Robert Ayres Movies
- 1953
This drama chronicles the nasty exploits of a young London punk and his thuggish gang as they mug passersby and seduce innocent young girls. Their story is used to comment upon the state of London society and is based on Bruce Walker's play. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
The British Cosh Boy was unsubtly but appropriately retitled The Slasher in the U.S. James Kenney plays Roy Walsh, one of the most thoroughly unpleasant characters ever to appear on screen. When he's not busy beating and robbing the aged and infirm, Roy enjoys slapping around his lady friends. And then one day, he goes too far. Based on a stage play by Bruce Walker, in which James Kenney also starred, Cosh Boy makes few concessions to taste and propriety; as a result, it was in for quite a going over when released stateside. Among the women abused by the "hero" in the course of the film is Joan Collins in one of her first important roles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Kenney, Joan Collins, (more)
- 1952
Scotland Yard detective Patrick Holt is hot on the trail of a gang of thieves. Holt goes undercover, joining the gang and participating in a few heists. The gang catches on, but decides not to kill Holt under their next caper. Will our hero be able to contact the Yard in time save his neck? 13 East Street was produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman, the same team responsible for the popular 1960s TV adventure series The Saint. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1951
Night Without Stars was adapted by Winston Graham from his own novel. David Farrar stars as Giles Gordon, a blind, disillusioned Briton who whiles away his time on the French Riviera. Gordon falls in love with Alix Delaisse (Nadia Gray), the widow of a legendary French resistance leader. The romance encounters turbulence when it appears that Alix is involved with criminal activities. Regaining his sight in an operation, Gordon pretends that he's still blind, the better to find out whether or not Alix has been lying to him. When he's satisfied that she's been truthful all along, he begins gathering evidence to entrap the genuine culprits. American musical comedy star June Clyde makes an amusing appearance as a pixillated party girl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Farrar, Nadia Gray, (more)
- 1951
Vernon Sewell, a mercurial filmmaker who preferred to lens his pictures on chunks of his own property, was the director of Black Widow. We don't know which of Sewell's real estate holdings served as the locale for this amnesia meller. We can, however, tell you that the film was inspired by the BBC radio serial "Return from Darkness." Returning from you-know-where is Robert Ayres, who learns that his wife (Christine Norden) is planning to bump him off with the help of her boyfriend (Anthony Forwood). Ayres continues feigning a loss of memory until he is able to get the drop on his would-be murderers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1951
In this melodrama, a man is permanently crippled in a horseback riding accident and then learns that he will soon die. He spends his last few days taking care of his family and trying to get his wife to find another man. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1950
This wartime drama recounts the training process of the British Tank Corps. The story concentrates on two recruits: Englishman Philip (Edward Underdown) and American David (Ralph Clanton). After a grueling training period and a long, frustratingly uneventful encampment on British soil, Philip and David are shipped to the Front. Both men have a rendezvous with destiny during the German offensive at Ardennes. R.S.M. Brittain etches a chilling portrayal of a merciless drill sergeant, while the splendidly mustached Michael Trubshawe is equally effective as a by-the-book major. Since there must be a romantic subplot, it is fortunate indeed that the heroes' ladies are played by two charming and talented actresses, Helen Cherry and Stella Andrews. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Underdown, Ralph Clanton, (more)
- 1949
It isn't surprising that The Great Manhunt invokes fond memories of Alfred Hitchcock; the film was scripted by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, the two former Hitchcock collaborators responsible for the screenplay of The Master's The Lady Vanishes (38). Gilliat also directed this fast-paced political adventure, starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as an American heart surgeon summoned to operate on the ruler of a Balkan dictatorship. When the dictator dies, Fairbanks becomes a security risk for those who wish to perpetuate the totalitarian regime. The doctor desperately seeks a means of escaping the country; along the way, he teams up with a showgirl (Glynis Johns) who likewise wants to get home in a hurry. Meanwhile, the head of the secret police (Jack Hawkins) tries to keep one step ahead of Fairbanks. A healthy strain of comic cynicism pervades Great Manhunt, with both hero and villain making self-deprecating comments on the fickle nature of political power. Released in the US as State Secret, The Great Manhunt was based on Roy Huggins' novel Appointment With Fear. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Glynis Johns, (more)
