Jenny Till Movies
Not a remake of the landmark 1903 Edwin S. Porter film, The Great Train Robbery is a dramatization of the famous first hold-up of a moving train in 1855 England. The conspirators in this undertaking are Edward Pierce (Sean Connery), Agar (Donald Sutherland) and Clean Willy (Wayne Sleep). Pierce is the brains, Clean Willy the brawn, and safecracker Agar provides the finesse. The scheme involves stealing a shipment of gold bars intended to be used in the payroll for the Army in the Crimean War. Lesley Anne Down co-stars as Miriam, the woman on the outside who arranges Connery's getaway. When released in England, this film was titled The First Great Train Robbery, so as not to be confused with Britain's embarrassing 1963 railroad heist. Director Michael Crichton adapted the story from his own, more-clinical novel on the same subject. Filmed in Ireland, The Great Train Robbery was dedicated to the memory of its director of photography, Geoffrey Unsworth, who died shortly after the production wrapped. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, (more)
- 1968
Robin Hood (Barrie Ingham) again robs from the rich to give to the poor. The evil Sheriff of Nottingham (John Arnatt) is still his foe, but Robin's primary adversary is his own cousin Roger (Peter Blythe). Roger has burned the will of Robin's father which promises all land and money to his son. Roger takes control of the estate, and again Robin is an outlaw hiding out in Sherwood Forest. The sheriff is amused at Roger's inability to corral his cousin Robin, who cavorts with Little John and Friar Tuck in bucolic splendor. The trio must rescue Maid Marian (Gay Hamilton) and her brother from the castle of the wicked King John. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Barrie Ingham, Leon Greene, (more)
- 1968
This very short-lived series was later cited by TV Guide as one of the worst American sitcoms ever produced. It starred Peter Kastner as Timothy Blair, a young man desperately in love with an English ingénue named Julie Renfield (Patricia Brake). Timothy landed in hot water when his brother, the professional photographer Gene Blair (Garry Marshall!) was assigned to shoot pictures of west coast hippies for a London magazine; in a moment of complete catastrophe, the images were accidentally destroyed, so the desperate Gene convinced Timothy to dress in drag and pose for some photos as female model "Timmie" Blair. The Brits liked the photographs so much that they immediately summoned Tim to fly to the UK and headline a modeling assignment, a la Twiggy. Timothy agreed, for it gave him an excuse to be geographically close to Julie, but he soon found himself juggling dual lives - one as her suitor, the other as an incognito female impersonator. U.S. audiences didn't buy either, and the series tanked after four months. Marshall, of course, went on to be a successful television producer and movie director, but Kastner never quite lived down the ignominy associated with this series; it effectively ruined his career and made it extraordinarily difficult for him to get film or television work. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Kastner, Patricia Brake, (more)
Parisian murders centered around a theater seem to have a vampiric theme as police try to figure out who is behind them. Christopher Lee stars in this horror-mystery as the director of the playhouse--and the prime suspect. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
