Penelope Keith Movies
Adapted from a novel by Rosamunde Pilcher, the two-part British miniseries Coming Home re-created the years between 1936 and 1941 as experienced by a brace of young and impressionable girls. Meeting in a boarding school, Judith Dunbar and Loveday Carey-Lewis became close friends, though they were miles apart in terms of social status. But when Judith's wealthy Aunt Louise perished during the 1940 London Blitz, Judith inherited a fortune, and was thus "acceptable" to Loveday's upper-crust family. Complications ensued when Billy Fawcett, the decadent middle-aged sweetheart of Loveday's married mother Diana, began to lust after the hapless Judith. Boasting a stellar cast of reliable British stage and screen actors including Peter O'Toole, former New Avengers co-stars Joanna Lumley and Patrick Macnee, and onetime Man From U.N.C.L.E regular David McCallum, Coming Home was seen through the facilities of ITV in the autumn of 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter O'Toole, Joanna Lumley, (more)
- 1982
Spider's Web is adapted from a lesser-known work by Agatha Christie. The murder victim this time is an erstwhile blackmailer. Accordingly, there are more suspects than you can shake a stick at, if that's your idea of a good time. Penelope Keith leads a cast of hardy British TV and stage veterans. Spider's Web was first shown in the US over the Arts and Entertainment cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1981
- R
The later years of the life of author D.H. Lawrence are dramatized in this screen biography. Following the controversial reception of his novel The Rainbow, David Herbert Lawrence (Ian McKellen) and his wife Frieda (Janet Suzman) leave England for the U.S., where they hope that Lawrence's bold themes will be received in a more tolerant climate. Such is not the case, and the Lawrences travel first to Mexico, and then to Italy while David attempts to complete and then publish his best known (and most controversial) work, Lady Chatterley's Lover. However, as the furor over the book taxes David's well being, tuberculosis saps his physical health. The supporting cast includes John Gielgud as censorship crusader Herbert G. Muskett and Ava Gardner as Mabel Dodge Luhan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ian McKellen, Janet Suzman, (more)
- 1980
This made-for-television British comedy is was adapted from the play by Frederick Lonsdale. Wealthy English widow Maria Wislack (Penelope Keith) decides to take beau Richard for a vacation on a Scottish Island, as a sort of trial marriage before going through with the real thing. While there, Maria and her friend Helen decide to spice things up by swapping their respective partners and the comedy ensues. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi
- 1980
Playwright Alan Ayckbourn's Norman Conquests trilogy comes to a conclusion with the 106-minute "Round and Round the Garden." Whereas part one took place in the dining room and part two was set in the garden, part three takes place in the garden of the home of Richard Briers and Penelope Keith. Still amorously pursuing his sister-in-law is the eponymous Norman, played by Tom Conti. A newcomer to the proceedings is veterinarian David Troughton, who has a habit of jumping to the wrong conclusion at every possible opportunity. Originally produced for British television, The Norman Conquest was screened in the US over various PBS channels and cable services. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1980
Part two of Alan Ayckbourn's Norman Conquests trilogy is subtitled "Living Together." Though not precisely a sequel to part one, part two finds Norman (Tom Conti) continuing his romantic pursuit of various female in-laws in the parlor of his family home. Heads of the household Richard Briers and Penelope Keith persist in their efforts to maintain decorum in a household full of inebriates and libertines. The 93-minute Living Together was originally produced for British television. It was telecast in the US on various PBS and cable outlets. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1980
Produced for British television, The Norman Conquests was based on a trilogy of stage comedies by Alan Ayckbourn. Each playlet is set in a different room under the same roof: the home of Norman (Tom Conti) and his family. In Part 1, Table Manners, Norman attempts to seduce his two sisters-in-law, a feat that soon becomes an "open secret." Also starring is Penelope Keith as the lady of the house, who tends to treat human beings like place settings at a huge, never-ending banquet. Richard Briers, who co-starred with Ms. Keith in the BBC TV series Good Neighbours, heads the cast list. All three parts of The Norman Conquests were telecast in the US over PBS and various cable services. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The concept behind the 1977 Hound of the Baskervilles involved having "underground" director Paul Morrissey bring an irreverent slant to the original Sherlock Holmes mystery. The film thus casts Peter Cook and Dudley Moore as Holmes and Watson, with such reliable British performers as Terry-Thomas, Joan Greenwood, Denholm Elliott, Hugh Griffith, Spike Milligan, and Roy Kinnear in cameos. Producer Michael White took on the project; it mirrored his previous experience of combining spoofery and fidelity to source material with Monty Python's Jabberwocky. Examples of the film's zaniness include the casting of a lovable Irish wolfhound as the "deadly" Baskerville mastiff and having Holmes and Watson speak in thick provincial accents. For its American release, Hound of the Baskervilles was whittled down to 78 minutes, with several of its scenes out of sequence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, (more)
- 1974
- PG
McFadden (Murray Melvin) invites two old college acquaintences to a large Victorian mansion in the country, ostensibly for a weekend of game hunting. Duller (Vivian Mackerell) is sullen and rude, though an excellent shot. Talbot (Larry Dan) is easygoing but puzzled as to why he was asked along, especially when his companions continually ridicule and abuse him. Things get even more curious when Talbot begins having strange hallucinations; he finds himself transported back into time, bearing witness to the trials and tribulations of a young woman (Marianne Faithfull) who once resided in the house. Finally, McFadden admits that he invited Talbot and Duller to the mansion because there are rumors that it is haunted, and he chose them both as likely subjects to draw any spirits out into the open. As the visions become more frequent and detailed, Talbot is thrust into a strange supernatural realm of incest, arson and madness that may be impossible to escape from. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi
- 1970
- R
This 1970 British sex farce stars Hayley Mills as Jenny Bunn, a naïve young schoolteacher from the north of England who comes to swinging London to teach. She moves into a suburb and becomes friends with Anna (Geraldine Sherman). Anna is dating Patrick Standish (Oliver Reed), but when Anna introduces them, Patrick becomes smitten with Jenny. Patrick keeps trying to get Jenny to return his affections, but she is prim and resists. At a party at the home of Julian Ormerod (oel Harrison), she meets Patrick again. They talk, and he convinces her that his intentions are honorable. They agree to have a rendezvous a few days later. But in the meantime, Julian tells Jenny that Patrick really isn't sincere and only wants to see if he can be the one to conquer her virginity. The romantic comedy is based on a play by Louis S. Peterson. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Starring:
- Noel Harrison, Oliver Reed, (more)
- 1970
- R
This offbeat comedy finds Teddy (Marty Feldman) as a television advertising man given a seemingly meaningless project. Slated to make frozen porridge commercials, he comes up with the idea to find an erotic Goldilocks to sell the product. Soon a nationwide search is launched for the female spokesperson. He has trouble at home because his wife is the leader of the "Keep Television Clean" movement. Teddy dreams up a wild bunch of commercials and his daydreams harken back to silent era comedies. This was the first full length film for Feldman, the bug eyed comic who parlayed his television success in Britain into a comedy film career in Hollywood. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marty Feldman, Shelley Berman, (more)
- 1969
The British sitcom Wild Wild Women was set not in the American West (as might be expected), but in Victorian England. The stories revolved around a group of feisty young ladies who worked in a milliners' shop for autocratic Mr. Harcourt (Paul Whitsun-Jones). The leading character of Daisy was played by Penelope Keith in the pilot episode, which aired May 24, 1968, and thereafter by Pat Coombs. The series itself was broadcast from January 6 to February 10, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Whitsun-Jones, Barbara Windsor, (more)
- 1969
Several agents and innocent bystanders find themselves at the mercy of a talking briefcase, which barks out orders to deliver it to such-and-such an address, lest it explode and kill its bearer. It turns out that the briefcase contains secret documents, to be delivered to the other side's "Mr. Big." Imagine Steed and Tara's surprise when the briefcase orders them to deliver it to their own boss! Written by Terry Nation, "Take Me to Your Leader" premiered in England on March 5, 1969; it was previously seen in America on February 10 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick Macnee, Linda Thorson, (more)
- 1968
The producers of the popular British "Carry On" series aren't going to fix something if it is not broken. This workable, slapstick comedy returns to a hospital setting and benefits from the same gags that made Carry On, Nurse a top draw in Britain. Instead of Dr. Kildare, this emergency unit has Dr. Kilmore (Jim Dale), the usual curmudgeon supervisor (Kenneth Williams) and a bedpan full of quirky quacks and petulant patients. The hospital staff is plagued by bathroom humor, romance, medical mistakes and beautiful nurses who distract the doctors and patients alike. Sight gags and comedy ensues, and this film is just what the doctor ordered for those in need of some laughs. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frankie Howerd, Sidney James, (more)
- 1967
An apparent security leak takes on bizarre dimensions when the suspected traitors begin behaving like little children. It turns out that each of the persons involved apparently had the same nanny in childhood. With this clue in hand, Steed and Emma infiltrate a nanny training school, where they discover that the faculty is moonlighting in espionage. Written by Philip Levene, "Something Nasty in the Nursery" was first seen in England on April 22, 1967, and in America on May 5 of that year. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1965
Steed and Emma investigate when several clients of a marriage bureau are suddenly and inexplcably murdered. It turns out that the agency also sidelines in assassination -- but only for "select" customers. Naturally, it is Emma who bears the brunt of the villains' wrath. . .and this time, she doesn't seem quite as self-confident as usual. Initally filmed with Elizabeth Shepherd in the role of Emma Peel, the reshot version of "The Murder Market" first aired in England on November 13, 1965. Written by Tony Williamson, the episode made its American network TV debut on May 30, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Diana Rigg
- 1951
The first Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production to be seen on British television, the BBC's version of What's My Line? was a virtual carbon copy of the American original, which ran on CBS from 1950 to 1967. Boasting a number of hosts during its lengthy run, the British edition featured a panel of celebrities who tried to guess the identities and occupations of various "civilians." At the end of each program, the blindfolded panelists tried to identify a famous "mystery" guest. Debuting in England in 1951, What's My Line ran until 1962, then was revived by the BBC from 1973 to 1974. A later British version aired over Thames Television from 1984 to 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eamonn Andrews, Ron Randall, (more)
