Patricia Brake Movies
- 2000
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The 13th feature-length episode of the British detective series Midsomer Murders, "Beyond the Grave" is set in motion by a mysterious act of vandalism at the Aspen Tallow museum. When a 17th century painting is slashed to pieces, the superstitious locals believe that the damage was the handiwork of one Jonathan Lowrie -- and never mind that he has been dead for centuries. Ultimately, a number of mysterious deaths occur, which some attribute to Lowrie but which DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) believes are being committed by someone who is still very much alive. As he pursues his investigation, Tom is also pressed into service as a "technical advisor" for his daughter's actor-boyfriend (Ed Waters), who has been cast as a cop in a popular TV soap opera. "Beyond the Grave" was first telecast in the U.K. on February 5, 2000, and in the U.S. on April 8 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Nettles, Daniel Casey, (more)
- 1991
Debuting September 3, 1991 over BBC1, the long-running British sitcom 2.4 Children was all about an ostensibly typical family, the Potters. Despite their veneer of normality, the family invariably found itself experiencing all sorts of abnormal and surrealistic adventures, in the manner of the American comedies Married: With Children and Malcolm in the Middle. For the record, Ben Porter (Gary Olsen) ran a plumbing business with attractive assistant Christine (Kim Benson); Ben's wife (Belinda Lang) held down several dead-end jobs before launching a catering business with her friend Rona (Julia Hills); and the couple's kids, Jenny (played first by Claire Woodgate, then by Claire Buckfield) and David (John Pickard), were like most other wisecracking sitcom kids, only more so. One of the most endearing aspects of the series was its endless stream of pop-culture references, including Ben's referring to son David as "Puggsley," and the contemptuous nickname "Jake the Klingon" bestowed upon Ben's main business rival Jake Klinger (Roger Lloyd Pack). The 57th and final episodes of 2.4 Children was seen on December 30, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Belinda Lang, Gary Olsen, (more)
- 1990
Peter Davison stars as bespectacled, aristocratic private detective Albert Campion in this two-part adaptation of Margery Allingham's novel Dancers in Mourning (published in the US as Who Killed Chloe?. A new musical production starring 1930s song-and-dance favorite Jimmy Sutane (Ian Ogilvy) may never open, due to a particularly vicious practical joker who has been staging several "accidents." Campion and his assistant Lugg (Brian Glover) repair to White Walls, Sutane's country estate, to get to the bottom of the sabotage. What begins as a series of nasty pranks evolves into something far more sinister with the mysterious death of bitchy Chloe Pye (Patricia Brake). Along the way, Campion falls for one of Sutane's coworkers--who promptly vanishes. In America, "ancers in Mourning" was telecast December 13 and 20, 1990, as part of the PBS anthology Mystery! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Davison, Brian Glover, (more)
- 1968
This very short-lived series was later cited by TV Guide as one of the worst American sitcoms ever produced. It starred Peter Kastner as Timothy Blair, a young man desperately in love with an English ingénue named Julie Renfield (Patricia Brake). Timothy landed in hot water when his brother, the professional photographer Gene Blair (Garry Marshall!) was assigned to shoot pictures of west coast hippies for a London magazine; in a moment of complete catastrophe, the images were accidentally destroyed, so the desperate Gene convinced Timothy to dress in drag and pose for some photos as female model "Timmie" Blair. The Brits liked the photographs so much that they immediately summoned Tim to fly to the UK and headline a modeling assignment, a la Twiggy. Timothy agreed, for it gave him an excuse to be geographically close to Julie, but he soon found himself juggling dual lives - one as her suitor, the other as an incognito female impersonator. U.S. audiences didn't buy either, and the series tanked after four months. Marshall, of course, went on to be a successful television producer and movie director, but Kastner never quite lived down the ignominy associated with this series; it effectively ruined his career and made it extraordinarily difficult for him to get film or television work. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Kastner, Patricia Brake, (more)
