John Cazabon Movies
- 1969
Tara investigates when her uncle doesn't return from his vacation. Following the trail of evidence, she finds herself at a fancy hotel, where guests are permitted to stay as long as they like, but woe betide them if they ever try to leave! While attempting to rescue her uncle, Tara is herself imprisoned by the hotel's ultra-courteous staff. With Steed otherwise occupied, Mother sends his own nephew, an agent in training, to extract Tara from her predicament. Brimmed to overflowing with familiar guest star faces, "Wish You Were Here" was written by Tony Williamson; it was first shown in England on February 12, 1969, having made its "official" debut on American TV on November 18, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Macnee, Linda Thorson, (more)
- 1968
Written and directed by series star Patrick McGoohan, "Once Upon a Time" was the first of two episodes of The Prisoner designed to "explain" (more or less) several of the questions posed by the previous episodes, and to bring the saga to a conclusion --- albeit not a logical one. Leo McKern costars as the Previous Number Two, who had supposedly been dispensed with in the earlier episode "Chimes of Big Ben." Returning to the village for one last desperate attempt to "break" Number Six, Number Two utilizes a sinister mind-probing process called Degree Absolute (which was also this episode's original title). Forced to relive all the events of his life, Number Six is plunged into a bizarre netherworld where reality is not even a concept. This time around, the stakes are extremely high, with the lives of both Number Two and Number Six hanging in the balance. When The Prisoner was originally planned as a two-season series, "Once Upon a Time" was supposed to have been the 13th and final episode of Season One. But upon rethinking the series in terms of a single 17-episode season, the script was refashioned as the next-to-last episode; as such, it first aired in England on January 28, 1968, and in America on September 14, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo McKern
- 1967
The celebrated "election episode" of The Prisoner, "Free For All" was directed by series star Patrick McGoohan, and also written by him under the pen name of Paddy Fitz. While the Village gears up for the election of the New Number Two, Number Six is encouraged to throw his hat in the ring. Curiously, Number Six is nominated by the incumbent, Number Two (Eric Portman) himself. At first balking at the "honor", Number Six is persuaded to run on the promise that, if elected, he will learn the identity of Number One --- thereby earning his freedom. Rachel Herbert plays the crucial role of maidservant Number Fifty Eight. "Free For All" made its British TV bow on October 22, 1967, and was first telecast in America on June 29, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
This horror film is set in a small turn-of-the-century English village where a herpetologist is trying to cure his wife's insanity with injections of snake venom. He seems to succeed and soon afterward she gets pregnant and bears him a beautiful little girl with a horrible talent: she can transform herself into a snake whenever she wants to. She soon grows up to become the scourge of the village men. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John McCarthy, Susan Travers, (more)
- 1961
A business partner, desperate to milk some kind of profit from his failing cosmetics business, turns to arson with deadly results when he inadvertently immolates his partner while trying to destroy the factory. Still he succeeds in getting the insurance money. He then gets greedy and decides to do the same thing to his late partner's lovely daughter. Fortunately, an intrepid insurance investigator is on the case. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
A strange bet provides the basis of this comedy, a British theater producer decides to make some easy money by betting a psychiatrist, whom he overheard telling a colleague that he could create the perfect child by hypnotizing a pregnant woman, that the shrink has as many holes in his theory as he did in his head. The wager is made, and the producer then talks an actress friend into masquerading as the pregnant woman to ensure his win. Unfortunately for him, the actress and the doctor fall in love. Seeing that her sweethearts theories are being derided by his peers, she decides to help him out and get pregnant for real. To do this, she gets drunk, staggers over to the producer's apartment and demands that he satisfy her right then and there. Unfortunately in the middle of it all, the doctor shows up. Then the producer's fiancee pays a visit and the whole scam falls apart in his living room. Fortunately happiness ensues when the doctor and the actress marry and decide to try the experiment for real. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Agnes Laurent, John Bentley, (more)
- 1952
Released in Britain as Crash of Silence, Mandy is a straightforward story about a handicapped child's efforts to adapt to a normal world. Born deaf, Mandy is mute for most of her childhood. Her desperate parents enroll her in special education classes. It's a slow, uphill climb, but by film's end Mandy is talking and playing happily with non-impaired children. A well-intentioned effort, Mandy unfortunately falls prey to corniness, save for the thoroughly convincing performance by child actress Mandy Miller (who was not deaf). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phyllis Calvert, Jack Hawkins, (more)
- 1952
The world of provincial British theatre is given a gentle going over in Curtain Up. Short of funds, a small-town repertory troupe is forced to bow to the whims of wealthy Catherine (Margaret Rutherford), the aunt of the theatre's manager. When Catherine writes a perfectly dreadful play, the actors are compelled to stage the "masterpiece," with hilarious results. Matching Margaret Rutherford scowl for scowl and double-take for double-take is Robert Morley as the troupe's pompous director. The delectable Kay Kendall provides a few sublime moments as the velvet-voiced leading lady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Morley, Margaret Rutherford, (more)
- 1949
Released in the U.S. as Massacre Hill, the Australian Eureka Stockade was one of that country's biggest and most expensive postwar productions (it was nearly two years in the making!) Set during the 19th-century Australian gold rush, the film top-bills Chips Rafferty as boisterous prospector Peter Lallor. The gold bonanza is threatened by the arrival of claim-jumpers, usurpers and government bean-counters. At first, the prospectors intend to use random mob violence to ward off the invaders, but Lallor organizes the group into a strong, united front, as willing to mediate as to bust heads. Future star Peter Finch is eighth-billed as "Humffray." Eureka Stockade was remade years later as a TV miniseries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chips Rafferty, Gordon Jackson, (more)
