Terence Longdon Movies

Larry Doomer (Martin Shaw), ex-fiancee of New Avenger Purdey (Joanna Lumley), is determined to get even for the death of his father. To this end, Doomer has targetted an Arab diplomat for assassination. Unfortunately, Doomer's misguided missile will not only wipe out the diplomat, but all of the Parliament as well. Guest stars Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins) were later reteamed on the popular British action-adventure series The Professionals. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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, Rovi

In this murder mystery, a reporter finishes his foreign assignment and returns to England. There he learns that his brother, a student at Cambridge has killed himself--or so it seems. The reporter cannot accept that his brother would suicide and travels to Cambridge to look into it. He is assisted by Mary Johnson, whose father, a professor, has mysteriously vanished. Together they prove that his brother was indeed murdered. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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, Rovi

This 1959 version of Lew Wallace's best-selling novel, which had already seen screen versions in 1907 and 1926, went on to win 11 Academy Awards. Adapted by Karl Tunberg and a raft of uncredited writers including Gore Vidal and Maxwell Anderson, the film once more recounts the tale of Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), who lives in Judea with his family during the time that Jesus Christ was becoming known for his "radical" teachings. Ben-Hur's childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) is now an ambitious Roman tribune; when Ben-Hur refuses to help Messala round up local dissidents on behalf of the emperor, Messala pounces on the first opportunity to exact revenge on his onetime friend. Tried on a trumped-up charge of attempting to kill the provincial governor (whose head was accidentally hit by a falling tile), Ben-Hur is condemned to the Roman galleys, while his mother (Martha Scott) and sister (Cathy O'Donnell) are imprisoned. But during a sea battle, Ben-Hur saves the life of commander Quintus Arrius (Jack Hawkins), who, in gratitude, adopts Ben-Hur as his son and gives him full control over his stable of racing horses. Ben-Hur never gives up trying to find his family or exact revenge on Messala. At crucial junctures in his life, he also crosses the path of Jesus, and each time he benefits from it. The highlight of the film's 212 minutes is its now-legendary chariot race, staged largely by stunt expert Yakima Canutt. Ben-Hur's Oscar haul included Best Picture, Best Director for the legendary William Wyler, Best Actor for Heston, and Best Supporting Actor for Welsh actor Hugh Griffith as an Arab sheik. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Silent Enemy is based on Commander Crabb, a book by Marshall Pugh. This is the true story of young Lieutenant Crabb (Laurence Harvey), who in 1941 arrives in Gilbaltar to learn the rudiments of deep-sea diving. Crabb isn't interested in recreation, however; there's a war on, and it is common knowledge that a band of Italian frogmen have been sabotaging the British naval forces. Without official permission, Crabb and a band of hardy volunteers take on the task of scuttling the enemy's guerilla activities. Silent Enemy is at its best during its underwater sequences, in which both British and Italian frogmen deploy an astonishing variety of deep-sea weaponry. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

What if the Dauphin of France managed to escape the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution? That's the premise of the opulent British swashbuckler Dangerous Exile. Louis Jourdan stars as the Duc de Beauvais, who manages, at great personal sacrifice, to smuggle the son (Richard O'Sullivan) of King Louis XVI into England. The boy takes up residence in Wales, where he is protected by local lass Virginia Traill (Belinda Lee) and her wealthy Aunt Fell (Martita Hunt). When time comes for the boy to return to France, he refuses--but local newspaper editor Patient (Finlay Currie), a spy for the French revolutionaries, has other ideas. Keith Michell, future star of TV's Six Wives of Henry VIII, is well cast as a French Republican with whom the Duc de Beauvais must inevitably cross swords. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ribald music hall comedian Frankie Howerd stars in the British laughspinner Jumping for Joy. Set in the rarefied world of dog racing, the film stars Howerd as trackboy Willie, who is unceremoniously booted from his job. Teaming up with con artist Jack (Stanley Holloway), Willie decides to get even by raising his own greyhound racer. Unfortunately, the dog Willie and Jack purchase has one paw in the grave. As our heroes nurse the pooch back to health, they are forced to spend their spare time keeping a narcotics gang at bay. The delightful harmonica score in Jumping for Joy is provided by American expatriate Larry Adler. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Love, marriage and show business provide the basis of this lively comedy that centers on a husband and wife, who are chosen by television producers to embody the perfect married couple on an upcoming television series. The show is to be filmed and broadcast live from the home of Simon and Laura, who on camera are indeed the perfect couple. Unfortunately, the minute the camera is off, the two are going at it like cats and dogs. Still, their show is very popular, and many couples look up to them until the ill-fated shooting of a Christmas special in which the couple begin tippling alcoholic beverages during the filming and end up letting their true relationship come out. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Don't be misled by the title, and by the presence of Glynis Johns in the cast. The "Venus" in Appointment with Venus is a prized cow. The time is World War II: special operatives David Niven and Glynis Johns are dispatched to a Nazi-held island to rescue Venus, who for some reason or other is vital for British morale. Naturally, this isn't easy and leads to all sorts of complications. Released in the US as Island Rescue, Appointment with Venus was based on a novel by Jerrard Tickell. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi