BRITISH COMEDIES OF THE MID-1930's - "BULLDOG JACK" and "NO LIMIT"

British films of the mid-1930's were generally unappetising. The "big" films,
the epics of Empire-building ("Rhodes of Africa") and the adaptations of
London hit plays, were usually pretentious bores. At the other end of the
scale, the cheap quickies were quite unspeakably bad. Sandwiched in between
were the few good British films being made at that time - not "good" in a
spectacular or even markedly cinematic sense, but in the essentially British
and satisfying entertainment they offered. Such films were the charming "Mr.
Cohen Takes a Walk", "The Turn of the Tide" (a film similar to, and much
superior to, Flaherty's over-rated "Man of Aran") - and there were the
comedies. Musical comedies from Gracie Fields and Jessie Mathews; pleasant
bits of foolery like "Not so Dusty"; the regional humours of Sydney Howard
and Sandy Powell, and especially the comedies of Will Hay, Jack Hulbert and
George Formby. Hay's best - "Windbag the Sailor" (directed by American William Beaudine) and "Oh Mr. Porter" were exceptionally good; we hope we can discover
prints of these for a later showing. These oomedies were not big - but they
were big money-makers, as eagerly awaited as the new Shirley Temple vehicle.
And while not expensive in budget, they weren't quickies either - their stars
never appeared in more than one or two vehicles a year, and thus they managed
to avoid the mass-production stamp.

Our two comedies tonight, if not the best of Hulbert and Formby, are
certainly reliable guides to their work. As a child of six, both films
delighted me in 1935 - and memories of them remained very vivid during the
following two decades. Seeing them again today, for the first time since their
original release, it is pleasing to find that "Bulldog Jack", at least, is
still a darned good little picture. Mr. Formby has dated rather more, but it
is easy to see why the exciting race climax would so excite a youngster --
especially in a year when horror films were beginning to disappear, and one
needed some form of cinematic excitement to take their place!

"BULLDOG JACK"  (Gaumont-British, 1935) Directed by Walter Forde; screenplay
                         by Sidney Gilliatt, I.O.C. Orton and Gerald Fairlie, in
                         association with "Sapper"; basic idea and dialogue by Jack
                         Hulbert; Photography- M.Greenbaum; art director - Alfred Junge;
                         musical director - Louis Levy; edited by Otto Ludwig
The Cast: Jack Pennington (JACK HULBERT); Ann Manders (Fay Wray) Morelle (Ralph Richardson); Algy (Claude Hulbert); Denny (Gibb McLaughlin); Bulldog Drummond
(Atholl Fleming); Salvini (Paul Graetz)

Jack Hulbert was a comedian very much in the Jack Buchanan mould, an excellent
tap dancer and singer of breezy ditties. In this film however, the musical
element was completely ignored in favor of a pleasing satire on the popular
Drummond mysteries -- a satire that manages to be a rattling good little
thriller in its own right. British comedies had a happy knack of combining
humour with seriously presented action - and the climactic underground chase
of this film is a particularly good example. Ralph Richardson, playing the
villain, had, incidentally, played Drummond in a straight thriller only the
year previous to this! The film is a polished job, with a snappy musical
score, but features one movie boner: the allegedly deserted subway station,
abandoned for years, boasts a poster for London's Dominion theatre-
advertising a 1935 movie, "Here Comes the Navy"!

"NO LIMIT"  (A.T.P., 1935) A Basil Dean production, directed by Monty Banks.                  Photographed by Robert G. Martin. Starring GEORGE FORMBY, Florence
Desmond, Jack Hobbs, Edward Rigby, Peter Gawthorne.

Produced by Associated Talking Pictures, forerunner of Ealing Studios, "No
Limit" lacks the polish of "Bulldog Jack", and is somewhat slower-paced, but
it remains good fun none-the-less. However, it may be a trifle difficult for
the American members of our audience to follow: a rather harsh sound-track,
coupled with the Lancashire dialects, demands close attention to the
dialogue. When we pre-screened this film to three members last week, all of
them missed one of Formby's best - and bluest - gags: However, even if you
don't understand it all, you'll enjoy the delightfully old-hat and sentimental
songs, and the really exciting and supremely well-staged TT race climax, both
funny and thrilling, in the best old Sennett tradition. By the way, Peter
Gawthorne - playing Florence Desmond's boss was Britain's own Margaret
Dumont, the perennial foil of all English comedians.

                                                                             Wm. K. Everson