Jean Lodge Movies
- 1965
Britain's Merton Park Productions briefly put its Edgar Wallace series on the back burner for the 1965 sci-fier Invasion. Per its title, the film involves a massive invasion of earth by extraterrestrials. Keeping within its tight budget, the film depicts only a handful of the invaders, who are fended off by the staff of a small hospital. Head doctor Edward Judd, who is caring for an imprisoned alien, decides to protect his patient from the invaders, who plan to kill the prisoner before he can betray them. Armed with little more than his wits, Judd saves himself and his charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Lion hunters beware! Chief M'Gobo is watching and waiting to throw a deadly voodoo curse upon anyone who harms his sacred cats. Don't believe us? Just watch what happens to a thoughtless British big game hunter in this horror outing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Price, Lisa Daniely, (more)
- 1964
Though based on two Edgar Allen Poe stories, Masque of the Red Death relies more upon its mood and atmosphere than its story values for its success. During a devastating 12th-century plague called "The Red Death," the decadent, devil-worshipping Prince Prospero (Vincent Price) holds court over a bizarre masked ball. Already established as a sadistic torturer, Prospero insists that his "guests" indulge in numerous depraved games, most of them ending with someone's death. Only two innocents are permitted to escape intact, but they go through the torments of the Damned to do so. Hazel Court is on hand as a Satanist who brands her breast for Price's bored amusement, while Patrick Magee is horribly burned to death by "Hop Frog" (Skip Martin), Price's demonic flunkey. The literally diabolical performance of Vincent Price is superbly complemented throughout by the crimson-dominated cinematography of Nicholas Roeg. Unlike many of Roger Corman's economical Price/Poe projects, The Masque of the Red Death boasts a generous budget, which the canny filmmaker exploits to the utmost. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Hazel Court, (more)
- 1963
In this thriller, an orphan with ESP is engaged to help solve the abduction of a wealthy Englishwoman by her aunt. The rich woman's brother and the local cabbie believe in the girl's mysterious talent. They are terrified that she will lead the authorities to the woman's corpse. The brother stops the girl, then pays off the cabbie for the murder. Unfortunately, the police witness the pay-off. A high-speed chase ensues and the avaricious brother crashes his car. He then confesses. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Another of the long-running Merton Park "Edgar Wallace" series, the plot of the British Accidental Death is motivated by revenge. Someone wants to kill the male "protector" of toothsome Jacqueline Ellis in retribution for crimes against society committed during the war. Director George Nethercott stages the film from the mysterious murderer's point of view, allowing us to follow each step of his (or her?) meticulously plotted scheme. The crime is staged to look like an accident, but the truth will come out, as it always does. Accidental Death was based on Edgar Wallace's story "Jack O' Judgement." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Although released in the United States as a 63-minute black-and-white film, this 93-minute British swashbuckler from the producer/directors of Jack the Ripper is actually a lush color spectacle which looks like one of the Hammer Films adventures of the time, even though it was produced by New World. The similarities are not only cosmetic, however, as the film was co-written by Hammer stalwart Jimmy Sangster and co-stars studio regulars Peter Cushing, Miles Malleson, the dwarf Skip Martin, and Adrienne Corri (the future Clockwork Orange starlet who has a discreet nude scene here with German actress Kai Fischer). The ridiculous story concerns Jason, the young son of the notoriously decadent pervert Lord Netherton (Andrew Faulds), leader of London's infamous sex den, the Hellfire Club. Jason's mother (Jean Lodge) flees with the child after he is viciously whipped for walking in on one of his father's orgies. Many years later, his parents have died and Jason (Keith Michell) has become a Dutch circus acrobat, but decides to return to England to claim the ancestral mansion which is rightfully his. Posing as a coachman to his evil, perverse cousin Thomas (Peter Arne), whose oversight of the Hellfire Club has lifted its kinky membership into being the de facto power behind King George II's rule, Jason tries to defeat the club, gain back his inheritance, and rescue his childhood love (Fischer), whom Thomas kidnaps. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1954
Alan Ladd once more journeyed to England to make a film for Columbia's British counterpart (Warwick Studios), and the result was the lively swashbuckler The Black Knight. Ladd plays John, a young swordmaker who aspires to join the Knights of the Round Table. Unfortunately, he is falsely accused of cowardice and banished from his community. Thanks to the secret tutelage of one of Arthur's knights, John is able to train himself in the art of combat, and soon reemerges as the vengeance-seeking Black Knight. In this guise, he is able to bring a group of traitors to justice, rout a band of invading Saracens, and rescue his lady love Linet (Patricia Medina) from certain doom. Anthony Bushell, who was soon to completely forsake acting in favor of producing and directing, costars as King Arthur, while the villains of the piece are essayed by Peter Cushing and future Dr. Who Patrick Troughton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Ladd, Peter Cushing, (more)
- 1954
In this exciting drama, three people spy an empty yacht adrift at sea. They get on board and begin investigating, thinking it was used for smuggling. Not long afterwards, all of them develop radiation burns on their arms. They soon discover that the ship's mast is filled with stolen uranium. They radio the cops, but before they can get there, the crooks return and a chase ensues, culminating in a deadly explosion. In Great Britain, the film was titled Dangerous Voyage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
A newspaper journalist and his irritating assistant team up with the cops to solve a perplexing murder in this comical thriller. Each of the victims was a war veteran. Each one was killed on a July 10th. Soon the amateur sleuths discover that the victims had other common threads and these clues lead to the killer's capture. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
In this crime drama, a man wrongfully convicted of murder goes back home to find the real killer and clear his name. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
In this domestic drama, a lonely widower decides that it is finally time to remarry. Although his family is opposed to it, he gives up his military career and marries. The bride has a rough go of things as they children fight her at every turn. She eventually wins their love and respect after she arranges marriages for his equally lonely daughters. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1952
The angel of the title is Jane Baxter, the wife of country physician Patrick Barr. Everybody in the small British village where she lives thinks the world of Baxter; thus, when she is murdered, the authorities are out for blood. Dr. Barr seems above suspicion, at least until he begins behaving eccentrically. As time passes, most everyone learns that Baxter wasn't quite as angelic as she seemed-and that quite a few people might have wanted her dead. This 64-minute programmer was based on This is Mary's Chair, a play by Frank King. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Brandy for the Parson is a wafer-thin comedy with plenty of maritime humor. James Donald and Jean Lodge play a young couple on a yachting vacation. They agree to share a ride with a few seemingly benign fellow landlubbers. What they don't know (but we do) is that their "harmless" yacht-mates are actually running a slick brandy-smuggling operation. With a few alterations here and there, the basic premise of Brandy for the Parson bobbed to the surface again in 1969 for Disney's The Boatniks, which like the earlier film, benefitted from a strong cast of supporting comic players. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Donald, Kenneth More, (more)
- 1951
White Corridors was based on Yeoman Hospital, a novel by Helen Ashton. Told episodically, the story concentrates on the day-to-day activities in a busy hospital, where research pathologist Neil Marriner (James Donald) conducts experiments in the hopes of curing diseases impervious to penicillin. Marriner is aided in this endeavor by lady surgeon Dr. Sophie Dean (Googie Withers), who happens to be in love with him. After a tragedy occurs for which Marriner holds himself responsible, the film builds steadily to an exciting climax involving a untested -- and potentially dangerous -- serum. The top-rank British supporting cast includes Barry Jones, Moira Lister, Petula Clark, Basil Radford, Dagmar (later Dana) Wynter, Bernard Lee, and, in a minor role, future "Dr. Who" Patrick Troughton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Googie Withers, Gerard Heinz, (more)
- 1949
Dick Barton (Don Stannard) investigates the northern village of High Glen, where every living thing has suddenly died without any apparent explanation. Autopsies reveal that the brains of the victims were all shrunken -- literally dehydrated -- but there is no known scientific process that would explain how this could happen. Barton must not only determine the cause, but also its connection, if any, to the mysterious Mr. Fouracada (Sebastian Cabot) and the murder of Crespin, a British agent who was returning from Prague with news of a plot against England. While Barton is investigating the first tragedy, another village is destroyed, making it imperative that he tie up the ends of the case before more people die -- and figure out what the connection of all of it may be to a traveling fair that was seen in the vicinity of both villages before they were wiped out. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Detective Dyall is requested to solve the mystery of the incinerated heiress, a friend of his secretary Lang. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1949
A window washer is hired to assist a woman get her jewels back from the thieves in this mystery comedy. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1935
Koenigsmark was a French vehicle for Austro-Italian actress Elissa Landi, who'd just spent several years in Hollywood. Adapted from a novel by Pierre Benoit, the story, set in pre-WW I Austria, revolves around Princess Aurora (Elissa Landi), the wife of Grand Duke Frederick (American actor John Lodge, whose French is impeccable). When the Grand Duke is murdered, the crime is solved by commoner Raoul Vignette (Pierre Fresnay), who happens to be enamored of Aurora. All three stars also appeared in the simultaneously filmed English-language version of this lavishly appointed historical melodrama. Koenigsmark was but one of three big-budget films directed in 1936 by the indefatigable Maurice Tourneur. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elissa Landi, Pierre Fresnay, (more)
