Crackerjack (1938)

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

One of the best films i have seen

just watch it!

A different way of telling a story

I've always liked Tom Walls' farces – this is a more straightforward comedy, full of frothy sometimes witty dialogue and period furnishings with music veering from staid British dance band to hot American and a corny yet cogent script. Mind you, it also had an innocent bystander shot by hoodlums at point blank defending "a string of duds" from being stolen.Mysterious and confident cracksman robs to order for almost purely altruistic reasons, but takes great exception when he's embroiled with and considered by the police to be the head hoodlum of a rather nasty gang of thieves so decides decidedly to clear his alias. It's inventive and predictable at the same time, interesting and so-so – basically I enjoyed it! It was the first time of viewing, I really wouldn't mind taking another crack at it and viewing it again sometime. Tom Walls is urbane and monocled, Lilli Palmer is elegant and shrewd, Noel Madison is snarly and impetuous – and everything else runs true to form too. There seems to be even more of an age-gulf between Lilli and the rest of the cast which was ignored of course so we have to accept it too and put any qualms we may have down to our collective post-rock and roll cynicism. The other star of the picture is Art Deco – for example the "hotel" and its interiors and furniture where a lot of the story is based is quite breathtaking at times in its poignant gleaming beauty. Not so long ago this fashion was sneered at, now that it's becoming more obvious we're living in a completely styleless age the focus on the past only gets sharper.And yes, that's clearly a sound mike seen dangling in the ornate mirror in Lilli Palmer's apartment at 46 minutes – even that's interesting to view! Enjoyable stuff, but probably only to those of us who appreciate British pre-War comedies.

The early parts of this film are quite promising but it tails off pretty quickly.Part of the problem is Tom walls.He is clearly attempting to emulate Ronald Coleman as Raffles but fails miserably.He was 56 years old when he made this and having him romantically involved with a 22 year old Lili Palmer actually makes him look rather like a dirty old man.Palmer for her part is probably to young for her part.The plot seems to rather get lost in the middle part.The ending is predictable and clichéd,It has to be said that Tom walls disguised as a butler still looks very like Tom walls.There is an interesting tap routine that seems to have strayed in from a Jessie Matthews film and some really charming art deco sets.

I had never heard of this film before and therefore had no expectations. I was also not familiar with any of the cast members. The movie was much more interesting than I would have thought with one big caveat: the lead male role, who plays "Crackerjack" is much too old for the part, and smokes incessantly, which is a distinct turn-off for me. Any romantic feelings between the two leads seemed highly unlikely for this reason alone. The part needed a Cary Grant or a David Niven. Although I found no fault with Tom Walls' acting, he is simply way too old for Lilli Palmer. The plot twists may have appeared in other movies, but none that I have seen before, and this viewer they were refreshing and fun. I was caught off guard with the plot on several occasions. So, while I can't give this any more than 7 stars, it could still be a fairly pleasant entertainment, especially if one enjoys films of the 1930s.

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.