Valerie White Movies

The third season of the British drama series Upstairs, Downstairs sweeps past the Edwardian era to cover the pre-war years between 1912 and 1914. Because actress Rachel Gurney had already announced her intention to leave the series, the producers decided to provide the character of Lady Marjorie Bellamy with a truly unforgettable exit, and to that end took advantage of the 1912 setting in the Emmy-nominated season opener "Miss Forrest". The title refers to the newest member of the Bellamy household, Richard Bellamy's ultra-efficient secretary Hazel Forrest (Meg Wynn Owen), whom Richard (David Langton) hires just before his wife Marjorie is to visit their daughter Elizabeth (played during the first two seasons by the now-departed Nicola Pagett) in America. And how will Majorie cross the Atlantic. Via the new, unsinkable ocean liner, the "Titanic". . . After the death of Marjorie, Hazel becomes unofficial head of the Bellamy household, eventually marrying Richard's troubled son James (Simon Williams). Also joining the household this season are Richard's pretty ward Georgina Worsley (Leslie-Anne Down) and new maid Daisy (Jacqueline Tong), who will fall in love with footman Edward (Christopher Beeny). In other developments, warm-hearted head maid Rose (Jean Marsh), taking pity on impoverished ex-servant Alfred (George Innes)--who left the Bellamy household in disgrace in Season One--allows him to briefly stay in the cellar, a generous gesture that endangers the lives of everyone at 165 Eaton; later, Rose considers the prospect of marriage to Australian sheep farmer Gregory Wilmott (Keith Barron); head butler Hudson (Gordon Jackson) is torn between loyalty to the Bellamys and his own ambition when he is offered a job at the country estate of Richard Bellamy's old friend Bunny Newbury (John Quayle); and Richard himself is innocently swept up in a financial scandal that nearly destroys his political career. The season ends with the Emmy-winning episode "The Sudden Storm" as cook Mrs. Bridges (Angela Baddeley), of all people, is squired by an eligible old bachelor--while outside the relative comfort of the Bellamy home, war clouds are gathering in Europe. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Unseen Heroes, along with Missiles from Hell, represented the US titles of the British The Battle of the V1. Set in wartime Poland, the film involves the secret Nazi missile installation at Peenemunde. British guerilla fighter Michael Rennie leads a group of Polish partisans on a mission to destroy the base and cripple the German war effort. The basic storyline is a good one, though it is muddied by several arbitrary plot transitions. Further undermining Unseen Heroes is the editing, which at times seems to have been accomplished with a paper shredder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tired of the humdrum routine at a staid British woman's prison, brassy American chorine Angela Booth (Beverly Michaels) busts out. Scotland Yard decides to allow Angela to roam free, hoping that she'll lead them to her partner in crime, who unbeknownst to her is a notorious traitor and killer. Blonde Bait was originally released in Great Britain as Women without Men. For American consumption, a few new scenes were shot, featuring Hollywood actors Jim Davis, Richard Travis, and Paul Cavanagh. Direction of the finished product was credited to the film's editor, Elmo Williams. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The British Half-Way House is from the Thunder Rock and Outward Bound school of Divine Intervention films. A group of travellers, all of whom have reason to regret the actions of the past, take shelter from a storm in an old inn. There's something eerie about the place and its owner (Mervyn Johns)...something that indicates the guests aren't quite operating in their own time anymore. It develops that the inn really doesn't exist anymore; it had been destroyed by a bomb a year earlier. By staying in this half-way house, the guests all have a chance to rectify the errors that they've made in their own lives during the past year. Half-Way House was adapted from a play by Dennis Ogden. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi