Colin Gordon Movies

A bellboy gets sweet revenge upon the employers at the hotel where he once worked after he inherits a lot of money in this lively British comedy. The sweetest revenge of all comes when he and the other lackeys team up to scam the wealthy, who look down upon them, hoping to get them to finance his attempt to buy the posh establishment. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

It's Hoppity Goes To Town with sex in this 1963 British version of the old chestnut concerning an innocent country lass who travels to the big city and becomes corrupted, in this film version of Patrick Hamilton's novel The Street Has a Thousand Skies. Janet Munro runs the gamut of emotions as Jennie, a young girl from Wales who, with her girlfriend, is seduced and abandoned by a couple of heartless creeps in London, where she is later befriended by a kindly bartender John Stride. But Jennie snubs the bartender and takes up with a an unfeeling playboy. However, Jennie has gone around the park one time too many and is now torn between going back home or committing suicide. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Someone is knocking off top atomic scientists in England. Scotland Yard is summoned to stem the carnage and find the killer. The solution involves the activities of Communist agents operating with the ranks of the scientists. American actor Richard Conte is top-billed, primarily as a means to get the film into US theatres--a box office strategy frequently employed by director Ken Hughes. The original British title of this fast-paced whodunit was Little Red Monkey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Circle of Danger stars Ray Milland as an American at large in London, Wales and Scotland. During World War 2, Milland's brother had died in a commando raid. The details of his death were somewhat murky, and Milland would like to know the truth. The truth is murder in every sense of the word, though rather disappointingly, Milland himself is never in any peril. While Circle of Danger was produced by longtime Hitchcock associate Joan Harrison, the Master's touch is noticeably absent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written by David Ellis and Malcolm Hulke, the six-part Doctor Who adventure "The Faceless Ones" got under way on April 8, 1967. Returning to contemporary London, the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and his friends attempt to land at Gatwick airport. Their efforts are confounded by the fact that the TARDIS is in the path of an oncoming jet. But this is a minor problem compared to the terrors that await the crew at the hands of the sinister Chameleons. Only this episode and the third chapter of "The Faceless Ones" are presently known to exist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of the six-part story "The Faceless Ones," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) has tumbled to the fact that the Chameleon Tours air service is actually controlled by aliens who hope to repopulate their dying planet by stealing the personalities of their customers. Now, of course, the Chameleons have no choice but to kill the Doctor -- and for a brief, horrifying moment, they appear to have done just that. Written by David Ellis and Malcolm Hulke, "The Faceless Ones, Episode 3" originally aired on April 22, 1967. Though this and one other episode exists, the remaining four chapters are apparently lost forever. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the fifth episode of the six-part story "The Faceless Ones," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) again tries to prevent the alien Chameleons from robbing unwary Earthlings of their personalities. Putting his own life on the line, the Doctor makes a last-ditch effort to rescue Ben and Polly, who are still nowhere to be found (actors Anneke Wills and Michael Craze do not appear in this episode). Written by David Ellis and Malcolm Hulke, "The Faceless Ones, Episode 5" originally aired on May 6, 1967. This episode evidently no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Humorist Max Wilk scripted this listless film version of his book of the same name. Jerry Lewis plays George Lester, an American entrepreneur living in London. After a money-raising scheme fails, his wife Pamela (Jacqueline Pearce) threatens him with divorce. Trying to demonstrate his willingness to get serious with Pamela, George, with crackbrained finesse, turns her country home into a discotheque. Pamela, shocked, demands that George restore her home the way it was. While defending himself, George notes than Pamela now has a snobbish suitor in tow -- Dudley Heath (Nicholas Parsons). To show up Pamela, George contacts an old friend, conman H. William Homer (Terry-Thomas). Together, they concoct a scheme to abscond with Dudley's blueprints for an electronic oil drill and sell it to the Arabs. But complications occur when George catches the mumps and has to rely upon airline steward Fred Davies (Bernard Cribbins) to transport the microfilmed blueprints to Lisbon in his teeth. Once in Lisbon, a local dentist, Dr. Pinto (John Bluthal), is tabbed to remove the blueprints from Davies's mouth, but Dr. Pinto double-crosses them. George flies off to Lisbon with Pamela in pursuit, and the chase is on. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Escapade has to be one of the most overused titles in movie history. This particular Escapade is a mild British comedy with something to say. John Mills plays a renowned pacifist author, whose sons Andrew Ray and Peter Asher are completely sympatico with their dad's views. Convincing their schoolmates to sign a petition begging for universal peace, the boys decide to present the list of signatures to the four world powers occupying Germany, including those rascally Russians and unpredictable Yanks. But they have to get to Berlin first, and to do that the headstrong lads steal an airplane. It turns out that the boys' long-term goal, cooked up with their sister Yvonne Mitchell, is to reunite their bickering father and mother. Escapade opens up the original Roger MacDougall play to the extent that we actually witness the plane in flight; beyond that, the dialogue and situations remain the same--even down to the slight pauses after the laugh lines. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Grand National Night began life as a stage play, which was promptly adapted as a popular British radio serial. The film combines the best elements of both previous incarnations. Racehorse owner Gerald Coates (Nigel Patrick) accidentally kills his spiteful wife Babs (Moira Lister) during a quarrel. Terror-stricken, Coates stashes the body in the boot (or trunk) of a stranger's car. Methodical police inspector Ayling (Michael Hordern) suspects there's more to this than meets the eye. The script carefully builds up sympathy for the frenzied Coates, then manages to find a way to wrap up the story to everyone's satisfaction (Here's a clue, provided by Leonard Maltin: while watching the film, examine the character names). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Considered a bit too sacrilegious for general consumption in 1963, the Boulting brothers' Heavens Above was simply ahead of its time, and has since accrued a loyal and vocal following. Peter Sellers plays an idealistic British reverend with a bad habit of telling the truth at all times. He also follows his conscience whenever possible, resulting in several cleric decisions that shock his wealthy, landed-gentry parishioners. By inviting such "undesirables" as gypsies and West Africans to worship freely in his church, Sellers rouses the ire of the rest of his white-bread flock. He does, however, compel the selfish owner (Isabel Jeans) of a laxative firm to "see the light" and to sell off all her holdings on behalf of the poor and downtrodden. Unfortunately, by doing this the woman wrecks her business--which is the principal source of income for the community where Sellers works. Retreating from town with an angry mob on his heels, Sellers relocates on a tiny island in the Pacific. Since the island is the site of a missile base, and since the local astronauts have shown signs of agnosticism, where else is there for Sellers to go...but up? Heavens Above was inspired by a notion cooked up by iconoclastic British satirist Malcolm Muggeridge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This scattered, slightly anarchic and uneven comedy stars the inimitable Terry-Thomas as Reggie Blake, a writer whose books are created by the adventures he experiences, thanks to the brainstorms of his editor. His latest adventure finds him truly lost in the desert and adopted by a tribe of Bedouins before he is finally rescued and brought home. His adventure is a bust from all angles; first his editor rejects the book that came of it, and secondly his wife (Janette Scott) rails against his newfound "self" (he has adopted Bedouin dress). The result is that the couple split their living space and their responsibilities down the middle, providing a series of ludicrous situations spoofing the gender assumptions in marriage. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Two veterinarians contrast with each other in this standard British comedy by Darcy Conyers. Jimmy Fox-Upton (Leslie Phillips) is a decent chap who took more than ten years of hard work to get his vet's license. His nemesis, Bob Skeffington (James Booth) shortened the time to his license by cheating on his exams. While Skeffington is out to bilk the rich and famous via their pedigree pets, Fox-Upton is only dedicated to serving the mutts of the truly poor. Then in comes a pretty owner (Peggy Cummins) of an escaped, performing chimp, and romance enters the life of Fox-Upton. But not alone. The nefarious Skeffington is in on a racket that threatens to bring down Fox-Upton unless he can figure out what is really going on. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide