Shirley Eaton Movies
Brassy blonde leading lady Shirley Eaton could be labelled the British equivalent of such American "blonde bombshells" as Barbara Nichols, Joyce Jameson and Joi Lansing. From her first film appearance in 1954 onward, Eaton excelled in roles calling for equal parts comic know-how and feminine pulchritude. Later in her career, Eaton essayed a number of straight dramatic roles. Shirley Eaton is best known for her brief assignment as the unfortunate gold-painted girl in the 1964 James Bond caper Goldfinger, though it was necessary to hire a voice actress to dub over Shirley's provincial speech patterns. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Released in the U.S. as Your Past Is Showing, the British The Naked Truth is a wickedly funny satire of the tabloid-press industry. Dennis Price plays a scandal-sheet publisher named Nigel Dennis who lives high on the hog by blackmailing his wealthy targets. Several of Dennis' victims, including peer Lord Mayley (Terry-Thomas) and model Melissa Right (Shirley Eaton), plot to kill the extortion-grabbing publisher, to no avail. During a wild ride in a malfunctioning blimp, Dennis manages to accomplish by accident what his enemies have tried to do to him on purpose. Though second-billed, the real star of The Naked Truth is Peter Sellers as a smarmily "sincere" TV personality. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Sellers, Peggy Mount, (more)
- 1957
In this crime melodrama, a car salesman (and suspected safecracker) saves his fiancee from those who would kidnap her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Three Men in a Boat is the second film version of the comic novel by Jerome K. Jerome. The titular trio is played by popular British comedian Jimmy Edwards, up-and-coming leading man Laurence Harvey and stalwart character actor David Tomlinson. Escaping their dull weekday pursuit, the three pals take a pleasure excursion down the Thames in a small boat, encountering all sorts of comic and romantic complications. Jill Ireland makes an early screen appearance as a young lady who briefly bewitches the bookish Harvey. Though dated, Three Men in a Boat was just as capable of eliciting laughter as it had been in its first cinematic incarnation in 1933. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Harvey, Jimmy Edwards, (more)
- 1956
Sailor Beware was originally released in England as Panic in the Parlour. The panic begins when a sailor named Albert (Ronald Lewis) plans to get married to a gal named Shirley (Shirley Eaton). On the day of the ceremony, Albert gets cold feet when he discovers that Shirley's gorgonlike mother Emma (Peggy Mount) has bought a house just three doors away from their honeymoon cottage. The question now is: how long will it be before the worm turns and Emma is put in her place by both her prospective son-in-law and her henpecked husband? Based on a popular stage comedy, Sailor Beware is worth watching today to spot an unbilled Michael Caine in a bit part as one of Albert's fellow seamen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peggy Mount, Cyril Smith, (more)
- 1956
Reginald Arkell's backstage novel Charley Moon made a successful transition to the screen in 1956. Comic actor Max Bygraves stars as Moon, a small-time music-hall performer with an eye for the ladies. A string of lucky breaks, and a little bit of ruthlessness on Charley's part, allows him a chance at the Big Time in London. His West End engagement is successful, but before long the bloom is off the rose and Charley Moon is back where he started. The impressive supporting cast includes fabled impressionist Florence Desmond and American character actor Lou Jacobi. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max Bygraves, Dennis Price, (more)
- 1955
In this comedy, two rabid football fans begin an unstoppable train of events when they physically harass a referee. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
While off on a drunken toot, three British naval officers attach an old baby carriage and a pawnbroker's sign to the stern of a foreign naval vessel. The next morning, a zealous officer spots the curious appendage and comes to the conclusion that the "pram" and sign are actually part of a sophisticated, top-secret radar device. Instantly, the British navy brass demands that their ships be outfitted with the same device -- and so it goes, with one bureaucratic misunderstanding after another snowballing into a major "international incident." You Know What Sailors Are top-bills Akim Tamiroff as the president of a mythical Foreign country, but the film belongs to Donald Sinden as the well-meaning young officer who precipitates the whole affair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Akim Tamiroff, Donald Sinden, (more)
The first of the popular British "Doctor" comedy series, Doctor in the House stars Dirk Bogarde as callow young medical student Simon Sparrow. Beginning his five-year internship at St. Swithin's Teaching Hospital, Sparrow continually runs afoul of head doctor Sir Lancelot Sprat (James Robertson-Justice). His social life is spiced up when Sparrow is taken under the wings of three student repeaters, who've flunked their prelims and are seeking a second chance. Most of the humor is very basic and not a little vulgar, ranging from the character name "Sir Lancelot Sprat" (say it really fast) to the now famous "What's the bleeding time?" routine. The film spawned several theatrical follow-ups, as well as a 1970s TV series; all were based on the semi-satirical novels by Dr. Richard Gordon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dirk Bogarde, Muriel Pavlow, (more)
