Lord Jeff (1938)

Spoilt child Geoffrey Bramer teams up with a pair of small time crooks to pose as an aristocrat and steal jewelry from exclusive shops. During a a caper, Geoffrey is caught and is sentenced... See full summary »

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

Bradford Ropes (story), Endre Bohem (story),

Stars:

Freddie Bartholomew, Mickey Rooney, Charles Coburn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Freddie Bartholomew	...	Geoffrey Braemer
Mickey Rooney	...	Terry O'Mulvaney
Charles Coburn	...	Captain Briggs
Herbert Mundin	...	Bosun 'Crusty' Jelks
Terry Kilburn	...	Albert Baker
Gale Sondergaard	...	Doris Clandon
Peter Lawford	...	Benny Potter
Walter Tetley	...	Tommy Thrums
Peter Ellis	...	Ned Saunders
George Zucco	...	James 'Jim' Hampstead
Matthew Boulton	...	Inspector Scott
John Burton	...	John Cartwright
Emma Dunn	...	Mrs. Briggs
Monty Woolley	...	Jeweler
Gilbert Emery	...	Magistrate

Storyline

Spoilt child Geoffrey Bramer teams up with a pair of small time crooks to pose as an aristocrat and steal jewelry from exclusive shops. During a a caper, Geoffrey is caught and is sentenced to a reformatory where young men are trained to be sailors. He is befriended by model in-mate Terry O'Mulvaney but soon starts to get them both in trouble.

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Plot Keywords:

sailor | great britain | orphan | jewel thief | party | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

Barreaux blancs

Filming Locations:

Piccadilly Circus, Piccadilly, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Screenwriter James Kevin McGuinness placed an ad in the Hollywood Reporter titled "Facts" breaking down the writing credits for the script by number of lines, as follows: Himself - 853; Walter Ferris - 51; Sam Wood - 17; Frank Davis - 20; Ferris, Val Burton, Endre Bohem and Bradford Ropes - 37; Ropes, Burton and Bohem - 48; Ropes and Burton - 4 for a total of 1,030 lines of dialogue.

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Goofs

In early close-ups, Terry's "missing" tooth is obviously blacked out (as some white shows through).

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Crazy Credits

This picture is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Thomas John Barnardo

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Soundtracks

"London Bridge is Falling Down"
Traditional
Played on piano by Doris Lloyd

User Reviews

Learning Life's Lessons

As another reviewer concluded, this film is very much like Boys Town and even features Mickey Rooney. However, this time, the troubled teen is Freddie Bartholomew as Jeff Braemer. Jeff is involved with a group of jewel thieves, but after being caught, is sent to a orphan school to learn to be a merchant marine. Jeff's rich life has left him jaded and uncooperative, but schoolmates Terry O'Mulvaney (Rooney) and Albert Baker (Terry Kilburn) refuse to give up on him.

The excellent cast makes this film worth watching many times over. There are lessons learned and friends made, but none of those things would be effective if it weren't for believable and likable characters. The subject matter is appropriate for all ages too. Sit down and enjoy this one with the family.