Sandra Dorne Movies
Who better to play the slatternly Suky Tawdry in Peter Brooks' 1952 film version of The Beggar's Opera than British "blonde bombshell" Sandra Dorne? Though never as famous as such sex symbol contemporaries as Diana Dors and Marilyn Monroe, Dorne worked steadily in films well into the late '80s, nearly always cast as trollops, good-time girls, and "other women." In the later stages of her film career, she was seen in such heavy-breathing melodramas as The Devil Doll (1964) and All Coppers Are? (1972). Sandra Dorne was married to actor Patrick Holt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1953
Alf Donkin (Jerry Desmonde) and his two nitwitted brothers (C. Dernier Warren and Mark Daly) adopt an orphaned baby girl. She grows up to be the delectable Pauline Stroud, whose beauty and vulnerability prompts the good-hearted Alf to be all the more protective of her. When Pauline falls in love with a crook (Peter Hammond), Alf and his siblings try to prevent their foster child from making the mistake of her life. Alf's Baby was based on It Won't Be a Stylish Marriage, a play by A.P. Dearsley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
The British Roadhouse Girl was released in the US as Marilyn, but don't go looking for Ms. Monroe around these parts. Sandra Dorne plays Marilyn, the sexy young wife of ill-tempered garage owner Leslie Dwyer. Assuming that his wife is fooling around with mechanic Maxwell Reid, Dwyer begins punching Reid out. Defending himself, Reid accidentally kills his boss. Marilyn helps Reid cover up the crime, and together the two strike out to find a new life. Several months later, the couple is running a just-getting-by roadhouse. Wealthy Ferdy Mayne agrees to lend the couple some money, figuring the Marilyn will offer her affections as repayment. But things take a sorry turn when Mayne begins to suspect that Reid has committed a murder. Though based on a play by Peter Jones, Roadhouse Girl seems heavily indebted to James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Laurence Olivier makes his singing debut in this lively adaptation of John Gay's 18th century theatrical piece The Beggar's Opera. Olivier stars as Captain MacHeath, the leader of all bandits and cutthroats in England. MacHeath is in love with Polly Peachum (Dorothy Tutin), the daughter of beggar king Peachum (George Devine). He has also dallied with Lucy (Daphne Anderson), the offspring of corrupt constable (Stanley Holloway) Lockit. Since it is in the best interest for both Peachum and Lockit to rid the world of MacHeath, the two conspire to imprison and hang the scoundrel, but an unexpected turn of events rescues MacHeath from the executioner's noose. Adapted for the screen by Dennis Canaan and Christopher Fry, The Beggar's Opera manages to retain the raffish charm of the stage original while still being wholly cinematic in approach and execution. The same basic story was later retooled by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill as The Threepenny Opera. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Olivier, Stanley Holloway, (more)
- 1953
Two step-brothers who co-own a garage have a violent falling out when the wild one's girl falls for the more responsible sibling. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Jenny, a pretty, independent, factory worker takes a holiday in Blackpool with her friend Mary. She has a week-long affair with Alan, the mill-owner's son, and attempts to conceal it with the collusion of her roommate. This stratagem backfires when Mary is killed. When both sets of parents learn of the liaison and decide that the two must be married, Jenny gives them all a surprise. This third remake of the classic British screenplay Hindle Wakes, gives a more realistic and touching portrayal of life in working-class England than its 1931 predecessor, one of the earliest "talking pictures" from Britain (two silent versions preceded.) It is gritty and rather sad, but presents a frank and compassionate female perspective on the "traps" of sex and marriage. Lisa Daniely is affecting as the thoughtful heroine, and Sandra Dorne delightful as her racy, carefree, girlfriend. ~ Michael P. Rogers, All Movie Guide
- 1952
In this drama, a fellow tries to prove himself worthy of joining a gang by staging a robbery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Scotland Yard detective Patrick Holt is hot on the trail of a gang of thieves. Holt goes undercover, joining the gang and participating in a few heists. The gang catches on, but decides not to kill Holt under their next caper. Will our hero be able to contact the Yard in time save his neck? 13 East Street was produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman, the same team responsible for the popular 1960s TV adventure series The Saint. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Anglo-American musicomedy Happy Go Lovely is set in Edinburgh, Scotland, during a major film festival. The gathered throngs are aghast when unknown dancer Janet Jones (Vera-Ellen) steps daintily from a limousine owned by a Scottish millionaire. A few miles earlier, the girl had thumbed a ride from the limo driver, but the public doesn't know this, and soon rumors are flying. Before she knows what has happened, Jones has become the festival's main attraction. She is also romanced by B.G. Bruno (David Niven), whom she assumes to be a reporter but who, of course, is the millionaire in disguise. Ostensibly a musical, Happy Go Lovely is limited to two songs, though both are performed con brio by the fabulous Vera-Ellen. The film was produced independently by N. P. Rathvon and released by Rathvon's former studio, RKO Radio. It was shot in black and white but is now reportedly only available in a colorized print. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Niven, Vera-Ellen, (more)
- 1951
Real-life Mr. and Mrs. John McCallum and Googie Withers star in Travellers Joy. McCallum and Withers are cast as Reggie and Bumble Pelham, a divorced couple living hand-to-mouth in Stockholm. Before they can leave for their native England, Reggie and Bumble must first pay their hotel bill. To raise the necessary funds, they must pretend that they're still married. One suspects that the stage play upon which Travellers Joy was based was slightly more subtle than the film version. Whatever the case, door-slamming farce was really not the forte of either McCallum or Withers, and before long they returned to the heavy drama they did best. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Googie Withers, John McCallum, (more)
- 1951
In this actioner, a young British factory worker living in the 1930s chucks his job in favor of motorcycle racing. He is quite successful, becomes an egomaniac, loses his wife, and learns his lesson. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dirk Bogarde, Bonar Colleano, (more)
- 1950
This sequel to the 1942 Oscar-winner Mrs.Miniver can be considered ill-advised, if only because the producers could never really hope to match the success of the original. Otherwise, The Miniver Story has its charms, not the least of which were the sterling performances of Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Set just after VE Day, the film finds Mrs. Miniver (Garson) reacting to the euphoria of her friends and family with a sense of quiet sadness. This is because she's just learned from her doctor that she hasn't much longer to live. With the same courage with which she met the deprivations of WW II, Mrs. Miniver resolves to put on a happy face and keep the news of her imminent demise a secret from her husband (Pigeon) and children. She even finds time to straighten out the tangled love life of her daughter Judy (Cathy O'Donnell). Henry Wilcoxon repeats his Mrs. Miniver role as the local vicar. Unlike its Hollywood-bound predecessor, The Miniver Story was lensed on location in England. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, (more)
- 1950
A smuggler's headquarters, an Irish castle, is inherited by Walter-Ellis who is ignorant of the smugglers' activities. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1950
The Clouded Yellow stars Trevor Howard as David Sommers, a former member of the British Secret Service. After the war, Sommers takes a low-profile job cataloguing butterfly specimens. While thus employed, he make the acquaintance of Sophie Malraux (Jean Simmons), a curious young lady who seems to be hiding something. Indeed she is, as Sommers discovers when Sophie is brought up on murder charges. Championing her cause, Sommers helps Sophie escape, prompting Scotland Yard to put another ex-secret agent on the couple's trail. The chase extends from London to Liverpool, culminating in a tangled web of murder and madness. The Clouded Yellow was the first independent production supervised by Betty E. Box. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Simmons, Trevor Howard, (more)
- 1949
The action in the British Marry Me! centers around a marriage bureau. Utilizing the "omnibus" approach made popular by such films as Quartet, director Terence Fisher relates the stories of four separate marriage-bound couples. The cast (including Derek Bond, Susan Shaw, Patrick Holt, Carol Marsh, David Tomlinson, Zena Marshall, Guy Middleton and Nora Swinburne) is quite appealing, and the production values are of the highest caliber. It would have been nice, though, to spend more time getting to know the individuals involved in the four playlets. Marry Me! is not a remake of the 1932 film of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Derek Bond, Susan Shaw, (more)
- 1949
Norman Wooland, who in 1948 made an excellent impression as Horatio in Olivier's Hamlet, is awarded top billing in the 1949 British comedy All Over the Town. A gentle satire of provincial politics, the film stars Wooland as ex-soldier Nat Hearn, who returns to his newspaper job after the war. Upset that the paper compromises its journalistic integrity to satisfy local businessmen, Nat takes over the publication and radically alters its editorial policy. This brings him into conflict with the regional political bigwigs, and also puts a strain on his romance with Sally Thorpe (Dinah Churchill). Director Michael S. Gordon co-adapted the screenplay from a stage comedy by R. F. Delderfield. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norman Wooland, Sarah Churchill, (more)
- 1949
The British Don't Ever Leave Me stars "cute" Jimmy Hanley as a would-be criminal who is dragooned into a kidnapping plot. Among the potential victims is teenaged Sheila Farlane (Petula Clark), the daughter of Shakespearean actor Michael Farlane (Hugh Sinclair). When the plan goes awry, Sheila and her friends decide that they're having fun being kidnapped and refuse to go home! Featured in the cast is a young Anthony Newley, who'd recently gained fame as the Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist. Don't Ever Leave Me is hardly memorable, though it managed to get plenty of American TV airplay in the 1950s and 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy Hanley, Petula Clark, (more)
- 1947
The story in this war drama is totally fictional. It is the tale of the secretary for the Nazi Party who escapes from Hitler's bunker just before it is destroyed in the Battle of Berlin. He goes to England. There he sets up "The Eyes That Kill," an organization devoted to building up a Fourth Reich. He is, of course, defeated. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
