Freddie Davies Movies
Tommy Fawkes (Oliver Platt) is a struggling stand-up comedian who has tried for years to get out from under the shadow of his father, George Fawkes (Jerry Lewis), himself a famous humorist. Tommy finally scores a showcase spot at a major resort in Las Vegas, but when opening night rolls around, Tommy's act is an unqualified disaster, with the failure made even more painful by his father's presence in the audience. In search of a fresh start, Tommy heads to Blackpool, England, where he was born and raised, to look for a new act. Hoping to buy material from local performers, Tommy auditions a large number of acts, most of whom are utterly hopeless, until he sees a hilarious vaudeville team, the Parker Brothers. Their act seems more than a bit familiar, however, and Tommy soon realizes that they're doing his father's old material. But they have every right to be doing George's schtick -- it seems George stole his act from the Parkers ages ago. What's more, the younger and more eccentric of the Parker Boys, Jack (Lee Evans), is actually Tommy's half brother, the product of a fling with a Blackpool showgirl years ago. Veering between comedy and drama, Funny Bones has more than its share of effective moments on either side of the fence, and features fine supporting performances from Oliver Reed, Leslie Caron and Harold Nicholas. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Oliver Platt, Lee Evans, (more)
- 1994
Based on the 1965 novel by Alan Garner, the British children's series Elidor was set smack in the middle of a blighted urban neighborhood in Manchester. While exploring the ruins of a church, four local kids -- Helen, Roland, David, and Nicholas -- stumbled through a magic portal and entered the mythical land of Elidor, a world that had been nearly destroyed by that sinister abstract known as "Fear." In trying to save Elidor's exiled king Malebron, the children put their own "real" world in the direst peril. As for the adults in the neighborhood, none were allowed to enter Elidor because they lacked the open and trusting minds of their children. Though not produced by the BBC, the six-part Elidor was run on that British network as part of a government-driven agreement to air a certain amount of independently produced programming during the 1994-1995 season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1957
The quintessential Canadian panel show, Front Page Challenge was What's My Line? cross-pollinated with Meet the Press. On each half-hour episode, four regular panelists -- all prominent journalists -- tried to guess the identity of a mystery guest and/or identify a late-breaking news story after watching a brief film clip. The panelists were also called upon to ascertain the "Canadian connection" represented by guest stars from other countries. The guests chosen on the series were a truly eclectic bunch, ranging from past Canadian PMs to Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, from newsman Walter Cronkite to football flash Joe Namath, from screen legend Mary Pickford to comedian Groucho Marx, and from former American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt to the amazing Errol Flynn. Once the game portion of the program was finished, the panelists and guests engaged in a lively discussion on a variety of topics. Created by John Aylesworth, Front Page Challenge was originally telecast by the CBC beginning June 24, 1957, and ending in the fall of 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
