John Graham Movies
Scotland-born John Graham played supporting roles in numerous British productions of stage, screen, television and radio. He also appeared in documentaries and was a screenwriter, television writer and a playwright. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Tom Cruise juggles Martini shakers and ice cubes as the materialistic Brian Flanagan, a bartender who drops out of school to search for the perfect "rich chick" who will bankroll him into luxury. Brian meets up with bar veteran Doug Couglin (Bryan Brown) and they put together a dance-duo bar-tending act, taking five minutes to a mix a drink as they dance and toss gin bottles behind the bar to cutting-edge rock music circa 1988. The patrons, instead of demanding the booze, are dazzled by their antics and cheer them on. As a result, the bartenders become wildly popular -- in particular, Brian, who finds the bar babes falling all over each other to hop into the sack with him. As a result of their bar-tending success, they get hired to tend bar at a swanky disco, but there Brian and Doug have a falling out, and Brian takes off for Jamaica. There he meets vacationing New York City waitress Jordan Mooney (Elisabeth Shue) and the two fall in love. But then Brian meets rich New York fashion executive Bonnie (Lisa Banes) who wants to take Brian back to Manhattan with her to become her drink-mixing stud. When Jordan sees this, the love affair is put on hold. But not for long, as pangs of consciousness begin to filter through Brian's drunken haze. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, (more)
- 1982
In this exciting aerial actioner, a young woman convinces her ex-boy friend, who used to fly a chopper in Vietnam, to help her out. The airborne special effects are particularly effective. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1980
This irreverent, sometimes raunchy animated feature by Picha takes an acerbic look at a hypothetical "missing link" by the name of "O." Born somewhere around 200,000 B.C., give or take a few generations, "O" was a reject because his pink and unbearded self was a mite too intelligent and off-beat to the rest of his hairy clan. So a friendly brontosaurus and smart-mouthed pterodactyl bring up "O" as though he were their very own. While roaming through hill and dale to find his tribe once he is an adult, "O" comes across all the weird creatures that will eventually contribute to his understanding of the world -- and the beginning of what passes for civilization is launched. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Graham, Bob Kaliban, (more)
- 1977
- G
This children's fantasy is about the "Wombles," borrowed from a British TV series, who are furry creatures (actors in suits), normally invisible to anyone but themselves, and whose mission in life is to clean up after humans -- their first chore was to pick up the forgotten apple core in the Garden of Eden. The British Wombles know something is wrong when humans start to notice them, beginning with little Kim Frogmorton (Bonnie Langford) and then her parents. In a series of vignettes, Wombles alone, or humans alone, or both together handle disconnected misadventures -- such as saving the Womble burrow at Wimbledon, fighting against pollution, and moaning over adult topics like an oil shortage, and a theater shortage, for that matter. A few Wombles are professional beasties (such as Kenny Baker of R2-D2 fame), but for the most part, the scenarios are conventional and range from ordinary to insensitive. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Tomlinson, Frances de la Tour, (more)
- 1973
Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) poses as a caterer for a Syndicate wedding. In this capacity, Erskine hopes to gather information about a bloody internal power play instigated by Mob functionary Ed Haynes (Alex Cord). But the wedding may never come off--certainly not if Haynes is able to pull off his plan to murder the father of the bride, Boss Faber (Frank DeKova), just before the exchange of vows! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Desperate for money to keep their troubled marriage afloat, Frank and Elizabeth Colling (Larry Blyden, Lois Nettleton) kidnap 7-year-old Jimmy Bowden (Brian Dewey) and hold him for ransom. Ironically, while the kidnapping merely intensifies Elizabeth's neuroses and exacerbates Frank's drinking problem, the ordeal brings the victim's estranged parents Anne (Joan Hotchkiss) and James (Lee Bergere) closer together. This F.B.I. episode is unique in at least one respect: the truck seen in the opening sequence is a Dodge rather than a Ford! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1969
Embezzler Robert Pollard (Peter Donat) uses his considerable charm to persuade lonely women to assist him in his criminal activities. The FBI is alerted to Pollard's presence when his most recent "dupe", a female bank cashier, turns up murdered. Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) must now race against time to save the life of Pollard's latest unwitting accomplice Kate Burke (Vera Miles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1969
In this family fairy tale, a lovely princess is kidnapped by a wicked gnome. A fairy queen with a magic elixir attempts to save the princess. The whole story is told in mime as a narrator relates the story. Also included are animation sequences. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1968
Heavily in debt to a homicidal gambler named Burton (John Vernon), San Francisco banker Lawrence Reynolds (Bradford Dillman) embezzles two million dollars and heads to Puerto Rico with his Bostonian fiancee Beverly Kingman (Davey Davison), who is unaware of Reynolds' crime and is convinced that she's on a honeymoon trip. Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) must catch up with the fugitive Reynolds before the vengeful Burton beats him to it. This episode has a particularly violent opening sequence involving Reynolds' long-suffering manservant Yoshimura, played by celebrated Japanese character actor Mako. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1968
Robin Hood (Barrie Ingham) again robs from the rich to give to the poor. The evil Sheriff of Nottingham (John Arnatt) is still his foe, but Robin's primary adversary is his own cousin Roger (Peter Blythe). Roger has burned the will of Robin's father which promises all land and money to his son. Roger takes control of the estate, and again Robin is an outlaw hiding out in Sherwood Forest. The sheriff is amused at Roger's inability to corral his cousin Robin, who cavorts with Little John and Friar Tuck in bucolic splendor. The trio must rescue Maid Marian (Gay Hamilton) and her brother from the castle of the wicked King John. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Barrie Ingham, Leon Greene, (more)
- 1967
Nigel Kneale's Quatermass TV series spawned a brief film series produced over an eleven-year period; 1967's Quatermass and the Pit, released in the US as Five Million Years to Earth, was the third and (until 1979's Quatermass Conclusion) last of the features. As with previous chapters in the Kneale saga, the film begins with a baffling scientific discovery. This time it's an alien ship, alive after 5,000,000 years, discovered during the excavation of a new subway line. The craft is able to cause psychic disturbances in individuals genetically connected to the machine; it also prompts them to see dead Martians as ghostly entitites nearby. In time, conclusions drawn from these events lead scientists to shocking conclusions about the origins of the human race.
~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Donald, Andrew Keir, (more)
- 1967
Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) head to the Florida Keys, where Gloria Burnett is hiding in an abandoned house. Gloria is the only person who can identify her husband Charles (James Franciscus) and his accomplice Allen Cole (Hunt Powers) as the masterminds behind a thwarted kidnap attempt, and Charles is not about to let her tell anyone what she knows. Ratcheting up the melodrama is an oncoming hurricane that threatens to wipe out all of the principal characters in one fell swoop. Glen Campbell shows up as a philosophical guitar player. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1966
In Southern California, Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) go undercover as missile-plant works to plug up a security leak and capture an enemy spy. The situation becomes even more precarious when the Communist higher-ups arrange the "accidental" demise of one of their own agents to cover their tracks--and then formulate a plan to kill Erskine as well. In a plot device worthy of Alfred Hitchcock, the spies operate their network out of a local movie theater (which seems to run nothing but old Warner Brothers films!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1963
This conventional military drama is meant to showcase the conflict between an individual's right to religious belief (and experiences) and the army's right to punish what it sees as a violation of direct orders, especially when the violation leads to a fatality. Private Potter (Tom Courtenay in another of his early roles) is a new recruit, wet behind the ears and now one of the men on patrol on a Mediterranean island, looking for a terrorist. The commanding officer orders complete silence while the patrol carefully makes its way through unknown territory. Suddenly, Private Potter screams loudly -- it is obvious he is terrified -- and the entire mission has to be abandoned. Worse yet, one of the soldiers is killed. Facing the possibility of a court-martial for his actions, Potter maintains he saw a vision of God. Several others maintain he is lying. Involved in the final decision are army brass, a psychiatrist, a priest, and a doctor. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Courtenay, James Maxwell, (more)
- 1963
A lonely barber invents an imaginary family for the benefit of his customers. He tells them he is married with two children, but in reality spends his time playing chess with another lonely friend. Barber Figg (John Bennett) believes his marriage proposal to a young widow with two children will cure his isolation. After spending time with the woman, he decides being alone isn't really all that bad under the circumstances. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Megs Jenkins, John Bennett, (more)
- 1962
Bill Bixby guest-stars as the wealthy and spoiled-rotten Ronald Bailey. Arrested for sideswiping a produce truck with his expensive sportscar, young Bailey is tossed into the Mayberry jail by Andy and Barney. Far from chastened by his experience, the arrogant Ronald fully expects his influential father to bail him out-and to make Andy apologize for his insolence. Originally aired on January 15, 1962, "Bailey's Bad Boy" was written by Ben Gershman and Leo Solomon. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1961
Framed for setting fire to a warehouse containing the famous Nathan Claver art collection, Claude Demay (Robert H. Harris) is released from prison after six years. With vengenace on his mind, Claude plans to use a forgery of a "lost" Panamaker tapestry to prove that Leonard Voss (John Holland) is the real culprit, and that the Claver collection, allegedly destroyed in the fire, still exists. Unfortunately, Voss is murdered, and it looks like Claude is going to be railroaded back behind bars for keeps unless Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) can prove him innocent. Veteran movie leading man Conrad Nagel appears as a dapper art connoisseur, who may know more than he is letting on. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1960
Based on author James T. Farrell's trilogy written between 1932 and 1935 and later combined into a one-volume Studs Lonigan book, this less than two-hour film does not quite do justice to the literary whole. Studs (Christopher Knight) is raised on Chicago's infamous South Side, an Irish kid when prejudice against the Irish was still around and hanging tough was the norm in impoverished neighborhoods. Once he leaves grade school behind and enters high school, a world of "wenching," fights, drinking, and wild parties starts to open up. By 1929, Studs is trapped into a marriage he comes to hate and as the decade of the '30s begins, he is still trying to be as tough as he can. But as he learns, no one can out-tough the Great Depression. At times confusing and histrionic and wordy (not to mention censored to fit a 1960s unspoken coda), Studs Lonigan falls short of the pithy, emotional, rugged world of Farrell's Irish hoodlum. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Christopher Knight, Frank Gorshin, (more)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story of an expedition to a remote plateau rumored to be the home of prehistoric beasts, already the basis of a 1925 sci-fi classic, is again brought to the screen in Irwin Allen's lesser version. Claude Rains stars as Professor Challenger, who leads a team of fellow scientists and adventurers deep into the Amazon jungle. The team must battle unforgiving jungle conditions before arriving at the isolated plateau that is their final destination. There they discover a strange group of prehistoric beasts and unexpectedly find themselves in a fight for survival. While the 1925 Harry Hoyt version is still considered noteworthy for its ground-breaking stop-motion effects, Allen relies on enlarged footage of modern-day animals dressed up as their prehistoric counterparts, a technique that has aged less gracefully. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Rennie, Jill St. John, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.