Dudley Jones Movies

As indicated by its title, this British comedy series was a continuation of the popular sitcom No, Honestly (1974), in which a married couple periodically broke down the "fourth wall" and addressed the audience about their various trials and tribulations. Differentiating the two series was the fact that the latter effort boasted an entirely new cast and crew. This time around, the sweethearts were songwriter Matt Browne (Donal Donnelly) and his secretary Lili Pond (Liza Goddard). Halfway through the second season, the two protagonists became husband and wife, but the basic "This is how it all happened" premise remained intact. Twenty-six half-hour episodes of Yes, Honestly were telecast in Britain between January 10, 1976 and April 23, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It wasn't as well received at the box office as the pictures that preceded it or followed it, but Peter Hunt's On Her Majesty's Secret Service was the finest of the James Bond movies and also arguably the last truly great movie in the series. James Bond, portrayed here by George Lazenby (in his only performance in the role) has spent nearly two years trying to track down Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Savalas), the head of SPECTRE. He has been taken off the case by his chief (Bernard Lee), an action the pushes him to the point of considering resigning from Her Majesty's Secret Service, just as he opens a possible new avenue of attack on his quarry. Whilst in the field, Bond has chanced to cross paths with the Contessa Teresa Di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg), a beautiful but desperately unhappy woman, whom he rescues from one apparent suicide attempt and an embarrassing moment at a casino gaming table -- the Contessa, who prefers to be called Tracy ("Teresa was a saint"), is the daughter of Marc Ange Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti), an industrial and construction magnate and also a crime boss, who is impressed with Bond personally as well as professionally, and would like to see him marry his daughter. Bond is, at first, unwilling to involve himself with a woman -- any woman -- on that level, but Draco's underworld contacts give Bond a vital clue to Blofeld's whereabouts that get him back on the case and hot on the man's trail. Journeying incognito to Blofeld's mountaintop retreat in the Swiss Alps, Bond finds the criminal mastermind posing as a would-be nobleman and also as a philanthropist, running a clinic devoted to the treatment and eradication of allergies. It's all a front for a surprisingly sinister (and scientifically valid) plot for international blackmail that would make any previous Bond villain quake in fear. And in the process of staying alive long enough to have a chance of stopping Blofeld, Bond discovers the Tracy is truly like no woman he's ever known before -- one special enough that he finds himself willing to give up his life as a free-living, free-loving bachelor. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the four-part story "The Tenth Planet," the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his companions come face to face with the Cybermen from the Earth's twin planet Mondas. In his effort to prevent the aliens from taking over the world, the Doctor begins to undergo a very profound change. Written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis, Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet, Episode 2 first aired on October 15, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of the four-part story "The Tenth Planet," Ben (Michael Craze) at last figures out the Cybermen's weakness. For the moment, it appears as though the earth is saved from the alien villains. But the story isn't quite over yet, as proven when Ben and Polly (Annika Wills) come face to face with the "new" Doctor Who. Written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis, Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet, Episode 4 first aired on October 29, 1966. Alas, except for a few fragments of the crucial sequence in which William Hartnell relinquishes the role of the Doctor, this episode no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

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

Once a Jolly Swagman is the story of Bill Fox (Dirk Bogarde), a factory worker who dreams of fame and fortune as motorbike racer. After the standard romantic complications with "right" and "wrong" girl, the film arrives at its central crisis: Fox's attempts to organize a driver's union, and the repercussions he suffers because of this activity. The dedicated-but-dour Dirk Bogarde is complemented by Bonar Colleano, essaying another of his "wise guy Yank" characterizations as driver Tommy Possey. The speedway sequences are excellent. Though only his second film, Once a Jolly Swagman was Dirk Bogarde's first starring assignment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide