Jim Dale Movies

In medieval Paris, a deformed foundling named Quasimodo grows up under the care and tutelage of Dom Claude Frollo, the archdeacon of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Quasimodo is humpbacked, lame, and blind in a drooping eye -- a human gargoyle who keeps to the shadows of the great church as its bellringer. But the tolling bells inflict upon him another handicap: deafness. On the Festival of Fools in the cathedral square, a crowd elects Quasimodo King of Fools, and a wag quips that the hunchback's attributes qualify him to become King of France. During the festival, a Gypsy woman of transcendent beauty, Esmeralda, dances for the crowd. Watching her sultry undulations from a cathedral niche, Frollo falls in lust with her. Quasimodo, too, is captivated by her, but in a childlike, innocent way. Though Frollo is a priest committed to celibacy, he decides he must possess Esmeralda, even at the expense of his immortal soul. But after realizing she is beyond his reach, he promotes her execution for a crime she did not commit. When the noose closes around her neck, Quasimodo swoops down on a rope from the façade of the church and rescues her, then ensconces her in the bell tower. The film concludes when mobs storm the church and Quasimodo defends it, believing the attackers will harm Esmeralda. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide

President Abraham Lincoln leads the Union in the fight to end the awful bloodshed of the Civil War. The year is 1863. The president had a continuous struggle with the commanders of his army, and the bloodshed from the fighting at Antietam and Fredericksburg distressed him greatly. 1863 was the year of his Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address. Listen to the story of the events that led to the amazing address at Gettysburg. Actor Jason Robards brings to life the voice of President Lincoln. PBS originally aired this program, the second of a four-volume set narrated by actor James Earl Jones. ~ Linda J. Shriver, All Movie Guide

This video is the fourth installment of the Lincoln series, originally aired on PBS. This volume focuses on the last days and hours of Abraham Lincoln's life. Viewers watch as Lincoln's enemies plot their final revenge on the man they believed had dishonored their heritage. The video also reveals how Lincoln's own dreams foreshadowed his murder and how the series of public funerals, following his death, helped fuel his legendary status that has only grown with time. ~ Karla Baker, All Movie Guide

1985's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the only filmed version of the Mark Twain classic to cover every episode in the original novel and not merely such familiar vignettes as the "King and the Duke" business. Presented in four parts, Finn opens in 1844, with young Huck (Patrick Day) being kidnapped from the home of the Widow Douglas (Sada Thompson) by his brutal, drink-sodden Pap (Frederic Forest). Huck escapes by faking his own death and rafting down the river in the company of escaped slave Jim (Samm-Art Williams). Part two offers the seldom-dramatized scene in the novel wherein an abolitionist is lynched; part three recounts the Shepardson/Grangerford feud; and part four culminates with the chicanery of the King (Barnard Hughes) and the Duke (Jim Dale) and the capture of Jim. Featured in the huge cast are Lillian Gish, Geraldine Page, Butterfly McQueen, Richard Kiley, and Eugene Oakes as Tom Sawyer. Originally clocking in at 240 minutes, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first telecast in February and March of 1986 on PBS' American Playhouse; it is currently available in a 105-minute videocassette version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The exploits of the title sheepdog provide the basis of this family-oriented comedy fantasy. Digby started out as an ordinary puppy but then one day got in to a bowl full of Project X, a special formula meant to grow larger vegetables. As he galumphs along in the countryside causing all kinds of trouble, the Army decides to blow the big woofer to kingdom come. Fortunately for Digby, his devoted owner is frantically searching for the serum that will save him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This feature is a filmed stage production of the tragedy by William Shakespeare. Laurence Harvey stars as Leontes, the jealous king who eventually repents his wrongdoings. Moira Redmond is Queen Hermione who is victimized by the indiscretions of her monarch husband. Jane Asher is the village peasant girl Perdita and Diana Churchill plays Paulina. The role of Autocylus is played admirably by Jim Dale, who also provided the music for this production. The performance comes from a television show produced at the Intertel Wembley studios. Along with Romeo and Juliet, 1968 was a good year for the immortal bard, whose timeless plays were being received by a younger, receptive audience through shrewd production and prudent casting with an eye towards capturing a more youthful audience. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this slapstick comedy two bumbling workmen attempt to take a long wooden plank through a London suburb to a building site. Mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Though not advertised as such, Follow That Camel was an entry in Britain's long-running "Carry On" series. Phil Silvers stars as Sgt. Nocker, a self-styled hero of the Foreign Legion. Nocker's feet of clay are readily apparent to young recruit Bertram Oliphant West (Jim Dale), but "orders is orders." When the Arabs attack, however, Nocker saves the day with some clever conniving. The "Carry On" team seems to be working at half-throttle here, perhaps in deference to the indefatigable Phil Silvers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of several satirical films in the British "Carry On" series, this is a broad spoof of horror films in general and of Universal monster movies in particular. The buffoonish heroes -- a pair of inept Scotland Yard inspectors named Bung and Slowbottom -- are investigating the disappearance of several women in the vicinity of Hocomb Woods when they cross paths with mad scientist Dr. Watt (Kenneth Williams) and his slinky, sexy vampire sister Valaria (Fenella Fielding), both of whom have been turning the abducted women into statues. Joining in the fun are the resident werewolf, the mummy, a pseudo-Frankenstein monster and a gaggle of ghouls resurrected by Watt's diabolical experiments. Goofy fun for those looking for a decidedly British take on Addams Family-style monster antics. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

The multi-million dollar film extravaganza Cleopatra was too convenient a target for Britain's "Carry On" funsters to ignore. The plot of Carry on Cleo, if one can discern a plot amidst the sight gags and outrageous puns, involves the attempts by a bungling slave (Kenneth Connor) to rescue Julius Caesar (Kenneth Williams) from assassination. Instigators of the plot are Cleopatra (Amanda Barrie) and Mark Anthony (Sidney James), who comport themselves like a couple of Liverpool pub owners. The best bit involves Mark Anthony's "beheading" of the legendary asp. Filmed on a tight 160,000 pound budget and utilizing leftover sets from the Taylor/Burton epic, Carry On Cleo's reputation rests chiefly on a legal brouhaha involving its advertising artwork, which was deliberately patterned after the ads for the "real" Cleopatra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Britain's long-running (some would say interminable) series of "Carry On" comedies managed to satirize virtually every film genre ever conceived over three decades. Since espionage dramas were hot in 1964, it was inevitable that the unwary world would be treated to Carry on Spying. The "maguffin" in this yarn is the top-secret Formula X, which has been pilfered by that insidious organization S.T.E.N.C.H. (Society for Total Extinction of Non-Existent Humans). Enter the heroes, the men and women of British Operational Security--better known as B.O.S.H. The good guys are understaffed, thus novice agent Kenneth Williams is put in charge of smashing the evil machinations of Dr. Crow (Judith Furse) and The Fat Man (Eric Pohlmann). The level of wit in Carry on Spying is sustained by the character name of leading lady Barbara Windsor, who plays the delectable Daphne Honeybutt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In one of the best of the long-running Carry On series, Western clichés are run through the Carry-On wringer. The film takes place in wild and woolly Stodge City, a town held in thrall to the nasty dealings of The Rumpo Kid (Sidney James). The Rumpo Kid holds the town in such abject terror that Judge Burke (Kenneth Williams) compels Sheriff Albert Earp (Jon Pertwee) to run The Rumpo Kid out of town. But when Earp confronts The Rumpo Kid, Earp is shot dead for his troubles. Burke puts out a call for a new lawman for the town and, due to a series of misunderstandings, an English custodian, Marshall P. Knutt (Jim Dale) is hired for the job. Arriving at the same time as Knutt is Annie Oakley (Angela Douglas), who has come to town to get vengeance for her father's murder (her father being the deceased sheriff). Events simmer and boil to a final confrontation between The Rumpo Kid and Nutt, who utilizes his custodial skills to defeat The Rumpo Kid and his evil gang. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide