Crackerjack (1938)

Written by CinemaSerf on June 20, 2022

This is quite an enjoyable "Raffles" style crime caper with Tom Walls as "Jack Drake" - a debonaire, sophisticated English gentleman who also happens to be a safe-cracking jewel thief who gives much of the proceeds of his antics to hospitals, children and other worthy causes. When someone else adopts his "Crackerjack" moniker to carry out some ingenious crimes of their own, he sets out to identify this fraudster - without giving away his own true identity. It's a bit of a farce, the humour is just a bit too predictable, but Lilli Palmer is quite good as the "Baroness" as is H.G. Stoker as the pursuing police superintendent "Benting". The script is fast paced, the direction - and nightclub musical numbers - keep it moving along well and there are just about enough red herrings to keep it interesting for an hour.