Simon Lack Movies

Beginning its four-episode run on November 25, 1978, "The Androids of Tara" was a follow-up to the previous Doctor Who adventure "The Stones of Blood." In search of the fourth segment of the Key to Time (which, when reassembled, will restore the balance between Good and Evil), the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) arrive on the arborial planet Tara, which still exists in the Middle Ages. In retrieving the fourth key, Romana has an easy time of it -- deceptively easy, as it turns out. "The Androids of Tara, Episode 1" was written by David Fisher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of the four-part story "The Androids of Tara," the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) have arrived on the planet Tara, where rests the fourth segment of the all-important Key to Time. Their mission is stymied by a power struggle between the evil Count Grendel of Gracht (Peter Jeffrey) and the soon-to-be-crowned Prince Reynart (Neville Jason). Series regular Mary Tamm not only essays the dual role of Romana and her Taran lookalike Princess Strella, but also both characters' android duplicates. Written by David Fisher, "The Androids of Tara, Episode 3" first aired on December 9, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The 60-minute All at Sea is a juvenile adventure set in Portugal and North Africa. A group of British schoolchildren takes a vacation to the above-mentioned exotic locales. While in Tangiers, they spot a master thief absconding with a rare painting. Using all the Little Rascals resources at their disposal, the kids bring the thief to justice. The cast of All at Sea is comprised mostly of unknowns and nonprofessionals, with the conspicuous exception of busy British character actor Peter Copley as "Mr. Gordon." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jackie (Margaret Brooks) is presented an African bush baby as a lovely parting gift from Tembo (Louis Gossett Jr.). She tries to board an outbound ship with her father and the annoying, squalling animal. Jackie jumps ship to plant the animal in a nearby tree, but the ship takes off and leaves her behind. She convinces the houseboy Tembo to search for a friend of her fathers, dragging him across the continent in her search. Tembo becomes a wanted man when a vicious ivory trader tells the police he has kidnapped Jackie. Soon the trader and the police hunt for Tembo, and the authorities would rather have him captured dead than alive to avoid political embarrassment. The duo must dodge the police, the ivory hunter and cannibals in this jungle adventure. Donald Huston and Laurence Naismith add to the feature with their portrayals of eccentric Englishmen. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Ramon (Francis DeWolff) is the Armenian merchant who lives in his mansion outside of London. He has augmented his income over the years by blackmailing his clients. Fearful of retribution, he installs a room in his mansion that is supposedly impenetrable, complete with a hotline to Scotland Yard in the event of a break-in. One by one, Ramon's friends and associates are murdered, as the trail of blood oozes closer to his door. Scotland Yard sends out special agent Meredith (Bernard Lee) at the request of the local police commissioner (A.J. Brown) after the local lawmen are baffled. Meredith must apprehend the killer before he can strike again in this suspenseful crime mystery taken from the novel by Edgar Wallace. This feature first appeared in 1960. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

The Longest Day is a mammoth, all-star re-creation of the D-Day invasion, personally orchestrated by Darryl F. Zanuck. Whenever possible, the original locations were utilized, and an all-star international cast impersonates the people involved, from high-ranking officials to ordinary GIs. Each actor speaks in his or her native language with subtitles translating for the benefit of the audience (alternate "takes" were made of each scene with the foreign actors speaking English, but these were seen only during the first network telecast of the film in 1972). The stars are listed alphabetically, with the exception of John Wayne, who as Lt. Colonel Vandervoort gets separate billing. Others in the huge cast include Eddie Albert, Jean-Louis Barrault, Richard Burton, Red Buttons, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Gert Frobe, Curt Jurgens, Peter Lawford, Robert Mitchum, Kenneth More, Edmond O'Brien, Robert Ryan, Jean Servais, Rod Steiger and Robert Wagner. Paul Anka, who wrote the film's title song, shows up as an Army private. Scenes include the Allies parachuting into Ste. Mere Englise, where the paratroopers were mowed down by German bullets; a real-life sequence wherein the German and Allied troops unwittingly march side by side in the dark of night; and a spectacular three-minute overhead shot of the troops fighting and dying in the streets of Quistreham. The last major black-and-white road-show attraction, The Longest Day made millions, enough to recoup some of the cost of 20th Century Fox's concurrently produced Cleopatra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Alfred Lynch and Sean Connery star as a pair of klutzy RAF members, during World War II, who are more interested in running petty confidence scams that toting rifles. Though they doggedly avoid extra effort of any kind, Pope (Lynch) and Pascoe (Connery) are sent on a top-secret mission. The more the duo screws up, the more they succeed in pulling off their assignment, and through no real input of their own they become heroes. On the Fiddle more closely resembled an American service comedy than a British film, thus it was logical that its U.S. title was Operation SNAFU. During the James Bond craze, the film was retitled Operation Warhead and Sean Connery's participation was played up in the ads -- complete with the anachronistic inclusion of bikini-clad starlets! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Breaking with their usual videotape tradition, the producers of NBC television's Hallmark Hall of Fame decided to commit its 1960 production of Macbeth to film. Maurice Evans stars as the fatally ambitious Scots warrior, with Judith Anderson as Lady MacBeth and Malcolm Keen as Duncan, whom MacBeth murders in order to further his own advancement. The production was a restaging of Hall of Fame's live presentation of the play, which was telecast in 1954. So impressed were Shakespeare scholars by Evans' interpretation of Macbeth that few complaints were made about the rather ruthless cutting of the Shakespearean text. This George Schafer-directed Macbeth was eventually released theatrically in Europe, its running time expanded by outtakes and newly filmed footage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In one of his rare visits to his home turf, British actor David Niven essayed the title role in Bonnie Prince Charlie. The film's principal challenge was to transform 18th-century Scottish Prince Charles into a sympathetic character, which, patriotism aside, he most decidedly was not in real life. The court-intrigue scenes are the weakest aspect of the film; the strongest moments take place on the battlefield, where Charles "the pretender" and his followers face down the battalions of King George II (Martin Miller). Even in defeat, Charles is the victor, successfully eluding his British pursuers and escaping to France. Filmed in Technicolor at a cost of $4 million, Bonnie Prince Charlie fell with a thud when it premiered at a kidney-busting 140 minutes. Subsequent reissues were cut by as many as 40 minutes, and some were economically reprocessed in black-and-white. Thanks to constant exposure on American television, this notorious flop finally posted a profit in the late 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Proud Valley was directed by Pen Tennyson, whose early death in WW2 robbed the British movie industry of one of its more talented contributors. African American singing star Paul Robeson heads the cast as David, a black stoker seeaking work in the coal mines of Wales. He finds an ally in the form of miner Dick Parry (Edward Chapman), who is less interested in David's capacity for work than he is in the newcomer's robust baritone. It seems that Parry is in charge of the local miner's choir, and he hopes to win the national singing meet on the strength of David's vocal chords. An unexpected disaster not only puts an end to this dream, but also threatens to financially wipe out Parry, his family and all his friends. It is David who comes to everyone's rescue with a spectacular, near-messianic act of self-sacrifice. Though it seems somewhat flat when seen today, Proud Valley is enervated by the commanding presence of Paul Robeson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A mischievous urchin enlists the aide of his buddies to help get his father elected to the city council. Unfortunately, the children find themselves accidently involved in helping two jewel thieves escape. They feel bad about this, and so, to redeem themselves, begin investigating a rival candidates illegal conspiracy. Their involvement causes the boy's father to win the election. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide