Scotland Yard Investigator

Hollywood once again demonstrates how flush with imported talent it was with this plush Republic potboiler (thanks to what are presumably standing sets handsomely lit) starring Sir C.Aubrey Smith and Erich von Stroheim! The latter looks extremely dashing in a toupee as a Bond villain set on adding the Mona Lisa to his collection of stolen masterpieces. (Both are supposed to be experts on art, yet fail to notice that the film's McGuffin is obviously a quickly knocked up copy.)

A sort of sequel to the same director's 'Secrets of Scotland Yard' of the previous year; the actual Scotland Yard Investigator who gives the film it's title being in fact very marginal to the proceedings.

Although shot on a dental floss budget by Republic, Scotland Yard Investigator proves to be an interesting little crime thriller and the leading actors Erich Von Stroheim and C. Aubrey Smith get a chance to carry a film for a change instead of being in support.

For reasons I don't understand Von Stroheim is given a full head of hair and we miss that bald menace, but even with a wig he's as coldly Teutonic as ever. Von Stroheim plays an art collector who has robbed a lot of valuable art objects over the years so that he could enjoy them in his privacy and deprive the world of same. Now with the close of World War II, he's out to get the biggest prize of all, the Mona Lisa which was given temporary shelter in the United Kingdom during the late war from another German art collector, Herman Goering.

C. Aubrey Smith is the man charged with keeping the Mona Lisa as director of Great Britain's national gallery, but then someone else steals it out from under Smith and Von Stroheim. Smith has to get it back before an international incident is caused by the theft between Great Britain and France.

Forrester Harvey is another player here, he's a cockney art dealer and fence and he pulls the caper off. The rest of the film is a cat and mouse triangular game between Smith, Von Stroheim, and Harvey.

Harvey by the way though he's a drunk is not a total fool. In some ways he's more entertaining than either of his adversaries.

Scotland Yard Investigator for its miniscule production values is pretty good, carried as it were on the backs of two very familiar character actors.

There are not too many films starring C. Aubrey Smith in the lead and watching that old boy as the big star is always fascinating. A very descent film, with great acting. Made me very happy finding a copy of the film after searching for it for years.

I really enjoyed this "B" film mystery. C. Aubrey Smith makes a good hero, though he was in his eighties at the time. He always carried an air of authority about him, and never failed to be entertaining. His appearance and mannerisms cry out for parody, and in fact, he was often caricatured. But he was endearing and witty, and lots of fun to watch. Offscreen, he was famous as a leading member of the "British Colony" in Hollywood, in the 30s and 40s, and as a leader of the Hollywood Cricket Club.

Cheers too, for Erich Von Stroheim. What more can one say about him? He was a wonderful director, and a mesmerizing actor as well. He managed to elevate a number of low-budget films, and was wonderful in the "A" films, too. Think "Five Graves to Cairo" and "Sunset Boulevard," for example. His character in that latter film is creepy yet sympathetic- a type he played often, and well. I never get tired of watching him. He often chewed the scenery, but always in such an entertaining way that you have to forgive him.

This is a pretty good Republic effort. It is well written, and it keeps you interested. One thing I really like about the film is in its use of many famous Hollywood character actors. Forrester Harvey, who often played humorous Cockney types, gets more screen time here than usual. And he does a good job as the shady art dealer. Ditto his wife Doris Lloyd, who made a zillion movies. C. Aubrey's wife is played by Eva Moore, who was the creepy sister, Rebecca Femm, in James Whale's classic, "The Old Dark House." She plays a society lady here, and it's hard to believe she's the same actress as in that earlier film. You can also spot Billy Bevan, Victor Varconi, Georges Metaxa, and a number of faces that pop up in many films of the 30s and 40s. That was a great thing about Old Hollywood- there were so many excellent character actors available to the studios. They always added that something extra to the films, and audiences loved seeing them. Try to imagine the classics of that era without them.

For mystery lovers, and fans of the character actors of the studio system- era, this is a gem of a movie.

Not really a surprise in this little feature. Republic studios manufactured this kind of products as dozens per month. Not boredom in that story of robbery, counterfeit and intrigue in the art collectors world.

Von Stroheim gives here an acceptable performance as a ruthless collector ready at anything to achieve his purposes, including murder. And he is not the only one. Not action packed movie but still absorbing.

Forget the classic romance between this detective and the girl. Usual cliché we unfortunately can't miss. I will say that Aubrey Smith is delightful in the old fellow character.