but Ming rules over all. Flash, Dale and scientist Dr Zarkov (Frank Shannon) have a series of adventures in the crazy world, and as its a serial there are many cliffhangers.

It is just so much fun, and sparking space ships. Of course it is also rather simplistic but that doesn't matter as its thrills a minute and has so much charm and energy.

Princess Aura (Priscilla Lawson) is endlessly scheming to get Flash for herself but he only has eyes for Dale of course... To be honest that's just one of many things that doesn't really make much sense in the cold light of day but that is exactly the wrong way to approach this romp.

Christmas Eve (1915)

A cute little short feature with a traditional Christmas story. Gregory Scott plays a poor man with a sick wife and a young daughter. Desperate to improve his wife's condition he steals from his employer and is fired. Angry and even more desperate he gets a gun and goes to fire his ex-employer but he sees his daughter talking to him and changes his mind. In the end his employer forgives him in the spirit of Christmas and invites the family to join Christmas with them.

That is basically it really for the story which is a bit basic and is probably inspired by Dickins. It is nicely filmed, the acting is fairly natural especially by the little girl whose name unfortunately does not seem to have been recorded.

The Way of the West (1934)

An unexceptional B-movie western. It has a reasonable story though the dialogue is oddly stilted in delivery. Wally Gordon (Wally Wales aka Hal Taliaferro) is a government agent who stumbles upon a conflict between cattlemen and sheep farmers the Parker family which include Firey (Myria Bratton) who provides the love interest.

Parker has the best grazing land in the area for his sheep and the cattlemen want to get rid of him. They hire in an ornery gunman called Cash Horton (William Desmond) to do the job - this is a bad guy so hardcore he has a swastika on his back! (You wouldn't get away with that in a few years...) Wally meanwhile decides to help out and find out exactly what's going on...

So the story isn't that original but it's a decent enough movie, except for the rather shoddy editing. The "humour" with the kid Little Bobbie (Bobbie Nelson) falls a little flat. The action especially some of the horsemanship is pretty good.

Adventure in Iraq (1943)

An unintentionally hilarious adventure film set in Iraq during the Second World War. Doug Everett (Warren Douglas) is flying George Torrence (John Loder) and Tess Torrence (Ruth Ford) across Iraq when engine trouble forces them down in the middle of nowhere. To add some spark George and Tess are married but getting divorced and Doug has the hots for Tess...

They end up in a remote kingdom ruled by the smooth talking Sheik (Paul Cavanagh). The Sheik appears kind and refined, living in an Arabian Nights-esque palace but with a population of devil worshippers. Soon they begin to suspect the Sheik's is not as nice as he appears (which to be honest is pretty obvious)...

An enjoyable romp and the movie studio was no doubt able to reuse plenty of existing sets and costumes. Don't expect a very accurate portrayal of 1940s Iraq though. Paul Cavanagh is wonderful as the Sheik with plenty of good if corny lines, he also wears a monocle.

Below the Deadline (1936)

Molly Fitzgerald (Cecilia Parker) works for a diamond merchant, she is chatted up by a man (Theodore von Eltz) but he is after more than her pretty face, he is planning to rob the merchant. Not only does he carry off the crime he manages to frame Molly's policeman fiance Terry (Russell Hopton) for both robbery and murder.

Terry goes on the run but is badly injured in a train crash. He takes the identity of a dead man (and thus is assumed killed in the crash) and is given plastic surgery in hospital. Now with a new identity and a new face (not that he looks much different) he sets out to find out who set him up...

Although the plot is a bit ridiculous, Terry is framed on the most flimsy of evidence for example. Also despite seemingly being a respected policeman the Force dump on him in an instant. The film is well made and entertaining with a few twists.

Doomed to Die (1940)

Mr Wong (Boris Karloff) is bought in to help investigate a murder which at first appears to be an open and shut case. Shipping owner Cyrus Wentworth (Melvin Lang) is already reeling from the loss of one of his liners when the son of his bitter rival Dick Fleming (William Stelling) turns up to try and get his blessing for the marriage to Wentworth's daughter Cynthia (Catherine Craig). There is an argument and a shot is fired. Wentworth is found dead.

Captain Street (Grant Withers) arrests Dick for the murder but keen reporter Roberta (Marjorie Reynolds) calls in Mr Wong who isn't so sure the case is that open and shut. He begins to investigate the people killed on the liner, an illegal shipment of Chinese bonds and tong activity...

Another enjoyable Mr Wong mystery. Plenty of red herrings and a complicated case but the calm and suave Mr Wong/Karloff makes the film as usual.

Amateur Crook (1937)

Mary Layton/Betsy Cummings (Joan Barclay) steals a diamond from two loan sharks (oh wait the diamond was her father's which the loan sharks were intending to steal). On the run from the sharks and the police she gets mixed up with a rather minor artist called Jimmy (Herman Brix - later known as Bruce Bennett).

Then the diamond goes missing inside a mannequin and it's a terrible palaver.

It's a rather silly film, and with some rather poor acting especially dialogue delivery. You get the impression there wasn't much time if at all to rehearse. Vivian Oakland plays a good role as a landlady. The film has some charm and that gets you through it. It is played light and should be treated as a bit of fun.