David Jason Movies

"Stranger at the Gates" is a particularly frantic episode of the already hectic British TV sitcom The Darling Buds of May. Charley Charleton, erstwhile tax assessor and husband of rural lass Marette Larkin, is possessed with the old green-eyed monster. A handsome Danish stranger has come calling at the Larkin farm in Kent, charming every female within shouting distance. Pop Larkin, the devil-may-care patriarch of the Larkin clan, finds Charley's jealousy amusing-until he begins growing suspicious of his own wife. David Jason, Pam Ferris, Philip French and Catherine Zeta Jones, as ever, play the principal characters. Both Darling Buds of May and its Hollywood theatrical-feature predecessor The Mating Game were based on the novels by H. E. Bates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Larkins live on a ramshackle Kent farm where they live like pigs amidst assorted farm animals, drink like fish, and are happy as clams until the tax inspector comes to call. This British comedy chronicles what happens after that. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Completed in 1985, Rankin/Bass' feature-length cartoon version of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows had its network debut delayed several times; the film finally premiered on July 5, 1987. This adaption of the 1908 Grahame story was more faithful to the source that the enjoyable but overly slick 1949 Disney version Ichabod and Mr. Toad (ironically, the Rankin/Bass version was shown in the timeslot normally occupied by ABC's Disney Sunday Movie). This lighthearted tale of the foolish Mr. Toad and the attempts by his anthropomorphic-animal friends to keep Toad from making a fool of himself was wonderfully brought to life by the whimsically epicene voicework of Charles Nelson Reilly (as Toad), Roddy McDowall, Jose Ferrer and Eddie Bracken. The film's character design and background art brilliantly evoke the spirit of Kenneth Grahame's original illustrations. Since its initial telecast, Wind in the Willows has become a fixture of virtually every video rental store in the nation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season eight of Danger Mouse was the animated series' shortest to date, yielding only two half-hour episodes. In the first, "Gremlin Alert," resourceful secret agent Danger Mouse and his assistant Penfold face off against the dreaded Illogical Gremlin in order to save the planet's sunlight. And in the second, "'Cor! What a Picture," arch villain Baron Silas Greenback uses his mind-control machine to turn Penfold against Danger Mouse -- and there isn't anything that the Narrator can do about it! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having churned out an awesome 24 episodes for its sixth season, the satirical British animated series Danger Mouse cut back to a more manageable (and economical) six episodes for season seven. The opener is "Danger Mouse on the Orient Express," which, if you listen very closely, contains an unintentional reference to the yet-to-be-produced Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends." In "The Ultra Secret Secret," intrepid secret agent Danger Mouse reluctantly teams with his arch enemy Baron Greenback to save the world from alien invasion. Another Cosgrove-Hall cartoon creation is spotlighted in "Duckula Meets Frankenstoat," but Danger Mouse is in there somewhere. "Where There's a Well There's Away" features one of the hero's many set-tos with Merlin the Magician. In "All Fall Down," Danger Mouse must make the world shatterproof; and in "Turn of the Tide," a gravitational catastrophe forces Danger Mouse's assistant Penfold to invoke the names of Copernicus and Mr. Lar Busom (or as he puts it, "Copper Nickers and Large Bosom"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

For many aficionados of Kenneth Grahames' The Wind in the Willows, the definitive film version was seen in Disney's omnibus animated feature Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949). Even so, this 1983 British adaptation is every bit as accomplished and worthwhile as the Disney film. Consisting of three short stories, each lasting about 20 minutes, the film features most of Grahame's beloved anthropomorphic-animal characters, specifically Toad, Rat, Badger and Mole. The animation was accomplished with a stop-motion process, reminiscent of George Pal's Puppetoons. The Wind in the Willows was directed by Mark Hall, of Count Duckula and Danger Mouse fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The animated secret agent satire Danger Mouse enters its fourth season with nine new episodes, originally seen on British television in 1983. First up is "The Wild Wild Goose Chase," which allows the daring-and-resourceful Danger Mouse to utilize his new Computerized Hideout Locator. In "The Return of Count Duckula," Danger Mouse and his sidekick Penfold square off against another Cosgrove-Hall cartoon creation, while Parliament is hit with a bad case of showbiz fever. "Demons Aren't Dull" elucidates its title with a foray into the fourth dimension. "150 Million Years Lost" is the result of another misbegotten invention of dotty Professor Squakenduck. "The Planet of the Cats" is a takeoff of guess what. (Hint: "you blew it up, darn you to heck!") In "Four Heads Are Better Than Two," a robot Penfold causes trouble for Danger Mouse while a robot Danger Mouse causes trouble for Penfold. (Didn't The Flintstones do this one?) "Tower of Terror" takes place in a Manhattan skyscraper."The Great Bone Idol" chronicles the chaotic results of when Count Duckula joins forces with the evil Baron Silas Greenback. And Penfold unexpectedly saves the day in "Public Enemy No. 1." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season three of the animated British spy-spoof series Danger Mouse offers five new episodes starring the dauntless, eye-patched title character and his nervous assistant, Penfold the mole. The opener is "The Invasion of Colonel K," in which the evil Baron Greenback shrinks himself to do a Fantastic Voyage number on Danger Mouse's boss. Up next is "Danger Mouse Saves the World...Again," or the one with the floating signposts. "The Odd Ball Runaround" finds Danger Mouse and Penfold on a top secret mission in Australia (a good place for secrets, since no one goes there), Up next is the unbelievable "The Strange Case of the Ghost Bus." And last but not least, our hero prepares to go deep in the heart of Texas (clap-clap-clap-clap) during his "Trip to America." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide