Crook's Tour (1940)
5/10
Whimsical at best, and un-eventful comedy-spy movie...
8 May 2020
1st watched 7/24/2016 : Whimsical at best, and un-eventful comedy-spy movie using the Charters & Coldecott characters originally created in the Hitchcock movie "The Lady Vanishes." The story is kind of a "Road To"-like plot similar to the Crosby/Hope series of movies where an un-involved duo gets pulled into International intrigue by mistake. In the film - the main characters, played by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne, are mistakenly identified as spys because they order the same items off a menu as the actual Spys are supposed to, and are handed a phonograph with secret plans instead of a recording of a singer they have just watched. This begins a crazy set of ever-changing circumstances that sends the duo everywhere from Northwest Africa to the European nations, than eventually back to England. There are some laughs if you listen closely, and some musical moments from looker Greta Gynt, but other than that - the movie is just an excuse to plop these characters into a story that makes no sense and tries to get some laughs. Coldicott's character even has a fiancee who is Charter's sister, and of course, he is tempted by the owl-dancing singer mentioned earlier and others --- showing us, at least, that we are not dealing with a gay couple - thwarting the rumors from "The Lady Vanishes." I almost wish they were - the movie might be funnier. Anywho - not a lot of reason to have this movie - it doesn't really do much for these characters - probably better off if they had been just in the one movie.
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