Gertan Klauber Movies

Don't Panic Chaps! is one of the least distinguished films in a run of 1950s British comedies set during World War II. This time around, four subpar Brit soldiers are dropped off on an island in the Adriatic Sea, not far from Sicily, to establish a base for military observation. After some time goes by, it becomes woefully apparent that the submarine crew that was supposed to pick them up, forgot. They soon find that a small group of German soldiers are on the island in that very same situation, forgotten by the war. These two opposing units call a truce and all seems to go relatively well until an attractive young woman shows up on the island (Nadja Regin), setting the soldiers back into a competitive, hostile attitude. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a young man stands to inherit a vast fortune, but first he must spend a small fortune in two months. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Dirk Bogarde plays one of those "reluctant spies" so common to adventure films of the 1960s. A poverty-stricken author, Bogarde is sent to Czechoslovakia by the British government as an unofficial "goodwill ambassador" to an industrial firm. It soon dawns upon him that his real assignment is to gather facts for his government's secret service; unfortunately, neither Bogarde's bosses nor his adversaries let him in on just how much danger is involved. After an excellent--and quite funny--opening, the film bogs down into an uninspired James Bond parody (we should have been warned what was coming by the very first scene, in which Agent 007's file is marked "Deceased"). Also known as Agent 008 3/4, Agent 8 3/4 was originally screened in England as Hot Enough for June; the British version ran nearly twenty minutes longer than the American release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Britain's long-running (some would say interminable) series of "Carry On" comedies managed to satirize virtually every film genre ever conceived over three decades. Since espionage dramas were hot in 1964, it was inevitable that the unwary world would be treated to Carry on Spying. The "maguffin" in this yarn is the top-secret Formula X, which has been pilfered by that insidious organization S.T.E.N.C.H. (Society for Total Extinction of Non-Existent Humans). Enter the heroes, the men and women of British Operational Security--better known as B.O.S.H. The good guys are understaffed, thus novice agent Kenneth Williams is put in charge of smashing the evil machinations of Dr. Crow (Judith Furse) and The Fat Man (Eric Pohlmann). The level of wit in Carry on Spying is sustained by the character name of leading lady Barbara Windsor, who plays the delectable Daphne Honeybutt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The multi-million dollar film extravaganza Cleopatra was too convenient a target for Britain's "Carry On" funsters to ignore. The plot of Carry on Cleo, if one can discern a plot amidst the sight gags and outrageous puns, involves the attempts by a bungling slave (Kenneth Connor) to rescue Julius Caesar (Kenneth Williams) from assassination. Instigators of the plot are Cleopatra (Amanda Barrie) and Mark Anthony (Sidney James), who comport themselves like a couple of Liverpool pub owners. The best bit involves Mark Anthony's "beheading" of the legendary asp. Filmed on a tight 160,000 pound budget and utilizing leftover sets from the Taylor/Burton epic, Carry On Cleo's reputation rests chiefly on a legal brouhaha involving its advertising artwork, which was deliberately patterned after the ads for the "real" Cleopatra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John LeCarre's Call for the Dead was the basis for this gloomy, complex spy story. James Mason plays a British secret agent puzzled by the sudden suicide of Foreign Office higher-up Robert Flemyng. Mason had worked on Flemyng's security clearance himself, and can't fathom what personality quirk he might have missed. The agent suspects that the dead man's wife (Simone Signoret), a concentration camp survivor, may hold the answer to Flemyng's despair, but the Foreign Office wants Mason to drop the case. Mason hires retiring Inspector Harry Andrews to do some private detective work. What Mason and Andrews find out is more insidious than they've imagined; worse, Mason is saddled with a new dilemma--his wife (Harriet Andersson) has been unfaithful with a colleague (Maximillian Schell). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of the four-part story "The Macra Terror," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Polly (Annika Wills), and Jamie (Frazer Hines) are forced to work in the Macra salt mines. Here, the time travelers make a horrifying discovery: The crablike Macra intend to use a colony of earthlings as the main ingredient for a gas that is vital to the planet's survival. Written by Ian Stuart Black, "The Macra Terror, Episode 3" first aired on March 25, 1967. This episode apparently no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The TARDIS crew visits the earth colony on a faraway planet. At first, the colony appears to be a paradise, but the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) cannot help but notice that there is a rebel movement against the ruling class. He will soon learn the reason for this unrest, but not until this four-part adventure has reached the halfway mark. Written by Ian Stuart Black, the first episode of the four-part "The Macra Terror was first aired on March 11, 1967. Though none of the episodes are known to exist, Doctor Who aficionados have determined that this particular story arc introduced a new opening title sequence to the series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Regarded by many as the best-ever episode of The Prisoner, "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling" was written by Vincent Tilsley. Number Six awakens with the belief that he is actually another man -- to be exact, an Army colonel (Nigel Stock). Failing to recognize his own face in his own mirror, the confused protagonist also learns that "The Colonel" has been missing for a full year. The answer to the mystery rests in the hands of one Professor Seltzman (Hugh Schuster), the inventor of an insidious intellect-transfer machine. Clues essential to the action include a reference to Number Six's former fiancée, and an inventory of the former intelligence agent's code names. Also appearing are Zena Walker as Janet and Clifford Evans as the new Number Two. As originally conceived, "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling" was supposed to have been the series' ninth episode, but instead was rescheduled as episode 13 on British television, making its first appearance on January 7, 1968. When The Prisoner was rebroadcast in America on CBS, the intended episode chronology was restored, and "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling" was properly shown right after episode number eight ("Dance of the Dead") on August 3, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This romantic drama concerns two star-crossed lovers who are half-brother and sister to each other. Catherine (Anna Calder-Marshall) is the daughter of the lord of the manor who falls for the brooding stable boy Heathcliff (Timothy Dalton). When Heathcliff leaves to seek his fortune, he returns to find Catherine has married the local magistrate Edgar (Ian Ogilvy). The story is told by the beautiful blonde servant girl Nellie (Judy Cornwell), who narrates at the beginning to set the stage for the picture. Hindley (Julian Glover) is Catherine's older brother who tries to take over the house and land after the death of their father (Harry Andrews). When his own wife and child dies, a drunken Hindley gambles away the family holdings to the opportunistic Heathcliffe. Filmed in England, the scenery is spectacular but this version lacks the foreboding, shadowy drama of the 1939 original starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This bawdy entry in the long-running series of British "Carry On" comedies is set in the court of King Henry the VIII and centers on the gang's attempt to freshen up the odiferous Queen Marie and thereby save her head. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Zany British comedian Frankie Howerd, who'd previously laid waste to Ancient Rome in Up Pompeii, does same with World War II in Up the Front. Howerd plays a timorous servant who undergoes hypnosis. While thus entranced, he imagines himself a fearless warrior, and makes a beeline to the recruiting office. The laughs come fast and furious when Howerd finds himself the recipient of the enemy's war plans--tattooed on his tush. As was customary, Frankie Howerd took several opportunities in Up the Front to directly address the audience and crack wise about the situation at hand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This film brings more ribald nonsense from the British "Carry On" gang. This time the setting is the Spanish resort town of Elsbels. A group of stereotypical British tourists - led by courier Stuart Farquhar (Kenneth Williams) show up for a four-day weekend at a "luxury hotel." There are only two setbacks: the hotel doesn't seem to be finished yet...and it's raining through the roof. Oh, yes...all the staff members look suspiciously like the same person. Stalwart "Carry On" troupers Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor and Hattie Jacques are in attendance, while the toothsome Barbara Windsor shows up as "Miss Sadie Tompkins". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide