Harold Kasket Movies
British actor Harold Kasket usually portrayed Arabs and other ethnic roles in films, stage and television. Born and raised in London, he got his start working as a comic impressionist. He began his film career in 1947. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1985
Filmed in Tunisia on a budget of 30 million dollars, the five-part, 12-hour miniseries A.D. was the final installment in a historical trilogy which included Moses the Lawgiver and Jesus of Nazareth. Covering the years 30 to 69 A.D., the teleplay, co-written by Anthony Burgess, chronicled the political intrigue which plagued the Roman Empire, with such key players as the emperors Tiberius (James Mason in his final role), Caligula (John McEnery), Claudius (Richard Kiley), and Nero (Anthony Andrews) calling the shots. Meanwhile, the death of Jesus Christ (played by Michael Wilding, son of Elizabeth Taylor) not only sparked a widespread monotheistic religious movement, but also resulted in devastating factionalism amongst the various Jewish sects of the era. Offsetting the true events are a number of fictional subplots, among them the romance between Jewish slave girl Sarah (Amanda Pays) and Roman soldier Valerius (Neil Dickson), and the tempestuous relationship between male and female gladiators, Caleb (Cecil Humphreys) and Corinna (Diana Venora). The huge cast included Ava Gardner, making her TV-movie debut as the scheming Agrippina. The winner of an Emmy award for Best Film Editing, A.D. was broadcast by NBC from March 31 through April 4, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Andrews, Colleen Dewhurst, (more)
Curse of the Pink Panther was released just after Trail of the Pink Panther with a script that has someone looking for the inept Inspector Clousseau and the fabulous stolen Pink Panther diamond at the same time. In Curse, Clifton Sleigh (Ted Wass) is a New York retread of the bumbling Inspector, chosen to look for him by Clousseau's former boss because Sleigh most certainly will never find him. Although peppered with a few inventive stunts, Curse still falls short of the Sellers classics. In a bizarre side note, David Niven was himself terminally ill at the time of his appearance in Trail of the Pink Panther and unable to speak adequately. His voice was dubbed in by impressionist Rich Little. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Wass, David Niven, (more)
- 1982
- PG
Two years after the death of Peter Sellers, Blake Edwards tried to exhume his corpse in this pastiche of clips and out-takes from the old Pink Panther films. The plot concerns the legendary "Pink Panther" diamond which is once more stolen. Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) is again enlisted to find the stolen bauble. When he follows the trail of the diamond to another country, he leaves on an airplane that is soon reported missing. Television reporter Marie Jouvet (Joanna Lumley) then sets out to interview old acquaintances and associates of Clouseau, including Lady Litton (Capucine), Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) and Sir Charles Litton (David Niven), who recall their experiences with the bumbling inspector. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Sellers, David Niven, (more)
- 1969
Jack Sheppard (Tommy Steele) is the locksmith's apprentice who is forced into highway robbery when he is betrayed by Jonathan Wild (Stanley Baker). Jack runs for his life and takes to a life of crime. He is captured but breaks out of jail, quickly becoming the subject of lore, legend and song. The arrogant and popular Jack ends up heading for the gallows after taunting the King, the Lord Chancellor and a harridan aristocratic dowager. Wild tries to track down the elusive robber and collect on the reward like he has done so many times before in this dramatic adventure biography. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Steele, Stanley Baker, (more)
- 1966
An expert in ancient hieroglyphics unexpectedly finds himself involved in a web of international intrigue in this chic, enjoyably tongue-in-cheek espionage adventure. Gregory Peck stars as David Pollock, an American professor whose predictable academic routine is overturned when he is hired to help translate a mysterious message written in an obscure ancient text. The real trouble begins, however, when everyone from a wealthy oil magnate to a foreign government to brutal criminals starts to chase Pollock, desperate to discover the nature of the deciphered message. Along for the ride is Yasmin Azir (Sophia Loren), the gorgeous lover of Pollock's employers, whose loyalties are questionable, to say the least. The tangled narrative proves less important than the film's stylish surface, from the colorful London locations to the Henry Mancini score. Certain touches date the film, like a brief foray into psychedelia, but the modish visuals are generally an appropriate match to the insouciant tone. Not taking itself seriously enough to be truly thrilling, Arabesque nevertheless stands as a witty, well-made example of a particular breed of airy, intentionally superficial comic adventure. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregory Peck, Sophia Loren, (more)
- 1965
The sagacious Oriental Interpol agent leaves his Hawaiian home to crack a case in London involving the evil Dargo, an ex-Nazi. During a skirmish between them, Dargo believes that he has killed Moto. Unfortunately for the villain it is not so and Moto stops the crook from getting his syndicate control over the world's oil supplies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
This drama follows the nine hours that came before the assassination of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi by a Hindu radical. Naturam Godse (Horst Buchholz), a Brahmin who was rejected for service in the British Army and is horrified by the fighting between Moslem and Hindu fanatics, comes to the conclusion that the only solution to the civil unrest is to kill Gandhi (J.S. Casshyap), believing that the leader's philosophy of non-violence has only fanned the flames of unrest. In love with a married woman, Rani Mahta (Valerie Gearon), Godse spends a guilty afternoon with her as he flashes back on his life of violence and mistreatment; he also pays a call to Sheila (Diane Baker), a prostitute. Meanwhile, as civil unrest flares around him, Ghandi goes about his daily rounds, despite warnings from police chief Gopal Das (Jose Ferrer) that his life is in danger. J.S. Casshyap was a 64-year-old teacher and author before being cast as Gandhi in this, his first film role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Horst Buchholz, José Ferrer, (more)
- 1962
When a traveling salesman arrives to hawk his wares in an economically depressed Italian village, the last thing he expects is to be assailed by the most beautiful single girls in town, but that is exactly what happens. The reason for it stems from the fact that all but one of the town's eligible bachelors have left to find work. The only available man left is a wealthy emigrant. He is looking for a wife and the impoverished parents of the daughters push their children to compete for his love. This creates considerable conflict until the village elders step in and decide that the rich man's bride will be selected by the first outsider to enter the village. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Sykes, Scilla Gabel, (more)
- 1961
After a town in Asia Minor is reduced to rubble by an earthquake, an American named Hadley (Peter Dyneley) volunteers to help locate the injured survivors. Also pitching in to help is a mysterious stranger, who after rescuing seven people from certain death perishes himself. When the fingerprints of the unknown Good Samaritan are taken and matched with police records, the authorities are in for quite a shock. This is the first of several One Step Beyond episodes filmed in England. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
A young Susannah York had her first lead role in this drama about a teenage girl on the cusp of womanhood. When her mother falls ill during a vacation in the French wine country, 16-year-old Joss Grey (York) is left to her own devices as she and her three younger siblings are left in the reluctant care of Madame Zisi (Danielle Darrieux), the proprietor of the hotel where they were staying. Eliot (Kenneth More), Zisi's strapping boyfriend, offers to show the youngsters some of the sights in the countryside, and Joss finds herself developing a strong infatuation with the older man. However, when she realizes that Eliot and Zisi are lovers, she becomes despondent and ends up getting drunk on wine with Paul (David Saire), a boy who works in the kitchen at Zisi's hotel. When Joss learns that Eliot is actually a jewel thief wanted by the law, she informs the police of his whereabouts. However, that same night, Paul's efforts to seduce Joss degenerate into a violent attempt at rape, but when Eliot hears her screams for help, he comes to Joss' rescue. Having spared her virtue and perhaps her life, Joss confesses to Eliot that she has turned him in to the police, and urges him to flee for his own safety. One of Joss' sisters is played by Jane Asher, a distinguished actress who was most famous in the United States not for her abilities as a performer, but for spending several years as Paul McCartney's girlfriend. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth More, Danielle Darrieux, (more)
- 1961
Based on an Edgar Wallace mystery, this suspenseful drama centers on an attorney who is determined to prove that his client is not a murderous burglar. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Vivien Leigh plays Karen Stone, a middle-aged actress whose career is in a tailspin. To assuage her hurt feelings, Karen goes on a vacation to Rome with her husband, who dies en route. Her best friend (Coral Browne) compassionately arranges for a young Italian escort (read: gigolo) to keep Karen from wallowing in her grief in Rome. The man hired for the task is sneering, contemptuous Pablo di Leo, played by Warren Beatty. Despite Pablo's rude behavior, the lonely Karen throws herself at him, showering him with expensive gifts and demanding his undivided attention. This being an adaptation of a Tennessee Williams novel, Blanche Dubois --er, Karen Stone must pay the piper for her eleventh-hour surfeit of passion; she is dispensed with by an "Angel of Death" in the form of psycho Jeremy Spencer. More operatic than dramatic, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone represents the only feature-film directorial effort of experimental-theatre maven Jose Quintero; his assistant was future Bullitt helmer Peter Yates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vivien Leigh, Warren Beatty, (more)
- 1961
In this fast-paced actioner, an aging race-car driver finds that he is losing his competitive edge. He tries racing under the sponsorship of an American tire company. He soon falls in love with the sponsor's daughter who pleads with him to stop driving. Adding more pressure to the man's life is his younger brother who swore to his mother that he would not drive until his older brother retires. The older brother still wants to prove himself, and so enters a 1,000-mile Italian race. When his mechanic-navigator is killed, the aging driver quits and the younger brother finally gets to drive. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Travers, Ed Begley, Sr., (more)
- 1961
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
- 1961
In another standard British comedy of the absurd with the usual eccentric characters who play off each other like tennis pros on a court, A Weekend with Lulu centers on the misadventures of the occupants of an ice cream truck and its rundown trailer. Because of a mix-up, the four inside the truck -- two men at odds with each other, a harridan, and her voluptuous daughter -- do not end up at the seashore as they planned. Instead, they are rattling merrily through France, chased by a wild variety of irate groups -- racing cyclists, rogues, and distraught police. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Monkhouse, Leslie Phillips, (more)
- 1960
This zany film marks the screen debut of Britain's popular comedy troupe, The Crazy Gang. The story begins as the gang are busy sweeping up for the almost bankrupt circus they work for. The owner of a rival carnival endeavors to put them out of business for good. The Crazies manage to foil his evil scheme after they find a magical oil lamp containing a helpful genie. Along the way, the troupe performs a variety of specialty acts including a comic trapeze act, juggling, magic, cornball jokes, and songs, which include: "Life is a Circus", "For You, For You", and "Underneath the Arches". ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Flanagan, Teddy Knox, (more)
- 1960
In this comedy set in Spain, Paco (Maurice Reyna) is a young boy with a part-time job as a messenger at a local bank. Paco's father drives a taxicab but has fallen deep into debt, and he loses his hack when he's unable to pay a mechanic for needed repairs. All day long, Paco hears about people getting loans from the bank to pay their bills, and, unaware of the way these things work, he "borrows" one million pesetas from the till to help his father along. It doesn't take long for someone to notice the money is missing, and not only is the bank eager to get it back, a group of local mobsters are after Paco's new fortune as well. A number of cleverly designed chase sequences enliven the second half of this story, which was shot on location in Valencia, Spain. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virgilio Teixeira, Maurice Reyna, (more)
- 1960
Five passengers on a seaplane find that a crash has stranded them on an island used for nuclear testing in this disaster movie. Just to get to the island, they had to endure many hardships including a hurricane, a gun-battle, shark-infested seas, and a fire on the plane. Panic ensues when the diverse group learns that in five hours, another bomb will be tested there. While the story is action-based, most of the time is spent looking at the individual characters and the way they cope. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Attenborough, Anna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)
- 1960
In this British comedy set in Saudi Arabia, a gentle British travel-agency clerk decides that it would be a smashing idea to open up a desert resort in Arabia. He heads to the desert and immediately finds himself on the bad side of a local sheik as the fellow tries to build his resort atop oil-rich land. A war erupts between rival desert bands as they vie for the rights to the oil, but it is the travel agent who wins out in the end. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Drake, Peter Arne, (more)
- 1960
In this lightweight 1960 musical comedy, rock singer Tommy Steele plays Tommy Tomkins, a British sailor. Steele was popular in England during the time this film was released, and the movie is mainly a showcase for its star's musical talents, with songs including the title tune and others such as Little White Bull. After a few misadventures, Tomkins and his girlfriend Amanda (Janet Munro) find themselves in Spain. There, they meet up with a renowned bullfighter. When the bullfighter is set up by a bunch of smugglers to take the rap for their crimes, Tomkins must step in and replace the bullfighter for one long, awful day. He hopes to win his fortune as the stand-in matador, free the real bullfighter, and get back to England. But the bulls have other ideas. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Steele, Janet Munro, (more)
- 1959
A musical and comedic bit of fluff without any other pretensions, The Lady Is a Square plays off the popularity of Frankie Vaughan to help carry the story as Johnny Burns, a young man with a passion for pop music. He insinuates his way into the home of the widowed Frances Baring (Anna Neagle) by pretending to be a piano tuner, in reality, he has fallen for her daughter Joanna (Janette Scott). He soon learns that the widow, dedicated to promoting a series of classical music concerts, has no cash. More than willing to help out, he takes on the job of butler and then sets his sights on getting his own hit recording out. In spite of the widow's aversion to pop music, and her aversion to his interest in her daughter, Johnny keeps at his goal of stardom. Notable in this stock storyline is the character of Johnny's brash manager, played by up-and-coming Anthony Newley, about to make it big with Stop the World - I Want to Get Off. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Neagle, Frankie Vaughan, (more)
- 1959
Director Gordon Parry's last two films were the 1959 Friends and Neighbors and this so-so, slapstick comedy about a zany naval base on an island just off the southern coast of Britain. Not having a whole lot to do, the klutzy commander (Cecil Parker), a womanizing second officer (Leslie Phillips) and just about everyone else are making money by smuggling and other sub rosa, shady activities. When this motley crew gets word that the powers-that-be want to shut down the base and transfer them to other posts, they start to invent all the reasons they can for remaining where they are. They get deeper and deeper into their deceptions until they are ready to stage a fake revolution with the collusion of the civilian islanders. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cecil Parker, Ronald Shiner, (more)
- 1959
An uneven, bland tale of escape and capture on the River Rhine, Whirlpool features Juliette Greco as Lora, the girlfriend of a petty criminal. She wants to leave him but does not make the desperate effort leaving requires, until after he shoots a policeman. Then she escapes him by boarding a German tanker. Her obvious charms captivate the captain (O.W. Fischer), his First Mate, and another deck hand, but after her last experience she shuns all of them. Trouble brews as one of the wives on board is overcome with jealousy, and worse yet, as Lora's old boyfriend, now on the run from the police, decides to join her on the tanker. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Juliette Greco, O.W. Fischer, (more)
The economy of the teeny-tiny European duchy of Grand Fenwick is threatened when an American manufacturer comes up with an imitation of Fenwick's sole export, its fabled wine. Crafty prime minister Count Mountjoy (Peter Sellers) comes up with a plan: Grand Fenwick will declare war on the United States. Grand Duchess Gloriana (Peter Sellers again) is hesitant: how can meek little Grand Fenwick win such a conflict? Mountjoy explains that the plan is to lose the war, then rely upon American foreign aid to replenish Grand Fenwick's treasury. Bumbling military officer Tully Bascombe (Peter Sellers yet again) leads his country's ragtag army into battle. They cross the Atlantic in an ancient wooden vessel, then set foot on Manhattan Island, fully prepared to down weapons and surrender. But New York City is deserted, due to an air raid drill. While wandering around, Sellers comes upon atomic scientist David Kossoff and the scientist's pretty daughter Jean Seberg. Kossoff has been working on the deadly "Q Bomb," a football-sized weapon with the destructive capacity of a hundred hydrogen bombs. Suddenly seized with patriotic fervor, Tully captures Kossoff, his daughter and the bomb and brings them all back to Grand Fenwick. Tully has "won" the war-precisely what he'd been told not to do. The upshot of this "victory" is that every world power converges upon Grand Fenwick to claim the Q Bomb for themselves. The satire is heavy-handed at times, but The Mouse That Roared contains several unforgettably hilarious moments, including one startling "false ending." One of the best gags involves the Columbia Pictures logo--a bit frequently cut from TV showings, worse luck. Based on one of the many "Grand Fenwick" novels by Leonard Wibberly, The Mouse That Roared was a success, yielding a Peter Sellers-less sequel, 1963's Mouse on the Moon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Sellers, Jean Seberg, (more)
- 1959
Herbert Wilcox wrapped up his long and prestigious film career as the director of Heart of a Man, which was produced by Wilcox' actress wife Anna Neagle. British teen idol Frankie Vaughn plays a sailor with a penchant for bursting into song. Vaughn has no intention of making a living as a vocalist, but a chance meeting with a whimsical hobo, coupled with a deepening relationship with nightclub thrush Anne Heywood, convinces Vaughn to go for the gold in the music world. In addition to enhancing the already successful career of Frankie Vaughn, Heart of a Man also gave a big boost to Anthony Newley, who popped up in a comic supporting role. As for producer Anna Neagle, this was the second and last of her Frankie Vaughn vehicles; after appearing in one more film (The Lady is a Square [59]) she followed her husband's lead and gracefully exited the British film industry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Vaughan, Anne Heywood, (more)
