Phyllis Coughlan Movies
- 1962
In this drama, a young mother refuses to marry her son's father because he is too violent. The young father has a secret brother, a mute, whom his ashamed parents have locked away in an insane asylum. One day a cruel guard turns a hose upon him and, because he is deathly afraid of water, the terrified young man escapes. Later he meets his nephew and the two become friends. Soon after, the quiet misanthrope sees his new friend drowning. Overcoming his fear, the fellow jumps in to save the lad. He is carrying the unconscious boy to safety when the posse appears. Thinking he has hurt the boy, they beat the man and return him to the hospital. Later the boy runs away to be with the mute and his father pursues him. Once there, the boy locks his father in a room filled with other patients. It is then that the father is forced to realize that the patients are gentle and will not hurt his son. He promises to visit his brother the next day, causing the elated brother to speak for the first time in years. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Drury, Jan Shepard, (more)
Danny Kaye spoofs medieval swashbucklers in this classic musical comedy. While the infant King of England awaits his rightful place as leader of the British Empire, his rule is usurped by Roderick (Cecil Parker), an evil pretender to the throne. Brave rebel leader The Black Fox (Edward Ashley) intends to remove Roderick from the palace and bring the crown back to its true owner, but in the meantime the baby king needs to be looked after, which is the job of a man named Hawkins (Kaye). The Black Fox travels with the little king and his rebels as they search for the key to a secret tunnel that will allow them passage into the castle. Maid Jean (Glynis Johns), one of the rebels, meets a man en route to the Castle who is to be Roderick's new jester. The rebels quickly hatch a plan: detain the jester and send Hawkins in his place; the king can then find the key and initiate the overthrow. Hawkins is able to persuade Roderick and his men that he is indeed a jester, but his espionage work gets complicated when Princess Gwendolyn (Angela Lansbury) falls in love with him, and he runs afoul of Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone), the evil genius behind Roderick. Court Jester features Kaye's famous "Pellet with the Poison" routine. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, (more)
- 1934
Honolulu detective Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) spends an eventful weekend at an English country estate in this fog-bound series entry. Young Neil Howard (Ray Milland) has been accused of murder, but family friend Geoffrey Howard (Alan Mowbray) expresses the hope that Chan will be able to locate the genuine killer. The weapons this time include a set of poison darts, while a series of cryptic notes provide vital clues to Chan and his Scotland Yard counterpart Sgt. Thacker (E.E. Clive), who insists upon calling the humble oriental sleuth "Mr. Chang" throughout the picture. Crucial to the plot's development is a fox hunt, predating a similar sequence in John Huston's The List of Adrian Messenger by nearly 30 years. At 79 minutes, Charlie Chan in London is the longest of Fox's Chan series -- unnecessarily so, since the identity of the "surprise killer" is obvious from reel one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Oland, Drue Leyton, (more)
