Bernard Cribbins Movies

The Yangtse Incident is the saga of the Amethyst, a British vessel left stranded in China during the Communist takeover. The British government tries to reclaim the Amethyst, only to run up against a Great Wall of Red bureaucracy and propaganda. It is up to Lieutenant Commander Kearns (Richard Todd) and his valiant crew to pilot the Amethyst down the Yangtse, under cover of night, without arousing the suspicions of their Chinese "hosts". It is to Akim Tamiroff's credit that he makes the character of Chinese Colonel Peng a three-dimensional figure despite his villainous behavior. Released under a variety of the titles, Yangtse Incident is best known to American TV viewers as Battle Hell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Corpulent "Goon Show" regular Harry Secombe plays the title role in the British comedy Davy. Set in the rarefied world of the British music halls, the film focuses in on the Mad Morgans, a family song-and-dance act. It is clear that Davy Morgan is the star of the act, but he loyally remains with his family, even though he seems destined to spend the rest of his life in the Small Time. At long last, Davy gets a chance to perform at the Covent Garden--but only as a solo. Will ambition win out over family solidarity, or vice versa? A stellar supporting cast enables Davy to overcome its occasional banalities and cliches. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

William Holden stars as an American artist who becomes involved with the sordid underworld of prostitution in Hong Kong in The World of Suzie Wong, based on Paul Osborn's Broadway adaptation of the novel by Richard Mason. Holden is American architect Robert Lomax, who travels to Hong Kong to paint. He meets Suzie Wong (Nancy Kwan), an attractive woman who passes herself off as a high-society heiress. It is with great surprise that Robert spots her in a Hong Kong dive entertaining a bunch of sailors. It turns out that Suzie is a prostitute and Robert has observed her plying her trade. Suzie proposes that Robert put her up as a kept woman, but Robert will hear nothing of it, preferring to use her as a model for his paintings instead. Suzie then becomes involved with playboy Ben Marlowe (Michael Wilding), while Robert meets Kay O'Neill (Sylvia Syms), a British banker's daughter, who helps Robert to sell his paintings. But Ben breaks off his relationship with Suzie and Kay, uncomfortable with Suzie the prostitute posing for Ben, leaves him. Abandoned by their lovers and thrown together, the two become involved, with tragic consequences. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In this lightweight 1960 musical comedy, rock singer Tommy Steele plays Tommy Tomkins, a British sailor. Steele was popular in England during the time this film was released, and the movie is mainly a showcase for its star's musical talents, with songs including the title tune and others such as Little White Bull. After a few misadventures, Tomkins and his girlfriend Amanda (Janet Munro) find themselves in Spain. There, they meet up with a renowned bullfighter. When the bullfighter is set up by a bunch of smugglers to take the rap for their crimes, Tomkins must step in and replace the bullfighter for one long, awful day. He hopes to win his fortune as the stand-in matador, free the real bullfighter, and get back to England. But the bulls have other ideas. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

In this drama, an ex-WW II pilot leads a quiet life in Hong Kong when suddenly the US government asks him to do some spying. Reluctantly he accepts the request and begins helping a Chinese woman find her missing son, also a pilot. The American, assisted by a Russian pal, finds the boy, but then gets romantically entangled with an American agent trying to sell a secret formula. As he helps her escape, she is killed and he returns to Hong Kong where he refuses to do anymore work for American intelligence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Norman Wisdom does to P.G. Wodehouse in Girl on the Boat what Jerry Lewis did to Gore Vidal in Visit to a Small Planet. The zany Wisdom, put in charge of his aunt's cottage during an English summer in the roaring twenties, decides to invite several of his friends to his posh new digs. Among the invitees is the title character, played by the delightful comedienne Millicent Martin. All sorts of slapstick chaos ensues, but Wisdom manages to save the day before things get hopelessly out of hand. Like Jerry Lewis, Norman Wisdom is an acquired taste, but he's worth sampling at least once. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

From Richard Lester, the director of 1980's Superman II and the 1964 A Hard Day's Night, comes this less-successful sequel to the The Mouse that Roared. The Prime Minister of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick (Ron Moody) is in a bind because he has no money to renovate his castle and there is a serious problem with his small country's main export, wine. The stuff tends to explode. So the Prime Minister asks the U.S. for aid to develop space research, knowing full well they are not going to give him money to remodel his castle. Once the U.S. grants a cool million to the country, Russia adds in a used rocket, and things start popping. Like it or not, the Duchy is suddenly involved in space research and contributing to the madness is the discovery that its unique wine makes good rocket fuel. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Henri (Robert Dhery) joins a group of rowdy soccer fans who travel from France to London two days before he is supposed to be married, and he goes to the dentist after his two front teeth are knocked out in a melee with rival fans. Sight gags include a busload of drunken fans trying to evade the police in a rare working combination of Gallic and British humor. Diana Dors appears as herself in this feature directed and co-written by Dhery. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, crooks on the lam hide-out in an abandoned island monastery. Along with their leader, the robbers put on monks' habits and begin living a quiet pastoral existence centered around raising animals and crops. It takes them a while to get the hang of it. As they learn, they are occasionally visited by tourists, and at once point, by real monks. Trouble ensues when one of the "brothers" is caught gambling in town. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Steed and Tara investigate when the directors of Project Cupid, a top-secret construction project, are being systematically murdered. The culprit turns out to be a has-been vaudeville comedian, who resents the fact that Project Cupid plans to demolish a number of old music halls. Captured by the comedian and his minions, a bound-and-gagged Tara is subjected to the most hideous torture of all -- having to listen to their wheezy old jokes. John Cleese of Monty Python fame appears in an uproarious guest star role. Written by Dennis Spooner, this capriciously titled Avengers episode debuted in America on May 8, 1968, and was seen in England the following December 4th. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

You Must be Joking? draws its laughs from an Army endurance test. Over a 48-hour period, five officers in the British army-including American transplant Michael Callan-must wend their way through a maze, retrieve a hood ornament from a Rolls Royce and steal a lock of hair from beauteous pop singer Gabriella Licudi. There's a big prize in store for the officer who finishes the test first, and since the other contestant include such middle-aged huffers and puffers as Lionel Jeffries and Denholm Elliot, it doesn't take a Rhodes scholar to figure out who the victor will be. Director Michael Winner was still in his "mad mod" period when he lensed the wacky goings-on of You Must Be Joking? His Death Wish pictures of the 1970s were in 1965 as remote as another galaxy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This entertaining sequel to 1965's Dr. Who and the Daleks has been released under several titles: Invasion Earth 2150 AD, Daleks Invade Earth: 2150 AD, and Daleks-Invasion Earth 2150 AD. So guess when the story takes place? Peter Cushing returns as eccentric time-traveller Dr. Who, idol of millions of BBC viewers and PBS pledge drive fans. This time, Dr. Who, his niece Susan (Roberta Tovey) and a flustered London bobby (Bernard Cribbins) are whisked into the future via the Doc's TARDIS call box. In 2150, London is under siege from the extraterrestrial Daleks, with whom Dr. Who has crossed swords in the past. The Daleks intend to convert the earth into a huge spaceship by activating the planet's metallic core. Props essential to the action include flying saucers, death rays and robots, all of which look a lot more expensive than those silver-painted tinker toys seen on the Dr. Who TV series. Coproducer Milton Subotsky based his screenplay upon a Dr. Who television continuity written by Terry Nation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this French comedy, one little white lie leads to a series of whoppers as a Frenchman visiting London soon discovers. The French fellow has gone to London with his friends to catch a soccer match. He then must go to the dentist where, just for fun, he puts on a British policeman's uniform. Dressed as a bobby, he scares away some robbers. Unfortunately, he cannot tell them the truth because he is embarrassed to open his mouth and reveal the two teeth he lost at the soccer match. A chase ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide