Leo Genn

Green for Danger

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Inspector Cockrill in black hat

A tightly plotted and nicely played whodunit of the old school, Green for Danger is also British to the core. Set during the Second World War, it was made in 1946, when it was possible to look back at the darkest hour – the Blitz, doodlebugs (the weaponised drones of yore) and all that with half a smile. The plot centres on the death in hospital of a man whose minor operation shouldn’t have killed him at all. Did someone want this local postman dead? If so, why? The medical team who operated on him all look guilty as hell, but all also seem to have plausible alibis. Enter Alastair Sim as Inspector … Read more

The Velvet Touch

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Rosalind Russell and Leo Genn

In The Velvet Touch, a Broadway star accidentally kills the impresario who made her a star after arguing with him about whether she should abandon frothy comedy (and him) and pursue a noble career in serious theatre. That’s the opening scene dealt with. The rest of the film concerns itself with the actress’s fate. Will she get caught, confess the crime or get away with it? Whether it indicates her character’s superior opinion of herself or masks her own incipient double chin, Rosalind Russell plays Valerie as a head-held-high kind of gal, an actress who saw herself starring in an upcoming production of Hedda Gabler. But impresario Gordon Dunning (Leon Ames) had other … Read more