Monty Banks

An appreciative, uncritical look at silent film comedies and thrillers from early in the century through the 1920s.

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Starting in 1927 when the first film, The White Sheik, was made there, Elstree Story features excerpts from over forty productions – including Hitchcock’s Blackmail, the first feature-length British talkie ever shown – with early appearances by some of cinema’s greatest stars; it is a most memorable and evocative journey through the years.

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Laurel is a Scottish reporter suspected of being a spy by police detective James Finlayson. Although trailed by the latter, Stan, who is reporting on the movie world, manages to be hired by Mack Sennett. He makes his debut in Nevada, in the middle of gold diggers. After managing to clear his name he becomes, with Oliver Hardy, a big comedy star.

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Major Joppolo and his men are assigned to restore order to the war-torn Italian town of Adano. He has to manage getting supplies into town without interfering with troop movements, all the while dealing with colorful citizens of the town. One of his quests is to replace the bell which orders the town's life.

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Bullfighter Juan Gallardo falls for socialite Dona Sol, turning from the faithful Carmen who nevertheless stands by her man as he continues to face real danger in the bullring.

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Comedy set in Switzerland. An estranged honeymooner, mistaken for an ice- hockey champion, helps England to win an international ice hockey match.

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A lancashire singer buys a pub in Clydebank and hits money troubles when the shipbyards are closed. She takes a petition to London to try to get them reopened.

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A woman prevents a popular stage performer getting arrested for drunk driving, though has to pretend to be a rich benefactor when she next meets him.

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Love blossoms after a young man rescues a pretty girl who attempted to drown herself.

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The owner of a small Italian restaurant in central London is left a million pound inheritance, the only stipulation to the will being that he cannot speak or write anything for a period of one month.

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When a meek secretary goes to work for her new boss, she becomes a sophisticated lady.

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British comedy. It was released in the United States the following year under the alternative title Trouble Ahead.

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An American woman is fooled into thinking that she is the heiress to an estate in England.

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A rich American businessman in London makes believe he's lost all his money so that his daughter will marry a composer.

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A model inherits a great deal of money and pretends to be a movie star.

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The owner of a professional help agency poses as a poet at a wealthy patron's ball and prevents a necklace from being stolen by thieves.

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A useless secretary and his private detective friend try to help an heiress from being swindled by her guardian.

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Slapstick comedy in which luckless slate club treasurer Bill Smithers is sent to prison for three years after being mistakenly accused of stealing funds.

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English-language version. "Atlantic" is a drama film based on the sinking of the RMS "Titanic" and set aboard a fictional ship, called the "Atlantic". The main plotline revolves around a man who has a shipboard affair with a fellow passenger, which is eventually discovered by his wife. The ship also has aboard an elderly couple, the Rools, who are on their anniversary cruise. Midway across the Atlantic Ocean, the "Atlantic" strikes an iceberg and is damaged to the point where it is sinking into the Atlantic.

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A recently engaged girl invites her parents to meet her fiance. They learn that he also loves another woman.

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A lawyer spends the weekend with a married actress at the same hotel as his wife and her lover. This British silent film exists in an abridged 2-reel (32-min) format.

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An American on his honeymoon in Paris, organises the kidnapping of his interfering mother-in-law.

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Monty Banks gets involved in tracking down a stolen fortune, his adventures culminating in a whirlwind, gag-filled climax at sea.

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A naive young man joins the Army in order to become a pilot.

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Virginia Craig will become super-wealthy and gain sole control of her factory, unless insubordinate schemers can trick her into marrying one of their clique. Unfortunately for them, she loves Monty, one of her employees. When the schemers' plot is discovered, a chase starts away from the factory and onto a runaway train.

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A Monty Banks comedy that includes the 'Undressing in the Upper Berth' routine

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A gang of bad guys menace a feller's gal. She hides in a freight car and a misstep sends the otherwise-empty train out of the station with the lever pushed to full speed. As the train gains speed, the captive's boyfriend must board the runaway train, repel the pursing gang, get his girl out of the box car, and somehow get the two of them to safety. Tunnels, a water tower, a steep grade, and a frayed rope complicate the hero's task.

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Monty Milde, would-be newspaper reporter, stumbles into a high-profile kidnapping mystery.

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Monty Banks becomes a car salesman and is shifted to Africa to sell one to King Obogeegee.

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The Boy, involved in a maritime disaster as a child, suffers from hydrophobia. He invents a life preserver that automatically inflates when it hits the water, using it to save the life of Rose Ryan, the daughter of a steamship magnate.

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A new bridegroom discovers his wife's astounding ability to create culinary disasters.

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Golf with Monty Banks and pals.

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Monty chases a goose. Hilarity ensues. (This film is partially lost.)

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Monty is trying to collect rent from a couple of tough deadbeats who have made a sport of beating rent collectors.

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Monty Banks plays a groom who is about to get married. In fact, he has the marriage license just about in hand. Apparently, he's had a bachelor party the night before and when his fiancée rings him, he can't find the phone, but there's several other guys sleeping it off. The landlady suspects that some hijinks have gone on and looks to investigate. Monty figures things out pretty quickly. Luckily for him, one of the gentlemen sleeping it off is in a policeman's uniform and Monty has him pretend he's arrested everybody in the room.

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Monty Banks finds love and mischief at the amusement park, in this two-reel comedy

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Comedy set in Switzerland. An estranged honeymooner, mistaken for an ice- hockey champion, helps England to win an international ice hockey match.

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An American woman is fooled into thinking that she is the heiress to an estate in England.

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While staying at a reportedly haunted inn a traveller discovers that the 'ghost' is a thief.

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A comedy film directed by Monty Banks.

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An ambitious young man secures a job in the colonial service, the only stipulation being that he needs to be married which he isn't. He has just twenty four hours to find a woman to persuade to marry him.

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A comedy musical Directed by Monty Banks.

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Virginia Craig will become super-wealthy and gain sole control of her factory, unless insubordinate schemers can trick her into marrying one of their clique. Unfortunately for them, she loves Monty, one of her employees. When the schemers' plot is discovered, a chase starts away from the factory and onto a runaway train.

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A Monty Banks comedy that includes the 'Undressing in the Upper Berth' routine

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A gang of bad guys menace a feller's gal. She hides in a freight car and a misstep sends the otherwise-empty train out of the station with the lever pushed to full speed. As the train gains speed, the captive's boyfriend must board the runaway train, repel the pursing gang, get his girl out of the box car, and somehow get the two of them to safety. Tunnels, a water tower, a steep grade, and a frayed rope complicate the hero's task.

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Monty Milde, would-be newspaper reporter, stumbles into a high-profile kidnapping mystery.

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The Boy, involved in a maritime disaster as a child, suffers from hydrophobia. He invents a life preserver that automatically inflates when it hits the water, using it to save the life of Rose Ryan, the daughter of a steamship magnate.

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Monty is trying to collect rent from a couple of tough deadbeats who have made a sport of beating rent collectors.

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Set in the oil-soaked country of “Chilitina”—shot on location in San Diego’s Balboa Park—Oils Well! follows the travails of Monty, an everyman office clerk, who thinks only of his boss’s daughter. When Herbert Hester, an oilman “so crooked he cheats when counting his pulse,” schemes to cover up the company’s new gusher so he can claim it himself and get the girl, Monty swings into action. He eludes the hapless Chilitinan army, sidesteps the General’s amorous wife, thwarts Herbert, and saves the day.

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