They Met in Bombay (1941).

They Met in Bombay(1941). Drama/adventure/romance/war film. Directed by Clarence Brown. Cast: Clark Gable, Rosalind Russell and Peter Lorre. In the beginning, Lana Turner was announced as the female lead.

While the Duchess of Beltravers travels to Bombay, India.. jewel thief Gerald Meldrick has a perfect fake made of her treasured "Star of Asia" necklace. Gerald then goes to India, posing as a Lloyd's of London detective, who's there to protect his clients' jewelry.

Registering at the same hotel is Baroness von Duren, to whom Gerald notices right away. Unknown to Gerald, the baroness is actually Anya von Duren, a thief who also has plans to steal the necklace.. Gerald soon becomes suspicious of Anya, after she asks him how someone might steal the necklace.

That evening, Anya arranges to dine with to the duchess and pretending to be a friend of her relatives, Anya follows her to her suite. After the duchess falls asleep, Anya steals the necklace, after which Gerald sneaks into the duchess' room and switches the real necklace with the fake.

He then goes to Anya, takes the pendant from her and convinces her that he is letting her off with a warning. Anya's gratefulness soon ends when she discovers that he has switched the necklaces and the next day she confronts him.

Gerald, suggests that they become partners and they narrowly escape arrest when police Inspector Cressney discovers the theft. Forced to flee on a steamer, they have to deal with Captain Chang, who wants the reward for their capture.

Gerald and Anya,  jump ship after learning that Chang plans to turn them in. Now living in Hong Kong, Gerald and Anya are in love and living in poverty. Anya, wants to live a normal life, but.. Gerald, thinks otherwise.

One day, Gerald, who was once a British officer, poses as "Captain Huston" in a scheme to confiscate money from a Chinese merchant accused of stealing from the army. Gerald has some soldiers to help him and is so convincing that he is ordered to report to the Hong Kong Garrison for duty.

Because the Japanese army is advancing, all Europeans and friendly Chinese must leave Chang-lin, and Gerald is ordered to lead a regiment there. He cannot leave the barracks, but arranges for Anya to meet him at Chang-lin. She is there when he arrives and the evacuation is planned until Japanese troops refuse to allow anyone to leave.

Gerald, risks his own life destroying Japanese machine guns and is seriously wounded before the battle is over. When Gerald is released from the army hospital, he plans his and Anya's escape, unaware that he is to be awarded the Victoria Cross. Will he attend the award ceremony or leave before they are arrested?




What starts out as a fun jewel thieves adventure/romance film... turns into a wartime adventure. Which, kind of dragged on for me..

Jessie Ralph (November 5, 1864 – May 30, 1944), she made her Hollywood debut in 1916, she only became a permanent Hollywood actress in 1933. She was nearly 70 at this time, so her roles were restricted to those of older ladies.

Her best known roles are as Greta Garbo's maid in Camille, and as W.C. Fields' mother-in-law in, The Bank Dick.

She starred in 55 movies altogether, 52 between 1933 and 1940 She retired in 1940, after her leg was amputated and she died 4 years later at the age of 79.

Her husband, Bill Patton (1894–1951), was a bit- part actor in Westerns.

The Constant Nymph(1943).

The Constant Nymph(1943). A romantic drama. Cast Charles Boyer, Joan Fontaine, Alexis Smith, Brenda Marshall, Charles Coburn, May Whitty, and Peter Lorre. It was adapted by Kathryn Scola from the Margaret Kennedy novel and play by Kennedy and Basil Dean, and directed by Edmund Goulding.

After, composer Lewis Dodd's latest symphony does not go over very well in London, he goes to visit an old friend musician, Albert Sanger. One of Sanger's four daughters Tessa,  falls in love with Lewis and dreams of helping him follow his dream as a composer.

The very ill Sanger has kept his daughters away from society and now worries about what is to become of them. He asks Lewis to inform the girls wealthy uncle, Charles Creighton, if he dies. When the girls play a  song that Lewis wrote for them, Sanger tells Lewis that, the beautiful melody is better than his more intellectual work.

Some time later, Sanger dies. Lewis sends for Creighton, who arrives with his beautiful daughter Florence and Kate travels to Milan to study music and Toni marries wealthy Fritz Bercovy. Lewis and Florence fall in love and when they announce their engagement, the frail heartbroken Tessa faints after hearing the news. Creighton arranges for Tessa and Paula to attend school in England and Lewis and Florence marry.

Six months later, Lewis is frustrated by Florence trying to take over his career and the couple quarrel constantly. When Tessa and Paula run away from their school, Lewis leaves to look for them, not attending the party that Florence has planned to introduce him to her friends. Lewis, later finds them home waiting for him. Paula leaves to join Fritz and Toni, who is pregnant and Tessa stays with Florence and Lewis. When Tessa hears Lewis' latest composition, based on the song that he wrote for her and her sisters, she believes it is not his best work.

Later, Tessa encourages Lewis to put sentiment back into his music and with Tessa's help, Lewis changes his composition. Florence,  now knows that Tessa is her rival and  tries to get rid of her. The night of the first performance, Lewis realizes that he is in love with Tessa and asks her to go away with him, but Tessa refuses because he is married to her cousin. The excitement of Lewis' proposal and the premiere of his composition causes Tessa to have another fainting spell, and Florence insists that Tessa stay home, rather than attend the concert. Will Lewis' concert go well and will Florence decide to let him go?

Fun Fact: Alfred Hitchcock was considered for directing this film. Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville was one of the writers of The Constant Nymph 1928 version.


 

 A very romantic film, with beautiful music by Erich Korngold. Alexis Smith as the unloved wife gives a perfect performance, as does Joan Fontaine and Charles Boyer. The supporting actors are also very good, including Charles Coburn, Peter Lorre, Brenda Marshall, Dame May Witty, and Jean Muir. You will need plenty of Kleenex for the very touching ending.

Brenda Marshall (September 29, 1915 – July 30, 1992) Marshall made her first film appearance in the 1939 Espionage Agent.

The following year, she played the leading lady to Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk.

After divorcing actor Richard Gaines in 1940, she married the actor William Holden in 1941 and her own career quickly slowed.

She starred opposite James Cagney in the 1942 film Captains of the Clouds.

The Constant Nymph (1943) was a popular success but she virtually retired after this, appearing in only four more films. Among these, she played scientist Nora Goodrich in the grade-B 1946 cult classic Strange Impersonation.

Quicksand(1950)

Quicksand (1950). Cast: Mickey Rooney and Peter Lorre. The film has been described as "film noir in a teacup".

Auto mechanic Dan Brady, just told his friend Chuck that he has broken up with Helen Calder, when he notices the blond cashier, Vera Novak. Dan asks Vera to go out with him, but when he returns to the garage, he remembers that he is broke. While making change at the register, Dan decides to borrow twenty dollars, planning on pay it back the next day when he is paid back the money that Buzz Larson, owes him. That night, he and Vera go to the Santa Monica pier, and she tells him she used to work in the arcade managed by Nick.

The next day, Dan is unable to find Buzz, and the bookkeeper arrives two days ahead of schedule, Dan buys an expensive watch on credit and pawns it, racing back to the garage just in time to replace the money.

The next day, an investigator comes to the garage looking for Dan and tell him if he does not pay the jewelry store within twenty-four hours, he will be arrested for grand larceny.

That night, Dan goes to a bar on the pier, where he notices drunken Shorty McCabe, who runs the bingo parlor, has a wallet full of cash. Dan follows Shorty and robs him, but is seen by a witness whose screams bring the police. Dan goes to the arcade to meet Vera, and when he finds Nick putting his hands her, he knocks him down, leaving behind the handkerchief he used during the robbery.

The next day, Nick calls Dan and says he knows about the robbery, and demands a new car in exchange for the handkerchief.

Desperate, Dan steals a car from the garage, his boss Mackey tells Dan that he was seen taking the car, and threatens to go to the police. Dan goes to Vera with his problems and she suggests that they steal the money from Nick's office. They are able to pay off Mackey and Vera spends half of the money on a mink coat. Every time Dan tries to get out of trouble he finds himself deeper into... Quicksand. You have to watch to see what happens next.
Click to view the movie Quicksand.

I'm not really a Mickey Rooney fan. But I did enjoy him in the film, Quicksand. Overall, it's a wonderful film although is starts slowly but gets better and better as the story unfolds.

THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1934)

The Man Who Knew Too Much(1934) suspense film. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Peter Lorre. Released by Gaumont British. It was one of the most successful films of Hitchcock's British period. Hitchcock remade the film with James Stewart and Doris Day in (1956) for Paramount Pictures. It's the only film he ever remade. The two films are, very different in setting, and plot.

While traveling through St. Moritz, Bob and Jill Lawrence and their daughter Betty become friends with a foreigner staying at the same hotel. One evening as Jill is dancing with their new friend, he is shot through the window. Before he dies, he has Jill promise to take the note from his hotel room and deliver it to the British authorities. Before Bob can get to the authorities, he is handed a note by Betty's kidnappers. The couple return home to England and learn that the kidnappers plan to assassinate a powerful foreign visitor at Albert Hall. Will the family be able to save the visitor and Betty lives from the assassins?

This is my favorite version of Alfred Hitchcock's THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. Alfred Hitchcock and Peter Lorre make a wonderful team. I wish that they had made more movies together.
Did you find Alfred Hitchcock's cameo appearance?
For those who have seen both films which is your favorite?


FUN FACTS:

The gun battle scene at the end of the film is based on the real life Sidney Street siege which took place on 3 January 1911 in London.Alfred Hitchcock did not know that Peter Lorre, a Hungarian, did not speak English.Peter Lorre's first English language film.The title of this film comes from the name of a book written by G.K. Chesterton.