Angela Clarke Movies

A reflective look at an idealistic young man's involvement in the Spanish Civil War, Land and Freedom combines wartime drama with impassioned political debate. Director Ken Loach, better known for his intimate portraits of working-class British life, begins on familiar turf in the present day, with a teenage girl sorting through the belongings of her recently deceased grandfather. She soon discovers her grandfather's involvement in the Spanish Civil War, and the film then flashes back to the 1930s to tell the story of young Dave Carr, intensely portrayed by Ian Hart. A dedicated young communist, Carr joins an international group of freedom fighters in order to wage the good war against fascism. The experience proves far less heroic than expected, however, as the fighters struggle with poor supplies, a lack of training, and internal discord. The traditional battles and romances of war drama follow, as Carr becomes involved in a tumultuous affair with a fellow fighter, but Loach and screenwriter Jim Allen give equal weight to more philosophical discussions about the nature and fate of socialism. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

British playwright Willy Russell (Shirley Valentine, Educating Rita) adapts his play Stags and Hens for the screen and, with director Mike Ockrent, who also directed the stage production of Educating Rita, succeeds in conveying the cocky-eyed and aimless textures of working-class Liverpool ("It's like Beirut without the sun" one character points out) in Dancin' Thru the Dark. In this atmosphere-laden character piece, Linda (Claire Hackett) is out cavorting with her friends on the night before her wedding at a Liverpool nightery. But then her husband-to-be and his friends arrive to celebrate at the same joint. As if that weren't enough coincidence to go around, pop singer Peter (Con O'Neill), Linda's ex-boyfriend, and his rock band arrive in town to play a gig -- and it happens to be at the same club. Then Linda's past and future come together like two smashing beer mugs. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

A romantic farce that enjoys but never makes fun of its protagonists, this is an entertaining story about the unlikely pairing of a Liverpool factory worker and a Russian sailor. The romantic Teresa (Margi Clarke)works in a chicken factory and looks forward to the men she might meet on the weekends. Her friend Elaine (Alexandra Pigg) is living on state aid and is fairly casual about how she can pick up a little extra cash. One weekend the two women set out for the dancehall with someone else's hard-earned money, lifted by Teresa, and there they meet two Russian sailors, Peter (Peter Firth) and Sergei (Alfred Molina). For Elaine and Peter, it is love at first sight, and they spend the rest of the night talking and the following day wandering around Liverpool, hand in hand. When the dreaded parting of the ways comes at last, Elaine is furious that a small thing like politics has to keep them apart -- so she writes a letter to Brezhnev, with surprising results. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Based on a book by John C. Fuller, the made-for-TV Ghost of Flight 401 is predicated on the "actual events" surrounding a real-life plane crash. In December of 1972, Flight 401 nose-dived into the Florida Everglades, killing its flight officer (played herein by Ernest Borgnine). Though damaged beyond repair, the plane is cannibalized for its parts, which are recycled to newly built aircraft. On each of these new planes, it is reported that the ghost of 401's flight officer has made unexpected appearances, to warn the crews of impending disasters. OoooOOOOOOoooooooo..... Those who dared first watched The Ghost of Flight 401 on February 18, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Suffering from psychotic depression, a woman named Lisa (Andrea Marcovicci) witnesses the murder of her boyfriend. Making matters worse, the killing was committed by one of Lisa's closest friends, who has always carried a torch for her. Kojak (Telly Savalas) tries to determine the name of the guilty party, only to find that Lisa has blotted out all memory of the murder--while the perpetrator weighs the option of adding Lisa to his list of victims. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally released as Nightmare Honeymoon, this lurid thriller stars Dack Rambo and Rebecca Diana Smith. Rambo plays a Vietnam vet (he's certainly got the right name for it), while Rebecca is cast as his new bride, an heiress. While on their honeymoon, the newlyweds witness a murder and Rebecca is raped. Rambo's killer instinct quickly rises to the surface. Based on a novel by Lawrence Block, Deadly Honeymoon was to have been directed by Nicolas Roeg, but he ankled the project after less than a week and was replaced by Elliot Silverstein. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Two of the three scientists working on a cobalt bomb have been kidnapped by enemy agent Eric Stavak (Albert Paulsen), who has hidden his captives somewhere in San Francisco. The IMF must protect remaining scientist Dr Robert Webster, who holds the equations for the deadly weapon. Posing as Webster, Phelps pretends to fall into a trap engineered by Stavak--while Barney prepares to simulate a devastating earthquake. Written by William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter, "The Survivors" first aired on September 24, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Andrew Prine guest-stars as George Whitman, a self-proclaimed "jinx" who inadvertently leaves disaster in his wake wherever he goes. Over the protests of the Ponderosa ranchhands, Whitman is hired by Hoss Cartwright, who is determined to prove that George's hard-luck reputation is undeserved. But even Hoss has second thoughts when the dire predictions of gypsy fortune teller Teresa (Angela Clarke) begin to come true. Originally telecast on May 9, 1965 as Bonanza's 200th episode, "The Jonah" was written by Preston Wood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When the Americans capture the village of Beauville, Saunders (Vince Morrow) grants permission to Pvt. Paul Villers (Chris Robinson) to search for his father, whom he hasn't seen since childhood. Catching up with the elder Villers (Will Kuluva), Paul finds that his dad is the town's physician. He also discovers to his chagrin that the "good " doctor is harboring a dark secret. Canadian comic actress Fifi D'Orsay plays it straight as the wife of the local Resistance leader. (Note: in the closing credits, Paul and Emile Villers are incorrectly billed as "Villette"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With his movie career fading in 1955, Bob Hope was amenable to writer/director Mel Shavelson's suggestion that Hope try something different. The Seven Little Foys was the first of Hope's two "straight" biopics (the second was 1956's Beau James). Though not completely abandoning his patented persona, Hope does an admirable job of impersonating legendary Broadway song-and-dance man Eddie Foy, right down to the soft-shoe shuffle and affected lisp. A successful "single" in vaudeville, Foy meets and marries lovely Italian songstress Madeleine Morando (Milly Vitale). The union results in seven children, moving the Foys' priest to comment "we're running out of Holy water" after the seventh baptism. Hardly an ideal family man, Foy leaves Madeleine and her sister Clara (Angela Clarke) behind in their Connecticut home to raise the kids, while he rises to spectacular career height. Returning home after attending a testimonial for George M. Cohan (James Cagney, who played this unbilled cameo on the proviso that Hope turn over Cagney's salary to charity), Foy discovers that his wife has died of pneumonia. Months pass: Foy sulks in his rambling house, while his seven kids run roughshod. Foy's manager (George Tobias) suggests that the entire family be assembled into a vaudeville troupe called The Seven Little Foys. Though the kids are profoundly bereft of talent, the act gets by on its charm, and before long Foy is a bigger success than ever. But when Foy and the kids are booked into the Palace on Christmas Day, Aunt Clara decides that the kids are being cruelly exploited, and arranges for the authorities to arrest the act on charges of violating a state law barring children from singing and dancing. The authorities decide to drop the charges when the kids rally around their father, declaring their genuine love for him--but the deciding factor is a quick demonstration that the kids can't sing or dance to save their lives! The Seven Little Foys is a standard Hollywood whitewash job, emphasizing Eddie Foy's virtues (including his on-stage heroism during the infamous Iroquois Theatre fire of 1903) and soft-pedaling or ignoring his faults (e.g. his capacity for alcohol). Wisely, the scenes between Bob Hope and the seven children playing the Little Foys (including Father Knows Best's Billy Gray, The Real McCoys' Lydia Reed and Leave It to Beaver's Jerry Mathers) are refreshingly free of cloying sentiment. Also, Hope is a good enough natural actor to convince us that he deeply cares for his children without gooey effusions of emotion. The film's hands-down highlight is the "challenge dance" between Foy (Bob Hope) and Cohan (James Cagney)--a lasting testament of the superb terpsichorean talents of both men. The Seven Little Foys was narrated by Eddie's son Charley Foy, a fine comedian in his own right. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

At the time of its release, Beneath the 12-Mile Reef was considered more notable for its technical achievements than its artistic virtues, a judgment that is still valid, up to a point. It wasn't the most earth-shattering drama ever made, though the performances seem better than they were probably given credit for being at the time. 20th Century Fox's second Cinemascope production starred Robert Wagner (at the height of his male ingénue phase) and Terry Moore in a modern Romeo and Juliet story. He plays Tony Petrakis, the cocky but good-hearted son of Greek sponge fisherman Mike Petrakis (Gilbert Roland), who fishes the area off the Florida coast. The fiercest rivals of Petrakis and his fellow Greek fishermen are the English-descended hook-boat fishermen -- led by Thomas Rhys (Richard Boone) -- who are prepared to kill anyone who intrudes on their established territory. Mike Petrakis has already had one run-in with Arnold, a protégé of Rhys' and the would-be husband of Rhys' daughter, who doesn't know when to back off. In the midst of their conflict, which has come close to gunshots being exchanged, Tony meets Gwyneth Rhys (Terry Moore), Thomas' daughter. She's fascinated by this handsome young Greek who doesn't seem afraid to fight back against men bigger, older, and tougher than he is. The two end up falling in love, much to the consternation of their two families and their friends. Mike later dies in a tragic diving accident, in the aftermath of which his boat is looted and burned at the instigation of Arnold. The elder Rhys turns out to be a better and fairer man than Arnold, who mercilessly beats Tony after catching him off guard. Tony and Gwyneth end up running off together in her hook-boat, with Arnold and her father in hot pursuit, ready to kill him. Only Thomas Rhys' basic decency and Tony's bravery -- coupled with Arnold's cowardice, lust, and anger -- manages to get the conflict settled, in a surprising (and convincing) resolution. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

This simplified (but lavish) remake of the 1933 melodrama The Mystery of the Wax Museum was the most financially successful 3-D production of the 1950s. In his first full-fledged "horror" role, Vincent Price plays Prof. Henry Jarrod, the owner of a wax museum, whose partner, Matthew Burke (Roy Roberts), intends to burn the place down for the insurance money. When Jarrod tries to prevent Burke from torching the museum, he himself is trapped in the conflagration. Years pass: though now confined to a wheelchair, Jarrod manages to open up a new museum in New York, boasting the most incredibly lifelike wax statues ever seen. At the same time, a masked prowler has been stalking the city, murdering people and then stealing their bodies from the mortuary. One of the victims is Jarrod's old nemesis Burke; another is Cathy Gray (Carolyn Jones), the roommate of art student Sue Allen (Phyllis Kirk). On a visit to the wax museum, Sue can't help but notice that the wax likeness of Joan of Arc is a dead ringer for her deceased friend Cathy -- while the courtly Jarrod declares joyously that Sue is the living image of Marie Antoinette. Guess where this is going to wind up? Frank Lovejoy and Paul Picerni co-star as the nominal heroes, while Charles Bronson -- still billed as Charles Buchinsky -- is a menacing presence as Jarrod's deaf-mute chief sculptor (appropriately named "Igor"). No opportunity to show off the 3-D process is wasted during House of Wax; the most memorable stereoscopic moments are provided by garrulous "paddle-ball man" Reggie Rymal. Ironically, Andre De Toth, the film's director, had only one good eye, and had to constantly ask his cast and crew if the various 3-D effects had come off properly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Like its spiritual predecessor Song of Bernadette, Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima is based on a true story. The year is 1917: the place, Fatima, Portugal. While tending sheep, three farm children (Susan Whitney, Sherry Jackson and Sammy Ogg) claim to see a vision of the Virgin Mary. The local adults insist that the kids keep quiet about this vision, fearing reprisals from the anti-Catholic Portuguese government. But word gets out, and soon thousand of pilgrims are flocking to Fatima, awaiting the "miracle" that the vision promised to deliver to the three youngsters. And, then, on October 13, 1917, as witnessed by 70,000 pilgrims, the sun mysteriously sunk in the sky and many of those present claimed to have been miraculously cured of their ailments. Thankfully, Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima never stoops to proselytizing. If one believes the story, fine; if one does not, well, facts are facts. Young co-star Sherry Jackson later appeared on TV's Make Room for Daddy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide