Almost everyone I meet seems to be talking about the soon-to-be-seen final season of Downton Abbey.  It struck me that this might be a fine time to show some earlier British performers who dominated our film entertainment… so for the next few months we’ll concentrate our efforts in that direction.

In January our “night at the movies” will include a double feature… each film being about an hour long.  I’m rather excited about these two because each is an excellent drama/mystery and one of them is probably unknown to most film buffs.  They are Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror and Two O’Clock Courage.

Two O’Clock Courage is a superb remake of an earlier version starring Richard Barthelmess.  Normally remakes seldom are as good as the original… this one is better.  It stars Tom Conway, a British actor known primarily for his role in the Falcon series.  Always a good actor, with a suave and sophisticated delivery, he exceeds himself in this film.

The film opens with Conway standing at a lamp post, looking dazed and lost.  We soon see that he has a head injury which has led to amnesia and a loss of all memory.  Wandering into the street, he is almost hit by a cab driver.  The driver, played by Ann Rutherford of Gone With The Wind fame, takes pity on him and decides to help him find out who he is.  The fun starts here in this clever murder mystery.

sherlockholmes.jpg-01Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror is the first in a string of Universal Studio films starring Basil Rathbone as the great detective. This film is almost completely populated by British actors… Basil, Nigel Bruce, Reginald Deny, and Montague Love heading the cast.  Despite enormous criticism, Universal brought Sherlock Holmes into the 20th century.  Looking back in time, they made the right decision… and this film is proof of that.  The story was inspired by the real life existence of a British traitor dubbed “Lord Haw Haw” by the British people.  Lord Haw Haw would broadcast nightly from Berlin with his Nazi propaganda… always starting with “Germany calling!  Germany calling!”

The film has Sherlock Holmes called in to solve a series of espionage acts which the British government is unable to stop.  In the end, the question is, can Sherlock Holmes save England from the Nazis?

Our show begins at 7 PM on January 15th, 2016 at Old City Hall.  Because these films are fairly short, there will be a break in between and it is then that I will talk about each of them.  Our main feature, Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror, will screen last and should end just before 9:25.

And now… let me wish you all a very Merry Christmas and the best of New Years.  See you at the movies!