Jolly Old England

 

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MIDNIGHT AT MADAME TASSUAD'S-1936-Sir Clive Cheyne (James Carew) makes a bet with his friend that he will stay overnight alone at “The Chamber of Horrors” section of Madame Tassaud's wax museum. Meanwhile Cheyne has a problem with Nicholas (Kim Peacock; also one of the screenwriters) the philandering, neer do well fiancé of his niece Carol (Lucille Lisle). Nick is in cahoots with Newton (Charles Oliver), an associate of Cheyne's, who owns Cheyne money. Jerry Melville (Patrick Barr), a snooping reporter tries to get the low down on the engagement. He has a comical assistant named Stubbs (future first Dr. Who star William Hartnell). After Melville exposes Nicholas' illicit affair, he goes to the museum to save Cheyne who's going to be killed by Newton's gang. Wax figures of Mae West, Marie Antoinette and Lawrence of Arabia also appear. 

This British production was the second to last film directed by George Pearson who way back in 1914 made the first movie adaptation of a Sherlock Holmes story (A Study in Scarlet).

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Early Lom

THE DARK TOWER-1943-A failing English circus owned by American Phil Danton (Phil Lyon; a huge silent screen star also known as the co-star of Howard Hughes' early talkie HELL'S ANGELS) hires Torg (Herbert Lom in his first major starring role) a timid hypnotist to increase revenue. Torg can control lions and later helps trapeze artist Mary (Anne Crawford,, a popular screen and early English TV star who died in 1956 of leukemia) with her act. Almost immediately Torg changes into a over demanding egoist who wants to be a partner in the circus. Mary's boyfriend Tom (David Farrar) gets jealous but when Torg expresses his love for Mary she rebukes him and says Tom is her only love. So Torg hypnotizes Mary into sabotaging the act by having Tom fall to his death. It partially works but Tom doesn't die. Later Phil fires Torg but he threatens to take the hypnotized Mary with him. When Torg is killed, Phil seems to be the culprit but in the twist ending a different killer is revealed. 

Future Dr. Who William Hartnell plays Jim, the publicity agent. It's based on a play by George Kaufman and Alexander Woolcott which had been produced as a US feature in 1934 called THE MAN WITH TWO FACES featuring Edward G. Robinson, Louis Calhern and Mary Astor. This film noir-ish psychological thriller was directed by John Harlow. Future director Terence Fisher was the editor.

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