Inspector Hornleigh

The first in the Inspector Hornleigh series starring Gordon Harker in the title role with humour supplied by his partner Sergeant Bingham, played by the Scottish actor Alastair Sim, later to star as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.

Average film watchable particularly for fans of Mr Sim but some of the anti-Scottish comments by Hornleigh now make the viewer feel rather uncomfortable.

"Inspector Hornleigh" is a delightful British comedy mystery. With the exception of Alastair Sim, few of the cast of this film would be recognized by audiences much past the mid-20th century. Gordon Harker, who has the lead as Inspector Hornleigh, had a long list of films to his credit by 1939. Although he played in some comedies and other films, his specialty was crime and mysteries. He often played an officer of the law, but had an occasional role on the opposite side of the law. Here, Harker's inspector is a wise investigator who has a sometimes comical or goofy sidekick, Sergeant Bingham. And that role is played wonderfully by Alastair Sim.

Sim had only been in the cinema since 1935, but had a slew of films under his belt. He was at the point in his career where he would get varying top roles from leading actor to top supporting actor or other significant character. Here, he adds some good humor as Hornleigh tackles a murder and theft of high government papers that could wreak havoc on the British economy.

Here are a couple of favorite lines from the film.

Chancellor, "My dear inspector, I may be only a politician, but I can identify my own property."

Michael Kavanos, "I never know whether you English are serious, joking, or mad."

The comic duo of Gordon Harker and Alastair Sim make "Inspector Hornleigh" an entertaining and watchable light mystery story. The plot itself has a couple of good touches - for example, getting good mileage out of a pair of similar briefcases - but it is the two main actors who make the film worth watching.

Harker (who plays Inspector Hornleigh) began his career with good supporting roles in three of Alfred Hitchcock's silent movies, and had a good sense of comic timing that he puts to good use here as the inspector in charge of a baffling case. Sim was an idiosyncratic, entertaining character actor who is best known for his wonderful portrayal of Scrooge in the 1951 version of "A Christmas Carol". Here he is Sgt. Bingham, the Inspector's earnest but inept sidekick, a good role for his distinctive talents.

"Inspector Hornleigh" is fairly routine as a mystery, but it is made very watchable by this entertaining comic pair who work well together. It is little known today, but in its time it was considered good enough that it led to two sequels. It is worth seeing if you like mysteries with some comic touches.

This is the first of the three Inspector Hornleigh films that Fox produced in England from 1939 to 1941. Gordon Harker plays the Inspector who is a keen collector of rare postage stamps. He is disturbed while he is bidding for a rarity at an auction to be given the news that there's been a stabbing at Hendon boarding house in North London. Hornleigh discovers that the stabbed man called Hendry like to keep his room locked for most of the time. The Inspector has to find out what Hendry was keeping secret.

The case develops when it is discovered that the Chancellor of the Exchequer's budget plans have been leaked. This would cause some individual or organization to make a killing on the Stock Market and make a huge dent in Britain's economy. The Chancellor'scase containing the budget plans must have been switched with an imitation case while he was having a meeting at the Pheasant Inn. Hornleigh has to retrace the Chancellor's movements there and to detect who was in the best position to make that switch.

I can't say that any of the characters really took my interest. When the action moves to a leather shop it gets a bit more intriguing. The attack on Sergeant Bingham (Alastair Sim) in an alleyway is another good scene in the film. I didn't guess the murderer and I think it will surprise most people. But I have to say I prefer Gordon Harker's Inspector Elk character in the 'Return of the Frog' mystery.

I am a sucker for a good whodunit, and "Inspector Hornleigh" was an excellent one. It had an elaborate plot and I could not guess the murderer until... come to think of it, I didn't guess the murderer until it was revealed at the end of the picture, so well-written was the screenplay. And, brother, it was written, and written, and...

This picture was loaded with dialogue, enough for 2 or 3 pictures, but in the end I felt it was all worth it. I enjoy Gordon Harker more each time I see him and he is very convincing when playing a police inspector. Here he is Insp. Hornleigh of the title, and he was every bit as good as he was as Insp. Elk in "The Frog" (1937). He is aided by Alastair Sim, playing his weak-minded sidekick police sergeant. Speaking for myself, I did not mind his antics, as films of the 30's and early 40's often tried to blend comedy and mystery, more often than not a futile effort, I have found. But it worked here.

The rest of the cast was competent, although two of the suspects looked very much alike, causing occasional confusion. Another reviewer mentioned that the sets looked cheap - that may be, but I gave it a pass and was not conscious of an effort to pinch pennies in any phase of the production.

All in all, a worthy effort and worth your while, because I always feel that, ultimately, the play's the thing, don't you?