Ian Hendry Movies

The Beauty Jungle can hardly be considered an expose of the beauty-contest business, since most of what happens in the film is what the average viewer has suspected all along. The lovely and graceful British leading lady Janette Scott stars as an ambitious typist who enters the "Miss Globe" pageant. She doesn't care what she does or whom she hurts along the way, the result being that she wins the competition. But when the anticipated decline sets in, she confronts the same embittered people on the downward spiral that she stepped over during her upward climb. Cliched though it may seem on paper, The Beauty Jungle is fascinating in its own garish way; the film was issued to the US under the title Contest Girl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Hill was unfairly subjected to ridicule by the more obtuse "critics" of 1965 who harped on the fact that it starred Sean Connery and, unlike Connery's Bond pictures, had no women in it. Bypassing these cretinous comments, it must be noted that The Hill is an above-the-norm entry in the "military prison" genre. The film takes place during World War II, in a Libyan stockade for incorrigible British soldiers. The camp's brutal Sergeant Major (Harry Andrews) puts his charges to work on grueling, monotonous and pointless projects to break their spirits. When one rebellious inmate dies due to this treatment, the Sergeant Major is reprimanded by Joe Roberts (Connery), who has been appointed as the prisoners' spokesman. The result is that Roberts is likewise subjected to the most demeaning and humiliating of prison chores -- but his spirit, and that of his comrades, is not so easily crushed. Based on a TV play by Ray Rigby, The Hill should never be seen in any form other than its dusty, parched original black-and-white; the currently available colorized version is a crime against humanity. One problem: The British dialects in the first 20 minutes are so thick that an American viewer practically needs subtitles (British critics chalked this problem up not to elocution but to poor sound recording). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This unsavory British programmer stars Ian Hendry as a hustler who seduces anything in skirts. He launches his sexual adventures by trying to put the make on his married boarding house neighbor June Ritchie. She spurns him until he agrees to find her young daughter, who has wandered off. Hendry moves on to Ritchie's sister Annette Andre, but this affair is squelched by Ritchie, who threatens to kill herself and tell all to her husband. Hendry leaves to find new conquests elsewhere. A novel by Nan Maynard was the launching pad for This Is My Street. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inspector Birkett (Ian Hendry) and his faithful assistant Saunders (Ronald Fraser) are assigned to investigate the murder of a fashion model. they arrive at the scene of the crime, scouring the dead girl's apartment for clues. On the surface, it appears robbery is the motive, and the detectives find a concealed pistol, a ball point pen, and the girls diary. Her last entry is about a luncheon date, the last place the woman was seen alive. The sleuths must sift through a series of bogus clues and interview unwilling potential suspects before uncovering a ring of drug dealers. The duo systematically eliminate the innocent in their effort to bring the murderer to justice. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

One of the minor comedy-dramas to come out of Britain, this story by director Jay Lewis and scripter Jack Trevor Story is about an unscrupulous salesman, Albert (Ian Hendry), who is beset by a whole series of problems, all of his own making. In order to advance his career, Albert makes a habit of seducing his female customers to better convince them to buy beyond their means, on credit. Even though he has thus far spawned two progeny with this technique he is not about to change his ways. Albert is also cheating on his girlfriend in the process, and more directly just simply cheating his boss, his real estate agent, and a long list of creditors -- not a good way to insure an auspicious future. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

After six weeks of live telecasts, The Avengers went back to videotape with this episode, which was originally broadcast on April 1, 1961. Suspecting that a civil servant has been blackmailed into passing secret information to the enemy, Steed allows himself to be blackmailed by the seedy owner of a Soho nightclub. Ordered to drop off a valuable package at the monkey house in a private zoo, Steed watches with a mixture of amazement and amusement as a monkey picks up the parcel and delivers it to the head of the blackmailers. He is even more amazed (and not amused) when he discovers the identity of the "brains" of the outfit. "Please Don't Feed the Animals" was written by Dennis Spooner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although Patrick Macnee was already comfortably installed as erudite, bowler-hatted British secret agent John Steed, the first season of The Avengers bore but scant resemblance to the later internationally popular version teaming Macnee with Diana Rigg and Linda Thorson. For one thing, the season's quota of 26 hour-long episodes were originally telecast live or on videotape rather than being filmed. For another, the series was shot in black-and-white rather than color, and its action was generally confined within the walls of the ITV sound stages. Also, Steed's partner in espionage was not an attractive young woman but instead a handsome young man, Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry) -- though Ingrid Hafner made sporadic appearances as operative Carol Wilson. Finally, during the first episode the characters played by Patrick Macnee and Ian Hendry were genuine "avengers," hoping to make a gang of drug dealers pay the ultimate price for the murder of Dr. Keel's fiancée -- after which, Keel agreed to team up with Steed to bring a wide variety of international criminals to heel, thus avenging the deaths of several more innocents. (In most of the later seasons, the series' title generally had nothing to do with the action.) Only one of the first nine "live" episodes of The Avengers is known to exist. Only one and a half of the remaining videotaped episodes survive on kinescope. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dr. Keel investigates the disappearance of one of his patients' husbands, a noted scientist working on a hush-hush government project. Suspecting that there's dirty work afoot, Steed convinces Keel to impersonate the missing scientist. Complicating matters is the fact that one of the villains' accomplices is an anesthetist at the hospital where an injured Keel is brought for treatment. Written by Terrence Feely, "Nightmare" was originally telecast live on January 28, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Posing as a crooked airline steward, Steed is able to join an international diamond smuggling ring. After arriving in New York, he is accused of killing a girl in a traffic accident and cannot account for his actions during the tragedy. Suspecting that Steed has been drugged, Keel investigates, thereby uncovering an insidious and wide-ranging blackmail scheme. Written by Max Marquis, "Diamond Cut Diamond" was originally telecast live on February 18, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally telecast January 7, 1961, this very first episode of The Avengers was one of the few that "justified" the series' title. When his fiancée is murdered by drug couriers, Dr. David Keel becomes frustrated by the police's inability to solve the case. Enlisting the aid of secret agent John Steed, who is likewise trailing the drug dealers, Dr. Keel lays a trap for the "brains" of the outfit, Ronnie Vance (Robert James). Kate Woodville, later the wife of series star Patrick Macnee, was seen as the murder victim. Scripted by Ray Rigby from a story by Patrick Brawn, "Hot Snow" was videotaped, like most of the first 78 episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Still on the trail of drug kingpin Ronnie Vance, Dr. Keel goes undercover to join Vance's gang at the suggestion of secret agent, John Steed. Threatened with death from a narcotics-laden hypodermic, Vance confesses to the murder of Keel's fiancée. Much to Steed's delight, Keel agrees to remain as his permanent partner. This episode introduced Ingrid Hafner in the semi-regular role of special agent Carol Wilson. Written by series stalwart Brian Clemens, "Brought to Book" was originally telecast January 14, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Suspecting that he has been slated for murder by his avaricious wife, Caribbean dictator General Mendoza fakes his own death. To keep his daughter Carmelite (Bandana Das Gupta) out of harm's way, Mendoza arranges for her to be kidnapped. Steed and Keel are brought into the case when Carmelite is kidnapped for real, and the motive behind it all turns out to be political rather than monetary. Originally telecast live on February 4, 1961, "Crescent Moon" was written by Geoffrey Bellman and John Whitney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A British secret service agent is killed near a nuclear submarine dry dock. Hoping to solve the murder, Steed poses as a metalurgist and heads to the shipyard himself. Here he comes face to face with his old enemy Kolchek (Peter Arne), whose plans go far beyond simple one-on-one murder. Nyree Dawn Porter, who according to several sources was the producer's original choice for Cathy Gale (the character played by Honor Blackman during The Avengers' second and third season), guest-starred as Liz Wells. Written by James Mitchell, "Death on the Slipway" was originally telecast June 24, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide