Sarah Lawson Movies

The title character in this three-part British miniseries was handsome tennis player Lysander Hawkley, played by Stephen Billington. Lysander regarded it as his mission in life to "repair" the marriages of unhappy wealthy couples. To do this, of course, it was necessary to romance the wives in question so as to arouse the latent jealousy of the husbands -- who, as it generally turned out, were even less faithful than their drifting spouses. Adapted from a novel by Jilly Cooper, The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous was presented by Anglia Television in 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This two-part British miniseries was motivated by the disappearance of a private detective, played by Michael Carter. Conducting their separate investigations, a fortyish housewife (Brenda Fricker) and a young female cop (Josette Simon) discovered that the missing private eye was married -- to both of them! Rather than enter into a mutual-recrimination session, the two jilted ladies teamed up to take over their mutual hubby's detective agency. Seekers was shown by Central Television in 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jackie Collins wrote the best-selling novel The Stud. Her sister Joan Collins starred in the 1978 film version of The Stud. The producer on the film was Joan Collins' then-husband Ron Kass. Need we say more? Well, there is a plot, involving the insatiable Joan's sexual hold over a handsome nightclub manager Oliver Tobias. And there was a sequel, also written by Jackie and starring Joan, titled The Bitch. Need we say more now? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

James Bond-flick director Guy Hamilton helmed this episodic, all-star World War II film. With Sir Laurence Olivier heading up an ensemble cast as flight commander Sir Hugh Dowdling, The Battle of Britain pays tribute to other nationalities instrumental in fending off the waves of Luftwaffe planes, notably the expatriate Polish and Czech pilots. Trevor Howard, Michael Caine, and Michael Redgrave also populate the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, based on an Edgar Wallace story, a thief is doing time in prison after a major heist goes awry. Meanwhile, the ringleader, wanting to know where the thief stashed the loot, conspires to spring him. Unfortunately, the thief refuses to be sprung until the mastermind abducts his girl. He then agrees, but then both are captured en route to the loot. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Steed and Emma investigate when several top executives are murdered, and their secretaries are given major promotions. The cause of it all is an aggressively anti-male band of secretaries, led by a puppet named Henrietta. To flush out the villainesses, Steed poses as a big businessman, while Emma pretends to be. . .guess what? Written by Brian Clemens, "How to Succeed. . .at Murder" was originally telecast in England on March 19, 1966, then showed up on American television June 13, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this British crime drama, two thieves, desiring to rob a factory, hold the owners wife and child hostage while the deed is done. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A cynical wounded war hero becomes the athletic director at a boys' camp. The lively children brighten his days and make him more optimistic about life. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide

In this mystery, a famous model marries an agrarian who had been acquitted for killing his first wife. After the nuptials, she begins to wonder if he is as innocent as he claims to be. She becomes doubly suspicious when her life seems endangered. Three other people are suspected of the threats: the man's daughter, his first wife's love, and the town veterinarian. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Trollenberg Terror was a six-part serial shown on Saturday Serial, on Britain's ITV Network in 1956. Written by Peter Key and directed by Quentin Lawrence, it offers a plot mixing mystery, grisly murder, and science fiction, along lines somewhat similar to Nigel Kneale's immensely successful BBC serial The Quatermass Experiment (1953). The story is set in a small village in the Austrian Alps, where a series of horrible deaths has taken place, their bodies mutilated and all of them involving mountaineers who have gone above a certain level on this one peak called the Trollenberg. At first, these seem like unfortunate accidents, but there also seems to be a tie-in with a pair of sisters (Sarah Lawson, Rosemary Miller), one of whom is drawn to the site of the deaths. An investigation by reporter Philip Truscott (Lawrence Payne) and Professor Crevet (Ray De La Torre determines that the deaths are the result of an alien invasion that has taken place on the upper reaches of the Trollenberg, by an extraterrestrial race called the Ixodes. And they are preparing to move down the mountain, to warmer, more densely populated areas. The television version of The Trollenberg Terror was so successful, that it was licensed in 1957 by Eros, a low-budget British studio, and made into a feature film of the same name (U.S. title: The Crawling Eye), also directed by Lawrence and starring Payne, with American actor Forrest Tucker moved into the lead role. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

The British-filmed The Blue Peter was released in the US under the title Navy Heroes. This was an oblique reference to the protagonist, a wartime hero played by Kieron Moore. Disoriented and aimless after the war, Moore accepts a job as a physical trainer at a school for boys. In helping these kids find their proper niche in society, Moore helps himself to find his own ultimate purpose in life. Filmed in color, The Blue Peter scores best in its exterior scenes, wherein we see the salutary results of Moore's tough but compassionate training methods. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While off on a drunken toot, three British naval officers attach an old baby carriage and a pawnbroker's sign to the stern of a foreign naval vessel. The next morning, a zealous officer spots the curious appendage and comes to the conclusion that the "pram" and sign are actually part of a sophisticated, top-secret radar device. Instantly, the British navy brass demands that their ships be outfitted with the same device -- and so it goes, with one bureaucratic misunderstanding after another snowballing into a major "international incident." You Know What Sailors Are top-bills Akim Tamiroff as the president of a mythical Foreign country, but the film belongs to Donald Sinden as the well-meaning young officer who precipitates the whole affair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The always welcome Greta Gynt plays a mystery writer in Three Steps in the Dark. Greta's uncle, millionaire Nicholas Hannen, calls his heirs together to announce a change in his will. Someone isn't pleased with this codocil, and Hannen is promptly done away with. Herself a suspect, Greta circumvents the cops to solve the mystery herself. With only 60 minutes at its disposal, this British meller dispenses with such inconsequentials as characterization and logic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide