Jenny Tomasin Movies

In the conclusion of the Doctor Who adventure "Revelation of the Daleks," the Doctor discovers that Tranquil Repose, a colony of cryogenics on the planet Necros, houses the supposedly dormant body of Davros (Terry Malloy), creator of the Doctor's perennial adversaries, the Daleks. It is thus up to the hero to "neutralize" Davros before he can foment a full-scale Dalek resurrection. Complicating matters are the entrepreneurial Kara (Eleanor Bron), who uses the bodies of cryogenically frozen people as fuel for her protein factory, and a mercenary bounty hunter named Orcini (William Gaunt). Written by Eric Saward, the two-part "Revelation of the Daleks" was originally telecast on March 23 and 30, 1985. This final adventure of Doctor Who's 22nd season was later re-edited as a four-chapter cliffhanger for American TV. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The fifth and final season of Upstairs, Downstairs covers the years 1910 to 1930, bringing the saga of the Bellamy household to a close. So much time has to be dealt with this season that the producers expanded the episode output from 13 to 16 hour-long episodes. And because virtually every one of those episodes deals with the events of a single year, the writers must for the most part abandon the "serialization" format in favor of self-contained plotlines. As the season begins, James Bellamy (Simon Williams), seriously wounded in WW1, has been invalided out of the service. The injuries sustained by James are compounded by the emotional impact of the death from influenza of his wife Hazel. Thoughout the rest of the season, James will desperately cast about for a purpose in life, ultimately entering into a "surefire" stock-speculation scheme that will bring financial ruin to the Bellamys and precipitate James' premature demise. Meanwhile, James' father Richard (David Langton), whose first wife Marjorie went down with the "Titanic" in 1912, marries Virginia Hamilton (Hannah Gordon), a war widow with two children of her own. Richard's ward Georgina (Leslie-Anne Down) returns from an extended stay in America in 1924, as rumors buzz about head butler Hudson (Gordon Jackson) and new housemaid Lily (Karen Dotrice); after a desultory romance with James and a tragic accident which nearly ruins her future, Georgina will eventually wed Robert Stockbridge (Anthony Andrews), the son of a family of noblemen. In 1925, Member of Parliament Richard Bellamy is appointed Britain's Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs; and the following year, the "upstairs" and "downstairs" factions of the Bellamy household are virtually torn asunder by the General Strike of 1926. In the series' now-legendary final episode, head maid Rose (Jean Marsh) tearfully wanders through the empty halls of 165 Eaton, wistfully recalling the highlights--and a few of the lowlights--of the past 27 years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The third season of the British drama series Upstairs, Downstairs sweeps past the Edwardian era to cover the pre-war years between 1912 and 1914. Because actress Rachel Gurney had already announced her intention to leave the series, the producers decided to provide the character of Lady Marjorie Bellamy with a truly unforgettable exit, and to that end took advantage of the 1912 setting in the Emmy-nominated season opener "Miss Forrest". The title refers to the newest member of the Bellamy household, Richard Bellamy's ultra-efficient secretary Hazel Forrest (Meg Wynn Owen), whom Richard (David Langton) hires just before his wife Marjorie is to visit their daughter Elizabeth (played during the first two seasons by the now-departed Nicola Pagett) in America. And how will Majorie cross the Atlantic. Via the new, unsinkable ocean liner, the "Titanic". . . After the death of Marjorie, Hazel becomes unofficial head of the Bellamy household, eventually marrying Richard's troubled son James (Simon Williams). Also joining the household this season are Richard's pretty ward Georgina Worsley (Leslie-Anne Down) and new maid Daisy (Jacqueline Tong), who will fall in love with footman Edward (Christopher Beeny). In other developments, warm-hearted head maid Rose (Jean Marsh), taking pity on impoverished ex-servant Alfred (George Innes)--who left the Bellamy household in disgrace in Season One--allows him to briefly stay in the cellar, a generous gesture that endangers the lives of everyone at 165 Eaton; later, Rose considers the prospect of marriage to Australian sheep farmer Gregory Wilmott (Keith Barron); head butler Hudson (Gordon Jackson) is torn between loyalty to the Bellamys and his own ambition when he is offered a job at the country estate of Richard Bellamy's old friend Bunny Newbury (John Quayle); and Richard himself is innocently swept up in a financial scandal that nearly destroys his political career. The season ends with the Emmy-winning episode "The Sudden Storm" as cook Mrs. Bridges (Angela Baddeley), of all people, is squired by an eligible old bachelor--while outside the relative comfort of the Bellamy home, war clouds are gathering in Europe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The popular Australian comic strip The Wonderful World of Barry McKenzie was first brought to the screen in this raunchy 1972 romp. Barry Crocker plays the title character, a carefree Aussie cowboy with an inordinate fondness for beer and "Sheilas". Touring England as a stand-up comic, Barry runs across several odd characters, including addlepated discipline freak Dennis Price. Also on hand is Barry McKenzie cocreator Barry Humphries, appearing in drag as Dame Edna Beveridge, a character who would bring Humphries worldwide fame and fortune in the 1990s. Director Bruce Beresford, who went on to such loftier efforts as Breaker Morant, Tender Mercies and Crimes of the Heart, breezes through his scatalogical material with the abandon of a schoolboy scribbling naughty words on the sidewalk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide