Alexander Dore Movies
One of the stars of Walt Disney's Mary Poppins, Dick Van Dyke, is re-united with that film's composer and lyricist, Richard M.Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, in this big budget and bloodless children's fantasy musical, based on the children's book by James Bond author Ian Fleming. Van Dyke plays Caractacus Potts, a failed inventor who lives in a big house with his two children -- Jemima Heather Ripley and Jeremy Adrian Hall -- and eccentric father Lionel Jeffries. Potts has to raise 30 shillings so his children can buy a broken-down racing car from the junkyard. After a disastrous attempt to sell his invention of whistling sweets to Lord Scrumptious (James Robertson-Justice), the local candy maker, he finally gets enough money for the car by doing a Dick Van Dyke dance routine at the county fair. Potts takes the car and miraculously transforms the vehicle into a shiny new car named Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. While on a picnic with the children and Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes), Lord Scrumptious' beautiful daughter, Potts concocts a fantasy tale about the magical powers of the car, which can now float on water and fly. In the tale, Baron Bomburst (Gert Frobe) wants the car for himself and kidnaps the automobile and the inventor. But Bomburst captures Grandpa by mistake along with the wrong car, so Potts, Truly, and the children have to enlist Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on a rescue mission to Bomburst's lair to save Grandpa. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, (more)
- 1968
A campy hark back to the "penny dreadful" school of literature, the British adventure series Virgin of the Secret Service was set in India and the Middle East during the early 1900s. The series' 13 hour-long episodes chronicled the exploits of dauntless Captain Robert Virgin (Clinton Greyn) of the British Secret Service. Aided by his valet Doublett (John Cater) and the fearless Mrs. Cortez (Veronica Strong), Captain Virgin held the line against the formidable villainy of the caddish, scoundrelly Karl Von Brauner (Alexander Dore) and Klaus Striebeck (Peter Swannick). Created by Ted Willis, Virgin of the Secret Service first swashed and buckled its way into British television on March 28, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clinton Greyn, Veronica Strong, (more)
- 1963
In this crime drama, a mugger accidently kills a man during a robbery and finds himself blackmailed into cracking a nightclub safe. The mugger escapes by double crossing the blackmailer by stealing the money and his girlfriend to boot. Unfortunately the police are in hot pursuit. They eventually capture him, but not before he kills an innocent tailor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
In this crime drama a teenager gets in over his head when he joins a violent street gang that beats a black person to death. When a gang member knifes the lad's sister, the youth reconsiders his actions, leaves them and reforms. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1959
In this comedy, a common chemist lives up to his lineage (he's a direct descendant of Dr. Jekyll), and creates a concoction which changes him into a suave jewel thief. After pulling off a caper, the thief becomes his original self and then helps bring in a gang of robbers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Zena Marshall guest stars as Tania, a beautiful scientist from behind the Iron Curtain. Hoping to defect to the West, Tania turns to "Invisible Man" Peter Brady for help, in exchange for assisting him in his efforts to become visible again. Alas, Tania's countrymen kidnap her and attempt to smuggle her back to the East in a coffin--forcing Brady once again to use his unique "gift" to foil the villains of the week. The episode's most memorable special effect is reserved for the end, wherein the unseen Brady commandeers a motorcycle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
