Rona Anderson Movies
Scottish-born actress Rona Anderson was still in her teens when she made her professional stage bow in a 1945 revival of Peg O' My Heart. For several years associated with the Glasgow Citizens Theatre, Anderson moved into films with Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948), which for many years remained her most memorable screen appearance. Always on the brink of stardom, she never quite made it, maturing gracefully into such plum character roles as Miss Lockhart in The Prime of Miss Brodie (1969). Rona Anderson was married to Scots actor Gordon Jackson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Based on the novel by Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie stars Maggie Smith in the title role. Smith won an Academy Award for her delicately textured portrayal of an eccentric teacher at an exclusive Scottish girl's school. Miss Jean exhorts her "gels" to follow their hearts and never lose their youthful idealism. Unfortunately for her, she also stumps for her favorite political figures: Mussolini and Franco. In addition, she can't keep the innermost details of her private life a secret, and in fact boasts about her sex life to her students. Her prize pupil (Pamela Franklin) becomes so much a clone of Miss Jean that she ends up a threat to the teacher. Ultimately, Miss Jean loses her position, but not the hearts of her students. The box-office success of Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was due in great part to the popularity of the title song, as recorded by Rod McKuen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maggie Smith, Robert Stephens, (more)
- 1965
An Englishman finds himself on the holiday from hell in this horror movie. He had gone to Britanny for rest and relaxation. Instead he finds himself involved in a satanic cult run by a sophisticated vampire. Two of the man's friends are killed there because the cult requires human sacrifices. The man really gets mad when the vampire kidnaps his girlfriend. The angered Englishman soon exposes the creature's identity leaving the bereft vampire to wander through a cemetery. There, he stumbles upon a cross and dies. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1960
Released to video as Pattern for Plunder, the British Bay of Saint Michel top-bills Hollywood's Keenan Wynn. A group of ex-Army commandos are reunited several years after the war. Their former leader has it on good authority that the Nazis have hidden a huge treasure somewhere in Normandy. Employing their wartime tactics and strategies, the male protagonists -- together with distaff aide Mai Zetterling -- "invade" the coast of France and set about searching for the booty. Bay of Saint Michel was reissued at the height of the "007 craze" as Operation Mermaid. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1958
Flood Tide can be described as The Children's Hour gone ballistic. Michel Ray is David Gordon a sweet-faced little boy who dotes on his widowed mother Anne (Cornell Borchers) - but has a nasty, pathological penchant for lying. When a body washes up on the beach and a man is arrested, David tells a few "convenient" lies that get the fellow arrested. The owner of the adjacent beach house, Steve Martin (George Nader) returns from a trip, learns of the situation, and discusses in detail why he thinks the boy is being deceptive; he then spends the rest of the movie romantically pursuing Anne while attempting to earn David's trust and extract a confession from him that will free the unjustly convicted fellow. Flood Tide was directed by Abner Biberman, who as a former movie villain had a good grasp of what makes a sociopath tick--even a ten-year-old one. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Nader, Cornell Borchers, (more)
- 1958
An insurance investigator looks into the suspicious fire that destroyed a prominent nightclub and ends up destroying a crime ring in this mystery. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1958
In this mystery, a famous model marries an agrarian who had been acquitted for killing his first wife. After the nuptials, she begins to wonder if he is as innocent as he claims to be. She becomes doubly suspicious when her life seems endangered. Three other people are suspected of the threats: the man's daughter, his first wife's love, and the town veterinarian. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Phillip Friend, Barbara Shelley, (more)
- 1956
Faith Domergue is the sweet-faced villainess in the murky British melodrama Spin a Dark Web. Domergue plays Bella Francesi, who with her brother Rico (Martin Benson) runs practically all illegal activities in London. The parallels between the Francesi and the Borgias are underlined at every possible opportunity, in the manner of the 1931 gangster flick Scarface. The erstwhile hero, one Jim Bankley (Lee Patterson), is the catalyst for Bella's ultimate downfall. Spin a Dark Web was based on Wide Boys Never Work, a novel by Robert Westerby. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Faith Domergue, Lee Patterson, (more)
- 1956
In this thriller, a man discovers that the bank notes he has just received actually belong to someone else--a man who is attempting to save his near-bankrupt fur business by buying pelts infected with anthrax. Later the shady furrier is killed. The first man discovers that he was done-in by an ex-con who is killed after his fur-filled truck crashes and explodes. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1955
In this crime drama, a sneaky race-car driver wants to kill his wife the heiress. Unfortunately her attorney, who is in love with her, discovers the plan. The driver poisons the lawyer and then tells him all about his elaborate plan to kill them both. But the lawyer is not really poisoned and later shows up aboard the driver's yacht to have a brutal fight that culminates in tragedy for one of the two combatants. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1955
The fast-paced world of stock-car racing provides the backdrop of this British adventure. The story centers on Katie Glebe as she attempts to save her father's failing garage after he is killed during a race. She ends up assisted by an American driver, Larry Duke. Unfortunately, creditor Turk McNeil is determined to take the garage to repay a debt. Real trouble ensues when Turk's lover Gina becomes interested in Larry. Turk then rigs the race and has Larry beaten up. Fortunately, this does not stop the determined Yankee from winning the race and the girl in the end. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1955
Someone is knocking off top atomic scientists in England. Scotland Yard is summoned to stem the carnage and find the killer. The solution involves the activities of Communist agents operating with the ranks of the scientists. American actor Richard Conte is top-billed, primarily as a means to get the film into US theatres--a box office strategy frequently employed by director Ken Hughes. The original British title of this fast-paced whodunit was Little Red Monkey. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Conte, Rona Anderson, (more)
- 1955
In this complex thriller, a womanizing chemist is accused of murder after his mistress is found poisoned to death. No one believes his claims of innocence except his fiancee who is determined to get him freed from prison. She soon unearths an extortion plot involving a newspaper reporter trying to hide the fact that he had abused the mistress. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1955
In this crime drama, an author disbelieves a police report that states that his former friend, the town alcoholic, died of heart failure during a brawl at the local nightclub. In the end it is the killer's diabetes that gives him away. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1954
A lady photographer clicks a few revealing pix at the home of a wealthy woman. When the home's occupant commits suicide, the photographer is accused of prompting this tragedy. Inspector John Bentley suspects there's more to the case than is readily apparent. It turns out that the dead woman was actually murdered by a local bookie, who rearranged the evidence to suggest suicide. Filmed in London, Double Exposure was produced by Robert Baker and Monty Berman, the same team later responsible for the TV series The Saint. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1954
Peter Reynolds stars as the son of a respectable British family, who despite his position and privilege chooses to pursue a life of crime. Starting with petty thievery, the misguided young man intends to cap his career with a major casino heist. A policeman (Patric Barr), in love with the young man's sister (Rona Anderson), figures out the boys' intentions and sets about to prevent the robbery. When the chips are down, the malfeasant shows what a rat he truly is, thereby losing whatever family loyalty his sister might have felt towards him. The villain's ultimate demise is befitting his loathsome personality. Produced in England, Black 13 was released stateside by 20th Century-Fox. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Reynolds, Rona Anderson, (more)
- 1954
The British The Black Rider was inevitably listed as a "mystery" or "drama" in TV Guide back in the 1950s and 1960s. Don't you believe it! The star is former juvenile actor Jimmy Hanley, who plays a young, bright-eyed (but not necessarily bright) reporter. Hanley investigates reports that a ghostly "black rider" is haunting a local castle. In truth, the castle is being used as a hideout by smugglers. Hanley enlists the aid of a local motorcycle gang to round up the crooks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1954
In this courtroom drama a doctor's plan's to marry are thwarted by blackmail. He is expected to take the fall for the murder of his intended's ex-husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1953
In this suspenseful mystery, a woman is imprisoned for murdering her husband. All that knew him are sympathetic to the woman. When her cousin learns of her incarceration, he abruptly ends his vacation to begin investigating the death. He is assisted by the woman's stepdaughter; together they reveal that the husband had been an extortionist and that there are a myriad of suspects. But the real killer is much closer at hand. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1952
Released in Britain as Whispering Smith Hits London, this economically produced whodunit stars Richard Carlson as famed pulp-novel amateur sleuth Whispering Smith. While vacationing in London, Smith becomes intrigued by a suicide case. He suspects that there's more to this than meets the eye, and of course he's right: the so-called suicide was really a murder -- and also the tip of the iceberg in a massive cover-up conspiracy. Greta Gynt co-stars as the Woman in the Case, who may not be All She Seems. For reasons unknown, the British prints of Whispering Smith vs. Scotland Yard credit the screenplay to John Gilling, while the American prints bestow sole screenwriting credit upon Steve (I Wake Up Screaming) Fisher. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Carlson, Greta Gynt, (more)
- 1951
Rona Anderson plays a wealthy young Englishwoman, long estranged from her father. She returns home when papa dies, reluctantly agreeing to listen to the will reading. It soon becomes clear that some unknown party is out to bump off Anderson as well--though she is the only person who stands to benefit from her father's demise. Director Terence Fisher, later a foremost purveyor of horror at Hanner Films, deftly handles shocks of a more mundane sort herein. Home to Danger is just long enough at 66 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Widely considered to be the definitive of the many film versions of Charles Dickens' classic novel is this 1951 British adaptation, starring Alastair Sim (entitled "Scrooge" in its U.K. release). Sim plays Ebenezer Scrooge, a London miser who, despite his wealth, refuses to make charitable contributions and treats his sole employee, Bob Cratchit, as an indentured servant. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his late business partner, Jacob Marley, who was as selfish as Scrooge in life and has been condemned to an eternity of wandering the Earth in shackles. Marley informs Scrooge that he's to receive a trio of spirits that night who will take him on a journey through Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. As Scrooge encounters each apparition, he is taken on a tour of his life and realizes what a wretch he is, transformed by greed from an idealistic youth into an embittered ogre. Infused with a new, cheery outlook, Scrooge sets about earning his redemption. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alastair Sim, Kathleen Harrison, (more)
- 1950
This mystery is based upon the popular radio quiz show, Twenty Questions and chronicles the endeavors of panelists to solve a real murder. The killer sends the four players clues which are read on the air. Fortunately, two clever reporters solve the mystery and then use the players to catch the killer. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1950
Dermot Walsh and John Bentley play siblings Cliff and Jim Brandon. A successful writing team specializing in murder mysteries, Cliff and Jim are almost as emotionally disturbed as some of the characters they've created. While doing research on their latest novel, one of the brothers commits murder, simply to experience the thrill. He then conspires to frame his secretary Joan (Rona Anderson) for the crime. His reason this time is personal: both brothers are in love with Joan, but she prefers one over the other. The saner of the two brothers races against time to save Joan from the gallows and to bring the genuine culprit to justice. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dermot Walsh, Rona Anderson, (more)
- 1949
British novelist Erik Linklater was well-represented in 1949, with adaptations of two of his best novels hitting the screen almost simultaneously. In Linklater's Poet's Pub, a rhyme-spinner named Saturday Keith (Derek Bond) assumes control of a rustic inn. All Keith wants is a little peace and quiet so that he can write his poems without interruption. Alas, his little Pub becomes a veritable Grand Central Station for a wide variety of eccentrics, ranging from absent-minded professors to bumbling crooks. Stealing the show is the peerless Joyce Grenfell as a toothy patroness of the arts. Poet's Pub has no real plot to speak of, just a series of vignettes unified by a central locale. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Derek Bond, Rona Anderson, (more)
- 1949
The all-purpose title Floodtide was trotted out once more for this 1949 British drama. Gordon Jackson plays a lowly shipyard worker who falls in love with Rona Anderson, his boss' daughter. For the girl's sake, Jackson keeps an eye out for opportunities to advance himself. Through determination and resourcefulness, he works his way up to an executive position with a shipping firm, but tries his best not to forget his humble roots. Filmed extensively on location, Floodtide was run on a seemingly hourly basis in the early days of American television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gordon Jackson, Rona Anderson, (more)
