Pamela Brown Movies

This TV-movie adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel of the "undead" was adapted by Richard Matheson and photographed by Oswald Morris. As the titular count, Jack Palance is a reluctant victim of an unwelcome fate, rather than a grinning bloodsucker. Nigel Davenport co-stars as Van Helsing, vampire-hunter deluxe, who pursues the count with his bagful of hammers and stakes. Much of the Stoker novel that had been eliminated in earlier versions has been restored by Matheson. Originally slated for telecast in October of 1973, Dracula was reshuffled to February 8, 1974, due to the late-breaking vice-presidential nomination of Gerald Ford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season Seven of The F.B.I. begins as federal agents Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and Colby (William Reynolds) set a trap for the extortionist. Serving as bait is pro football player Paul Talbot (Frank Converse), who cannot figure out who is sending him threatening messages, nor why. One thing is certain, however: Unless the Feds can locate Talbot's taunting tormentor, there's going to be a genuine "Sudden Death" during a championship game. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This romantic drama concerns two star-crossed lovers who are half-brother and sister to each other. Catherine (Anna Calder-Marshall) is the daughter of the lord of the manor who falls for the brooding stable boy Heathcliff (Timothy Dalton). When Heathcliff leaves to seek his fortune, he returns to find Catherine has married the local magistrate Edgar (Ian Ogilvy). The story is told by the beautiful blonde servant girl Nellie (Judy Cornwell), who narrates at the beginning to set the stage for the picture. Hindley (Julian Glover) is Catherine's older brother who tries to take over the house and land after the death of their father (Harry Andrews). When his own wife and child dies, a drunken Hindley gambles away the family holdings to the opportunistic Heathcliffe. Filmed in England, the scenery is spectacular but this version lacks the foreboding, shadowy drama of the 1939 original starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Vincente Minnelli directed, and Alan Jay Lerner adapted the stage musical he had written with Burton Lane, for this this feature film version. Barbra Streisand stars as Daisy Gamble, a chain smoker who, at the urging of her uptight fiance Warren (Larry Blyden), seeks help in kicking the habit from a psychiatrist, Dr. Marc Chabot (Yves Montand). While undergoing hypnosis, however, Daisy and Dr. Chabot discover that she is clairvoyant and can remember a past life as a 19th century heiress named Melinda. As their sessions continue, Dr. Chabot falls in love not with Daisy, but Melinda, while Daisy begins to fall for Chabot and decides she's had enough of Warren. Excised from the final cut of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) was a musical number performed by Jack Nicholson, who costars as Daisy's stepbrother. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

British musical star Tommy Steele had starred in Half a Sixpence in London and on Broadway, thus he was first choice for this garish film version. Based on the H.G. Wells story Kipps (previously filmed in 1941 with Michael Redgrave), Half a Sixpence tells the tale of a humble London drapery clerk (Steele) who inherits a fortune. He briefly forgets his old mates and his faithful girl friend (Julia Foster), but soon discovers that High Society isn't his cup of tea. Filmed during the "monster musical" cycle fostered by The Sound of Music, Half a Sixpence isn't really suited for the spectacular approach dictated by co-producer Charles H. Schneer. Fortunately, the guiding directorial hand is the film's other producer: George Sidney, a veteran of MGM's Arthur Freed unit, who knew how to successfully weld music with story. Thanks to Sidney and star Steele, Half a Sixpence never gets too out of hand, though we'd argue with some of the eyestrain-inducing color choices in the bigger numbers. The film might have done better at the box office had the score yielded a few hit songs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This rock comedy features an alien who tries to distribute peace, love and understanding around Britain. ~ All Movie Guide

In 1963, this colossal and opulent $60 million spectacular was epic in every sense of the word -- an epic investment, an epic in the annals of Hollywood gossip, and, ultimately, an epic flop that nearly dragged 20th Century Fox down the Nile along with Cleopatra's barge. Handsomely mounted by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who replaced Rouben Mamoulian as director after six days of shooting), the drama follows the eighteen tumultuous years that led to the founding of the Roman Empire. Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) meets up with Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison) and plans to lure Caesar to her boudoir in order to forge an alliance with Rome so that she may hold on to her Egyptian empire. When Caesar is stabbed to death in the Roman Senate, Cleopatra is left without an ally, and Egypt is up for grabs. When Roman general Mark Antony (Richard Burton) comes along, she seduces him in order to make him over into her new protector. But, under the charms of Cleopatra, Mark Antony is reduced from a an awesome and dominating general to a sniveling, drunken wimp. At the Battle of Actium, Mark Antony is defeated and Cleopatra withdraws her troops, dooming Mark Antony and his army. With Egypt in peril, Antony and Cleopatra, the doomed lovers, meet each other for the last time, as the enemy forces close in. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Spoiled little Pamela (Pauline Challoner) is devastated when her beloved governness Mrs. Murphy (Elspeth March) is discharged and the severe Miss Cartwright (Pamela Brown) takes her place. Not only does Miss Cartwright punish Pamela for the slightest infraction, but she also goes so far as to destroy the girl's favorite toy, a stuffed tiger. A chilling revenge tops off this (allegedly) fact-based episode, one of several One Step Beyond entries filmed in England. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this romantic comedy, four children are seemingly orphaned and remanded to their aunt and uncle's custody after their parents, renowned explorers, are lost. The proper English aunt is the sister of the missing mother; the playboy uncle is the brother of their father. Both are single and whichever marries first is the one who will get full custody. Naturally, the disparate duo dislike each other at first. But this is a movie, and after much mayhem, they fall in love, marry and adopt the children. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Now and Forever is a very slight piece, buoyed by the charm and attractiveness of its young stars. Janette Scott and Vernon Grey play Janette Grant and Mike Pritchard, who fall in love despite the objections of Janette's wealthy parents. Realizing that they will never be permitted to marry, Janette and Mike run off together, sparking a nationwide search for the two elopers. By the time the authorities catch up with the pair, public sentiment is firmly in favor of their union, culminating in a conditional change of mind on the part of Janette's mom and dad. Though the film seems flat and obvious when viewed on television, it truly comes to life before a large and appreciative moviehouse audience. Forgotten for many years, Now and Forever was happily rediscovered by the late film historian William K. Everson in his 1979 book Love in the Film, which was dedicated to star Janette Scott. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The star power of leading lady Gene Tierney enabled the British Personal Affair to get good bookings in the U.S. The story is set in motion by impulsive schoolgirl Barbara Vining (Glynis Johns), who develops a crush on teacher Stephen Barlow (Leo Genn). Barlow's wife Kay (Tierney) confronts Barbara, advising the girl to get over his misguided ardor. Shortly thereafter, Barbara completely disappears. All evidence suggests that she has either met with foul play, or at the very least has killed herself. With nothing but rumor and hearsay to go on, the Court of Public Opinion forms its own vituperative opinions, thoroughly ruining the lives of Stephen and Kay Barlow. In any other circumstances, the outcome of the film might be regarded as a happy ending. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Most baby-boomers are familiar with the Powell-Pressburger production of the Offenbach opera Tales of Hoffman only through the full-color stills from the film which were reproduced in the "Motion Picture" section of The World Book Encyclopedia. If this is your only memory of the film, we advise you to seek out a copy of this lengthy but visually enthralling picture as soon as possible. Metropolitan opera star Robert Rounseville plays Hoffman, a university student who is spectacularly unlucky in affairs of the heart. Each of his love affairs with Olympia (Moira Shearer), Giulietta (Ludmilla Tcherina) and Antonia (Ann Ayars) is doomed to failure due to circumstances far beyond our hero's control (Olympia, for example, turns out to be nothing more than a life-sized mechanical doll). As in the previous Powell-Pressburger collaboration The Red Shoes, the film's best moments are its ballet sequences, choreographed by Jane Ashton. Offenbach's score is given a splendid rendition by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of the legendary Sir Thomas Beecham. Most prints of Tales of Hoffman run 118 minutes, eliminating the closing "Tale of Antonia" sequence; the laserdisc version has been restored to 127 minutes, while the search goes on for the complete 138-minute negative. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide