Raffles (1939)

The recent, sad, death of Dame Olivia de Havilland (at 104) prompted me to watch this again and I really enjoyed it. David Niven is "Raffles" - a renowned English cricketer with a penchant for pinching things under the moniker of the "Amateur Cracksman". When his friend "Bunny" (Douglas Walton) gets himself into a bit of a pickle and he and his gorgeous girlfriend "Gwen" (de Havilland) are invited to the home of Lord and Lady Melrose (Lionel Pape and a typically ebullient Dame May Whitty) "Raffles" sees an opportunity to relieve the old girl of her emeralds and settle his friend's debt in one fell swoop. His plan seems simple and straightforward until the arrival at the stately home of Scotland Yard Inspector "MacKenzie" (Dudley Digges) who has plenty if suspicions of his own. To be honest, more could have been done with the characters here: the plot is pretty procedural and the writing a little on the bland side; but the cast - Niven and Dame May especially - make this fun detective frolic well worth a watch.