Radio review – Suspense – “The Story of Markham’s Death” (1947) ****

Excellent episode with Kirk Douglas giving a good performance (even though he doesn’t have the deepest voice) as a writer threatened by writer’s block. He heads to England and discovers a long-lost manuscript from Edgar Allan Poe which revives his career – and turns him into a murderer. It’s a terrific idea and is well played out, ending with Douglas about to be executed (a favourite finish of Suspense scripts). I’m surprised Steven King didn’t do a version of this script it’s right up his alley, being about a tormented writer, and his feelings towards a great, dead writer.

Radio review – Suspense – “The Argyle Album” (1947) ***

Edmond O’Brien – then during his brief, odd reign as a leading man (I think people enjoyed tubby tough guys after the war) – is perfectly cast as a reporter who investigates the death of another reporter, a big time columnist… and the photographer who was left with the dead reporter. This leads him to uncovering a bunch of war profiteers and fifth columnists – perhaps a bit late in the day for this sort of plot but it’s effective enough. This was turned into a movie, The Argyle Album, by director Cy Endfield. It was also previously recorded by Suspense with Robert Taylor.

Movie review – “Rembrandt” (1936) ***

Alex Korda was many things – a spendthrift, conman, rogue – but he adored great art, as displayed in this labour of love production. It gives Charles Laughton one of his best roles, as the legendary painter whose life was unfortunately not that interesting. It follows The Private Life of Henry VIII pattern by concentrating on the wives – as in that earlier film we don’t see the first wife (she’s dead when the movie begins) but we meet number two and three. Two is played by Gertrude Lawrence - a famous stage star and legendary charmer, but here shrewish and not very good looking. It doesn't help her that she plays a bitch. A lot nicer is wife three, played by Elsa Lancaster, in another great role for her. She and Rembrandt have a child out of wedlock which is a bit racy - but not racy enough to make this great fun. It's far too sensibly and sensitively treated.

There are plenty of good moments and scenes: Elsa dying as she's being painted (I didn't quite buy this reality-wise but it was effective), young painters teasing Rembrandt without knowing who he is, Rembrandt bonding with a beggar (Roger Livesey), the subjects of Night Watch whingeing that they're not all in the painting. It also looks like a dream - stunningly shot and designed - with some marvellous acting. But it remains more a collection of moments and good performers rather than a cohesive whole.

Movie review – “The Kid Stakes” (1927) ***1/2

Utterly charming kids’ movie, which ranks with The Sentimental Bloke and For the Term of His Natural Life as one of the finest Australian silent films (and still one of the best movies for children we’ve ever made). It’s the Fatty Finn story, the plot involving Fatty’s determination to win a goat race. He tries to put his goat in isolation, but his enemy lets it out, and there’s a 15 minute sequence without Fatty where we follow the goat on a path of destruction in a rich person’s a house. The climax is an exciting goat race.

Plenty of memorable moments: a cricket match (the titles refer to McCartney and Gregory); the rich kid who the gang call a sissy but actually turns out to be a good fighter; the goat being parachuted out of a plane (it’s silly, sure, but I couldn’t help laughing); the bookies working the final race; Fatty kissing the tall girl; the look of Woolloomoolloo of the time (friendly cops, street cricket games, shop keepers, the rich at Potts Point); the final race.

The kid actors are terrific – a worthy tribute to Tal Ordell, a major theatre and radio actor and writer who only directed one feature. His own son plays Fatty; he died as a pilot in World War Two. Beautifully shot by Arthur Higgins.

Radio review – TGA – “The Great Adventure” (1947) **1/2

By this stage I’ve developed a hostility towards the Lunts, they just get on my nerves, but they weren’t too insufferable in this story. He plays a famous painter who decides to fake his own death (it starts out as a misunderstanding but he goes along with it – like The Private Life of Don Juan), taking over the identity of his former man servant. He falls for a widow (Lynne), only troubles arise when the man servant’s ex-wife turns up and he gets involved in a fraud case involving the painting. This sort of impersonating story almost always works because the structure is inherently strong – act one setup and start the impersonation; act two become attracted to other people in your new life, have stakes from lying; act three have someone from the past comes in to complicate things.

TV review – “The Tudors – Season 3” (2009) ****

The through-line of season one was Wolsey, season two was Anne, this one is Cromwell. It covers the queenships of Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleeves. They try to boost Jane Seymour by making her something of an early feminist, which was a noble attempt but Jane Seymour depictions never seem to get the blood racing – she’s always overshadowed by the other wives. Also to much time is spent during this section on the Pigrammage of Grace and it’s dull leader Mr Aske – I think to give Henry Cavill something to do (mostly guilty brooding). But it overstays it's welcome by an episode.

In the second half, though, things really pick up, with better drama such as the persecution of Cardinal Poe's family, and the travails of Cromwell. Cromwell becomes a great character - a crawler, consummate politician, ruthless and unpopular, but also devoted family man, loyal to the king, emphatic in his belief the reformation is needed, touching in his final defeat and speech before execution (the executioner botches it, poor guy - but then you live by the sword you die by it).

Henry VIII also has more to do, going increasingly mad – I love the scene with him and his court jester (I looked this up, it was true). Anne of Cleeves is touchingly out of her depth with Henry (she’s effectively played by Joss Stone – who’s quite pretty – it’s made clear the poor thing just wasn’t Henry VIII’s cup of tea).

Princess Mary is very sympathetically depicted – alone, scared, hungry for love, wanting a good looking boyfriend, but also determined to hold on to her principles, very aware of her father’s flaws; you see enough steel in her eyes to see how she could evolve into Bloody Mary (why no season 5? This lot could have done it brilliantly)

There’s comedy too, such as Henry VIII chucking a tantrum on meeting Anne of Cleves and then being enamoured of Katherine Howard, who here is depicted as an extremely stupid nympho. I did laugh at the initial appearance of Sir Francis in the credits – with his eye patch and glowering it was almost as if the words “this is our new bad boy to titillate the ladies” flashed across screen – but he turns out to be an effective character, ruthless and scary. Excellent series.

Radio review – “The Shadow of Dr Fu Manchu” (1939) **

A 15 minute radio serial that went for a number of episodes. I listened to a bunch but not the whole lot - or I may well have because many of the stories were repetitive. Most of the action concerns Dr Petrie and Neyland Smith, who are a sort of buddy act, always being captured and locked up or having Fu Manchu’s assassins try to kill them. Plenty of hidden trapdoors and implements of death, plus clipped accents, brisk pace and the racism of the time (eg comments about "oriental devil"). Fu Manchu hardly appears, but there's a big role for Karamaneh, the slave girl of Fu Manchu who was actually a goodie. Apparently Gale Gordon (from all those Lucille Ball sitcoms) played Dr Petrie!