This film was made by Ambassador films at their very small studios in Bushey which were operational till the 1970s.Rather ambitiously for a quota quickie it involves a man who has a villainous double.Most such films will have scenes where the two characters appear together and this is gone either in the camera or in an optical printer.in this instance it is done by not showing more than one of the characters at any moment in time or by the use of body doubles.Unfortunately Anthony Hulme has some difficulty in convincing us that he is two different characters.Most bizarrely of all the producers introduce a dog act right in the middle of the film.Not a very memorable effort.
9 Reviews
Seeing Double
richardchatten4 February 2022
The budget for this quickie that makes a thirties quota picture look plush didn't even stretch to more than one brief process shot to justify the gimmick without which it would otherwise feel more like a radio play as the characters talk and talk in two-shots staged so badly they're fascinating.
Other writers have commented on the delightful dog act inserted halfway through; while Josie Bradley shows sass in the first of two film appearances tickling the keys over twenty years apart (the second being in 'Carry On Loving').
Other writers have commented on the delightful dog act inserted halfway through; while Josie Bradley shows sass in the first of two film appearances tickling the keys over twenty years apart (the second being in 'Carry On Loving').
"I did hear Pedrelli was back in the country"
hwg1957-102-26570431 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
A mysterious Robin Hood character called VLS assists the police in solving the homicide of a millionaire by a gang of murderers for hire. The gang seems only to have three members including it's unseen head whose identity is not difficult to fathom. It's a dull film with static scenes and bland acting from the leading players padded out with a music hall dog act and a pianist singing 'Don't Say Goodbye' (actually not a bad song) in a low dive. The leading man Anthony Hulme plays three roles uninterestingly.
It is filmed at Bushey Studios with the Leevers-Rich Sound System and the dialogue does indeed sound good acoustic-wise but not story-wise.Oswald Mitchell directed several Old Mother Riley films and this film could have used the kind of energy that OMR movies had at their best.To sum up, lacklustre.
It is filmed at Bushey Studios with the Leevers-Rich Sound System and the dialogue does indeed sound good acoustic-wise but not story-wise.Oswald Mitchell directed several Old Mother Riley films and this film could have used the kind of energy that OMR movies had at their best.To sum up, lacklustre.
Mysterious 'double' thriller is almost unwatchable
Leofwine_draca1 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
THE MYSTERIOUS MR. NICHOLSON is an early entry in the 'double' sub-genre of films that have the same actor play two widely differing roles. The rather wooden Anthony Hulme is the actor tasked with the job in this indifferent British thriller that lacks both thrills and a sense of mystery to see it through. Instead it's stolid, lacking an edge, and really rather bad. Having the same actor play both the villain and the hero should be interesting but they badly fumble the premise here.
The film opens with a murder and a suspect, which is fair enough, but before long it becomes bogged down with long-winded explanations involving a mysterious crime-fighter who signs himself 'VLS' and the usual police procedural action. The narrative is so dull that the director resorts to including a ten-minute dog display at the halfway mark and, unfortunately for him, this is the most exciting part of the film. Everything that follows is instantly forgettable and Hulme doesn't really convince in either part.
The film opens with a murder and a suspect, which is fair enough, but before long it becomes bogged down with long-winded explanations involving a mysterious crime-fighter who signs himself 'VLS' and the usual police procedural action. The narrative is so dull that the director resorts to including a ten-minute dog display at the halfway mark and, unfortunately for him, this is the most exciting part of the film. Everything that follows is instantly forgettable and Hulme doesn't really convince in either part.
Only interesting for seekers.
searchanddestroy-110 February 2013
Warning: Spoilers
A totally unknown feature from UK and made in the late 40's. Not my type of films I usually look for. Talkative, but no really boring although, and not badly played, the tale of an inquest, around a murder. What could I add more? I don't know the actors, nor the director. I only say that's a real rare film. Don't know where it comes from. I won't destroy such a movie, only because I don't enjoy it that much. I repeat, that's not a bad product, and the UK movie industry made many such this. I watch one from time to time. Only because I have received them, but I don't remember any of them after the viewing.
For gems seekers only, and British films buffs.
For gems seekers only, and British films buffs.
Definitely a clunker.
mark.waltz7 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
One of the most discombobulated messy mysteries I've had the displeasure of wasting my time on, this British B film is a definite B. Boring, bland, brutal. The plot is indecipherable, the script filled with confusing runarounds, and the characters pretty unappealing. Anthony Hulme and Lesley Osmond star in this baffling quota quickie about a case surrounding an altered will so much of the language is in ways that will both confound and annoy the viewer.
There's little action and really poor plot and character development, and after a whole, it just seems to have the intention of making its audience fall asleep. The film fails to keep any kind of a sensible direction, too many characters popping in to create more senseless babble. Osmond manages to be somewhat likeable but frequently, her persona threatens to turn her into a complete nincompoop. Best to save agony and precious time as nothing can save this one.
There's little action and really poor plot and character development, and after a whole, it just seems to have the intention of making its audience fall asleep. The film fails to keep any kind of a sensible direction, too many characters popping in to create more senseless babble. Osmond manages to be somewhat likeable but frequently, her persona threatens to turn her into a complete nincompoop. Best to save agony and precious time as nothing can save this one.
Mysterious Mr. Nicholson
CinemaSerf8 January 2023
This is a terribly wooden and rather dry affair that sees the police avail themselves of the services of a former petty burglar to track down the murderers of a millionaire. Anthony Hulme takes on a double role as both the goodie and the baddie - but comes nowhere near pulling it off convincingly from the audience perspective. The script is bland, and the photographer seems to have been content to leave much of the actor's heads out of shot! We stop near the end for an audition for 1940s "Britain's Got Talent" but aside from that it all rather demonstrates the weariness of the post-war UK in 1947.
The Mystery Is Who Would Want To Look At This
boblipton1 January 2021
An old geezer is writing his nephew out of his will, so lawyer George Bishop sends his secretary, Lesley Osmond, over to the house with the will. Just outside, she meets Anthony Hulme(playing Nicholson), who's coming from the house. He hurries on and she goes onto the house's grounds.... and finds a corpse. After the police are summoned, Hulme shows up at the lawyer's office, claiming to be a private detective. What is going on?
I don't really much care. The performances are loud and stagy, the score by Isaac Snoek is loud and random, and the camerawork by S.D. Onions is dark and dreary -- although that may be a problem of the print rather than the movie. The characters are underwritten, and although the two leads try to talk like human beings... well, that darned score keeps getting in the way.
The director, Oswld Mitchell, s not a name to conjure with. I couldn't recall anything else he had directed, although looking at his IMDb credits showed he was in charge of 31 movies from 1934 through 1949. Half a dozen of them were Old Mother Rileys. He died in 1949 at the age of 51.
I don't really much care. The performances are loud and stagy, the score by Isaac Snoek is loud and random, and the camerawork by S.D. Onions is dark and dreary -- although that may be a problem of the print rather than the movie. The characters are underwritten, and although the two leads try to talk like human beings... well, that darned score keeps getting in the way.
The director, Oswld Mitchell, s not a name to conjure with. I couldn't recall anything else he had directed, although looking at his IMDb credits showed he was in charge of 31 movies from 1934 through 1949. Half a dozen of them were Old Mother Rileys. He died in 1949 at the age of 51.
Eight for the dogs...2 for the rest.
muckydog211 August 2018
An extraordinarily dull effort with stilted acting and boring dialogue..Except it all is elevated to stratospheric levels by introducing out of nowhere a brilliant stage dog act, and surely this was the greatest dog act the world has ever seen? Funny and charming little and big dogs doing all sorts of tricks and one little cheeky dog doing naughty things..
I looked for just the dog act, but it was nowhere to e found.
Recommended only for the dogs. (Not for dogs to watch...you know what I mean..)
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
