Howard Pays Movies
A popular actor who rose to prominence as one of London's most successful talent agents in his later years, Howard Pays appeared frequently onscreen in the late '50s and early '60s before focusing his energies on promoting the skills of up-and-coming young actors. Born in England in 1927, Pays served in the British armed services before making his television debut in the popular series Sixpenny Corner in 1955, where he met his future wife, Jan Miller. Pays went on to appear in such films as the Titanic drama A Night to Remember and such Edgar Wallace mysteries as Urge to Kill (1960) and Never Back Losers (1962) before retiring from acting to open London-based talent agency CCA with partner Freddy Vale soon thereafter. With such well-known industry figures as actor John Rhys-Davies and cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts as clients, CCA's popularity and respectability soared. The father of actress Amanda Pays, Howard's career as a talent agent flourished until his death resulting from cancer in April of 2002. He was 74. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Major James Wilson (Lloyd Bridges) must lead his troops across the English channel in the D-day invasion of Normandy. He trains his regulars for the invasion knowing that many, if not all, may never survive the assault. Wilson is plagued by memories of previous missions that turned out to be suicidal. Captain Franklin (Andrew Keir) is the British officer who opposed the plan and has a personal vendetta against Wilson. The two are thrown together on the same mission when Franklin is slated to command the mine sweepers that transport Wilson's troops to their destination. They face overwhelming odds and a barrage of cannon fire from the Nazi stronghold on the Normandy coast. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrew Keir, Sue Lloyd, (more)
- 1965
A British sex farce, this movie stars Nyree Dawn Porter as a flirtatious young waitress, Eileen. Her seductive ways so arouse a young customer, Alan Crabbe (Michael Crawford), that he tries to seduce her. But he is so inept that she becomes bored and ditches him. Eileen goes off to a nightclub to find more experienced men. Alan hooks up with a shop clerk named Beth Crowley (Julia Foster). At a wedding of another friend, Alan sees Eileen and is again smitten with her, so much so that he gets into a fight with her boyfriend. The film is based on a coming-of-age novel, In My Solitude, by David Stuart Leslie. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Crawford, Nyree Dawn Porter, (more)
- 1963
In this crime drama, a mugger accidently kills a man during a robbery and finds himself blackmailed into cracking a nightclub safe. The mugger escapes by double crossing the blackmailer by stealing the money and his girlfriend to boot. Unfortunately the police are in hot pursuit. They eventually capture him, but not before he kills an innocent tailor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Considered a bit too sacrilegious for general consumption in 1963, the Boulting brothers' Heavens Above was simply ahead of its time, and has since accrued a loyal and vocal following. Peter Sellers plays an idealistic British reverend with a bad habit of telling the truth at all times. He also follows his conscience whenever possible, resulting in several cleric decisions that shock his wealthy, landed-gentry parishioners. By inviting such "undesirables" as gypsies and West Africans to worship freely in his church, Sellers rouses the ire of the rest of his white-bread flock. He does, however, compel the selfish owner (Isabel Jeans) of a laxative firm to "see the light" and to sell off all her holdings on behalf of the poor and downtrodden. Unfortunately, by doing this the woman wrecks her business--which is the principal source of income for the community where Sellers works. Retreating from town with an angry mob on his heels, Sellers relocates on a tiny island in the Pacific. Since the island is the site of a missile base, and since the local astronauts have shown signs of agnosticism, where else is there for Sellers to go...but up? Heavens Above was inspired by a notion cooked up by iconoclastic British satirist Malcolm Muggeridge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Sellers, Bernard Miles, (more)
- 1962
Based on the true story of Sergeant-Major Charlie Coward (played by Dirk Bogarde) during World War II, this conventional wartime drama does not convincingly put across Coward's heroism, or his seemingly impossible exploits. A German POW and leader in Stalag 8B, Coward finds ways to humiliate his German captors whenever he can, but most importantly he and the men under him are working out an escape. They have already dug out a 280-foot tunnel, and now Coward has to somehow reach the Polish resistance fighters in order to get the necessary maps and money before exiting through the tunnel. To that end, he gets put in charge of prisoners at a lumber yard, burns the place down, blames it on a German officer, and manages to get an afternoon off in town if he does not rat on the officer. That time off allows him to contact the resistance movement and get the supplies he needs. And this is only the beginning of several adventures that Coward somehow survives. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dirk Bogarde, Maria Perschy, (more)
- 1961
In this drama, a female ex-con runs a house for other women in her shoes. Someone threatens her with blackmail. She kills him with poison. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
An insurance investigator looks into the mystery surrounding the "accidental" death of a jockey. He finds that the death was actually caused by a gambling ring and is able to save the life of another jockey who has already had a couple of "accidents." ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Captain Gort (Bernard Lee) is an airline pilot who must answer to a Court of Inquiry after the crash of a Phoenix jet. Although he passes a battery of tests, pilot error is the determined cause of the accident. Sir Hobbes (George Sanders) is the Queen's council whose relentless prosecution helps blame Gort. When a second crash occurs, Gort is defended by Captain Judd (Peter Cushing), who is convinced that mechanical malfunctions, not the pilot, caused both crashes. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Craig, Peter Cushing, (more)
- 1960
Joe is played by Leslie Randall in this lean British programmer. Working at a detergent company, Joe is ignored by his bosses and co-workers alike. But when the opportunity arises for Joe to become a hero, well, watch out! Motivating the plot is a bit of industrial espionage involving the theft of a secret detergent formula. Of interest in Just Joe is the supporting-cast presence of veteran film star Anna May Wong and future Doctor Who Jon Pertwee. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
A girl named Madeleine (Leigh Madison) steals Peter Brady's passport so that her boyfriend Nick can pose as "The Invisible Man" and smuggle narcotics into the country. Teaming up with plucky policewoman Sgt. Winter (Jeanette Starke), Brady himself dons a disguise to go undercover at a Soho den of inquity, the better to trap Nick and his cohorts. Amusingly, the role of Nick is played by Tim Turner, who had been providing the voice of Peter Brady, sans screen credit, ever since the first episode of The Invisible Man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
While still seeking a method to reverse his invisiblity, Peter Brady takes on a top-secret mission for the British government. Col. Warren (Eric Pohlman) asks Peter to parachute (presumably naked!) into a hostile Middle Eastern country, there to rescue intelligence agent Jack Howard (Howard Pays), who is being held captive in an enemy hospital. Adrienne Corri, best remembered as the rape victim in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, is cast as Peter's contact, rebel leader Yolanda; also in the cast as the villainous Omar is Martin Benson, better known as the ill-fated gangster with a "pressing engagement" in the James Bond epic Goldfinger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This meticulous re-creation of the sinking of the Titanic was adapted by Eric Ambler from the best-selling book by Walter Lord, and it preceded the blockbuster Titanic by almost 40 years. The film covers the life and death of the huge vessel from its launching celebration to that fateful night of April 14, 1912, when the "unsinkable" ship struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Of the 2224 passengers on board, 1513 were drowned as a result of the bad planning of lifeboats and escape routes. Kenneth More heads a huge and stellar cast, with 200 speaking parts, as second officer Herbert Lightoller, from whose point-of-view the story unfolds. Also in the cast are Laurence Naismith as the ill-fated Captain Smith; Michael Goodliffe as conscience-stricken ship's designer Thomas Andrews; Tucker McGuire as feisty American millionaire Molly Brown, whose courage and tenacity saved many lives; and Anthony Bushell as the captain of the Carpathia, who launched a noble but vain rescue mission once he was apprised of the disaster. Also appearing are two future TV favorites: The Avengers' Honor Blackman as a woman who believes that she has nothing to live for, and The Man From UNCLE's David McCallum as a wireless operator. The climactic sinking of the vessel is re-created with painstaking accuracy; filmed in "real time," it is a mere 37 minutes shorter than the actual tragedy. Two years before the film's release, an American TV adaptation of A Night to Remember set a precedent as the most elaborate and technically complex "live" broadcast of its time. Some viewers will find this movie a more accurate and gripping representation of this sea disaster than the romance-heavy Titanic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth More, Honor Blackman, (more)
