Thunder in the City

A rather silly Capraesque comedy whose script by Robert Sherwood doesn't bear up to a couple of minute's reflection, but is enhanced by slick production values, a game supporting cast of Brits (the fact that Lord & Lady Glenavon have such a Teutonic daughter is glossed over over by her supposedly having spent several years in Vienna) and Edward G. Robinson obviously enjoying himself in a break from playing gangsters; as an entrepreneur too brash for America so he gets sent to Britain. Yeah, right...

The Atlantic Film Company only released one film--"Thunder in the City". I know nothing about this British company but was surprised to see a big star from the era, Edward G. Robinson, slumming it with a small production company instead of working with familiar old Warner Brothers. Regardless of why he agreed to this, it turned out to be an enjoyable sort of movie.

The film begins with Robinson being fired from his job. It seems his way of marketing didn't sit well with the company, as they didn't like his hard sell techniques. On a whim, he decides to travel to the UK to look up some relatives and ends up coming up with a crazy scheme to market something that he knows nothing about--a mineral called magnalite. And, he actually is able to pull it off with a nationwide crazy blitz that got the Brits abuzz about this 'miracle metal'. However, the path to riches isn't all THAT easy, as he's about to discover the hard way.

Robinson turns in a rather delightful performance as a good-hearted huckster. However, he's ably supported by a nice cast that includes Ralph Richardson and Nigel Bruce (among others). Not a brilliant film by any means but enjoyable throughout. Fluff? Perhaps...but enjoyable fluff!

Edward G. Robinson is an American ad executive whose barnstorming style is judged to be too flamboyant, so he travels to England to learn restraint and dignity. While visiting with his aristocratic relatives, he falls for Luli Deste, the daughter of destitute Duke Nigel Bruce. Bruce owns a mine in Rhodesia that's rich is the miraculous mineral magnalite, so Robinson maneuvers to buy it out from under the nose of banker and romantic rival Ralph Richardson. Lacking the money to follow through with his promised purchase price, Robinson engages in a flamboyant campaign to push magnalite to the British public and recruit investors in his mine. An agreeable if pretty slight romantic comedy that sees Robinson escaping his tough guy persona, ably supported by a top notch British cast.

I'd love to know how producer Alexander Esway landed Edward G. Robinson for this low budget British feature. Robinson plays a crafty American businessman who relocates to the old country in order to pick up a few pointers--in addition to teaching the locals a few tricks about wealth creation. Nigel Bruce is delightful (and typically fuddled) as the nobleman who sells his stake in some Rhodesian mines to Robinson, Ralph Richardson is nice and chilly as the villain of the piece, and sexy Luli Deste is adequate as the film's love interest. For a low budget effort, the film is very well made, and features a few impressive sequences, most notably a brief scene in the Escher-like Challoner Hall that seems to consist primarily of staircases leading nowhere. The old Madacy Video tape leaves a lot to be desired, however: their print is worn and washed out. Thunder In the City is no classic, but it deserves to get cleaned up for DVD.

Advertising man Dan Armstrong (Edward G. Robinson) is fired because his ideas are seen as out-of-date and undignified by his bosses, who cite the English as having a respectable approach to business. He decides to go to England to visit relatives. While there he falls for pretty Lady Patricia (Luli Deste), who is considering marrying stuffy jerk Manningdale (Ralph Richardson) just for his money. Dan cooks up a scheme to help his financially struggling family as well as make himself enough money he could provide Patricia with more security than Manningdale.

Pretty much any film with Eddie G. is worth watching and this is no exception. It's a fish-out-of-water story with the colorful American teaching and learning from the staid Brits. The funniest scene to me was when Robinson gets lost in the family manor. It's all genial enough and the cast is certainly a quality one. Robinson is great. Richardson is always good. Nigel Bruce and Constance Collier are fun. Interesting look at British/American relations and attitudes at the time.