David Simeon Movies
The made-for-TV The Shell Seekers was based on the best-selling novel by Rosamunde Pincher. Heading the cast is Angela Lansbury as Penelope Keeling, a reclusive British matron of comfortable means who suffers a near-fatal heart attack. While recovering, Penelope determines that her attack was a sign of sorts, urging her to get her life in order. As she prepares to break down the barriers she has built between herself and her three children, Penelope muses on her experiences during World War II, a time in which she solidified her outlook on life. Filmed in England and Spain, The Shell Seekers was the 162nd Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation; it debuted on December 3, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In A Fish Called Wanda, Jamie Lee Curtis plays an ambitious con artist who uses every ounce of her sexual wiles to obtain a fortune in jewels stolen by her gangster lover Tom Georgeson. First, she romances Georgeson's dimwitted but deadly henchman Kevin Kline (who won an Academy Award for his performance). Then, to clear the path for her getaway with Kline, Jamie woos Georgeson's starched-shirt attorney, John Cleese -- and it's Cleese whom she genuinely falls in love with. Michael Palin, Cleese's former Monty Python cohort, plays a stuttering mob flunkey who continually messes up his one big assignment: killing a little old lady (it isn't that he has any qualms about knocking off the old dear; it's just that her pet dogs keep getting in the way). A Fish Called Wanda was scripted by star John Cleese. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, (more)
- 1971
On May 22, 1971, Doctor Who began the final adventure of its eighth season, the five-part "The Daemons." The story opens in the British village of Devil's End, where a TV crew is providing live coverage of an archeological excavation. The smoothness of the operation is disrupted by the superstitious nature of the locals and the interference of a hostile "black magic" cult. Watching this event unfold on his "telly," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is intrigued by the portents of doom surrounding the excavation and before long, he and his friend, Jo Grant (Katy Manning), have arrived in Devil's End -- and, though he doesn't yet know it, for another battle royal with his old enemy, the Master (Roger Delgado). Barry Letts and Robert Sloman co-wrote "The Daemons." This adventure, long available only in a black-and-white version, was restored to its original color in the late '90s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning, (more)
- 1970
In the second episode of the seven-part story "Inferno," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) hopes that the sticky substance found near the earth's core during a government drilling project will enable him to reactivate the TARDIS. It does: Thrust sideways in time, the Doctor re-emerges in an alternate universe, where Britain has become a fascist state. This episode is famous amongst Doctor Who aficionados thanks to a single record-breaking stunt fall. Written by Don Houghton, "Inferno, Episode 2" first aired on May 16, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Pertwee, Caroline John, (more)
- 1970
In the third episode of the seven-part story "Inferno," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) has piloted his TARDIS into an alternate universe, where England is ruled by fascist dictatorship. Even so, Project Inferno, the government's effort to find new energy resources at the center of the earth, goes on unabated, just as it had been doing in the "real" universe. But will this project prove to be a benefit to mankind -- or will it bring about the destruction of the earth? Written by Don Houghton, "Inferno, Episode 3" first aired on May 23, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Pertwee, Caroline John, (more)
- 1970
Doctor Who's incredibly brief seventh series concluded with its fourth adventure, "Inferno." Written by Don Houghton, this story arc lasted seven episodes, the first of which aired May 9, 1970. The titular Inferno is a government project dedicated to drilling into the center of the earth in search of new energy resources. In the course of investigating a sticky substance found at the earth's core, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is thrust into an alternative reality -- though of course, all of this is still ahead of him in Episode One. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Pertwee, Caroline John, (more)
