William Hartnell Movies

In the second episode of the seven-part story arc "Marco Polo," the Doctor and his companions reluctantly accompany Marco Polo (Mark Eden) on a long journey to the Peking stronghold of Kublai Khan. The first leg of their journey requires them to cross the Gobi Desert, known as "the singing sands" due to the eerie sounds made by the relentless wind. What no one yet suspects is that Marco's "trusted" associate Tegana (Derren Nesbitt) plans to use the Doctor's TARDIS to topple Kublai Khan from power -- and it is Tegana who has volunteered to search for water on behalf of Marco and his entourage. Written by John Lucarotti, "The Singing Sands" first aired on February 29, 1964; alas, none of the episodes in the "Marco Polo" arc are known to have survived. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season Two of Doctor Who commenced on October 31, 1964 with the first episode of the three-part adventure "Planet of Giants." Finally arriving in England in 1964, the TARDIS crew discovers that a malfunction has shrunk them to the height of one inch. In these "reduced" circumstances, the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his companions stumble upon mad scientist Professor Smithers (Reginald Barrett) and evil businessman Forester (Alan Tilvern) to unleash a deadly pesticide called DN6 upon the unsuspecting world. This and the two subsequent episodes of Planet of Giants were written by Louis Marks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the sixth episode of the seven-part story arc "Marco Polo," the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his friends, still the reluctant traveling companions of Marco Polo (Mark Eden), arrive at Shang-Tu, where stands the opulent summer palace of the all-powerful Kublai Khan (Martin Miller). Fascinated by the TARDIS, Khan orders the Doctor and the others to accompany him to Peking, and for a while it looks as though none of the people will ever be able to return to their own home and time. Meanwhile, the treacherous Tagana (Derren Nesbitt) continues plotting to become absolute ruler of Cathay. Written by John Lucarotti, "Mighty Kublai Khan" first aired on March 28, 1964; alas, none of the episodes in the "Marco Polo" arc are known to have survived. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Released in England under the title The World Ten Times Over, this dour drama is about the misfortunes of two aging single women. Billa (Sylvia Sims) and Ginnie (June Ritchie) live together in an apartment, and each works as a hostess at a night club. Billa is jaded and fed up with men, while Ginnie is an accomplished seductress. When Bob Shelbourne (Edward Judd), a rich executive who is separated from his wife, gets involved with Ginnie, Billa becomes envious. Bob gets Ginnie a job in a business run by his father (Francis De Wolff), who doesn't like the cozy arrangement. Billa's schoolteacher father (William Hartnell) visits, and Billa shocks him by revealing details of her affairs. The romantic entanglements proceed to challenge the friendship between Billa and Ginnie. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Also known as "The Dead Planet" and "The Survivors," "The Daleks" is perhaps the most fondly remembered of the first-season Doctor Who story arcs, and one of the few that has survived intact. In episode one, "The Dead Planet," the First Doctor (William Hartnell) endeavors to return his granddaughter, Susan (Carole Ann Ford), and schoolteachers Ian (William Russell) and Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) back to the 20th century. Piloting the TARDIS to the devastated planet Skaro, the Doctor and his companions are at first unaware that they are actually on a futuristic Earth. They also don't realize that they are in great danger -- but they soon find out. Written by Terry Nation, "The Dead Planet" first aired on December 21, 1963, as the first episode in this seven-part adventure. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the third episode of the four-part story arc "An Unearthly Child," Doctor Who (William Hartnell) and his companions, Ian and Barbara (William Russell, Jacqueline Hill), have managed to escape the Cave of Skulls. But they have not yet managed to escape the prehistoric-earth surroundings -- and the TARDIS is far from ready to return the travelers to their own time. With an angry cave-dwelling tribe hot on their heels, the little party must make their way through a blazing forest inferno. Written by Anthony Coburn, "The Forest of Fear" originally aired on December 7, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the second episode of the seven-part story arc "The Daleks," the Doctor (William Hartnell) deliberately sabotages the TARDIS so that he can join his granddaughter, Susan (Carole Ann Ford), and companions Ian and Barbara (William Russell, Jacqueline Hill) in exploring the devastated planet Skaro. Entering a dead city (which remarkably resembles London) in search of mercury to repair their space ship, the Doctor and his friends are attacked by the Daleks, a race of mutant atomic-war survivors. Soon, our heroes learn that the Daleks intend to resume hostilities with their enemies, the humanoid Thals -- but why are they so desirous to spark off a second, a possibly even more destructive conflict? Written by Terry Nation, "The Survivors" originally aired on December 28, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Adapted by David Storey from his own novel, This Sporting Life stars Richard Harris as Frank, an athletic coal miner who aspires to the greener pastures of professional rugby. Soon establishing himself as one of the most brutal and arrogant players in the business, Frank begins to amass a fortune. He also falls in love with his landlady, Mrs. Hammond (Rachel Roberts), who initially resists his advances. When she finally gives in, their relationship hinges on sex alone, as Frank practically begs Mrs. Hammond to give of herself emotionally and she remains incapable. At the wedding ceremony for one of Frank's teammates, Mrs. Hammond unexpectedly lashes out at her swaggering lover. They split up, but Frank, who until now has equated happiness with wealth, is unable to get over the permanent loss. In the end, with nothing else left, all of Frank's self-worth becomes contingent on his rugby performances, though Frank and the other players are exploited to such a degree that this also proves disastrous. Widely regarded as one of the finest British feature films ever produced, the gritty and bleak This Sporting Life not only marked former documentary filmmaker Lindsay Anderson's first feature, but became one of the harbingers of the "Angry Young Man" school of filmmaking. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A man recently released from prison is anxious to get on with his life and wants to go straight. Unfortunately, the right woman can be either a help or a hindrance, and in this case he is forced back into his old ways by a woman too cold and insensitive to care whether he stays out of crime or not. She essentially wants nothing to do with him, straight or otherwise. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

An A.P. Dearsley stage play was the basis for the seven-reel British comedy And the Same to You. Brian Rix stars as the pugnacious nephew of clergyman Sydney Mullett. Stuck with the name "Dickie Dreadnought," Rix feels he has no choice but to pursue a career as a boxer. To mollify his uncle, Rix pretends to be the soul of religiosity, while his tough-talking manager William Hartnell poses as a Man of the Cloth. The script for And the Same to You was penned by melodrama specialist John Paddy Carstairs and veteran comic actor John Junkin (the too-tall road manager in A Hard Day's Night). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The economy of the teeny-tiny European duchy of Grand Fenwick is threatened when an American manufacturer comes up with an imitation of Fenwick's sole export, its fabled wine. Crafty prime minister Count Mountjoy (Peter Sellers) comes up with a plan: Grand Fenwick will declare war on the United States. Grand Duchess Gloriana (Peter Sellers again) is hesitant: how can meek little Grand Fenwick win such a conflict? Mountjoy explains that the plan is to lose the war, then rely upon American foreign aid to replenish Grand Fenwick's treasury. Bumbling military officer Tully Bascombe (Peter Sellers yet again) leads his country's ragtag army into battle. They cross the Atlantic in an ancient wooden vessel, then set foot on Manhattan Island, fully prepared to down weapons and surrender. But New York City is deserted, due to an air raid drill. While wandering around, Sellers comes upon atomic scientist David Kossoff and the scientist's pretty daughter Jean Seberg. Kossoff has been working on the deadly "Q Bomb," a football-sized weapon with the destructive capacity of a hundred hydrogen bombs. Suddenly seized with patriotic fervor, Tully captures Kossoff, his daughter and the bomb and brings them all back to Grand Fenwick. Tully has "won" the war-precisely what he'd been told not to do. The upshot of this "victory" is that every world power converges upon Grand Fenwick to claim the Q Bomb for themselves. The satire is heavy-handed at times, but The Mouse That Roared contains several unforgettably hilarious moments, including one startling "false ending." One of the best gags involves the Columbia Pictures logo--a bit frequently cut from TV showings, worse luck. Based on one of the many "Grand Fenwick" novels by Leonard Wibberly, The Mouse That Roared was a success, yielding a Peter Sellers-less sequel, 1963's Mouse on the Moon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Filmed on location, Shake Hands With the Devil is set in Ireland during the "troubles" of 1921. James Cagney plays a brilliant medical professor who doubles as head of the Irish Republican Army. Cagney convinces one of his more pacifistic students, Don Murray, to join the underground struggle against British rule. Murray suffers a crisis of conscience when his sweetheart Dana Wynter is taken hostage by the IRA and is slated for execution by the zealous Cagney. Several members of Dublin's Abbey Players appear in supporting roles in Shake Hands With Devil. Watch for Richard Harris in the small part of Terence O'Brien. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, a reporter and his girlfriend pursue a jewel thief through rural Sussex. The tables turn when the thief abducts the girlfriend and holds her hostage in a castle forcing the reporter to assist him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi