John Williams Movies
British actor John Williams is noted for his suave, perfectly-mannered characters. He is best remembered for his portrayal as Inspector Hubbard on the stage, screen and television versions of Dial M for Murder. Born in Chalfon St. Giles, England, Williams began his career on the stage at 13. By the age of 21, he was playing leads and sophisticated characters in Broadway plays. Beginning in the mid '30s, he began appearing in British films. By the '40s he was playing in Hollywood productions; he continued in film until the late '70s. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1979
In the conclusion of a two-part story, the Colonials have fallen under the spell of godlike alien Iblis (Patrick MacNee), who offers them safe passage to the 13th Colony in exchange for their total and unquestioning obedience. Once Iblis successfully brings the treacherous Baltar (John Colicos) to justice, the Colonials have no reason to question their sincerity. But Cmdr. Adama (Lorne Greene) is not so easily swayed--especially after witnessing Iblis' terrified reaction to the three shimmering balls of light which seem to be dogging his trail. A climactic confrontation with the Forces of Darkness caps this thrilling adventure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, (more)
- 1979
In the first episode of a two-part story, Patrick MacNee guest stars as Count Iblis, a shipwrecked alien rescued by a Galactica recon mission. Claiming to be the last descendant of a long-gone alien culture, Iblis promises to grant three wishes to the Colonials -- including safe passage to the 13th Colony. All he asks in return from them is total, and unquestioning, obedience. Not surprisingly, Cmdr. Adama (Lorne Greene) is suspicious of Iblis' true motives -- but he is unable to sway the Colonials, who are more thn willing to agree to the godlike alien's terms. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, (more)
In this Disney comedy, a pair of spoiled kids, bored by their filthy rich grandfather, decide they'd rather be with their mom who is in Hong Kong. In order to get her attention, they engineer their own kidnapping. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Niven, Darren McGavin, (more)
Lost in the Stars was an American Film Theatre adaptation of the musical play by Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill--which in turn was based on the Alain Paton novel Cry the Beloved Country. Brock Peters portrays a South African minister who goes to the Big City to locate his son Raymond St. Jacques, who is now a criminal in the eyes of the white rulers. The minister forges a curious, foredoomed friendship with a white farmer (Paul Rogers). Lost in the Stars has sometimes been accused of blunting the edge of Paton's angry study of the cruelties of Apartheid; fans of musical theatre will be more politely inclined to this loving filmization of the Broadway play. On its own, Cry the Beloved Country was previously filmed in 1951, with Canada Lee, Sidney Poitier and Charles Carson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
John Williams guest stars as Bill Walston, a British police inspector who shows up in San Francisco, ostensibly to a attend a convention. Linking up with his old friend Ironside (Raymond Burr), Walston effusively offers to help the Chief in his investigation of a robbery. What Ironside doesn't know is that Walston is seriously ill--and that the good Inspector was himself the mastermind behind the heist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Four Australian directors explore different angles of the title topic in this generally downbeat anthology. In "The Husband" a husband increases his arousal during lovemaking by imagining his wife in different sexual liaisons without realizing that his fantasy may based on fact. The second vignette "The Child" centers on the resentful son of a widow who is having an affair with another. While his mother is off galavanting with her new love, the boy is left in the care of a governess whom he grows to love. The poor boy begins to fear that his new friend will be fired as soon as his mother returns and so goes off on a walk to sort out his feelings. He wanders into a field and it is there he sees his governess making love to his mother's boyfriend. This causes the emotionally fragile lad to shatter and blindly run towards the river where he crazily hops into a boat and begins rowing into the current. The lover, wanting to save the child from harm dives in and tragedy ensues. In "The Priest," a priest wrestles with his love for a nun. Though they want to marry, the nun forces them to leave their orders in the correct way. It is a way filled with red-tape and takes so long that the relationship withers and they remain in their vocations. The final segment "The Family Man" deals with a slob of a husband who decides to celebrate the birth of his third child by having a little fling while his wife recuperates in hospital. He enlists the aid of a buddy and together they get drunk, pick up two floozies and head to his beachhouse. When the gals learn about his wife, they stomp out of the house. Time passes and the husband brings his family to the house for vacation. Much to his horror he finds that the two women have placed a large incriminating sign upon it leaving him to try to explain it all to his wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1972
This oft-filmed Conan Doyle story is given the TV-quickie treatment, with Stewart Granger as master sleuth Sherlock Holmes. The Great Detective is engaged to protect the life of Henry Baskerville, a young man whose life has been put in jeopardy, ostensibly by an ancient family curse. Holmes sends his assistant Dr. Watson (Bernard Fox) to investigate at Baskerville Hall, a desolate estate surrounded by the forbidding Grimpen Mire. Though Watson doesn't know it, Holmes has come to the Mire in disguise, to burrow through the case undetected. Working together, Holmes and Watson discover that a distant Baskerville relative plans to use a giant hound to kill young Henry and claim the estate for himself. If not the weakest film version of this classic suspense tale, Hound of the Baskervilles is certainly the shoddiest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
This World War II comedy finds Harry Frigg (Paul Newman) as the unwilling volunteer slated to rescue five generals from the clutches of the Germans and Italians. Frigg would rather spend his time goofing off than fighting the war, but his superiors make him a fake general and pack him off to retrieve the top brass. He has a romantic interest in the Countess (Sylva Koscina), an Italian beauty who helps Harry locate the missing officers. Tom Bosley, Andrew Duggan, Charles D. Gray, Jacques Roux and John Williams are the five generals who carry most of the comedy. Normal Fell and Buck Henry excel in small roles as well. General Prentiss (James Gregory) is the brains behind the plan that finds the frustrated Frigg rise to the occasion when he reluctantly accepts his assignment. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Sylva Koscina, (more)
- 1968
Taken from the 1907 comedy play by Georges Feydeau, A Flea In Her Ear is a comedic sex romp about a wife suspicious of her husband's activities away from home. Gabrielle (Rosemary Harris) is convinced her attorney husband Victor (Rex Harrison) is seeing another woman because of his inattention to her amorous needs. Gabrielle sets up a meeting with her husband at a bordello-hotel, and he is completely unaware that the woman he is going to meet will be his own wife. She soon discovers just who is being unfaithful to their wives after meeting a number of lovers and both faithful and unfaithful husbands. Louis Jourdan and Rachel Roberts also star in this light situation comedy containing turn-of the-century-sensibilities that appear somewhat dated in 1968. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosemary Harris, Louis Jourdan, (more)
Elvis Presley plays Guy Lambert, a musician (so far, so good) who is touring Great Britain (something Elvis never managed in real life). Jill Conway (Annette Day), a wealthy heiress, is a big fan of Guy's who has developed a very serious crush on him; her family wants to keep her away from the romantically-inclined singer, so they send her to Belgium, not realizing that Guy has a string of gigs set up there. En route to Brussels, a pair of hapless jewel thieves (Norman Rossington and Chips Rafferty) hide their loot in Guy's luggage, which makes the singer the unwitting target of three equally inept detectives (Harry, Herbert, and Sylvester Wiere). While wooing Jill and avoiding her treacherous uncle Gerald (John Williams), Guy also finds himself pursued by the worldly Claire Dunham (Yvonne Romain). Elvis sings nine songs along the way, including "Long Legged Girls with Short Dresses On" and "Baby, if You Give Me All Your Love." 18 months after Double Trouble was released, Presley's career was revitalized by his 1968 comeback special, though he would also release four more films before it aired. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Annette Day, (more)
- 1967
Buffy (Anissa Jones) is chosen over her classmate Melissa (Cindy Eilbacher) as the lead dancer in a ballet version of "Little Red Riding Hood". Miffed over this casting coup, Melissa's mom Clara (Ann McCrea) insists that Buffy got the starring part only because dance teacher Margot Dunbar is a former girlfriend of Buffy's uncle Bill (Brian Keith). Though this is not the case, Buffy apparently "proves" her lack of qualification by botching her performance--but for reasons that no one would ever have anticipated. Cast as Margot is Judith Landon, the wife of series star Brian Keith. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
The troublesome Aunt Fran (Louise Latham) breezes into New York in hopes of taking Cissy (Kathy Garver) and Buffy (Anissa Jones) back to live with her in Terre Haute. Unfortunately, Fran's husband Harold (Bill Zuckert) is of the opinion that two is company and three's a crowd; thus, Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) must live with another Indiana relative. Bill (Brian Keith) isn't keen on this prospect, but he decides to allow the children to make the final decision...with stunning results. John Williams again appears as Nigel French, temporary replacement for Bill's regular butler Giles French. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Hollywood icon Myrna Loy guest stars as Adele, a once wealthy matron forced by circumstance to work as a maid. Out of the goodness of his heart, Mr. Nigel French (John Williams) helpfully covers up Adele's ineptitude, an act of largesse that backfires when Adele makes a shambles of a society party--and holds French responsible. At the same time, Bill (Brian Keith) gets into trouble for extending his own helping hand and taking over the twins' school science project. All this intrigue leads to the conclusion by the adults in the Davis household that they will never, ever "get involved" again--but it's up to 15-year-old Cissy (Kathy Garver) to resolve the situation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Now that they're in an accelerated-learning class, Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) must face the treacherous perils of "New Math". Unfortunately, their Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) hasn't the time to help with the twins' homework, since he is being kept occupied by his latest lady friend Meg (Kipp Hamilton), a woman constitutionally incapable of making a commitment. Thus, the kids turn to window washer Mr. Frack (Sterling Holloway), who as luck would have it is a mathematics whiz! John Williams again appears as Nigel French, temporary replacement for Bill's butler Giles French. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Mr. Nigel French (John Williams) receives a visit from his nephew David (Martin Horsey), and is appalled to discover that the boy has adopted the speech patterns and attitudes of a "typical" American teenager. Even worse, David intends to buck family tradition, forsaking a career as a gentleman's gentleman to become a dentist. But the worst is reserved for last, when David scandalizes Mr. French by dating a girl "above his station"--namely, Cissy (Kathy Garver). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In dire need of some peace and quiet, Bill (Brian Keith) bundles Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) and Buffy (Anissa Jones) off to camp, sending Cissy (Kathy Garver) along as counselor. Now Bill is a carefree bachelor again--and now he not only misses the kids, but he can't stop talking about them, driving his various lady friends crazy. The trick now is for Bill to finagle a visit with the children without admitting how lonely he is and how concerned over their welfare. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Misunderstanding a situation as usual, Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) try to play matchmaker for Mr. Nigel French (John Williams) and Miss Faversham (Heather Angel). Likewise misunderstanding the same situation is Mr. French, who thinks that the twins are trying to get him to resign because he has punished them harshly. Thus, French goes in the entirely opposite direction and begins treating the kids like royalty--and of course, things go rapidly downhill from there! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
An erstwhile student of the Cantonese language, Mr. Nigel French (John Williams) hopes to test out his linguistics skills on Marilyn (Lisa Fong), the daughter of a Chinese diplomat (Richard Loo). Unfortunately, Mr. French is not as conversant in Cantonese as he imagines himself to be, and accidentally insults the poor girl by telling her she has "the ears of a pig and the face of a demon"! His subsequent efforts to make amends succeed only in getting him deeper into trouble--and it's up to Marilyn's grandmother (May Lee) to re-establish "détente" between China and the U.S. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Hoping to bond with his nephew Jody (Johnnie Whitaker), Bill (Brian Keith) takes the boy along on a business trip. Alas, Bill's efforts to entertain Jody, first with a baseball game and then with a fishing trip, come a-cropper. Although everything ends up going wrong, somehow Jody finds a way to make it all right for his flustered uncle. This episode marks the first appearance of John Williams as Nigel French, the brother and occasional replacement of Bill's butler Giles French (costar Sebastian Cabot had to temporarily leave the show due to illness, inspiring the writers to send Mr. French on a "special assignment" with the Royal Family!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
On furlough in London, Saunders (Vic Morrow) delivers a $300 bequest to a local orphanage. The hard-bitten sergeant ends up lending a helping hand to Ann Tinsley (Carol Lawrence), who in true stiff-upper-lip fashion is trying to keep the orphans hale and hearty during an upsurge of German bombing raids. Inevitably, Saunders and Ann fall in love, despite their fears about what the future may hold. Prominently featured as a shell-shocked orphan is child actress Chris Charney, who went on to enjoy a successful adult career under the name Christine Baranski. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Two tourists, portrayed by the comic duo Marty Allen and Steve Rossi, are talked into working for the good guys to keep art thieves from stealing the Venus di Milo at the London World Fair. Minor entry in the comic spy category. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marty Allen, Steve Rossi, (more)
- 1965
Hurriedly assembled to capitalize on the Paramount feature of the same name, Magna Pictures' Harlow was shot in less than two weeks, utilizing a glorified TV-kinescope process called Electronovision. Carol Lynley is physically an excellent choice to play 1930s Hollywood "platinum blonde" Jean Harlow, though she has little of Harlow's casual charisma. Pushed into a movie career by Mama Jean (Ginger Rogers) in order to support her dysfunctional family, Jean rises from 2-reel comedies to big-budget features in the space of a year. Though one of the highest-priced stars at MGM, Jean's fortune is rapidly depleted by her high-living (and, it is hinted, incestuous) stepfather Marino Bello (Barry Sullivan). Seeking happiness and security, Jean marries producer Paul Bern (Hurd Hatfield), only to have him commit suicide due to his impotence. Just when her misery is about to be ended by her marriage to movie star William Mansfield (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.)--a thinly disguised William Powell, who refused to allow his name or likeness to be used--Jean dies of uremia at the age of 26. If you can get past those miserable Laurel & Hardy imitators at the beginning of Harlow, you might be able to survive the rest of the picture, which gives a whole new meaning to the word "cheap." Watch for boxing champ Sonny Liston in a one-scene bit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carol Lynley, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., (more)
- 1965
This family comedy stars James Stewart as Dr. Robert Leaf, a college professor who dislikes science and tries to instill in his children a love of art and music. So Robert and his wife Vina (Glynis Johns) are dismayed to discover that their eight-year-old son Erasmus (Billy Mumy) is tone-deaf and color-blind; what's worse, he has a genius-level talent for mathematics. Robert isn't sure what to do about Erasmus, but while his older sister Pandora (Cindy Carol) puts his skills to work by getting him to do her homework, his older friend Kenneth (Fabian) has a better idea. Kenneth and Erasmus come up with a foolproof plan for picking the winners in horse racing -- so foolproof that it draws the attention of two con men, Upjohn (John Williams) and Argyle (Jesse White), who want to use Erasmus's skills to clean up at the track. Robert at first refuses, and then relents only when they agree to use a cut of the proceeds to endow a humanities scholarship, though Robert is about the only one surprised when the men prove not to be good to their word. Meanwhile, Erasmus is head over heels in love with French screen siren Brigitte Bardot -- so much so that he's been writing her love letters. In return, the lucky boy has received an invitation to come meet her, and Robert and Erasmus use some of their racetrack winnings to fly to Paris and take her up on her offer. Nunnally Johnson, who received no credit, contributed to the screenplay; Miss Bardot, of course, plays herself (who else could?). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Fabian, (more)
- 1964
Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Viv (Vivian Vance) rent their spare room to Gordon Bentley (John Williams) and Carter Harrison (Lloyd Corrigan) two well-spoken gentlemen who claim that they're in town to attend the New York World's Fair. In fact, Bentley and Harrison are a pair of bank robbers who are planning to knock over the bank where Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon) works. The plot thickens when the crooks hide their loot in Lucy's mattress--and, surprise of surprises, Lucy finds it! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Williams, Lloyd Corrigan, (more)
