James Donald Movies

While still starring in Bonanza, Lorne Greene took a sabbatical from the Ponderosa to headline this made for TV espionage thriller. Greene portrays a Russian secret agent whisked away from his comfortable retirement in Moscow to undertake a sabotage job in London. He finds himself compelled to solve the mysterious death of the British scientist whose invention Greene was supposed to destroy. The key to the mystery appears to be the cryptic phrase "The Gaunt Woman" (which was the title of the John Blackburn novel upon which this film was based. Filmed in London, Destiny of a Spy did well in the ratings thanks to the novelty casting of Lorne Greene as a Communist functionary. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Two brothers looking to avoid becoming pawns of the establishment come up with a better way of making a living -- through theft -- in this satiric comedy. David Tremayne (Oliver Reed) is a successful London architect, and his younger brother Michael (Michael Crawford) is weighing his options after being kicked out of school. The brothers share a bemused disgust with the world around them and a desire to get through life without the burden of labor; toward this end, one day they begin plotting an elaborate scheme to steal the British Crown Jewels. Mind you, they don't intend to sell them, or even keep them very long -- the idea is to return them after a week, simply to prove that it could indeed be done, and make themselves famous in the process. After studying the procedures of Scotland Yard's Bomb Disposal Unit, the inner working of the Tower of London's Jewel Room, and the London ambulance services, the Tremaynes come up with a foolproof plan -- they call in a bomb threat to the Tower, and they are able to enter the Jewel Room posing as men from the bomb squad. They then feign injury and are able to escape in an ambulance. It all seems simple enough, and it actually works, until Michael "forgets" his part of the agreement to take half of the responsibility for the theft. The supporting cast includes Edward Fox, Frank Finlay, and Harry Andrews. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Enemy on the Beach is set on the coast of Ireland during World War II. Two German mines wash up on shore, posing a hazard to everyone within miles. The UXB squad dispatched to disarm the bombs consists of cocksure merchant marine officer Robert Wagner and martinet British commander James Donald. It's a toss-up as to which will explode first: the bombs or the hostility between the two men. Enemy on the Beach was a 60-minute installment in the 1965-66 season of TV's Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This biopic chronicles the reign of England's Queen Victoria from her ascension to the throne in 1837 to her Diamond Jubilee. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This poignant playlet is based on a story by A.E.W. Mason, of The Four Feathers fame. After the death of her husband in a freak mountain accident in Switzerland, Stella Ballister (Patricia Owens) solemnly vows to remain faithful to her spouse's memory. Twenty years pass, and throughout all that time Stella refuses to marry, or even to fall in love again. Only when her husband's body turns up perfectly preserved in a glacier does Stella realize that her loyalty was all for naught. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Inspired by the novel The Viking by Edison Marshall, The Vikings was lensed on location in Norway under extremely adverse weather conditions. Adding to the difficulty was the fact that star Kirk Douglas and director Richard Fleischer never quite found a common ground, and for years thereafter would hold each other responsible for the film's falling short of its potential. Still, the finished product is quite a feast for the eyes and ears. Douglas, the son of Viking leader Ernest Borgnine, carries on a film-length feud with slave Tony Curtis, who, though he does not realize it, is actually his illegitimate son. This personal battle comes to a head when Douglas and Curtis both lay claim on captured English princess Janet Leigh. The scene everyone remembers in The Vikings finds Borgnine, at the mercy of wicked monarch Frank Thring, defiantly throwing himself into a pit of ravenous wolves. Launched into distribution with one of the splashiest ad campaigns in United Artists' history, The Vikings proved an enormous success; it inspired the 1959 TV series Tales of the Vikings, which utilized the film's props, costumes and scale-model ships. In 1964, The Vikings served as the inagural presentation of ABC's Sunday Night Movie series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As an actor, British film star Stewart Granger was very handsome, but this is all that is required of him in Beau Brummell. Granger plays the famed 18th-century dandy and social arbiter who rises from poverty to become the adviser and severest critic of the Prince of Wales (marvelously portrayed as a self-involved neurotic by Peter Ustinov). Secure in his station in life, Brummell goes one step too far when he jokes about the Prince's obesity. The future King George IV will forget the whole thing if Brummell will apologize, but the haughty trendsetter refuses to do so. Brummell is banished from court, losing everything -- including his chance at finding happiness with the aristocratic Elizabeth Taylor -- in the process. Filmed on location in England, Beau Brummell was based on the same war-horse play by Clyde Fitch that had served as the inspiration for the 1924 Brummell starring John Barrymore. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Also known as Glory at Sea, a World War II British commander and his crew wage a fierce sea battle against the Germans in spite of their inferior vessel. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

Brandy for the Parson is a wafer-thin comedy with plenty of maritime humor. James Donald and Jean Lodge play a young couple on a yachting vacation. They agree to share a ride with a few seemingly benign fellow landlubbers. What they don't know (but we do) is that their "harmless" yacht-mates are actually running a slick brandy-smuggling operation. With a few alterations here and there, the basic premise of Brandy for the Parson bobbed to the surface again in 1969 for Disney's The Boatniks, which like the earlier film, benefitted from a strong cast of supporting comic players. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cage of Gold was a rare non-comic effort from Britain's Ealing Studios. Jean Simmons stars as Judith, who awakens the morning after her wedding to discover that her new husband has deserted her. Later on, she is told that her husband is dead. After a period of mourning, Judith remarries--only to be subjected to blackmail by husband number one. It's all a racket, of course, but Judith doesn't go to the police until it's almost too late. Featured in the cast of Cage of Gold as a slimy smuggler is Herbert Lom, who later gained worldwide fame as Inspector Dreyfus in the "Pink Panther" comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Gay Lady is better known by its British title, Trottie True. Jean Kent stars as Trottie, a turn-of-the-century British music-hall performer who works her way up the ladder from chorus girl to headliner. As her fame increases, Trottie has no time for true love, preferring instead the attentions of men of nobility and wealth who can advance her career. But it's not enough, and at the end Trottie trots back to her husband. Based on the play by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon, The Gay Lady is best seen in its original Technicolor British release version, which unlike some American prints leaves most of the musical numbers intact. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Small Voice is a tense British character study utilizing an old plot device with a modicum of freshness. American actor Howard Keel (mistakenly billed as Harold Keel in the credits) makes his film debut herein as an escaped convicts. He and fellow fugitive David Greene invade a country cottage and hold its occupants, a writer and his wife (James Donald and Valerie Hobson), hostage. Keel's carefully shaded portrayal of a desperate man with a spark of decency was duly noted by MGM, which promptly signed the actor to a long contract. The Small Voice was released in the US under the spell-it-out title of Hideout. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi