Laburnum Grove

1936 ""

Laburnum Grove

6.6 | 1h13m | en | Comedy

To rid himself of his sponging relatives a man tells them he is really a forger which causes them to leave. His wife believes he is joking, but he has in fact allowed the truth to slip out and now he is danger of being arrested.

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6.6 | 1h13m | en | Comedy | More Info

Released: November. 16,1936 | Released Producted By: Associated Talking Pictures (ATP) , Country: Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:

Synopsis

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Cast

Edmund Gwenn , Cedric Hardwicke , Katie Johnson

Director

John W. Boyle

Producted By

Associated Talking Pictures (ATP) ,

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Trailers & Images

Cast

Edmund Gwenn

as Mr. Radfern

The Rocket from Calabuch The Trouble with Harry The Bigamist Les Miserables Peking Express For Heaven's Sake Mister 880 Challenge to Lassie Hills of Home

Cedric Hardwicke

as Mr. Baxley

The Ten Commandments The Unknown The Pumpkin Eater Five Weeks in a Balloon The Gertrude Berg Show Baby Face Nelson Richard III Helen of Troy The Vagabond King

Katie Johnson

as Mrs. Radfern

How to Murder a Rich Uncle The Delavine Affair The Large Rope Dusty Ermine Laburnum Grove

Reviews

writers_reign At last an early Carol Reed movie that's neither risible nor cringe-making. Ironically it was mostly his later films - Climbing High etc - that fell into that category. On the other hand in this case he is working from a rock-solid base, a 'well-made' play by Jack Priestley rather than an 'original' screenplay. In fact Reed was working for an outfit that had been formed to bring West End successes to the screen so it may well be that he was, to a certain extent, restricted creatively. Certainly there is no discernible 'signature' in evidence in what amounts to a (presumbably) faithful rendering of a West End success. Edmund Gwenn is his usual lovable rogue as the head of a household with a secret life as a master forger. Cedric Hardwicke is unconvincingly cast against type as his seriously sponger brother-in-law whilst Katie Johnson lends solid support - and looks exactly the same as she did in The Ladykillers almost 20 years later - as Gwenn's wife. Gwenn's would-be son-in-law behaves exactly as his counterpart in The Winslow Boy, i.e. running a mile at the first whiff of scandal and somewhat bizarrely for a climate in which film producers were under orders to make Crime Does Not Pay fodder for the masses, Gwenn walks into the sunset happier and wiser. Worth a look.

malcolmgsw I saw this film at the NFT last night.It was shown as part of the tribute to Carol Reed.A director who now largely seems to be forgotten.This film is based on a play by J.B.Prisetley.Given that there is not a lot in the way of opening out it is fairly easy to see where the three acts begin and end.The two lead performances by Gwenn and Harwicke are ones to cherish.I have seen Gwenn in a number of his British films and i have to say that i have not seen him put a foot wrong.He has a cherubic smile which normally hides some mischievous thought.This film thrives on incongruity.There are some exterior shots of suburban London in the 1930s including the exterior,and possibly the interior of Stolls Picture Theatre,which i believe was in Kingsway.