Lord Jeff (1938)

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

Bradford Ropes (story) and
Endre Bohem (story) ...

Release Date:

17 June 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

Spoilt child Geoffrey Bramer teams up with a pair of small time crooks to pose as an aristocrat and steal jewelry from exclusive shops...

Plot Keywords:

Sailor | Great Britain | Orphan | Jewel Thief | Party

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Boy from Barnardo's (UK)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #4362)

Filming Locations:

Piccadilly Circus, Piccadilly, London, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

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.

Soundtrack:

Rule Britannia

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.