As mentioned before when discussing THE PIGGOTT COMMISSION and ROPE I was amazed to find another film that was on BBC licensed television in the late 1930s, with a grade A West End theater cast. It is a play by J. B. Priestly (AN INSPECTOR CALLS, LOST EMPIRES, THE LAST HOLIDAY), and starred the young Ralph Richardson, James Mason, Meriel Forbes (who later married Richardson), Ivor Barnard (the murderous Major in John Huston's BEAT THE DEVIL) and John Laurie (the wife beating husband of Peggy Ashcroft in THE THIRTY NINE STEPS). In short this sounds like it would have been a fascinating 70 minute program.
Does it exist? Do any of these disks still exist? I wish one or two would turn up to review. Unfortunately, it is easier to see Orson Welles' THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSOMS, or Eric Von Stroheim's GREED (both re-cut and partially redone despite their directors plans) than to see these productions - because the disks had to be destroyed as per agreement with the West End Theater owners. It was a very devilishly bad arrangement. Some of the disks should have been preserved.
Does it exist? Do any of these disks still exist? I wish one or two would turn up to review. Unfortunately, it is easier to see Orson Welles' THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSOMS, or Eric Von Stroheim's GREED (both re-cut and partially redone despite their directors plans) than to see these productions - because the disks had to be destroyed as per agreement with the West End Theater owners. It was a very devilishly bad arrangement. Some of the disks should have been preserved.
