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The Lad - 1935 B&W
Review by Donkey Shaw
Movie Rating: 3/5 Stars
Shaw's Rating: 5/5 Scars
Synopsis: Lively comic tale about an ex-crook who is mistaken for a detective and hired by a wealthy family to keep their private lives private. Can a former girlfriend now working as the family's maid help him stay straight?
Sebastian Shaw's role: Jimmy
The first thing you'll probably notice about this film is that the character named "The Lad" has to be at least 40 years old. Gordon Harker plays an ex-convict who overheard the details about a jewel heist that went bad. Before the would-be robber could be arrested, he stuffed the jewels into into a potted plant at a local mansion.
Harker shows up at the mansion to root around for the gems. But he's mistaken for a detective. Everyone in the house is sleeping with each other's wives, and stealing money, and so on. They all attempt to pay off The Lad, so he'll keep his mouth shut about what he finds.
Sebastian Shaw plays a young man who's courting the 20-year-old daughter of the Lord of the house. In his first scene, we see him in the backyard picking flowers. He has a great line. When he presents the flowers to his lady, she's delighted. He says, "They're the best your backyard has to offer!"
The girl's father dislikes Jimmy, because Jimmy's late father was a bookmaker. I thought, "Why would he dislike a guy who makes books?" Silly me. They were referring to a bookie, not a book-binder.
Shaw, for some reason, is overacting in almost all of his scenes. His laughs are overly loud and jolly. His motions are very exaggerated. He grabs his girl and smooches her with gusto. It's very comical.
At one point, Jimmy accuses another house guest of pilfering the lady of the house out of a lot of money. This man attacks Jimmy, and leads to one of most action-packed scenes that Shaw is ever in! As a fight scene, though, it's laughable. They don't even throw a punch at each other. They just hug and roll around on the floor. Then Shaw kicks the other dude into the air.
The movie ties itself up nicely with a cute ending. "The Lad" finds his old girlfriend working at the house. And she'll take him back if he can go straight. So he does, almost. And in the process, he helps Jimmy get together with his girlfriend.
The Shaw Factor: Shaw is not the star of this film, but he is sprinkled in enough to keep a Shaw fan interested. The wresting scene is worth a view. Also, Shaw's overacting in this film is out of character, and should amuse you. .
Character Vices: None
Character Death: No
Available on VHS / DVD? You can get a VHS copy from Movies Unlimited, in fair quality. $20. This movie must be in the public domain, because the copy you get will come with a generic sleeve and label.
Conclusion: I can't recommend going out of your way to track down this flick, but it's worth watching if it shows up on late-night TV sometime.
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Good times in the living room.
"The Lad" is actually this old man, played by Gordon Harker.
Shaw accuses one of the guests of bilking money from the Lady of the house. 
A fight in the living room!
Shaw delivers a kick to the breadbasket!
Shaw gets the girl, as usual, and moves in for some lip-lock!