Yootha Joyce Movies
- 1980
George and Mildred originated as a spin-off of the popular British sitcom Man About the House. Thus, the feature-length version of George and Mildred can be labelled a spin-off of a spin-off. Brian Murphy plays George, landlord of an apartment building chock-full of lechers and satyrs. Yootha Joyce (who died shortly before the release of this film) plays Mildred, George's sexless, humorless spouse. We must have a plot, so George finds himself mistaken for a notorious assassin. The American equivalent of George and Mildred was The Ropers....a spin-off of Three's Company....which was the American equivalent of Man About the House. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
When a development corporation attempts to buy the home of a woman, her college student resident assists her. ~ All Movie Guide
Roger Corman's New World Pictures took a stab at the tale of the nefarious real-life graverobbers -- and filled it with the studio's usual quota of nudity, softcore sex and tacky humor. The result is pretty much as one would expect -- nothing to rival the excellent Flesh and the Fiends, or even Tod Slaughter's campy The Greed of William Hart. Harry Andrews plays the unscrupulous Dr. Knox, who enlists the aid of grave-plundering dirtbags Derren Nesbitt and Glynn Edwards in obtaining fresh cadavers for the medical academy. When the demand increases and local cemeteries begin to run dry, the industrious pair turn to the living to keep the doctor supplied. This time out, Burke and Hare are particularly randy fellows, who spend more time carousing in Edinburgh whorehouses than stalking their prey. Despite the macabre subject matter, the producers opted for sexploitation over gruesome horror, but the end result is decidedly dull. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- R
Adapted by Roald Dahl from a novel by Joy Crowley, The Road Builder is better known by its American release title: The Night Digger. Patricia Neal, then Mrs. Dahl, stars as the repressed middle-aged adopted daughter of blind and elderly Pamela Brown. Both women are drawn to Nicholas Clay, a seriously disturbed young handyman whom they shield from the authorities. Neal and Brown are particularly fascinated by Clay's mysterious nocturnal forays. When Neal decides to offer herself sexually to Clay, she learns to her horror just why Clay spends so much time outdoors at night. An eerie Bernard Herrmann score enhances the stomach-churning tension. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patricia Neal, Pamela Brown, (more)
- 1971
Tom Bell plays a disgruntled young Brit who becomes bored by his job and his marriage. Bell impulsively launches an affair with 15-year-old actress Olivia Hussey. But fear not: this isn't going to be "The Joey Buttafuco Story". Rather, both Bell and Hussey are brought to their senses when she thinks she's pregnant. Judy Carne, at the tail end of her Laugh-In-generated fame, is adequate as Bell's loving wife. Director Gerry O'Hara based the screenplay for All the Right Noises on his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Bell, Olivia Hussey, (more)
- 1970
This chilling mystery begins when Lucy Dawson (Flora Robson) is found strangled in her apartment. Her nephew Tim (David Hemmings) is the former-drug-addict-turned-successful-author who wrote a book about his experiences. When Tim looks into his aunt's death, people give sketchy answers and the police offer little help. Apparently they think his pleas are simply a drug-addict's ravings. As he investigates he begins to find himself plagued by threatening phone calls, and his own paranoia. The pressure begins mounting until at last he suffers a complete breakdown. As a result, the murder is never solved. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hemmings, Gayle Hunnicutt, (more)
- 1967
Albert Finney both directs and stars in the "alienation" comedy-drama Charlie Bubbles. The eponymous Bubbles (Finney) is a trendy and fabulously wealthy novelist. Indulged at every turn, and able to indulge in his wildest fancies, Charlie is bored by his privileged existence. He staves off ennui by drinking and carousing with best-buddy Smokey Pickles (Colin Blakely) and by having a fling with his secretary Eliza (Liza Minnelli, in her screen debut). Billie Whitelaw delivers the film's best performance as Charlie's vitriolic wife. Directed in the "mod" fashion popular at the time, Charlie Bubbles sometimes resembles a music video without the music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Finney, Colin Blakely, (more)
- 1967
Dirk Bogarde is a no-good rotter who returns to his family after several years' absence. Only his seven children are present to greet Bogarde as he enters his shabby London home, and they're somewhat vague as to the whereabouts of the mother. What Bogarde doesn't know is that his wife had died some time ago. The kids (including future stars Pamela Franklin and Mark Lester) decided amongst themselves that they didn't want to be broken up and sent to orphanages; thus, they secretly buried their mother and went on about their business, pretending that mom was still alive. Money-hungry Bogarde threatens this cozy set-up, leaving the children little recourse but to prepare a second grave. Our Mother's House was based on a novel by Julian Gloag; one of the screenwriters was Haya Harareet, who eight years earlier had been Charlton Heston's leading lady in Ben-Hur (59). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dirk Bogarde, Margaret Brooks, (more)
- 1967
An apparent security leak takes on bizarre dimensions when the suspected traitors begin behaving like little children. It turns out that each of the persons involved apparently had the same nanny in childhood. With this clue in hand, Steed and Emma infiltrate a nanny training school, where they discover that the faculty is moonlighting in espionage. Written by Philip Levene, "Something Nasty in the Nursery" was first seen in England on April 22, 1967, and in America on May 5 of that year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Cop-Out is a distressingly "mod" remake of the 1941 French film Strangers in the House. Taking over the role originally played by Raimu, James Mason stars as a retired, scotch-swilling attorney residing in France. Mason disapproves of his daughter's (Geraldine Chaplin) new boy friend (Bobby Darin), but rises to the young man's defense in court when the boy is arrested on a suspicious murder charge. The casting of Chaplin and Darin was meant to "reach" the youth market, but both are way too old for their characters. Cop-Out would have worked better (especially with audiences of the 1990s) without its trendy camerawork and wearisome generation-gap propaganda. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Mason, Geraldine Chaplin, (more)
- 1966
A cardsharp comes up with the ultimate system for beating the casinos at their own game in this high-style caper comedy. Barney Lincoln (Warren Beatty) is a footloose playboy with a taste for gambling and an ingenious scheme for winning at the leading casinos in Europe. Barney discovers that nearly all of the major gambling houses use playing cards manufactured by the same company; by breaking into their plant and subtly altering the printing plates, he's able to mark the cards with a code only he can read, and he is soon pulling in record winnings across the continent. However, Barney's secret is discovered by his girlfriend Angel McGinnis (Suzannah York), a successful fashion designer, which might not be a problem if her father, "Manny" McGinnis (Clive Revill) weren't a top inspector at Scotland Yard. Manny approaches Barney and makes him a deal -- he won't reveal his secret about the cards if Barney will help him catch Harry Dominion (Eric Porter), a high-level international drug trafficker. Unfortunately, Barney's sleuthing goes awry after a certain amount of initial success, and when Harry gets wind of what he's been doing, he retaliates by kidnapping Angel and demanding repayment of his loss of sales. Jane Birkin makes her screen debut in this film, appropriately enough as a character named "Exquisite Thing." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Beatty, Susannah York, (more)
Adapted by Robert Bolt and Constance Willis from Bolt's hit stage play, A Man for All Seasons stars Paul Scofield, triumphantly repeating his stage role as Sir Thomas More. The crux of the film is the staunchly Catholic More's refusal to acknowledge King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw)'s break from the church to divorce his first wife and marry Anne Boleyn (an unbilled Vanessa Redgrave). Sir Thomas willingly goes to the chopping block rather than sacrifice his ideals. Director Fred Zinnemann retains the play's verbosity without sacrificing the film's strong sense of visuals. The impeccably chosen cast includes Wendy Hiller as Sir Thomas' likably contentious wife Alice, John Hurt as the deceitful Richard Rich (More's put-downs of this despicable character provide some of the film's biggest laughs), Orson Welles as a dour Cardinal Woolsey, Leo McKern as the ambitious Thomas Cromwell, and Susannah York as More's daughter Margaret. The "Common Man," an important bridging-the-scenes character in the original play, is removed from the film version, which does just fine without him. A Man for All Seasons won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, as well as seven British Film Academy awards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, (more)
This Hammer film production is a surprisingly frightening horror thriller and a hoot-fest for lovers of over-the-top acting. Young Pat Carroll (Stefanie Powers) goes to the home of her dead fiancé to meet his beloved mother, Mrs. Trefoile (Tallulah Bankhead). There, she discovers that Mrs. Trefoile is not the loving mother she had anticipated, but rather a grieving psychopath who blames Pat for the death of her son. Tallulah Bankhead, in her last film, has never been know for her subtle acting, but in this she lets go of all restraint and gives a performance equal to that of Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Her maniacal intensity is comic, camp, and surprisingly effective. Stefanie Powers, who underplays her role, is a great contrast as the puzzled and then terrified Pat. This movie is a must-see for all lovers of camp horror movies or fans of the memorable Tallulah Bankhead. Die! Die! My Darling! was also released as Fanatic. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tallulah Bankhead, Stefanie Powers, (more)
- 1965
At one time, The Dave Clark Five were considered the Beatles' key rivals in international pop stardom, and so, when the Fab Four made a smash at the box office with A Hard Day's Night, Mr. Clark and his partners followed with Catch Us If You Can (also known as Having A Wild Weekend). Dinah (Barbara Ferris) is a famous model and actress who is getting tired of life in the limelight and wants to take a break. While shooting a commercial spot for meat, she meets Steve (Dave Clark), a stuntman. Dinah and Steve hit it off and decide to head to an island to get away from it all (bringing along four of Steve's friends, Mike Smith, Lenny Davidson, Denis West Payton, and Rick Huxley, who -- surprise! -- play music with him). Before long, Dinah is reported missing and everyone is looking for her, making their getaway anything but tranquil. While A Hard Day's Night launched director Richard Lester into international success, Catch Us If You Can was the feature debut for John Boorman, who similarly went on to bigger and better projects. Songs featured include "I Can't Stand It," "Catch Us If You Can," and "Having A Wild Weekend." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave Clark, Barbara Ferris, (more)
- 1964
Anne Bancroft stars as a restless, twice-married British woman with six children, whose third husband is a fledgling screenwriter (Peter Finch). When success spins Finch's head around, he begins to dally with women other than his wife. Meanwhile, Bancroft is forced to stay home and play "domestic goddess", a role for which she is utterly unsuited. After suffering a nervous breakdown, Bancroft wanders the streets of London in a vain search for a sympathetic ear. She eventually comes to grips with the situation at hand--but as in most of playwright Harold Pinter's works, the characters of The Pumpkin Eater are just as unfulfilled in the last scene as they were in the first. Anne Bancroft won a Cannes Film Festival award for her performance in this film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Bancroft, Peter Finch, (more)
- 1963
This British comedy drama of the lower classes features actors with such thick cockney accents that some prints of the film were subtitled. James Booth stars as Charlie, a merchant seaman who returns home to the East End after two years to find that his wife Maggie (Barbara Windsor) has taken up with another man, a married bus driver named Bert (George Sewell). After taking his brother Fred (Roy Kinnear) hostage in a pub, Charlie gets a reunion with Maggie, who shows up pushing a pram. It seems she's given birth to a child, and the father's identity is uncertain. Charlie and Maggie reconcile, but not before a vicious row with Bert, who doesn't want to give up his girl. Windsor, a BAFTA Best Actress nominee for her role, also performed the film's title song. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Booth, Barbara Windsor, (more)
