Queenie Watts Movies
Frightmare director Pete Walker follows-up his 1976 shocker The Confessional with this grim tale of a beautiful figure skater who falls victim to a murderous stalker. Samantha Gray was just a young girl when her mother was murdered right before her eyes. Years later, Samantha (Lynne Frederick) has grown into a talented skating star. Samantha is engaged to the man of her dreams, but when their wedding announcement draws the attention of an obsessed fan her joy quickly fades to horror. Now Samantha can't leave the house without feeling like she's being followed. When her friends begin to fall prey to a mysterious killer, Samantha becomes convinced that the stalker is someone she knows and trusts. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1976
The British sitcom Yus My Dear was a spin-off of the comedy series Romany Jones, focusing on two of the earlier program's secondary characters, Wally and Lilly Briggs (Arthur Mullard, Queenie Watts). Having spent most of their lives moving from one trailer park to another, Wally and Lilly put their caravan in mothballs and settled down in a government-subsidized apartment house. Though he endeavored to bring in a steady paycheck as a bricklayer, Wally was constantly undermined by his shiftless brother Benny (Mike Reid). Originally telecast from January 9 to November 28, 1976, Yus My Dear eventually weighed in at 19 half-hour episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arthur Mullard, Queenie Watts, (more)
- 1972
When three old acquaintances are thrown together after several years, they are shocked to realize that they are looking at each other from different sides of the law. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1968
Acclaimed British neo-realist filmmaker Ken Loach made his theatrical debut with this bleak kitchen-sink drama. Joy (Carol White) leads a life that makes her name seem like some sort of a cruel joke. Her husband Tom (John Bindon) is a second-rate burglar who shows neither her nor their infant child much affection. When Tom is jailed for theft, Joy is left on her own, until Tom's best friend Dave (Terence Stamp) invites her to stay with him. Dave is warm and caring in a way that Tom is not, and love begins to blossom between them. However, Dave also supports himself as a thief, and when he's arrested and put behind bars, Joy is left back where she started. Joy takes a job as a barmaid to support herself, and she is persuaded to pose nude for a photographer to bring in some extra money; she files for divorce from Tom and begins seeing other men. However, Tom wants to give their marriage another chance once he's released from prison, much to Joy's chagrin. Several clips with Terence Stamp were later used in The Limey (1999) to illustrate the earlier life of Stamp's character in that film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carol White, Terence Stamp, (more)
- 1968
Based on a popular British novel by Nell Dunn, Up the Junction was a made-for-TV movie in 1965 before being remade for theatrical release in 1968. It features Suzy Kendall as Polly, an upper-class Chelsea girl who decides to relieve her boredom by slumming in a working-class section of London called Battersea. She gets a job in a candy factory and becomes friends with co-workers Rube (Adrienne Posta) and Sylvie (Maureen Lipman), two sisters. Polly takes up with Peter (Dennis Waterman), who dreams of leaving Battersea and becoming rich. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzy Kendall, Dennis Waterman, (more)
- 1967
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
- Starring:
- Tommy Steele, Julia Foster, (more)
- 1963
This British comedy drama of the lower classes features actors with such thick cockney accents that some prints of the film were subtitled. James Booth stars as Charlie, a merchant seaman who returns home to the East End after two years to find that his wife Maggie (Barbara Windsor) has taken up with another man, a married bus driver named Bert (George Sewell). After taking his brother Fred (Roy Kinnear) hostage in a pub, Charlie gets a reunion with Maggie, who shows up pushing a pram. It seems she's given birth to a child, and the father's identity is uncertain. Charlie and Maggie reconcile, but not before a vicious row with Bert, who doesn't want to give up his girl. Windsor, a BAFTA Best Actress nominee for her role, also performed the film's title song. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Booth, Barbara Windsor, (more)
