John Baxter
Sid Gibson is a soap powder salesman who decides what he really needs is TV advertising. The problem is, he's absolutely broke. He calls upon his friend Arthur Ashton, who arranges to sneak a plug for Sid's suds into a live TV spectacular. The public goes bananas for the product but to maintain sales Sid and Arthur must arrange for ever more outrageous plugs on TV shows. The Ascots races, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo - no show is safe.
Bill Ramsbottom sells his English pub and drags his family off to Canada where he has inherited a ranch from his grandfather Wild Bill Ramsbottom. He ends up tangling with outlaw Black Jake, an Indian chief Blue Eagle, and the local law.
After being arrested for assaulting a football referee, desperate train driver Bill (Arthur Askey) raids the railwaymen's holiday fund to cover his £55 fine. He knows he's going to be discovered though, leaving him no choice but to get the money back by hook or by crook! His last chance is to run a book on the United v City football derby. If that wasn't tense enough, Bill's son is also making his debut for United. It looks like it's going to be a day to remember - do you dare look? ...The Love Match.
A group of very strange men, refugees and casualties of the war, rally round when one of their number is framed by a drug racketeer. Co-opting a well-known journalist to their cause, they scheme to bring the racketeer to justice in a home-made "trial" in the crypt of a ruined church.
Murderous smugglers kidnap a troublesome Bargemans son in this British crime drama, filmed on the Thames.
When You Come Home was Randle’s seventh feature film, and sees him recount his life as a music hall odd job man to his grandaughter.
David and Monty are two friends of Susan and Betty Potter whose father runs a fleet of lorries. One by one, his lorries are involved in accidents and sabotage is suspected. The children are determined to find the culprits.
In this children's movie a young inventor dreams of becoming an engineer. He has even created a new gadget, but before he can finish it, he needs more money so he and his pal begin washing windows. The inventor's pal wants to use the money to go home to Ireland so he can see his dying grandpa. His good-hearted partner gladly gives up his share. Later, he is praised for his genius.
When a wealthy newspaper proprietor passes away, his crooked business partner moves to secure the deceased's fortune by substituting a false will. But 'Corona' Flanagan is onto the fraudster, and his efforts to unmask the villain see him popping in and out of jail – which isn't all that bad, since the governor is an old friend of his – and dressing up as a Russian countess...
When a pretty Wren faints in a crowded train, Private Bud Flanagan and Captain Ches Allen are quick to render first aid. But over Bud's head, a heavy kitbag wobbles; it falls and scores a direct hit, knocking him unconscious. What follows is a dream sequence involving Ches, the Wren and Bud himself in a series of hilarious adventures as well as a magical medley of the duo's best-loved musical numbers!
A night watchman is being bludgeoned, as a safe is cracked open in the offices of the District Food Controller. A list of wartime foods to be rationed is stolen, and the police fear gangsters are planning to sell the foods on the black market. As the office charwoman, Old Mother Riley's fingerprints are all over the safe, and she becomes the police's number one suspect. To prove her innocence, Mother Riley turns detective, adopting various methods and disguises to track down the villains.
The Shipbuilders is a 1943 British drama film directed by John Baxter and starring Clive Brook, Morland Graham and Nell Ballantyne. The film is set in a Clyde shipyard in the build-up to the Second World War. It was based on a novel by George Blake.
An out-of-work comedian persuades a drunken nobleman to join a protest against the closing of a village hall.
Depressing and realistic family drama about the struggles of unemployment and poverty in 1930s Lancashire. The 20-year-old Kerr gives an emotionally charged performance as Hardcastle, one of the cotton workers trying to make life better. Interlaced with humour that brings a ray of sunshine to the pervasive bleakness, this remains a powerful social study of life between the wars, and was a rare problem picture to come out of Britain at the time.
The Common Touch is a 1941 British drama film directed by John Baxter and starring Geoffrey Hibbert, Harry Welchman, Greta Gynt and Joyce Howard. On the death of his father, an eighteen-year old lad leaves school to take over the family firm in the City of London. Realising the other directors want to keep him in the dark he starts asking questions, and is soon undercover as a down-and-out in a hostel which will disappear if a company building project goes ahead.
As WWII begins, vaudeville entertainer Tommy Towers is called up to serve. He arranges a job for his girlfriend at the local pub. To keep moral up, his commanding officer orders him to perform for the troops.
Old Mother Riley does the laundry for the dancers in the pantomime "Aladdin", where her daughter Kitty works as a chorus girl. Sneaking a peek at the show one day, Mother Riley accidentally pops up through a trap door onto the stage. Accosted by the angry star, Mother Riley’s belligerent responses have the audience in stitches. Outraged, the star walks out, leaving Kitty to take over the leading role, to great success.
Charters (Basil Radford) and Caldicott (Naunton Wayne) are touring the Middle East. After visiting Saudi Arabia they find themselves in Bagdad where they are mistaken by a group of German spies for the messengers who are to carry a song record by beautiful singer La Palermo (Greta Gynt) which contains secret instructions of the German Intelligence. Realizing their error, the German spies follow Charters and Caldicott to Istanbul and Budapest, trying to eliminate them and retrieve the record.
The granddaughter of an old showman is kept away from him by his daughter, ashamed of their background. But the girl is phenomenally talented by hereditary, and wins a talent competition, leading to star in a west end show.
An east London fishmonger's young daughter (Hazel Ascot) is so grateful to Dr Hood (John Stuart) for saving her dog Patch after a road accident that she persuades her dad and various friends to help stage a concert at the local Hippodrome to raise money to save the local hospital.
After the Local council he works for decides to replace its horse-drawn services with motor vehicles, one of the drivers spends his savings to buy the horse. Together they search the countryside looking for work, and meeting an assorted group of characters on the way.
'Producer stages outside broadcast despite jealous critic.' (British Film Catalogue)
'Retired major and ex-enemies pledge peace at reunion.' (British Film Catalogue)
A sausage-making tycoon rents a castle from an impoverished aristocrat.
'Old-time minstrel sinks to poverty and rises to fresh stardom.' (British Film Catalogue)
A rare film put out by Twickenham Film Studios which includes many original music hall acts.
An escaped convict is on the loose, and the police are searching all the doss-houses in the hopes of finding him there. A young journalist is sent by his editor to assist in the search with the aim of reporting on any interesting stories he may find among those seeking shelter that night in the local doss-house, and is eager to help with the arrest. Among the characters they encounter are a man who claims to have got away with murder, and an alcoholic former concert pianist.
