Lord Epping Returns (1951) User Reviews

One for Dorothy Granger Fans!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 4 March 2018]

Leon Errol (himself/Lord Epping), Dorothy Granger (Mrs Errol), Harry Harvey (Errol's partner), Claire Carleton (showgirl), Arthur Gould-Porter, Keith McConnell.

Director: Leslie Goodwins. Screenplay: Charles E. Roberts and Bruce D. Bertz. Based on the character created by Joseph Roberts and Charles E. Fields. Photography: Frank Redman. Film editor: Edward W. Williams. Art director: Charles Pyke. Producer: George Bilson.

Copyright 21 September 1951 by RKO-Radio Pictures, Inc. U.S. release: 21 September 1951. 19 minutes.

COMMENT: Leon Errol played a double part as Uncle Matt and Lord Epping in the Mexican Spitfire series. He revives the character with equal success in this short, ably assisted by the wonderful Claire Carleton as the showgirl and Dorothy Granger as his screen wife.

This live-action comedy short . . .

[oscaralbert · 6/10 · 16 September 2015]

. . . from the middle of the previous century is built around the premise that all old White men look alike. That's why it says "Washington" under the picture on the front of every American dollar bill: If people had to actually RECOGNIZE the difference between George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, you could just get a green felt tip pen, draw zeroes after the ones in the corners, and make a profit of $90 on ten singles with 85 to 95% of the American public. If Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt looked distinctly different to most people, there would not be such a hue and cry clamoring to have nameplates carved into Mount Rushmore. Errol Flynn can play Rebel cavalry Gen. J.E.B. Stuart in one picture, and Stuart's nemesis, Union Cavalry Gen. George Armstrong Custer in the next because if you've seen one old White guy, you've seen them all! LORD EPPING RETURNS beats this joke into a dead horse, until the whole affair becomes quite tedious. Tea, anyone?

Pretty Good After A Slow Start

[Snow Leopard · 9 September 2004]

This short comedy is pretty good once it gets going. Leon Errol makes good use of his dual role, and the supporting cast also help to make the idea work. Leon reprises his Lord Epping character, who gets into a tangle-up with Leon's own family and associates. The situation lends itself to some good material, and most of it comes off well enough. Dorothy Granger always works well as a complement to Errol's scheming husband characters, and in this one Claire Carleton is also amusing as a dancer who fits in with Leon's plans.

The story is rather slow at the beginning, taking rather a lot of time to introduce Lord Epping and to set up Leon's predicament, without a lot of particularly funny material. The last part is much more entertaining, as Errol and the rest of the cast attend an amusing dinner party. They use the situation well, without trying to push it too far. Overall, it's a decent short comedy, despite the slow beginning.