Madoline Thomas Movies
Roger Corman's New World Pictures took a stab at the tale of the nefarious real-life graverobbers -- and filled it with the studio's usual quota of nudity, softcore sex and tacky humor. The result is pretty much as one would expect -- nothing to rival the excellent Flesh and the Fiends, or even Tod Slaughter's campy The Greed of William Hart. Harry Andrews plays the unscrupulous Dr. Knox, who enlists the aid of grave-plundering dirtbags Derren Nesbitt and Glynn Edwards in obtaining fresh cadavers for the medical academy. When the demand increases and local cemeteries begin to run dry, the industrious pair turn to the living to keep the doctor supplied. This time out, Burke and Hare are particularly randy fellows, who spend more time carousing in Edinburgh whorehouses than stalking their prey. Despite the macabre subject matter, the producers opted for sexploitation over gruesome horror, but the end result is decidedly dull. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this comedy, a pair of newlywed workers at an ad agency find themselves unable to honeymoon when she is suddenly assigned to work in the US. While she is gone, her husband begins falling for his sexy secretary, but then realizes he is making a terrible mistake and decides to stay true to his wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1956
In this crime drama, a detective refuses to believe that his client's wealthy, crippled wife died in a boating accident. As he looks deeper, the gumshoe proves that his employer and his mistress were behind it all along. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 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
- 1953
Valley of Song perpetuates the British stereotype of Welshmen as pugnacious rubes. The story involves a Welsh valley men's choir, comprised of members with lovely voices and mercurial temperaments. When Handel's Messiah is chosen as the choir's showcase piece, the members squabble over who should be the soloist. Vocal remonstrations nearly lead to physical violence, until the entire Welsh village has been polarized for or against the concertmaster's decision. Valley of Song was based on an oft-produced radio play by Cliff Gordon. Its American title was, appropriately, Men are Children Twice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clifford Evans, Hugh Pryse, (more)
This waterlogged adaptation of an obscure Grand Guignol stage play finds a hapless couple (Dermot Walsh and Hazel Court) convinced that their newly-acquired yacht is haunted by mysterious and deadly forces. After numerous fatalities, the couple eventually hires a paranormal investigator (John Robinson), who uncovers the yacht's bloody history and determines that the craft is occupied by the vengeful ghosts of the former owner's wife and her lover, who were murdered and subsequently entombed somewhere aboard. Writer-producer-director Vernon Sewell -- who filmed most of the scenes aboard his own private yacht -- executes a few interesting paranormal twists on the Old Dark House scenario, and he would revisit the seagoing thriller theme (on the same boat) somewhat less successfully with Terror Ship two years later. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dermot Walsh, Hazel Court, (more)
- 1953
Handel's "Messiah" becomes a bone-of-contention in a tiny Welsh community in this comedy. The trouble begins when the choirmaster chooses a new contralto to sing the solo. Unfortunately, this leaves out the soloist who has sung the part for the past 15 years. This precipitates a family feud the women belong to the wealthiest family's in town. To reunite the warring factions, a young couple put off their elopement, but the real solution comes when the choirmaster turns the solo into a duet. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
The contentious world of prizefighting provides the setting of this episodic drama that chronicles the lives of five different fighters. Each of the fighters explains their reasons for becoming professional pugilists. One of the fighters, Kid Curtis, ends up dead after a particularly brutal beating. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Warner, Robert Beatty, (more)
- 1950
Crime novelist Robert Southley (Hugh Sinclair) has a fondness for basing his books on his own experiences. This means that Southley has to maintain underworld connections, and it is this that leaves him vulnerable to blackmailer Fenton (Michael Brannon). Adopting a disguise, Southley kills Fenton -- then has enough cheek to help Inspector MacDougall (John Laurie) track down the "unknown" killer. Barry Morse, better known as Lieutenant Gerard from TV's The Fugitive, is featured as MacDougall's assistant. No Trace was written by Robert Baker, an old hand at gimmicky murder melodramas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Sinclair, Dinah Sheridan, (more)
- 1949
A movie based on a true story, this is the story of a man who was exiled as a thief from his village but later returns for revenge. He plans to buy the entire district up as part of a water reservoir project but an old woman and her stepson stand in his way. Revenge, murder, desperation and love all intertwine in this moving account. This was Richard Burton's first screen role, having been a stage actor prior to his stint in the Royal Air Force as a navigator during WWII. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Burton, Anthony James, (more)
- 1949
Those unfamiliar with the Welsh dialect may want to bring an interpreter to Blue Scar. Emrys Jones plays a Welsh mining engineer who longs for the bright lights of London. Jones finally gets his chance to visit the British metropolis, only to find that village life is infinitely more preferable. Of interest is the fact that Blue Scar was written and directed by a woman, documentary filmmaker Jill Craigie. As was her custom, Craigie peoples the cast of the film with talented nonprofessionals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emrys Jones, Gwyneth Vaughan, (more)
- 1945
In this drama, set during World War II, two rival boat families battle it out for supremacy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
