Crackerjack

This an early attempt at the gentleman thief idea and it works beautifully. The film offers much elegance, wit and sophistication, just like its two stars. If only Hollywood produced this type of film today.

If you combine Robin Hood with a communist, you'd get Jack Drake (Tom Walls)...a high-class crook who delights in stealing from the rich and giving to various deserving charities in Britain. Despite being a crook, however, you cannot help but like Drake and his exploits. The same can be said of Drake in the story...he cannot help but like his exploits as well...so much so that he wrote his memoires and had them published anonymously. Now, millions of Brits can read about 'Crackerjack' (his alter ego) and his brushes with the law.

While you might think that the police would be Crackerjack's worst enemies, there is a vicious gang who want to capture him even more. Why? Because twice during the course of the film he outsmarts them and steals jewels the gang intended to steal. To stop him, the gang recruits an innocent lady...the Baroness (Lilli Palmer). But once she realizes her mistake, can she alert Crackerjack before their wicked plan is enacted?

Tom Walls is a middle-aged man in the film and not especially handsome. However, despite this, he is mega-charming and easy to like....and it's a shame that very few these days have even heard of this excellent actor. My advice is watch the film....he's amazingly good in it and manages to make a somewhat ridiculous plot work...and work well.

Well no it is not a movie about lawn bowls and featuring Mick Molloy and other Australian actors, this is the British comedy of years gone by with Tom Walls and his typical farce and comedic stylisings. I have began watching Tom Walls comedies, in a race of filmographies with my brother and this is the third Walls comedy I have seen. This seems to be by far the best of them, and he appears to have honed his style. The beginning is especially memorable with the theft of diamonds and the switching of these around. The movie is very amusing and is well worth the watch, it is not an outstanding movie, and I am not as dedicated to Tom Walls as my brother is, but his movies are usually diverting and not terrible. This film is well worth a watch and is Tom Walls, watch this film to get a real understanding of the Walls filmography.

A typically 30s-style charismatic gentleman thief and master of disguise tackles a dangerous criminal gang while posing as a butler at a stately home. Vintage in age rather than in quality, and not as good as the identically-titled British kids' TV programme of three or four decades later.

The Wonderful Lilli Palmer was very young when she made CRACKERJACK and she was a marvelous actress and a fabulously beautiful and charming actress and this film was just the beginning for her. She was rather unique in British films since most of the so called Gainsborough gals of the time were British such as Margaret Lockwood, Phyllis Calvert, Patricia Roc, Sally Gray, etc and only Miss Palmer, German born, went on to an international career and worked in Hollywood as well as in France and Germany over the years, coming back to British films from time to time. She was unique among the all British group of gals making names for themselves in the late 30s and 40s in British cinema. She married Rex Harrison, had a son with him and happens to be my favorite all time actress.