An out of work actress decides to act as an experienced housekeeper in order to get a job only to discover the butler is doing exactly the same thing. Their employer Mr Graham a divorced and retired politician who is estranged from his son needs his life shaking up something Molly is more than capable of doing.
One of Will Hays brisker comic efforts, 1936s Convict 99 sees Dr Benjamin Twist, Hays clueless schoolmaster, caught in a case of mistaken identity and invited to head up a prison for especially hard-boiled criminals. Unable to believe his luck, Dr Twist celebrates his success with a few drinks, is still drunk when he arrives to take up his post and, confused with a new batch of inmates, ends up behind bars himself. There he makes the acquaintance of Moore Marriott as "Jerry the Mole", who has been digging an escape tunnel for nigh on 40 years and is only a fortnight away from his release date. When eventually reinstated as governor, Hay runs a loose ship, with inmates waited on by wardens, allowed to bet and even play the stock market. However, when a criminal on the outside attempts to defraud Twist, their indignation is naturally aroused. Convict 99 is a typical outtake from Hays bizarrely lawless universe, in which for all his harrumphing and bluster, hes unable to exercise any sort of discipline whatsoever over the men in his charge. Hay plays exactly the same character from film to film, one so ill-equipped for any situation hes equally suited for all. Whereas Twist is an incompetent who somehow muddles through, Hay the comic actor is a master of timing and double-takes who knows precisely how to create the air of a shambles. On the DVD: the original 1930s film stock has been well restored, give or take the odd crackle. But there are no extras, except scene index. --David Stubbs
Dr. Benjamin Twist (Will Hay) is invited to act as tutor to the son of a millionaire in the United States of America after posing as a famous professor. Twist discovers that two gangs of villains are out to kidnap his precocious young pupil Bernie Schultz...
The beautiful Kit Preston becomes disconcerted when she starts receiving crank calls claiming that her life is in jeopardy. Although She tells police about the messages her somewhat hysterical manner leaves them convinced that the danger is all in her imagination... or fakes in order to get attention from her neglectful husband. However two people know that the peril is very real indeed...
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy