Il treno scomparso

This mystery/comedy is thoroughly engaging with breezy banter between Inspector Pemberton (Hulbert) and crime boss Kate Westhanger (Tobin) that is delightful. Of course, the notion that Tobin is a big time crime boss is absolutely absurd. Hey, it's a fun movie so who cares? The first Jack Hulbert movie I saw was "Bulldog Jack" at a film festival many years ago and I thought he was great and this movie, while not as good as Bulldog Jack, nonetheless is still a nice showcase for Hulbert. It was a treat seeing so many familiar faces such as Withers, Aylmer, Sullivan, Genn but especially Wontner who some critics assert was best ever portrayer of Sherlock Holmes on film (endless arguments about this are really fun but also pointless). As a previous reviewer pointed out, the plot is a bit complicated and there are too many crooks to keep track of, but there is sufficient action (the train sequences are quite good) and the dialog snappy enough to keep the movie moving at a good pace.

Genevieve Tobin (Kate) leads a band of criminals. Theft is her speciality and she masterminds the plans. Inspector Jack Hulbert (Mike) knows he needs to stop her but he is in love with her, relentlessly pursuing her for a date as well as trying to catch her breaking the law. He is very creepy but the dialogue between them can be funny at times. Warning - this film does contain occasional British buffoonery - never an entertaining option.

Unfortunately, the film gets pretty boring and is only entertaining when Tobin is on screen. All the points in this film go to her. The film also has Noel Madison (Gregori) as one of the gang, who stands up to Tobin. He so looks like the leader of the Ant Hill Mob in the Wacky Races - perhaps it is the same person. As for Hulbert, wow, what a face! Is that really one of the UK's leading men - ha ha? It's a combination of Fred Astaire and Bruce Forsyth and I half expected him to churn out a catchphrase "all right, my luv....?"

Jack Hulbert is a police Inspector and he's in pursuit of Genevieve Tobin: first, because she's beautiful and charming and he's quite naturally smitten and second, because she and her gang have got a big job on and it's his job.

Jack doesn't dance in this one, and there's not much in the way of farce in this, except for the usual late 1930s wise-cracking, but there is a good script based on one of Edgar Wallace's thrillers, and the two leads are very charming. Miss Tobin's absence from the ranks of top stars remains a mystery to me, but perhaps it's simply that she never got that big break and she was beginning to push forty. Still, it's a pair of good performances, and the plan is a good one, with the only way Hulbert has to track anything the occasional cracks left by Miss Tobin's henchmen who try to "improve" her plans. The result is a fine shared star vehicle for the two.

Not exactly Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre and not really how I remember the book but obviously designed to fit the bubbling personality of Genevieve Tobin. As Kate she has just left her job in rather a hurry - her employer's daughter (a very young and exuberant Googie Withers) has misplaced a cigarette case, accusations are being thrown around and the police have been called in. You see, Kate Westhanger is the notorious head of a criminal gang - but thanks to the intrepid Scotland Yard Inspector Pemberton (Jack Hulbert) , Kate is saved to plot another day!!

Genevieve is terrific, her sparkling wit is given free reign and she is given a rare star billing - Hulbert and she have great rapport but Tobin would put anyone at their ease. Kate is running her gang like clockwork but there is rupture in the ranks - Gregori (Noel Madison) is planning his own little bank job and he has a few of her gang onside!! It is a stretch believing in Genevieve as the master mind of a gang of surly thugs - when she says "I've planned everything down to the last detail and have I ever steered you wrong before" you almost expect her to pout and stamp her foot!!

Delightful scene - first time I've ever seen a milk bar in a movie and what a milk bar!! It may have been an American invention but the Brits took it to a whole new level!!

Also Noel Madison who originally was from the stage where he had diverse parts, in movies he was usually a "dese, dems and does" wise guy - in "Kate" he was a bad guy but with a very passable British accent as Tobin had also. Another gang member, this one on Kate's side was Arthur Wontner who made a very good Sherlock Holmes in a series from the early to the late 1930s. Francis L. Sullivan definitely playing against type as Lord Flamborough, the rattled father of socialite Googie Withers who luckily didn't have a huge part in the movie as she was a dead ringer for Genevieve!!

Recommended!!

This contains all the usual ingredients of an Edgar Wallace film.A gang led by an out of the usual gang leader who commit crimes that baffle the police.The film ending up in a frantic chase using an unusual form of transport.The leading roles are played by Jack Hulbert and Genevive Tobin.Hulbert is slightly more restrained in his mugging than in most of his films.Tobin is a scarcely believable gang leader.Unfortunately it seems to be the case that the only way that English film makers were going to get their films shown in the States was if one of the leads was American.now where that could be a bonus with Edward G Robinson or Marlene Dietrich in a leading part it is very much a detriment when a lesser actress is involved.This film was made as an independent production for General film distributors at a very low ebb in the British film industrys fortunes.Hulbert doesn't even mention this book in his biography.