Grace Arnold Movies

Originally broadcast in England on November 12, 1967, this episode of The Prisoner was written by Anthony Skene and directed by "Joseph Serf" --- actually a pseudonym for series star Patrick McGoohan. Arising from his slumbers early one morning, Number Six discovers that the Village is deserted and all the power has been shut off. At last able to make his escape, Number Six fashions a raft and sets out to sea. Washing up on the shore of what seems to be a familiar English coastal village, he finds that his old lodgings have been taken over by a Mrs. Butterworth (Georgina Cookson), whose behavior does not set his heart at ease. Hoping to return to his former government headquarters to inform his superiors of the Village's existence, the prisoner is plunged into a deep and ever-widening pit of paranoia, with no certainty as to whom he can trust and whom he should fear. Donald Sinden and Patrick Cargill guest star as the Colonel and Thorpe, respectively. "Many Happy Returns" first aired in America on July 20, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

A British botanist goes bananas after he discovers a serum that turns his cuddly chimpanzee subject into a ferocious gorilla-sized ape. To further his hideous experiment, the scientist mesmerizes the chimp and sends into London to kill all of his former enemies. One of those he has killed is the lover of the girl the doctor wants for himself. This doesn't set well with the botanist's assistant and current gal who gets even by giving Konga the giant chimp an enormous amount of the strange serum and turns him into a Godzilla-sized monster. Just before going on a deadly rampage, the super-sized ape grabs the bad doctor in one of his enormous hands. Fortunately, the British army and all of its weaponry are able to stop the chimp before he destroys the town. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this drama, the commanding officer of a British Royal Air Force flight training school must deal with an ornery, irresponsible cadet. The lad reminds the officer of himself when he was young. It also reminds him that his own youthful arrogance and foolishness caused the death of the new recruit's father. The young man only settles down when the C.O. saves him during maneuvers. The boy is injured during the flight which gives him serious pause for thought. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The iniquities of circumstantial evidence are explored in the compact crime drama Eight O'Clock Walk. Because he was the last person to see her alive, and because his playful behavior could be misconstrued as harassment, London taxi driver Tom Manning (Richard Attenborough) is arrested for the murder of a little girl. Manning's American wife Jill (Cathy O'Donnell) has a great deal of difficulty finding a lawyer who will defend her husband in court. She finally settles upon Peter Tanner (Derek Farr), who at first is not entirely convinced that his client is innocent. Eventually he is convinced, and even manages to expose the real murderer, one of the witnesses for the prosecution. Based on a true story, Eight O'Clock Walk is one of the most oft-telecast of 1950s British films, and deservedly so. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

If the plot of the 1993 Kevin Costner film A Perfect World seemed vaguely familiar, perhaps it's because it bears a more than passing resemblance to the British-made 1952 thriller The Hunted (U.S. title: Stranger in Between). Dirk Bogarde stars in this emotional melodrama as an escaped murderer, sloshing through the North Country mud. Bogarde is reluctantly saddled with a fugitive orphan boy (Jon Whitely), who insists upon tagging along. The murderer ends up sacrificing his freedom to rescue the injured boy from certain death. While The Hunted was greeted with moderate enthusiasm in Britain, its virtues were trumped by the French film critics of the era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a woman blames herself for her husband's murder. To help overcome her grief and guilt, she becomes a nurse. When a patient dies under her care, the woman has a breakdown and begins rebelling against all authority. She finally regains her humanity after she helps doctors perform a caesarian section. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This gentle Ealing Studios comedy features young William Fox as a mischievous English lad. A goodly portion of the film shows Fox and his companions at play, aimlessly but enjoyably wandering about their neighborhood in search of adventure. Eventually the boy finds a discarded magnet, believing it to be a good-luck token; it turns out to be just that, enabling the boy to become a hero of sorts. The Magnet scores with young and old viewers alike, principally because it is told from the boy's point of view. William Fox would later sprout up to become leading British actor James Fox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written by John Gilling, The Man From Yesterday is an other-worldly melodrama in the same vein as J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls. The lion's share of the footage goes to Henry Oscar, playing an Indian mystic. Oscar arrives at the home of Marie Burke, who wants to contact the spirit of her dead fiance. When Marie subsequently dies herself, Oscar accuses jealous John Stuart of arranging both deaths, whereupon Stuart kills Oscar. That's when we find out the whole film has been a dream, and everyone in the household is still alive--but Oscar has died while en route to the house. Future film star Laurence Harvey shows up in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Passport to Pimlico is one of the most charmingly whimsical Ealing Studios comedies of the late 1940s-early 1950s. As a result of wartime bombing, an ancient parchment is uncovered, proving that the Pimlico section of London belongs to Burgundy, France. Long taken for granted by other Londoners, the tiny Pimlico populace decides to take advantage of its "foreign" status. Affable oaf Stanley Holloway is made head of the new government, whereupon he merrily begins erecting borders and imposing customs duties. The sweetly satirical script of Passport to Pimlico was written by director Henry Cornelius and Ealing stalwart T.E.B. Clarke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Long before he became the Disney Studios' favorite stuffy Brit, David Tomlinson enjoyed top billing in the 1948 comedy Love in Waiting. The main story is carried by Peggy Evans and Elspeth Gray, cast as a pair of cute waitresses. Evans makes the mistake of crossing a fellow employee, and as a result she is set up on a petty theft charge. Her antagonist loses out in the end, and all is well. Originally aimed at the British "home market," Love in Waiting was telecast to death in the early days of American TV. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in the early 20th century, The Loves of Joanna Godden stars Googie Withers in the title role. The heir to a prosperous farm in the Romney Marshes, the headstrong Joanna shocks and outrages her tradition-bound neighbors by running the farm herself, refusing to enter into an arranged marriage with neighboring farmer Arthur Alee (John McCallum). She also "defies nature" by performing then-revolutionary crossbreeding experiments with her stock. All this she does to provide a steady income for her beloved, convent-educated younger sister Ellen (Jean Kent). Joanna is therefore understandably put out when Ellen turns out to be an ungrateful strumpet, who herself sets her cap for the wealthy Alee. It is only through this plot twist, coupled with Joanna's own unhappy romantic affairs, that Joanna and Alee discover that they truly love each other after all. Based on a novel by Sheila Kaye-Smith, The Loves of Joanna Godden is decked out with an impressive musical score by Vaughan Williams. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide