Garry Marsh Movies
British actor Garry Marsh began his stage career at the age of 15. In films from 1930, Marsh started out as an action hero, but later settled into self-important character roles. His more notable roles of the 1930s include Esterhazy in The Dreyfus Case (1931) and Belle's husband in Scrooge (1935). By the 1940s, he was often as not cast as detectives and smarmy theatrical agents. He continued working in films until the late 1960s (though the "Gary Marsh" credited for Camelot was actually a juvenile performer). Garry Marsh was married to actresses Adele Lawson and Muriel Martin-Havey respectively. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Joshua Logan directs this lavish version of the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe Broadway success with Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, and Franco Nero in the lead roles originally portrayed on Broadway by Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, and Robert Goulet. The musical, based on T.H. White's The Once and Future King, chronicles the legend of King Arthur (Richard Harris) and his tortured love affair with his queen Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave). Arthur first encounters Guenevere, on the day of their wedding, in the enchanted forest surrounding Camelot. After the wedding, Arthur's bliss at his marriage to the lovely Guenevere prompts him to establish the Knights of the Round Table, a lofty order of chivalry in which all the member knights are bound by a desire the help the oppressed, keeping faith with trust and honor. Such is the fame of the Knights of the Round Table that a young French knight, Lancelot Du Lac (Franco Nero), seeks to join the order. Lancelot quickly becomes the most celebrated of all the knights, and Guenevere, aloof at first, falls in love with him. Although both have a deep love for Arthur, their passion knows no bounds, and they begin an illicit love affair behind Arthur's back. Arthur ignores the rumors circling around him, but when his illegitimate son, Mordred (David Hemmings) arrives at Camelot, he exposes Lancelot and Guenevere during a tryst. Lancelot escapes, but Guenevere is sentenced to be burned at the stake. Lancelot rescues her at the last minute, and Arthur prepares for battle, his dreams of an idealistic Camelot shattered. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, (more)
- 1966
In this lively British parody of James Bond movies, a dashing secret agent goes to extremes to save the British Parliament from a communist take-over. To do this, he must keep the Ripper, a notorious double-agent from stealing a newly developed aircraft metal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Adams, Dawn Addams, (more)
- 1965
Steed and Tara investigate when the directors of Project Cupid, a top-secret construction project, are being systematically murdered. The culprit turns out to be a has-been vaudeville comedian, who resents the fact that Project Cupid plans to demolish a number of old music halls. Captured by the comedian and his minions, a bound-and-gagged Tara is subjected to the most hideous torture of all -- having to listen to their wheezy old jokes. John Cleese of Monty Python fame appears in an uproarious guest star role. Written by Dennis Spooner, this capriciously titled Avengers episode debuted in America on May 8, 1968, and was seen in England the following December 4th. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Bernard Lee plays an irresponsible British warrant officer who loses his post in Warsaw. Lee is reassigned to a navy underwater weapons establishment in Portland. Humiliated, he falls for the entreaties of enemy spy William Sylvester, who recruits him to steal secret papers. Lee convinces a female coworker (Margaret Tyzack) that Sylvester is a NATO agent; thus, the woman is unwittingly sucked into the spy ring. The British turncoat outsmarts himself when he begins spending more money than he makes, arousing the suspicions of the government. Ring of Spies was based on the real-life Portland espionage scandal which dominated British headlines throughout the very early 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bernard Lee, William Sylvester, (more)
- 1964
The British town of Warlock is scandalized by Hazell's cottage-turned-tearoom with the local inspector found in a compromising situation and the marriage of Hazell to the mayor. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1956
In this thriller, a trucker offers a hitchhiking girl a lift and ends up careening out of control when he is later accused of killing her. He decides that the only way to clear his name is to launch his own investigation and in so doing finds himself up to his axles in intrigue. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Already a popular TV comedian in 1956, Benny Hill heads the cast of the zany comedy-mystery Who Done It? Eschewing his usual double entendres in favor of pure-and-simple slapstick, Hill plays a would-be private eye named Hugo. Before he quite knows what's happening, Hugo is up to his neck in espionage intrigue. Belinda Lee plays Hugo's dewey-eyed blonde assistant, George Relph is cast as a flustered Scotland Yard inspector, and David Kossof and George Margo portray a couple of sinister Iron Curtain spies. Who Done It? was scripted by T. E. B. Clarke, a mainstay of the droll Ealing comedies of the early 1950s. The film remained unreleased in the US until the late 1970s, when it was put on the market to cash in on the international success of The Benny Hill Show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benny Hill, Belinda Lee, (more)
Norman Wisdom made his third film appearance in the slapstick musical Man of the Moment. This time, Norman is a clerk in the British ministry who is forced to sub for an ailing delegate at a Geneva Peace Conference. In his usual bumbling fashion, our hero becomes intimately involved in the affairs of a tiny Pacific-island monarchy. As a result, the island's queen refuses to participate in any sort of negotiations unless Norman sits in at the proceedings. The nervous British government immediately bestows a knighthood on the hapless delegate. . .and then the fun begins, as several scurvy types try to kill off Norman and topple the Queen from her throne. Featured in the cast of Man of the Moment is Norman Wisdom's music-hall straight man Jerry Desmonde in a prominent but thankless role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norman Wisdom, Lana Morris, (more)
- 1954
A lady photographer clicks a few revealing pix at the home of a wealthy woman. When the home's occupant commits suicide, the photographer is accused of prompting this tragedy. Inspector John Bentley suspects there's more to the case than is readily apparent. It turns out that the dead woman was actually murdered by a local bookie, who rearranged the evidence to suggest suicide. Filmed in London, Double Exposure was produced by Robert Baker and Monty Berman, the same team later responsible for the TV series The Saint. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1954
A prim and pious old woman suddenly has her hands full when her devilishly free-spirited uncle dies and bequeaths her his five greyhounds, a ramshackle tavern and a popular cathouse in this British comedy that features a number of guest appearances by some of the country's most popular comedians. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
The Anglo-American melodrama The Big Frame was released in Britain as Count the Hours. Mark Stevens stars as a Texas-born test pilot who heads to England to marry his wartime sweetheart Jean Kent. At a reunion party with his air force chums, Stevens gets into a boozy brawl with one of the celebrants. When the man turns up dead, Stevens is Suspect Number One. While scurrying about London to clear himself, Our Hero unearths a smuggling ring. The moral of The Big Frame seems to be "auld acquaintances should be forgot." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Stevens, Jean Kent, (more)
- 1953
James Robertson Justice, Edward Underdown and Henry Kendall are implicated in an unsolved murder. the victim was a beautiful secretary on intimate terms with the suspects. Justice, a waspish author married to long-suffering Valerie Hobson, is the most suspicious of the bunch. As the case unfolds, one of the three suspects becomes the target of a murder plot himself. The culprit could be the most timid of the trio, but that would be too easy for the scriptwriters--or would it? Murder Will Out was originally released in Britain as The Voice of Merrill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Valerie Hobson, Edward Underdown, (more)
- 1952
Set WW II-era Britain, this romantic venture begins when a working-class woman and a RAF officer fall in love. The affair causes upset in both families as they are aware that such inter-social class relationships are frowned upon. The parents' attitudes change when the officer is reported missing in action. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1951
The Magic Box was the English film industry's contribution to the 1951 Festival of Britain. Its all-star cast generously forsook their usual salaries for the privilege of paying tribute to that unsung pioneer of cinema, William Friese-Greene, here played by Robert Donat. Adapted by Eric Ambler from the controversial biography by Ray Allister, Magic Box contends that Friese-Greene was the true father of motion pictures, and not such upstarts as W. K. L. Dickson and Thomas Edison. Told in flashback, the film details Friese-Greene's tireless experiments with the "moving image," leading inexorably to a series of failures and disappoints, as others hog the credit for the protagonist's discoveries. The huge cast includes such British film luminaries as Joyce Grenfell, Miles Malleson, Michael Redgrave, Eric Portman, Emlyn Williams, Richard Attenborough, Peter Ustinov, Cecil Parker, Kay Walsh, and, best of all, Laurence Olivier as the confused bobby who witnesses Friese-Greene's first motion picture demonstration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Donat, Margaret Johnston, (more)
- 1951
In this comedy, a bookie wins a boutique and decides to modernize the joint by devising, new, more effective programs for running it. Those who have worked in the shop for years are not pleased with the new changes, and when the bookies elaborate plans blow up in his face, they are only too pleased to go back to working for the shop's original owner. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1951
Once again comedian Arthur Lucan dons an old woman's togs to become the tart-tongued Irish washerwoman. This time Mother Riley gets into the thick of things when her daughter finds a South Seas treasure map and they set sail to find it. Upon their arrival to the remote island, Mother Riley ends up far more than she bargained for. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1951
In this comedy, five fighters from the Royal Air Force end up staying in a family home during WW II. Their bitter landlady isn't pleased by her guests and takes it out on her hapless family. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1950
In this comedy, a street artist has successfully conned his wife and family into believing that he is a well-to-do businessman. This scam has been going on for many years. Unfortunately, it all blows up in his face when his alter ego is believed murdered and that he is the prime suspect. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1950
The tantalizingly titled Mystery at the Burlesque was originally released in England as Murder at the Windmill. It must be explained that, for many years, London's Windmill Theatre was famous for its scantily clad chorus girls and potty-mouthed comedians. Filmed on location at the Windmill, the story gets under way when a corpse is found in the last row of the theater. To reconstruct the crime, the detective inspector (Garry Marsh) insists that the Windmill troupe repeat the same show they'd performed on the night of the murder. The film's high or low point (depending on one's own tastes) occurs when one of the seedy Windmill comedians performs his magnificently unfunny monologue before an audience of one. Featured in the cast as Marsh's assistant is future "Dr. Who" Jon Pertwee. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Garry Marsh, Jon Pertwee, (more)
- 1950
Miss Laramie Pilgrim (Yolande Donlan) is an American factory girl. Anxious to see what life is like outside her own backyard, Miss Pilgrim trades places with a British lass. After reels and reels of culture-clash comedy, the heroine comes to the rescue of her new friends and neighbors, who are being exploited by a local land developer. On the verge of his American stardom, Michael Rennie plays Miss Pilgrim's English love interest. Miss Pilgrim's Progress was another of those minor British films that were played to death on American TV in the 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yolande Donlan, Michael Rennie, (more)
- 1950
In search of great story to further his career, a journalist sets himself up to be suspected of killing his sister, but he is nearly executed for his trouble. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1949
A heated rivalry between two newspapers provides the basis for this mystery. The trouble begins when a corpse is discovered in the gossip columnist's apartment. It is a puzzling mystery until a rival reporter confesses that he killed the fellow in a drunken rage and hid the body in the columnist's apartment. The despairing killer then throws himself beneath a speeding train. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Anticipating The Defiant Ones by nearly ten years, the British My Brother's Keeper concentrates on the exploits of two handcuffed-together escaped convicts. The protagonists are career criminal George Martin (Jack Warner) and terrified "first timer" Willie Stannard (George Cole). The film is one long chase, with a brief respite to establish the relationship between Martin and his girlfriend Nora Lawrence (Jane Hylton). Despite the fact that they're polar opposites, George and Willie develop a grudging friendship and dependence upon one another, broken only by the events in the final scenes. Director Alfred Roome's utilization of actual exterior locations adds a great deal of credibility to the story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Warner, Jane Hylton, (more)
- 1949
Originally filmed in 1934 (see entry 84314), R.C. Sheriff's venerable stage comedy Badger's Green was given another screen treatment in 1949. The plot is the same as before: a group of villagers revolt when their precious cricket field is threatened with demolition by a fat-cat business firm. Most of the character names remain the same as well, with one curious exception: the heroine, played by Barbara Murray, is named Jane Morton rather than Molly Butler. Though shorter than the 1934 version, the 1949 Badger's Green enjoys far better production values. Still, the comedy content is rather dated, especially the jokes concerning class consciousness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1949
In this drama, a medicine seller falls for an ice cream vendor. Unfortunately, his wife won't grant him a divorce. In order to help her change her mind, he slips her some pills in an attempt to give her a coronary. It works and so he buries her. As he does, he finds the extra pills. She had died of natural causes. The police chase him down because they think she was murdered. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
