Plustown
A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.
Motompa
Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.
Brennan Camacho
Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.
LeonLouisRicci
Nothing in this MGM B-Movie Works. The Mystery is Blown in the First Five Minutes with Some Very Bad Make-Up and the Bad Make-Up is Used for Two Other Characters Before this Really Bad Movie Concludes.The Acting is Atrocious by All Except the Dog and Even He Cannot Match His Prototype from The Thin Man Series. Everything Here is Overcooked and Insufferable. The Characters are Stereotypical to the Extreme and the Film, Shot on the Back-Lot, Looks Confined, Stagy, and Hardly Atmospheric.George Murphy is a Hammy Bore, the Bar-Maid Will Have You Rolling Your Eyes or Running Out of the Room, and the Usually Reliable George Zucco and Leo G. Carroll are Trying Hard to Make Things Interesting but to No Avail. It's Perhaps One of the Worst Movies Ever Made with the MGM Logo.
blanche-2
London by Night (1937) was a B movie, set in London (read: back lot of MGM) and starring George Murphy, Virginia Field, Rita Johnson, Leo G. Carroll, George Zucco, Montagu Love, and Corky. This film is actually based on a play that was never produced.Murphy plays Michel Denis, a newspaperman in London who, in the morning, is leaving for a vacation in Paris. He and his buddy, a dog named Jones, decide to stay in London, however, to help solve a series of murders by a man carrying an umbrella.Along the way, he meets a pretty socialite (Johnson), who lives in a house that includes her father (Zucco) and a butler (Carroll).The atmosphere is captured with lots of fog and some dreadful Cockney, the worst offender being the usually likable Virginia Field. She overdid her role as a barmaid big time.George Murphy was an actor of terrific charm, and he brings it on here. The dog who plays his dog, Corky, is terrific.Pleasant.
Michael_Elliott
London By Night (1937) ** (out of 4)Mystery film from MGM has London being stalked by a mad killer who uses an umbrella as his disguise to prevent being seen. A local reporter (George Murphy) links up with a rich woman (Rita Johnson) to try and figure out who the mysterious figure is. Apparently the working title of this film was THE UMBRELLA MAN was the working title for this film and that probably would have fit it a lot better. I've seen so many mysteries like this over the years to the point where I'm feeling there aren't too many out there left for me to watch. This one here is about middle ground as there's nothing too bad but there's nothing too good either. The one thing the director does get right is the atmosphere as the film has a very dark and fog filled look to it. This here is a major plus as is the casting of George Zucco in the role of a good guy. You don't get to see that very often so it was nice to see it here. He's pretty good in the role as is Virginia Field and Leo G. Carroll in their parts. I wasn't too interested in either league, which was one of the film's faults and I'd also say the identity of the killer was given away rather early even though the "secret" is held to the end. I think most will be able to figure things out. If, like me, you've seen the majority of these types of movies then you might as well check this one out as well. If you haven't seen too many of what the genre has to offer then there are many others you should check out before catching this one of TCM.
Mitch Persons
It is all too obvious after the first five minutes who the master criminal, "The Umbrella Man" is. Nevertheless, it is a charming, lighthearted mystery with some very good performances.George Murphy (long before he became a U.S. senator from California,) plays the lead part, Michael Denis, with a great deal of charm and a large dose of tongue-in-cheek. Truth be told, our late U.S. senator was quite a handsome man.A small side note: back in 1964 I worked at General Service Studios in Hollywood as a messenger. Among other shows that were filmed there was "The Beverly Hillbillies" starring Buddy Ebsen. Ebsen and Murphy were good friends. After Murphy won his U.S. senate seat, he visited Ebsen in his dressing room. There was some talk that Ebsen (who to me, at my lofty age of 18, seemed to be an insufferable snob) might run for office himself.I had bicycled up to Ebsen's dressing room to deliver some mail. I misjudged the distance between the curb and the dressing room. I hit the curb straight on, knocking all the mail out of my basket. Just as I was maneuvering that very graceful slam, Sen. Murphy came walking out of the dressing room. I was a bit surprised to see that he was about my height. I was, and still am, at 5'9", far from a giant* "What seems to be the trouble, son?" asked the affable Murphy. "I dropped my mail, senator," I managed to mumble and stumble out. "Here, let me help you," said Murphy, whereby this dignified, handsome, and immaculately dressed United States senator got down on his hands and knees, and helped me shuffle the mail back into my basket.I have been a life-long Democrat, but if I had been old enough to vote for Republican George Murphy, I certainly would have.What a guy!*other "cutesie" names (which I learned to despise) were, "squirt," "pipsqueak," "shorty," (which the school bully always called me) and my all time favorite, "shrimp boats."By way of explanation of that last one, there was a very popular song being sung at that time called "Shrimp Boats are A-comin'"
