I knew a 1936 movie actually filmed in Madame Toussard's Wax Museum would be historically interesting to watch, and this is true. Seeing old images of the wife-killing doctor, Henry Cribben, Bluebeard, Sleeping Beauty and various royalty, as well as the Madame herself, as well as a bit of a history lesson to go with it all were well worth this purchase.
There is even a brief tour of the torture chamber, intriguing to think of this as a tourist attraction.
Plotwise, a golddigger is after the young socialite's fortune to pay off his accomplice's debts. Things go wrong when the uncle, Sir Clive, is too suspicious, and the engagement is called off. Sir Clive, as it is, is partaking of a bet to spend the night in the famous museum. And someone plans on taking advantage of that little bit of information. . . . !
Thankfully, the movie is tremendously short, otherwise it could be exceedingly dull, which it does get to be.
But then we had the comedy relief in a character called Stubby, who works with the reporter who wants to cover the socialite's engagement. Who should Stubby be but none other than a very young, very blonde haired Billy Hartnell, who thirty years later would become the very first Doctor Who in the British sci fi program.
Hartnell was clearly told he would be comedy relief and he delivered the goods. When the fighting begins, Stubby proclaims as he flees "me name's Walker."
Only two reasons to check out this movie, but they are well worth it: to see Madame Toussard's in the past and one who would be the time travelling doctor in the future.
