CRACKERJACK - 1938 - LILI PALMER - RARE DVD

If you are a longtime fan of classic movies and we are talking good-guy burglar romantic comedy, you will probably mention the 1955 movie with Cary Grant as the debonair cat burglar with Grace Kelly as the wealthy woman who discovers his identity and falls in love with him. In that movie Cary Grant is no longer a burglar and has gone straight even though no one believes him. In my humble opinion, there is only one way to top that story, but it could not be done in Hollywood . . . . You see, in the U.S. motion picture industry the censors’ guidelines were very strict for story plots and details down to the length of an onscreen kiss (no more than three seconds). Wouldn’t it be amazing if the burglar who could outwit the coppers wasn’t retired? Wouldn’t it be amazing if he was smart enough to continue robbing the rich. . . . Could any burglar get away with that? The burglar needs to be ‘perfect’ every time, but the cops only need to get one lucky break to capture him . . . But of course if he is retired there is no one to catch. . . Leave it to the Brits to craft a modern day Robin Hood burglar that will have us all hoping that he succeeds forever . . . Leave it to the Brits to weave a story with Scotland Yard, our Robin Hood burglar, a beautiful French girl who used to be in the Secret Service, and a band of gangsters . . . Leave it to the Brits to bring just the right amount of comedy, romance and crime suspense that will have us ignoring the ring of our phone or the knock on the door. . . . But remember that even British motion pictures from this era had to pass the eyes of censors . . . . Can the burglar successfully evade Scotland Yard for the entire movie? . . . When you get deeply into the plot of the story you will surely ignore the ringing phone and the knock at the door . . . Nothing will be more important than to see what happens next . . . Pop a big bowl of white kernel popcorn with plenty of warm melted butter on it and enjoy the show.

Directed by Albert de Courville

The Actors: Tom Walls, Lilli Palmer, Noel Madison

76 minutes.