London by Night (1937)

Very disappointed :(

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's a foggy night. A man with an umbrella enters a London shop. Loud threats are heard and the shopkeeper disappears. A note is found that reads PAY OR BE SEEN NO MORE. The plot is forgettable but this sleek mystery-comedy from MGM is about as smooth as 1930s B movies get. Reporter George Murphy sticks his nose into the missing person case and tangles with Scotland Yard man George Zucco and rich girl Rita Johnson. Everything happens very quickly: Murphy sees a man with an umbrella climbing in a window, so he follows him in and tackles him in the hall. Turns out the intruder is Rita Johnson's butler and next thing you know Murphy and Johnson are exchanging silly dialog:Johnson: "Frankly, I'm disappointed in you, Mr. Dennis. You've been on this case almost two hours, and what have you done besides attacking my poor butler?" Murphy: "I've met you."George Zucco is fun to watch as a detective instead of the villain for once; he and Murphy enjoy the typical friendly inspector-reporter rivalry. Virginia Field has a colorful role as a barmaid. Leo G. Carroll as the butler is also worth keeping an eye on. There's a bit of suspense but nothing too intense--and certainly more comedy than mystery. Unpretentious fun.

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.

Here is a film that brought waves of nostalgia to an old movie buff who usually never forgets a film but often cannot remember the titles of something I have not seen in 50 years. I viewed it by chance on TCM and as soon as I saw the Umbrella Man I knew it was an old favorite from childhood. I am constantly drawn to any film about London and this was no exception. It contains much of the usual elements of period London, the constant fog, Big Ben, elegant town house, eerie Thames River, bumbling police, pub, two lovely ladies and a semi-comical newspaper man protagonist. However it was the bone-chilling Umbrella Man that made the indelible imprint on my young mind years ago. Now the film seems silly and outdated and not the least bit scary, oh but what fun to see again. The film contained credible performances with a somewhat predictable plot. With a little bit of rewriting and a skilled director I think this film would be a great candidate for a serious remake.

This decent but unremarkable programmer has George Murphy sliding occasionally into his Irish brogue, as a reporter in foggy London who wants to go on vacation, but he needs to solve the mystery of 'the Umbrella Man' and court Rita Johnson -- doing a Billie Burke imitation -- assisted and hampered by his dog and Scotland Yard.As you can tell from that description, it has occasional screwball overtones, but it's largely carried by Murphy's Irish charm. MGM didn't do many of this sort of movie once you descended from the heights of the THIN MAN series, and so it needs to be compared to the RKO programmers of the type. It comes off well in most departments, but it does lack focus and depends on the charm of Mr. George Murphy.... later U.S. Senator. That's one way of getting there, I suppose.