Lady in Danger

"Lady in Danger" is a light comedy with little more than a touch of mystery. Tom Walls and Yvonne Arnaud star as Richard Dexter and the Queen of Ardenberg, respectively. Walls ad Arnaud were two of half a dozen regulars in the Aldwych Farces - a series of a dozen plays on stage in London's Aldwych Theater in the 1920s. Most were later made into films. Besides "A Cuckoo in the Nest" of 1933, Walls and Arnaud also starred in four other films, this being one of them.

None of these others have the level of comedy of the farces. But this is an okay film with a simple plot and good playing between the leads. The supporting cast contribute as well. The best among them are Leon Lion as Dittling, Anne Grey as Lydia and Cecil Parker as Piker.

This is a slower plot and comedy. Most modern audiences won't enjoy it, but those who like some of old performers of the past will enjoy it.

Here are some favorite lines.

Dittling, "You speak English, no doubt?" Queen of Ardenberg, "Certainly. I speak as good English was what almost I do my own tongue."

Richard Dexter, "That's simply an idiom." Queen of Ardenberg, "It is worse than idiom. It's odiom."

Richard Dexter, "Centimeters! Good Lord, we.. we don't go in for Chinese measurements in England."

Lady Brockley, "Curiously high voice. Has he been in an accident?"

Piker, "French, eh? That's even worse than I thought."

King, "Shhh, not in front of your chauffeur, please. This is a very delicate matter." Piker, "It's all right, your majesty. He didn't hear me call your majesty, 'Your majesty.'"

Tom Walls is in Ardenberg during a revolution to recover some stolen bonds. He is asked by Leon Lion to get Yvonne Arnaud to safety in England while Lion turns the country around. Walls agrees and the result is a comic farce directed and co-written by Walls and his old Aldwych Farce cohort, Ben Travers.

Although the comic lines are a lot of fun and zestfully delivered, the movie proceeds at a surprisingly slow and erratic pace. Miss Arnaud shows some zest when she is delivering her lines in French, and Walls, with his on-time delivery is good. However, this movie seems to plod for an extra moving shot here and there, probably to bring it up to minimal length. At less than seventy minutes, the humor is verbal, rather than visual.

I expect that the censor's hand lay far too heavy on the script; sexual innuendo could be far more risque on the boards than the screen. Perhaps that is why I feel that Walls was not served well in his attempting to bring the Aldwych stuff to the movies, and was far better in less comic roles. Or perhaps, it lies in the fact that I am not watching this in an audience to drive my own laughter. The net effect is less than sparkling.

Ben Travers turned this flimsy farce into O Mistress Mine starring Yvonne Printemps and Pierre Fresnay for the St James Theatre in London two years later. Apparently with a song by Cole Porter included – it might have made this version with Yvonne Arnaud and Tom Walls more interesting, although full of the old familiar faces there was no part for either Ralph Lynn or Robertson Hare.

Suave raconteur goes to a European country torn by revolution, saves its Queen by bringing her with him back to England to hide her until the hubbub quietens down. Hiding her Majesty from his fiancé and her mother and his business associates is a little more difficult to achieve though and the expected farcical situations abound. The film starts slowly so bear with it but the bizarre situations multiply with relentless delicious misinterpretations of English and malapropisms from Arnaud and others, none of which would make any sense out of context here. Arnaud and Walls certainly did make a good team, the comic rapport was total, the sly verbal sparring complete. Poor old Hubert Harben gets his usual short shrift from Walls who at one stage calls him a pompous talkative arse and orders him to leave the room before he got a kick in his pants. The King later got one without asking. Stay with it all for the surprise ending.

It's short and scintillating, totally inconsequential but enjoyable to watch and recall.

It sums it up really doesn't it. It really is an obscure movie, mid thirties and fairly short, and judging from the number of votes here, little seen. What can you say about this film? It is in the very British model of farcical comedies where mix ups are often and communication is forgotten. There are moments when you laugh out load and there are moments where you groan in exasperation. Interestingly though, throughout this film you can see ideas that people have grabbed and ran with. The main character played by Tom Walls has been explored more fully in many other movies, including spy movies and comedies. This movie is a forerunner to other, more fully realised, and fully developed stories. It is entertaining enough, and for me has been the first Tom Walls film I have seen. I look forward with interest, to seeing other of his films. Don't expect greatness here, expect an hour of light entertainment, and you will not be disappointed.