Peter Godsell Movies
- 1958
Adventures of Hal 5 was aimed directly at the British kiddie-matinee trade. The title "character" is an automobile owned by a middle-class family. A crooked garage owner tries to swipe the vehicle, but the kids in the family are too fast for the thief. Lots of "wacky" car chases here, but you probably caught on to that. The film was based on Henry Donald's book Hal 5 and the Haywards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In this lightweight drama, an adventurous couple endeavors to open a coffee bar and record production company. They begin searching for a recording star to promote. Their first choice is their own handyman, a bit of an amateur singer. He and some of the other new singers for the company hit the popular charts. This attracts the notice of a major record company that immediately tries to take the little company over. Just as it looks like the little company is to be swallowed up, an American company merges with them and the day is saved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Patterson, Mary Steele, (more)
- 1958
Director John Ford traveled to England to film this adaptation of the novel by J.J. Maraca, which details a typical day in the busy life of a detective for Scotland Yard. Inspector George Gideon (Jack Hawkins) begins his working day by confronting one of his fellow officers who is believed to be accepting graft. The sergeant stubbornly denies the charge, but he dies later the same day in a mysterious hit-and-run accident that piques Gideon's curiosity. While confronting internal strife within Scotland Yard, Gideon also has more typical crimes to investigate, including a murder in Manchester and a burglary in London, both of which were performed by the same vicious criminal. Gideon himself becomes the victim of a holdup and is forced to take a bullet for his troubles, while on the home front he finds himself in disfavor with his family when he forgets to bring home salmon for dinner and lets his daughter's recital slip his mind. Along with Jack Hawkins, Gideon's Day features a stellar cast of British actors, including Cyril Cusack, Anna Massey, Laurence Naismith, Dianne Foster, and Billie Whitelaw. For its initial American release, Gideon's Day (also shown as Gideon of Scotland Yard) was cut from 91 minutes to a mere 54, and distributed in black and white prints instead of the original Technicolor. Fortunately, nearly all the prints currently in circulation are of the uncut, color edition. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Hawkins, Dianne Foster, (more)
- 1957
The Weapon is a loose grouping of elements first seen in the 1951 British melodrama The Yellow Balloon. Jon Whitely plays a young London boy who finds a loaded gun in a blitzed-out building. He fires, accidentally shooting a playmate. Believing he's killed his friend, the boy runs away--leading to a relentlessly suspenseful climax. Though filmed in England, The Weapon was geared from the start for primarily American audiences; its producer was Hollywood's own Hal E. Chester, and its adult stars included Steve Cochran and Lizabeth Scott. The script was written by Fred Freiberger, best known to sci-fi followers as the producer of the original Star Trek's third and final season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Cochran, Lizabeth Scott, (more)
- 1955
In this comedy, two rabid football fans begin an unstoppable train of events when they physically harass a referee. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
