Alan Rolfe Movies

The "gimmick" in this Avengers episode is a rare postage stamp. When a famed stamp collector is killed, Steed and Cathy head to a philatelic convention, where the aforementioned stamp is about to be auctioned off for a ridiculously low price. The convention turns out to be a front for a radical organization bent on taking over the world. Written by Malcolm Hulke and Terrance Dicks, "The Mauritius Penny" made its British TV debut on November 10, 1962; it was not seen in America until February 4, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director John Ford traveled to England to film this adaptation of the novel by J.J. Maraca, which details a typical day in the busy life of a detective for Scotland Yard. Inspector George Gideon (Jack Hawkins) begins his working day by confronting one of his fellow officers who is believed to be accepting graft. The sergeant stubbornly denies the charge, but he dies later the same day in a mysterious hit-and-run accident that piques Gideon's curiosity. While confronting internal strife within Scotland Yard, Gideon also has more typical crimes to investigate, including a murder in Manchester and a burglary in London, both of which were performed by the same vicious criminal. Gideon himself becomes the victim of a holdup and is forced to take a bullet for his troubles, while on the home front he finds himself in disfavor with his family when he forgets to bring home salmon for dinner and lets his daughter's recital slip his mind. Along with Jack Hawkins, Gideon's Day features a stellar cast of British actors, including Cyril Cusack, Anna Massey, Laurence Naismith, Dianne Foster, and Billie Whitelaw. For its initial American release, Gideon's Day (also shown as Gideon of Scotland Yard) was cut from 91 minutes to a mere 54, and distributed in black and white prints instead of the original Technicolor. Fortunately, nearly all the prints currently in circulation are of the uncut, color edition. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A tired-looking Tom Conway plays a private detective who is framed for murder. Eva Bartok, the head of a smuggling, has arranged the frameup. Eva is herself "set up" by the actual killer, unreconstructed Nazi Robert Adair. At this point, Bartok belatedly sides with Conway. Only one of the three above-mentioned actors is still alive at fadeout time: guess which one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide