Harry Fowler Movies

In the third episode of the four-part story "Remembrance of the Daleks," the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) tries to prevent a civil war between two Dalek factions in 1963 London. To that end, he reprograms the Hand of Ortega, a remote interstellar device, intending to hand it over to the "right" Dalek faction. This action would seem to suggest that the Doctor has taken leave of his senses: Why surrender a device capable of destroying not only both Dalek armies, but also all of Mankind? First telecast October 19, 1988, "Remembrance of the Daleks, Episode 3" was written by Ben Aaronovitch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Harry's Kingdom and Harry's Machine are alternate titles for the 1985 low-budgeter Hollywood Harry. Actor Robert Forster made his directorial debut in this languid private eye flick, reserving the "hard boiled dick" lead for himself. Forster is hired to find a missing girl; his only lead is the fact that the girl was featured in an X-rated movie. Hollywood Harry's niece, whom he takes to work with him to keep her out of trouble, is portrayed by Forster's real-life daughter Katherine. The film uses so many cliches of the detective genre that at times it's hard to tell whether we're supposed to take things seriously or not. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Trevor Howard is virtually the whole show in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End. He plays an eccentric-to-the-point-of-insanity nobleman whose love affair with the bottle is a long standing source of family embarrassment. Still, when the family mansion is plagued by an unfriendly ghost, Howard finds himself the only one willing or able to exorcise the spirit. Sir Henry at Rawlinson End was based on a radio play by Vivien Stanshall. As such, it is more satisfying for the ear than for the eye. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This crime drama chronicles the demise of a hapless stripper who ends up gang-raped and killed. The dead woman's best friend, a singer, tells the sordid tale. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this thriller (which represented something of a departure for Hammer Films, noted for their gothic period pieces), Joey Fane (William Dix) has returned home after two years in an institution for mentally ill children. His sister drowned, and his family believes that Joey was to blame, despite his claims of innocence. Joey is convinced that the family's Nanny (Bette Davis) was responsible and refuses to have anything to do with her, but only neighbor girl Bobby (Pamela Franklin) agrees that there's something sinister about the woman minding the house. When Joey's neurotic mother Virginia (Wendy Craig) nearly dies after eating tainted food prepared by the Nanny, Virginia's sister Penelope (Jill Bennett) comes by to help. Penelope soon witnesses the bad blood between Joey and the Nanny, though before long she begins to think that the boy might be right about her after all. Jimmy Sangster adapted the screenplay from a novel by Evelyn Piper. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Life at the Top is a belated sequel to Room at the Top, John Blaine's "angry young man" British novel that was made into a film in 1959. Laurence Harvey is back as Joe Lampton, the man-on-the-rise protagonist who in Room had given up true love in favor of a career-boosting (and antiseptic) marriage to his boss' daughter. Ten years have passed: Lampton is a business success, but utterly bored by his dead-end marital setup. His wife feels the same, and it isn't long before Mr. and Mrs. Lampton begin conducting separate affairs. While the original Room was a fairly accurate evocation of its era, Life at the Top works too hard and too noisily to be "mod," in reflection of the ethereal Swinging London era. The inclusion of flashbacks from Room at the Top, in which Harvey is seen making love to Simone Signoret, only serves to emphasize the shortcomings of the sequel. The best moments in the later version can be found in the early establishing scenes set in Yorkshire. Life at the Top was followed by a TV series called Man at the Top, starring Kenneth Haigh as Lampton, which in turn was followed by a theatrical feature of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A British charwoman and her colleagues strike it rich on the stock market when she discovers a wastebasket filled with market tips in this drama. Later they decide to use their money for good after they overhear a wicked financier planning to destroy the cleaning woman's neighborhood. Together they manage to save the neighborhood. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This comedy features a 12-step Program for habitual hoods. The recovering criminal takes a job as a department store Santa, and again finds himself confronted with temptation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Don't Panic Chaps! is one of the least distinguished films in a run of 1950s British comedies set during World War II. This time around, four subpar Brit soldiers are dropped off on an island in the Adriatic Sea, not far from Sicily, to establish a base for military observation. After some time goes by, it becomes woefully apparent that the submarine crew that was supposed to pick them up, forgot. They soon find that a small group of German soldiers are on the island in that very same situation, forgotten by the war. These two opposing units call a truce and all seems to go relatively well until an attractive young woman shows up on the island (Nadja Regin), setting the soldiers back into a competitive, hostile attitude. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A cynical wounded war hero becomes the athletic director at a boys' camp. The lively children brighten his days and make him more optimistic about life. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide

In this religious propaganda drama, a young thief robs the docks and ends up caught. Later he finds his life turned around by some good-hearted missionaries. In 1965, the film was trimmed and titled God Speaks Today. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

If official documentation didn't exist, we'd never believe a fantastic yarn like I Was Monty's Double. Actor M.E. Clifton James plays himself, a British stock-company actor who becomes an unsung hero during World War II. It seems that James, serving his country as a junior officer, is the exact double of General Montgomery. Major John Mills trains James to impersonate Montgomery to the last detail, then sends the actor on a tour of North Africa, the better to divert the German's attentions away from the real "Monty." Based on James' own written reminiscences, I Was Monty's Double was released in the U.S. under the baffling title Hell, Heaven or Hoboken! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide