Walter Horsbrugh Movies
Long thought dead, the victim of a horrible accident, Dr. Anton Phibes (Vincent Price) still lives, surrounded by art-deco bric-a-brac and attended by mute beauty Vulnavia (Virginia North). Outwardly normal in appearance, Phibes actually wears a rubber mask, covering his hideously deformed countenance; giving away the artifice is the fact that, when he dines, he takes his food through his neck rather than his mouth. Able to speak only when plugging a wire into his damaged vocal chords, Phibes elucidates his plan to murder the medical team whom he holds responsible for the death of his wife. Each of the killings is patterned after the ten deadly plagues. Phibes saves his worst for last: trapping chief surgeon Dr. Vesalius in his lair, Phibes forces the hapless medico into a race against time to save the life of his own son. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, (more)
- 1970
- PG
Based on a novel by Winston Graham, The Walking Stick stars Samantha Eggar as Deborah, a polio-stricken woman courted by charming artist Leigh Hartley (David Hemmings). She moves in with Leigh, who immediately suggests that she help him rob the antique store where she works. Her common sense clouded by love, Deborah agrees. She is laboring under the misapprehension that Leigh will use the stolen loot to open up their own antique shop. He of course has no such intention, having orchestrated the whole romance for his own greedy gain. Both Samantha Eggar and David Hemmings are too talented for the sluggish goings-on in The Walking Stick, but actors do have to eat once in a while. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hemmings, Samantha Eggar, (more)
- 1965
This farcical British comedy follows the eccentric misadventures of a family who have their own rather unusual way of doing things. Mr. Groomkirby (Eric Sykes) is redecorating his living room to resemble the courtrooms at Old Bailey, with a mind toward staging mock trials for fun. His wife, Mrs. Groomkirby (Alison Leggatt) hates to see leftovers go to waste, so she hires a woman to eat them. Their daughter Sylvia (Julia Foster) is fascinated by primates and spends much of her time at the zoo, and son Kirby (Jonathan Miller) believes that scales can have other uses rather than just weighing things -- they can be used to make music, too! Based on a popular novel, One Way Pendulum was directed by Peter Yates, who would go on to make Bullitt and Breaking Away. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Sykes, George Cole, (more)
- 1965
- Add The Knack ... And How to Get It to QueueAdd The Knack ... And How to Get It to top of Queue
Colin (Michael Crawford, who much later won a Tony Award for his role in Broadway's Phantom of the Opera) is an uptight schoolteacher whose housemate, Tolen (Ray Brooks) is a consummate womanizer. Colin imagines a long line of young women in tight white sweaters on his stairwell, waiting to get into Tolen's room. Jealous of Tolen's incredible success with the ladies, Colin asks Tolen for advice on how to get a girl. When Tolen's advice doesn't seem very practical, Colin decides that his first order of business is to get a bigger bed. Colin is also trying to find a third roommate to take a spare room. Tom (Donal Donnelly), who seems compelled to paint everything in sight, happens by the house, and inserts himself in the spare room without so much as saying "hello." Nancy (Rita Tushingham of A Taste of Honey) is new in town, and wanders the streets of London in a fruitless search for the YWCA. She runs into Colin and Tom at the dump, where they are procuring a gigantic bed. They offer her a ride, and proceed to race through London on the bed. Colin seems too shy to speak much to Nancy, despite Tom's encouragement. Eventually, the trio reach Colin's house, where Tolen works his gruff magic on Nancy, and havoc ensues. Capturing late 1960s London in black-and-white, Richard Lester's The Knack. . .and How to Get It was released between the director's two successes with the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night and Help. The script, by Charles Wood (An Awfully Big Adventure) is based on a play by Ann Jellicoe. Future stars Jacqueline Bisset, Charlotte Rampling, and Jane Birkin appear briefly amid all the attractive young women in the film. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rita Tushingham, Ray Brooks, (more)
- 1965
Diana Rigg made her first Avengers appearance as lissome "amateur agent" Emma Peel in this episode, which was originally broadcast on October 2, 1965. Written by Brian Clemens, the episode takes place in the village of Little Bazeley by the Sea, where several agents have vanished without a trace. Steed and Emma head to the tiny community, where they meet a wall of resistance from the locals. . .and a potentially horrible death during a nocturnal badger hunt. Scattered prints still exist of the unbroadcast version of this episode, in which Elizabeth Berridge played Emma. Curiously, "Town of No Return" was not the first Avengers installment to be telecast in America; instead, it was shown as the 21st in the series, on September 1, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Bernard Lee, better known as "M" in the James Bond movies, makes one of his periodic appearances as novelist Edgar Wallace's diligent Scotland Yard investigator protagonist in The Share Out. This time Lee takes on a clever blackmailing ring which preys upon above-suspicion government officials. As usual, Lee wraps things up in little more than an hour, permitting this film to slip comfortably into the syndicated Edgar Wallace Theatre weekly TV package. Reliable supporting players like Patrick Cargill (the inspector in the Beatles' Help!) and Alexander Knox (the Canadian actor best known for playing the title role in 1945's Wilson) lend credence to the proceedings. The Share Out was the 35th in producer Jack Greenwood's 47-installment Edgar Wallace series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
In this crime drama, an impoverished but enamored bank clerk joins his brother's gang of bank robbers so he can afford to marry his sweetheart. Unfortunately, their latest caper fails and the bank clerk accidentally gets involved in a murder leaving him to take a hard look at the life he has chosen. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1959
A troubled teen discovers that reform isn't always easy in this drama. The lad is on probation for robbery when he falls in love with a wealthy young girl. Wanting to help him out, she gets him a job in her father's textile mill. Things are swell there until her father is unable to find his wallet. Due to the boy's dubious recent past, he is naturally the first suspect. Afraid that no one will believe him innocent, the boy takes off. In desperate need of quick cash, he robs a store. Eventually the police catch up to him, but by this time the wallet has been found and the boy's gal convinces him to go face his crime and go straight for good. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1959
A musical and comedic bit of fluff without any other pretensions, The Lady Is a Square plays off the popularity of Frankie Vaughan to help carry the story as Johnny Burns, a young man with a passion for pop music. He insinuates his way into the home of the widowed Frances Baring (Anna Neagle) by pretending to be a piano tuner, in reality, he has fallen for her daughter Joanna (Janette Scott). He soon learns that the widow, dedicated to promoting a series of classical music concerts, has no cash. More than willing to help out, he takes on the job of butler and then sets his sights on getting his own hit recording out. In spite of the widow's aversion to pop music, and her aversion to his interest in her daughter, Johnny keeps at his goal of stardom. Notable in this stock storyline is the character of Johnny's brash manager, played by up-and-coming Anthony Newley, about to make it big with Stop the World - I Want to Get Off. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Neagle, Frankie Vaughan, (more)
- 1958
In this thriller, a married woman's unfortunately placed handkerchief leads police to accuse her of murder. Fortunately, her husband stands beside her and goes looking for the killer himself. He succeeds. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In this film, American Professor Dana Andrews investigates a devil-worshipping cult active in England. The cult has apparently been responsible for more than one death in recent months. When Andrews comes too close to the cult for comfort, the devil-worshipping leader slips a cursed parchment into Andrews' research files. This 1958 American release is a re-edit of Tourneur's original 1957 British film. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, (more)
Based on Montague R. James' classic shiver tale Casting the Runes, Curse of the Demon (aka Night of the Demon) is an exercise in psychological terror. American Professor Dana Andrews investigates a devil-worshipping cult active in England. The cult has apparently been responsible for more than one death in recent months, and it's all the handiwork of the group's leader, an Aleister Crowley type played by Niall MacGinnis. When Andrews comes too close to MacGinnis for comfort, the devil worshipper slips a ancient parchment into Andrews' research files. The document carries a curse that will mean death for whoever possesses it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, (more)
- 1956
Van Johnson portrays a blind American writer living in London. Blessed with an acute hearing sense, Johnson overhears a kidnapping plot but neither his friends nor the authorities believe him, chalking up his story as the product of a writer's imagination. Disgruntled, Johnson vows to scuttle the kidnapping himself -- with the assistant of his fiancée Vera Miles. Despite his handicap, Johnson puts the pieces together using sounds as evidence and guidance. Ultimately Johnson finds his life in danger when he corners the criminal in a dark alley. 23 Paces to Baker Street was one of several ''50s 20th Century-Fox films shot on location in London to take advantage of Fox's "frozen funds" -- money earned by the studio in England which by law could only be spent in that country. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Van Johnson, Vera Miles, (more)
- 1956
In this British crime drama, a philanderer finds himself accused of murder after the man he used for his alibi is found murdered. Fortunately, his story is believed by a hard-working crime reporter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1955
In this thriller, a murderous writer kills his blackmailer and his ex-lover and then tries to convince his fiancee to help him hide the bodies. She does until she learns that he is planning to frame innocent people for his crimes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
The Green Scarf may be set in France, but its cast, crew, and overall tone is impeccably British. Michael Redgrave, hidden beneath a mattress of whiskers, portrays a French lawyer who takes on a seemingly hopeless case. His client, Kieron Moore, is a blind deaf-mute seaman accused of murder. Moore has already confessed to the crime, but Redgrave is sworn to give the best defense possible. At times, however, it is the dullest defense possible, despite a few random spurts of imagination. The Green Scarf was adapted from the novel The Brute by Guy des Cars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Redgrave, Ann Todd, (more)
- 1953
Innocents in Paris is a series of anecdotes bundled together by geography. First we see the efforts by British diplomat Alastair Sim to loosen up Soviet-agent Peter Illing long enough to forge an economic plan between Russia and England. Then we watch as dotty artist Margaret Rutherford purchases a copy of the Mona Lisa. Next we see British officer Jimmy Edwards go off on a toot in a Parisian bistro. The next vignette involves impressionable Claire Bloom, who is swept off her feet by a local rake (the human variety, not the garden implement). And so it goes for 102 minutes in the British version of Innocents in Paris, and 93 minutes in the American print. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alastair Sim, Ronald Shiner, (more)
- 1953
Floating Dutchman was an early product of Merton Park Productions, a British firm best known for its "Edgar Wallace" series of the 1960s. Dermot Walsh stars as a detective who goes undercover to smash a jewel-smuggling ring. The head man is played by Victor Tafler, heretofore "untouchable" because of his connections in high places. The title refers to one of the smugglers' victims, an unfortunate Dutch gem specialist. As the film rushes to its conclusion, it appears as though the detective, too, is headed for a watery grave. The Floating Dutchman is based on a novel by Nicholas Bentley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
A small Scottish island has never paid its mandatory road tax. This brings forth an investigating committee of Parliament members, including the formidable Ronald Squire. The committee heads to the delinquent Hebridean isle, where they succumb to the easygoing charm of the residents. Cowritten by director John Eldridge, Laxdale Hall was an adequate imitation of the Ealing farces (notably Tight Little Island), with an overload of whimsy in place of originality. out to the Hebridean isle to check into this breach of law. The film made it to the States under the title Scotch on the Rocks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ronald Squire
- 1952
Top Secret gets under way when George (George Cole), a janitor in a research plant, accidentally comes into possession of the plans for a revolutionary atomic weapon. As George embarks on his annual vacation, the research security team embarks on a nationwide search for the hapless broom-pusher. Meanwhile, the Russians get wind of the incident and intercept George, plying him with liquor and empty promises so that he'll hand over the plans to them. All the while, George never knows what the fuss is about: he thinks that the British and Soviet authorities are interested in his new plans for a modern sanitary system! No one takes Top Secret seriously--certainly not Oscar Homolka, who delivers a bravura performance as a Russian secret agent who wistfully yearns for the glories of the Czarist days. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Cole, Oscar Homolka, (more)
- 1951
The Adventurers is set in South Africa at the end of the Boer war. Commando Pieter Brandt (Jack Hawkins) comes across the dead body of a diamond courier. Brandt buries both the courier and his valuable cache of diamonds then heads back to his regiment. After the cessation of hostilities, Brandt raises money for an expedition back into the mountainous regions where the diamonds are hidden. There's no love lost among Brandt and his three treasure-hunting companions; particularly prickly is the relationship between Brandt and Clive Hunter (Dennis Price), whose wife is Brandt's former fiancé. Sort of an African variation of Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Adventurers is buoyed by an unusually vicious performance by Jack Hawkins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Hawkins, Peter Hammond, (more)
- 1949
This British drama was originally titled Naughy Arlette. The title character, played by future director Mai Zetterling, is a French exchange student at a British art school. Teacher Hugh Williams is unable to resist Arlette's seductive charms, a fact that brings about his downfall. The girl's randiness also adversely affects Williams' daughter Petula Clark. Based on Serge Weber's novel Lycee des jeaunes filles, The Romantic Age lacks the stylishness demanded by its subject matter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mai Zetterling, Hugh Williams, (more)
