I plow through the '40s and '50s black and white films, usually Bs, and occasionally I find a real gem. "Bombsight Stolen," or "Cottage to Let," its American name, is one.

Based on a play, it stars Leslie Banks, Jeanne De Casalis, Alistair Sim, Michael Wilding, John Mills, and George Cole.

The activity centers around a Scottish cottage, where the Barringtons live. The cottage currently serves several purposes: a place for evacuees, a hospital when a downed British airman (Mills) is found nearby, a place for the annual fair, and a science lab, as Mr. Barrington (Banks) is a military inventor. When Mr. Dimble (Alistair Sim) shows up to rent the cottage, he finds out it's not for rent and moves into the house.

The Nazis want Barrington's inventions, so MI-5 and Scotland Yard each have a man in the house. Who are they? Is there a mole among them? Very enjoyable film, with a hilarious performance by Jeanne De Casalis, the lady of the house who can't keep anything straight. It's the showiest role. Alistair Sim is excellent, as is young John Mills and Sims' protégé, George Cole. I have a feeling the part of Ronald (Cole) was intended for an actor a couple of years younger. He evidently played the role on the stage, which would have been earlier.

Charming film, well directed by Anthony Asquith, with some interesting scenes that take place in the annual fair fun house at the end.

This all-too busy spy drama is a mixture of clever comedy and patriotic propaganda, as Nazi's are discovered in the oddest of places. Characters assumed to be bad are actually good, and vice versa. Certain other loyalties are revealed to be up in the air. Sometimes it is all a bit too much, but there's plenty of intrigue to keep you hooked. At times, it is a bit all over the map as to where it is going and what the script is talking about, but then the excitement starts up again, and you are back on the right road. This really hits its mark in the last five minutes when the villain finds himself cornered and manages to outwit pretty much everybody around them. Almost Hitchcock-like in nature, there is a fine cast of British acting vets, lead by Leslie Banks, John Mills and most notably, Alastair Sim in a way which you won't expect to see him. A fast- talking kid also deserves a lot of credit, giving a performance that seems so natural you would think that the producers just grabbed some teenager off the street and threw a script into his hand.

During WWII, there were tons of propaganda films made in the US and Britain to bolster the war effort. Most of them were pretty good and did a good job of mustering support for the war, though quite a few of them (like this film) seem awfully far-fetched when seen today. Now this ISN'T to say that they are bad films or that they are so difficult to believe that it ruins them--it surely doesn't. You just need to suspend disbelief and sit back and enjoy them for what they were intended.

COTTAGE TO LET is a dandy little film that packs some excellent stars and performances into it. It's very heavy with stars, having Leslie Banks, Alistair Sim and John Mills. However, while certainly not a star at the time or even one for many years to come, I really enjoyed young George Cole's performance as the precocious teen, Ronald. Despite all these stars, he managed to more than hold his own as a character who was almost like Sherlock Holmes and Dennis the Menace rolled into one! The story, as I said, is tough to believe. Having one or two Nazi spies in Britain during the war was indeed believable, but having so many more and such a complicated plot wasn't. Plus, while you could believe them perhaps stealing some plans or killing a scientist, having an elaborate plot where they kidnap the scientist and take him all the way back to Berlin UNDETECTED is far-fetched. However, in addition to the good acting, the plot was entertaining--so much so that you could ignore all the impossibilities and improbabilities.

Overall, while not a great film, it is a fine example of wartime British cinema and is entertaining and fun.