Jack Trevor Story Movies

During the 1970s, British TV fans were treated to two different sitcoms bearing the title You're Only Young Twice, both of which used a retirement home as a comedy backdrop. The first of these series was set at the Twilight Lodge Home, where in typical TV fashion the elderly occupants ruled the roost whether the authorities liked it or not. Of interest to Stanley Kubrick fans was the presence in the cast of Adrienne Corri, who played the rape victim in 1970's Clockwork Orange, but was here cast as the imperious Lottie Orchard, head matron at Twilight Lodge. This version of You're Only Young Twice was created by Jack Trevor Story; its six half-hour episodes were telecast in the U.K. from July 5 to August 9, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this routine, slapstick, frenetic tale, British comic Spike Milligan stars as Harold Petts, a rural mailman with a sudden promotion that ends up getting him into a lot of trouble. Harold is supposed to be trained behind the scenes at London's busiest post office but even after his first day in the city he is already in difficulties. He soon meets Jean (Barbara Shelley), a mediocre art student with big aspirations for her future. The duo eventually find themselves as top suspects in a mail-theft ring, with the police and the Post Office higher-ups close on their heels. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

It's probably no surprise that Invasion Quartet has four leading actors; what might be surprising, especially to the unwary war-film fan, is that film is a comedy. British funster Spike Milligan joins the sobersided Bill Travers, John LeMesurier and Gregoire Aslan; the foursome are undercover agents, travelling by train behind Nazi lines. It's all part of a plan to disarm a huge German gun that is aimed at the port of Dover. Just so the audience knows it's supposed to be laughing, the creators of Invasion Quartet pile joke upon joke by having the Nazis portrayed as bumbling buffoons. What works for Hogan's Heroes does not necessarily add to the effectiveness of Invasion Quartet. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Wonderful Things was one of two Frankie Vaughan vehicles produced in the late 1950s by actress Anna Neagle. The popular British recording artist is cast as a Gilbraltar fisherman named Carmello, who vies with his brother Mario (Jeremy Spenser) over the attentions of the beauteous Pepita (Jackie Lane). While on holiday in London, Carmello falls in love with society girl Anne (Jean Dawnay), leaving the field clear for Mario back home. Since this is essentially a romantic drama, Frankie Vaughan limits himself to a single ballad, but it's a good one. Wilfred Hyde-White offers the film's best performance as the debutante's dry-witted papa. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The trouble with Harry is that he's dead. The scene is a autumnal Vermont village, where a pre-Leave It to Beaver Jerry Mathers stumbles upon Harry's corpse in the woods. Mathers alerts his mother Shirley MacLaine (making her film debut), who recognizes Harry as her ex-husband. Later on, retired sea captain Edmund Gwenn likewise comes across the moribund Harry. Both MacLaine and Gwenn have reason to believe that they're responsible for Harry's demise; MacLaine thinks that she killed Harry by clobbering him with a bottle, while Gwenn is certain that he shot the poor fellow while hunting. As the day draws to a close, seemingly every person in town is convinced that he or she has had some hand in Harry's death, thus they conspire to hide the body from the authorities. Visiting artist John Forsythe, dumbfounded at the calm, collected reactions of the villagers regarding Harry (whose ubiquitous body pops up at the most inopportune moments), solves the "mystery." Though not his most successful film, The Trouble with Harry was one of director Alfred Hitchcock's favorites. The story's whimsical black-comedy elements are perfectly complemented by Bernard Herrmann's playful music score. Best bit: Mildred Natwick, coming upon Gwenn as the latter is strenuously dragging away Harry's corpse, asking offhandedly "What seems to be the trouble, Captain?" The Trouble With Harry was adapted by John Michael Hayes from the novel by John Trevor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi