I remember this young boy in The Fallen Idol but know little about his follow-up film The Wonder Kid – filmed partially in Austria where it seems this shot was taken.

The Wonder Kid was actually released here in 1952.   David Raynor, who often provides very welcome and interesting comments of this Blog, is an expert on Bobby Henrey and has kindly agreed to let me post below the comments he has made on imdb :-

While not in the same league as that in “The Fallen Idol”, Bobby Henrey’s performance in his second and last film, “The Wonder Kid”, is just as charming and fascinating to watch. He is totally convincing and often very touching as Sebastian Giro, a ten years old French boy and child musical prodigy found in an orphanage by Mr Gorik (Elwyn Brook-Jones) who exploits the youngster’s talent as a classical pianist and turns him into an international celebrity. He even tells everyone that the boy is only seven years old in order to make the boy wonder’s talent seem all the more remarkable. But Gorik is also a crook who embezzles the takings so that he has almost all the money and Sebastian gets hardly any. Coupled with that, Gorik won’t allow Sebastian to enjoy the simple pleasures of being a little boy, like having a pet dog or playing with other boys or even reading comic books, because, when Sebastian isn’t performing, Gorik isn’t making any money out of him. He works the over tired boy like a slave who must continually practise on the piano. Sebastian’s elderly English governess, Miss Frisbie (Muriel Aked) is very concerned about the boy and confronts Gorik about his crooked activities. But he dismisses her from her post. Miss Frisbie then pays a gang of junior league crooks to “kidnap” Sebastian and take him to stay in a remote lodge in the Austrian Tyrol and Gorik won’t get him back until he’s paid over a huge ransom which is, in effect, all the money he has stolen from the boy. It is here, in this beautiful setting, that the boy finds a freedom and a happiness he has never known and just wants to stay there forever with those who have become his friends. But trouble is on the horizon for him…

This now unjustly forgotten little film is thoroughly entertaining and wonderful to watch.  Apart from the truly picturesque scenery, Bobby Henrey’s performance as the cruelly exploited child prodigy who moves from misery to happiness is just wonderful. Highly recommended.

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David’s comments above – and he now informs me that this film has been released on DVD within the last 3 years or so.  I must get a copy.

The Wonder Kid – Pictured again with that lovely dog.

The Wonder Kid – ABOVE From the Front Cover of the ABC Film Review – this picture supplied by David Raynor

The Wonder Kid – ABOVE  A Front of House Still from the Film – this picture supplied by David Raynor

BELOW – Scenes from the film

Scenes from the Film ABOVE

David Raynor did meet up with Robert Henrey at a special showing of The Fallen Idol  at the Regal Cinema in Tenbury Wells back in 2013 – here is what he had to say about that :-

My meeting with Bobby Henrey was a memory to treasure, although not the 180 miles journey there and back.

One thing I remember was that when the opening credits started and Bobby’s name came on the screen, everybody cheered. I certainly didn’t like the insulting remarks Guy Hamilton made about Bobby, that he couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag; that he had the attention span of a demented flea and they used up thousands of feet of film getting one line of dialogue out of him and so on. The truth was that if Bobby had been as bad as that, Carol Reed wouldn’t have had him in the film in the first place, or he would have replaced him early on.

But in truth, he was wonderful in it and was kept on the film until the end of the shoot. For some reason, Hamilton didn’t want Bobby on the film. He wanted a professional child actor. But Carol Reed wanted Bobby and that was that. In any event, he made the right choice. So Hamilton seems to have had it in for Bobby, hence the snide remarks about him.

In complete contrast to Hamilton’s remarks, Karl Hartl, who directed Bobby in his second film, The Wonder Kid, said that Bobby was no trouble at all; that he learned his lines easily and that he only ruined one take, where he spoke about Brookville instead of Brooklyn.

David adds :  I am attaching a photo of Bobby and I together at Tenbury Wells. I’m the one in the blue anorak.

This is now getting a re-run on Talking Pictures – a welcome one at that.

We all remember the names of Hawkeye and Chingachgook, 

 It might seem dated now but who cares – that’s what television was in the 1950s and we loved it.

“Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans” was a good Television series imported from the USA as so many were.

John Hart starred as Hawkeye – he had played the Lone Ranger for a while earlier than this when Clayton Moore had a disagreement with the Studio, but that was eventually settled and Clayton Moore returned leaving John Hart to move on and later in o this series.

On BBC Radio 4 last evening in the ‘Front Row’ programme there was a very enlightening feature on Erich Wolfgang Korngold – Composer so well known in the Film field because of his days in Hollywood from around 1034 – and probably best known for his rousing score to ‘The Adventure of Robin Hood’ featuring Errol Flynn.

He later scored the film ‘Kings Row’ starring Ronald Reagan – and a clip from this was played on the programme.   Quite often when this work is played people say ‘Star Wars’ but No – it is Kings Row.  Apparently George Lucas wanted a similar dramatic score to his ‘Star Wars’ film and asked the composer to listen and take inspiration from Korngold’s film work, which he did and came up with the one we all know. At Ronald Regan’s Presidential Ball, he had a first rate orchestra and Conductor at the White House to play Korngold’s music, and the President just loved it – particularly the ‘Kings Row’ composition.

In  1942, Warner Brothers released the film  “King’s Row,” which included in its cast a 31-year-old actor named Ronald Reagan, who claimed the film “made me a star.” The film’s musical score was by someone already a star – the Austrian-born Erich Wolfgang Korngold, famous for his earlier work for Hollywood swashbucklers like “Captain Blood” and “Robin Hood” starring Errol Flynn.

Above: Anne Sheridan with Ronald Reagan

Korngold’s music for “King’s Row” proved unusually popular, and Warner Brothers prepared a form letter politely declining inquiries for sheet music or recordings. Back then, film score recordings were not common, and the big studios were jealously protective of anything – including music – that they owned. It wasn’t until 1979 — 37 years after the release of the film – that a full soundtrack recording of “King’s Row” was released, produced by the composer’s son, George, who was responsible for a major revival of interest in his father’s work. In fact, Korngold’s main title music from “King’s Row” may have provided the model for the American composer John Williams when he wrote his main title music for the 1977 sci-fi swashbuckler “Star Wars.”

ABOVE: James Wong Howe – acclaimed film photographer on this film – Kings Row

The main title music for “King’s Row” was requested by the White House in 1981 for use at the inauguration of President Reagan, the star of this film – and later President of the USA

I am just heading off into the English Country side for a few days holiday.

I will not be posting any articles on the Blog until next week.

Thanks for reading – I have posted One New Article per day from and including 1 January 2019 so m aybe due a rest but will try to make up for lost time when we are back.

Meantime THANKS for reading the articles – I hope there are some that are oF interest as I do try to vary them.

This is filmed in and around Boston in Lincolnshire – and I must admit I have come to love this series of police drama. It isn’t of course a Fifties film or TV series and in fact is well up to date in 2019.

Rob Lowe – pictures above is the star of the show – Rob Lowe as Bill Hixon with Bronwyn James as DC Muriel Yeardsley in Wild Bill. 

Rob Lowe – pictured above with Rachael Stirling.

Rachael Stirling plays Rob Lowe’s girlfriend in the series – her Mother is the lovely Diana Rigg – seen her in The Avengers.

We watched an episode we had recorded this evening – it was very good and moved on at a pace. Quite zany but with good storylines.

The scenery around Boston although very flat is somehow appealing and Boston itself looks good

Again this was on Talking Pictures this afternoon and I saw some of it – but know the film and the story so well, as most of us do.

I always say this – Alec Guinness seemed to take the plaudits for his many roles in this film – and in many ways he deserves that – but Dennis Price is the central character who seems  to appear in nearly every scene. He is excellent in this.

Alec Guinness played nine of the D’Ascoyne family – and Dennis Price played Louis Mazzini – whose Mother had been a family member but had been completely dis-inherited by them when she chose to marry an Italian who they did not approve of.  She eventually died in poverty and Louis had a loving upbringing but again in poor circumstances.

ABOVE: Ascoyne D’Ascoyne with a young mistress who he is buying gifts for,  turns on Louis and gets him sacked from his job – this effectively seals his own death warrant

Then one of the D’Ascoynes had him sacked from his position as a store  worker – at which stage, Louis became fixed on the idea of eliminating the whole family so that he would inherit their wealth, which he felt was deserved after the way his Mother had been treated.

As the Narrator – Dennis Price says – The D’Ascoynes have followed tradition and sent the fool of the family into the Clergy ABOVE

He gradually eliminates them all – as we know – but there is a twist in the tale at the very end of the film

Dennis Price in nearly every scene in this classic film. T

This must have been his greatest role.

This is a film released well before the Fifties decade – but it was a big production made at Denham Film Studios. It turned out to be very successful at the Box Office.

It was a Technicolor Production directed by Gabriel Pascal

Claude Rains – a great actor – brings off Caesar with withering poise and breezy wit, as he encounters the beautiful Cleopatra – superbly played by Vivien Leigh in one of her best ever screen roles and performances.

The film was shown on Talking Pictures this afternoon .

There are many reviews on this film to be read online.  I remember seeing the later Elizabeth Taylor film Cleopatra some years later – but from what I have read this is a better film

The Film Director was Hungarian born  Gabriel Pascal – he would be very welcome at Denham as Alexander Korda – who buil and owned the Film Studios –  and many of his close associates were Hungarian.

Gabriel Pascal was a bit like Alexander Korda in a way, as he spared no expense on his films – he certainly didn’t stick to budgets but he produced lavish spectacular ones

ABOVE – Claude Rains here with Francis L Sullivan – whose next but one role would be as Jaggers in the 1946 film version of Great Expectations 1946 – a truly memorable role in a memorable classic film

ABOVE – The Wonderful Claude Rains as Caesar

I have said this before and will say it again, at this time Walt Disney was ahead of  anyone else in the Film Industry with the way he promoted the release of his films on a Worldwide scale.

One of the things he did – among others – was to produce Jig Saw Puzzles featuring scenes from the films he was releasing

These BELOW are just some of the ones I have collected. Mind you, there were others in the late forties / Early fifties who produced these – I do have Four Jig Saws from The Blue Lagoon and probably TWO for Diamond City

ABOVE – Rob Roy The Highland Rogue

  ABOVE – Snow White – these may have been from early fifties re-release of the film

ABOVE – Snow White – these may have been from early fifties re-release of the film

Rob Roy again 1953 release

Another Scene from Rob Roy The Highland Rogue

Now my own favourite ABOVE – The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men 1952 Release

Talking Pictures TV, a family-owned, father and daughter-run station with only three members of staff, launched on Freeview about four years ago but it already has over two million viewers.

It IS unashamedly nostalgic with mainly fifties films – which quite often are non colour ones, documentary shorts and TV series of a good few years ago – which seem to have  proved a hit with the public and – we are informed – the Queen.

Available on Sky  328 and on Channel 81 Freeview.

Films such as  1949 classic The Rocking Horse Winner starring John Mills;  episodes of The Human Jungle (1965) with Herbert Lom as psychologist Dr Roger Corder; and last weekend and today the wonderful ‘John and Julie’ from 1955.

Then we had a full run of the Edgar Wallace features –  they were really good – I particularly remember ‘Act of Murder’ in this series which was just superb.

ABOVE A scene from  ‘A Family at War’ which has had a regular slot – a re-run of the 70’s series.

Going back to what is on offer on Talking Pictures – below is a taste :

Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray in ‘The Glass Mountain’. The chilling horror of Sir Donald Wolfit in ‘Blood of the Vampire’.

Rock ‘n’ roll of Terry Dene in ‘The Golden Disc’, and  John Bentley as the cum amateur detective Paul Temple.

Horror legend Boris Karloff brings his television sleuth to the big screen in ‘Colonel March Investigates’, ‘Dixon of Dock Green’ star Jack Warner plays an altogether tougher policeman in the Brighton-based thriller ‘Jigsaw’, and Michael Redgrave and James Mason join forces for thegenuinely creepy ‘Thunder Rock’. These are just a few of the many offerings

The family run company headed by Father and Daughter Noel and Sarah Cronin bring to us classic series from  the USA ranging from Westerns to  Dramas featuring such guest stars as Ronald Reagan, Ginger Rogers, and many others of the day.

Many of these films have not seen the light of day for decades, Talking Pictures has  opened up the  treasure trove which has been stupidly overlooked  and brought this magic back to an  audience who yearn for a  return to that golden age of Thrills and Romance.

BELOW – a Press feature on Talking Pictures as they prepare to launch in 2015

The 24-hour channel on Sky will see long-lost British classics, including some of Michael Caine’s earliest film work, screened at last. Sarah Cronin-Stanley is the powerhouse behind the channel, along with her father Noel Cronin, who has a tremendous background in British fi lm.

“He started off in 1963 as a postboy at the Rank Organisation, but moved on to be an assistant in the cutting room and eventually became an editor at the Central Offi ce of Information, working with directors who went on to be famous in their own right, such as Peter Greenaway,” says Sarah.

“Then he started a film distribution company called Dandelion Films, then Renown Pictures, which bought up the rights many British films.” Sarah began her career as a freelance foreign correspondent, with special expertise in Africa and the Arab world, and a producer/director, but confesses that being brought up with such a background in classic film and television, it was natural that she would end up working with her father in his business.

“We sold films to the major broadcasters for many years but recently demand from them for the type of films that we specialise in had started to decline,” Sarah says, “but we know that there’s still a sizeable audience for them.

“We don’t hold the rights for the big British classics such as The Lavender Hill Mob, but many films which were probably B-films at the cinema when they were originally screened. That doesn’t make them any less entertaining or historically important, though. Many major movie stars made their earliest appearances in these kinds of films.

“Actually, we’re showing one of Michael Caine’s earliest, Blind Spot, made in 1958, in our first week. It’s always fun to watch the films and spot a future star.”

Talking Pictures TV really has an extraordinary breadth of material for movie-lovers. In its first week it has classic horror movie Blood Of The Vampire, with Donald Wolfit and Hammer pin-up girl Barbara Shelley; a 1963 teen movie called Live It Up!, starring David Hemmings, a young actor called Steve Marriott (who of course went on to be in the Small Faces), with music from acts including Kenny Ball, Gene Vincent and The Outlaws, a group that included Rainbow’s Ritchie Blackmore, and our gardening correspondent Chas Hodges!

Malta Story is not a film I know at all although I do remember it when it first came out.

In this one Alec Guiness is an RAF Pilot and  Anthony Steel plays his commanding officer.

Also  Alec  Guiness has a serious on screen romance which did not happen much in his film parts he had.

Lord and Lady Mountbatten met up with the stars of the film after an Army concert at St. Andrews Barracks in Malta – and enjoyed a chat with Anthony Steel and Muriel Pavlow

After the filming Muriel Pavlow went back to England in time to celebrate her wedding Anniversary with her husband  Derek Farr. He however, was appearing in a   play  in the West End, so instead he hurried up to the Film Studios at Pinewood and they managed  a quick champagne  luncheon  together.

She had married Derek Farr in 1947 having first met him when filming Quiet Wedding.

In  1947  melodrama The Shop at Sly Corner,  Muriel Pavlow was cast as the sweet, violin-playing daughter of shady antiques dealer Oskar Homolka.

Derek Farr, who had been Margaret Lockwood’s leading man in Quiet Wedding, was cast as her love interest – to her great delight. “I nearly fainted because he was my pin-up, believe it or not, I thought he was marvellous, he had such wonderful blue eyes. And the first scene I had with him I had to come flying down the stairs and throw myself into his arms and kiss him. And that did it! I married him three months later.”

ABOVE:  Muriel Pavlow  with her husband Derek Farr.

Muriel Pavlow died earlier this year – 2019 – at the age of 97

Wonderful actress and film star

Derek Farr and his wife Muriel Pavlow appeared  in many West End plays together – including the one above.