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Special Inspector (1938)
Not the hidden gem I was hoping for...
Charles Quigley plays Tom Evans, the Special Inspector on an assignment to capture a gang smuggling furs from Canada into the United States.
A decent enough plot with a couple of neat twists, but the film falls a bit short as it's not gritty enough to be a good crime flick, the script isn't witty enough to make for a good comedy-thriller, and the lack of chemistry between Charles Quigley & Rita Hayworth doesn't help the romantic sub-plot.
Worth viewing for film buffs interested in the UK "quota-quickie" B-movies, but in particular for fans of Rita Hayworth to see her in an early un-glamorous role (but still very easy on the eye!).
1938 was the year of Angels With Dirty Faces and The Lady Vanishes, and I'm afraid Special Inspector is not in the same league, let alone the same ball park as those movies.
A generous 7/10 for an hour's decent entertainment, but not a movie that will live long in my memory, or warrant a repeat viewing.
Lazybones (1935)
Cheap & Cheerful
An example of a "Quota Quickie" - one of the hundreds of low-budget B movies that British studios churned out to receive government funding between 1927-1937.
Making allowances for the financial and time constraints this film was clearly made under (many of the "Quota Quickie" films were shot around the working schedules of actors who were simultaneously engaged in theatrical work), the film still falls a bit short due to a weak script and (unsurprisingly) rather stagy performances by the cast. On the plus side, the film does have quite an engaging plot and rattles along at a cheery pace.
In conclusion, Lazybones is worth viewing for 3 reasons: 1) a fantastic little cameo appearance by the wonderful British character actor Miles Malleson 2) for Michael Powell fans to catch his early directorial work 3) for Alfred Hitchcock fans to realise just how far ahead of the game he was! (The 39 Steps was released in the same year)