Terence Morgan Movies

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Terence Morgan was groomed for romantic leads the moment he left the stage for films. In Olivier's Hamlet (1948), Morgan played Laertes, and was possibly the first actor cast in this part to get fan mail from bobby-soxers. Somehow audiences detected a glimmer of rogueishness beneath his handsome exterior, thus most of Morgan's film characters were charming deceivers. Typical titles in the Terence Morgan ouevre were They Can't Hang Me (1955), The Scamp (1956), and Shakedown (1958). In 1961, Terence Morgan was cast (quite convincingly) as Sir Francis Drake in a BBC television series of the same name, assuring the actor an American following when Sir Francis Drake was networkcast as a summer replacement for Car 54, Where are You? in 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
1948  
 
Add Hamlet to QueueAdd Hamlet to top of Queue
Although criticized by Shakespeare devotees upon its release because of director, producer, and star Laurence Olivier's decision to excise large portions of the text, his cinematic version of Hamlet is widely considered the best out of several dozens (and counting). Hamlet (Olivier) is a medieval Danish prince who's still melancholy over the sudden death of his father and the quick, subsequent remarriage of his mother, Queen Gertrude (Eileen Herlie) to his uncle, Claudius (Basil Sydney). Informed by the ghost of his father that Claudius murdered him, Hamlet schemes to take revenge. Unsure how best to proceed, his delays and the horrible secret burdening him eventually lead to the violent snuffing out of several lives in both his family and that of courtier Polonius (Felix Aylmer), whose daughter Ophelia (Jean Simmons) is in love with Hamlet. Greatly influenced by the inventive camera work in Citizen Kane (1941) and by modern, psychological reinterpretations of Shakespeare's play, Olivier's masterpiece was the winner of four Academy Awards, for Best Picture, Best Actor (Olivier), Best Black and White Art Direction/Set Direction and Best Black and White Costume Design. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Laurence OlivierEileen Herlie, (more)
1950  
 
In this murder mystery, a woman pretends to be her murdered sister's ghost in an effort to catch the killer. She is assisted by a stranger. Later the two discover that it was the brother-in-law who committed the crime and together they get their revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Read More

1951  
 
The producers of Quartet and Trio concluded their cycle with this omnibus film, which features three stories based, as in the previous film, on tales by W. Somerset Maugham. "The Ant and the Grasshopper" concerns Tom Ramsey (Nigel Patrick), a fiscally unstable young man who is constantly borrowing money from his brother George (Roland Culver). Eventually, George falls on hard times and is forced to sell the family estate, just as Tom marries a wealthy woman and is in a position to purchase it. In "Winter Cruise," Miss Reid (Kay Walsh) is an aging spinster taking a voyage aboard a cargo ship. She has little to do but engage the others on board in conversation, which the passengers find so annoying that they arrange a ship-board romance for her with Pierre (Jacques Francois), a porter, in the hopes that it will keep her quiet. And "Gigolo and Gigolette" features Glynis Johns as Stella Cotman, whose husband Syd (Terence Morgan) earns his living as a performer in a high-wire act. Stella is terribly worried that Syd's risky profession will lead to his death, so she takes their life's savings to a casino in hopes of winning enough that he can retire. However, her plan hardly goes as she hoped. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Nigel PatrickRoland Culver, (more)
1951  
 
Add Captain Horatio Hornblower to QueueAdd Captain Horatio Hornblower to top of Queue
Gregory Peck stars as the title character in this swashbuckling saga of the high seas based on C.S. Forester's novel. In 1807, Hornblower is given a special assignment by the British Navy: he is to deliver a supply of weapons to El Supremo (Alec Mango), a Latin American rebel leading an uprising against Spain. However, by the time Hornblower arrives, it is discovered that the political winds have shifted, Spain and England are once again allies, and El Supremo is now the enemy of the British forces. Hornblower and his men are also forced to take on a passenger, Lady Barbara Wellesley (Virginia Mayo), a sister of the Duke of Wellington who is trying to escape an outbreak of yellow fever. When she shows symptoms of the disease, Hornblower tries to nurse her back to health while attempting to organize an attack on the armada he just helped to arm. Upon his return to England, Hornblower parts company with Wellesley (while they were attracted to each other, Hornblower remained loyal to his wife) and is given a new mission to take on Napoleon's naval forces. Captain Horatio Hornblower was originally scheduled to star Errol Flynn, but the role was recast when it was decided he'd grown too old to play the role convincingly (the fact Flynn was in the midst of one of his periodic battles with the brass at Warner Brothers certainly didn't help matters). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Gregory PeckVirginia Mayo, (more)
1952  
 
Released in Britain as Crash of Silence, Mandy is a straightforward story about a handicapped child's efforts to adapt to a normal world. Born deaf, Mandy is mute for most of her childhood. Her desperate parents enroll her in special education classes. It's a slow, uphill climb, but by film's end Mandy is talking and playing happily with non-impaired children. A well-intentioned effort, Mandy unfortunately falls prey to corniness, save for the thoroughly convincing performance by child actress Mandy Miller (who was not deaf). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Phyllis CalvertJack Hawkins, (more)
1952  
 
...And it ended in London. This backstage yarn stars Jane Hylton as a talented dress designer who lets nothing get in the way of her success. As she rises in the fashion world, she loses contact with her own humanity. She also forgets that you meet the same people on the way up as on the way down. It Started in Paradise is a unusually plush, Lana Turner-esque production to come from a British studio in the early 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Martita HuntJane Hylton, (more)
1953  
 
The philosophies and practices of London policewomen provide the basis of this exciting and interesting docu-drama that centers on three such women. The film is also known as Street Corner. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Read More

1953  
 
Always a Bride stars Terence Morgan as an officer of the British Treasury who tells himself he's a honest man. Then he falls in love with Peggy Cummins, the daughter of a jovial swindler (Ronald Squire). Using privileged information, Morgan conspires with the father to separate several people from their earnings, then abscond with the swag. Things get sticky when tougher criminals who play for keeps become involved in the scheme. Always a Bride is consistently fun to watch, even when the plot threatens to overwhelm the comedy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Peggy CumminsTerence Morgan, (more)
1953  
 
The Steel Key is a little-known British melodrama with some potent talent involved, including actors Terence Morgan and Joan Rice and future Saint director Robert Baker. The "maguffin" in this film is a formula for processed hardened steel. When the formula is stolen, the evidence points to international espionage. The good guys follow the trail of hot clues and dead bodies to uncover the villains boring from within the British industrial circles. Rarely seen in recent years, The Steel Key made the rounds in the early-TV days when British films were virtually all that was available for the tube. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Read More

1953  
 
Street Corner was a marginally realistic study of British policewomen. The film takes its female cast through a typical day on the Chelsea beat. In the manner of Dragnet and The Blue Lamp, the skimpy plotline is merely there to string together several anecdotal incidents, illustrating that while a policewoman's lot is not a happy one, neither is it dull. Feminist film fans might point with pride to the fact that Street Corner was written and directed by a woman, Muriel Box. The fact that Box had been working in this capacity in the British film industry for years, while Hollywood had been relegating women to second-class status during the same period of time, is equally worthy of being pointed out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Peggy CumminsAnne Crawford, (more)
1953  
 
Based on a novel by John Brophy, Turn the Key Softly takes place within a single day. The film follows the exploits of three newly released female convicts. Monica (Yvonne Mitchell) is full of hatred for the man who led her into a life of crime. Stella (Joan Collins) is an impulsive streetwalker who is determined not to return to her old lifestyle. And Mrs. Quillam (Kathleen Harrison), an elderly shoplifter, misses out on her chance to start anew in a most ironic fashion. Slightly hoked up with a rooftop chase, Turn the Key Softly is an otherwise straightforward psychological drama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Yvonne MitchellTerence Morgan, (more)
1954  
 
The "little lady" in this British melodrama is the amply proportioned Mai Zetterling. The actress plays prima ballerina Nina Gordon, who is exploited by her avaricious husband Mark (Terene Morgan). During a celebration of Nina's triumphal debut at the Royal Opera House, she discovers that Mark is not only greedy, but unfaithful. She becomes so upset by this that she drives off madly into the night, breaking her leg in a motor accident. Told that she'll never dance again, Nina is callously abandoned by Mark. With the help of a kindly doctor (Guy Rolfe), Nina is able to walk once more--and to live her life vicariously through her talented daughter (Mandy Miller) When Mark reenters Nina's life, intending to take control of the daughter's dancing career, it is he who emerges the loser--and how! Dance Little Lady was one of several ballet dramas produced in the wake of the phenominally successful The Red Shoes (1948). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Terence MorganMai Zetterling, (more)
1954  
 
Beautiful Hedy Lamarr finds herself faced with a difficult decision when she must choose an appropriate costume for an important masquerade ball in this metaphorical fantasy that unfolds in three parts. To help her decide, she asks a trio of male friends. Their disparate suggestions that she go as either Helen of Troy, the Empress Josephine or Genieve de Brabant, and the reasons behind their choices provide the bulk of the film. Originally, the film was three hours long and purported to present the essence of being a woman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Read More

1954  
 
Nigel Patrick plays a suave but dead-serious British narcotics agent in this sporadically exciting crime melodrama. Patrick is determined that the drug traffic will not spread into his territory. He finds an unexpected ally in Joyce Grenfell, an inveterate bird-watcher. Ms. Grenfell aids Patrick in trapping a brother-sister smuggling team (Elizabeth Sellars and Terence Morgan). Apart from the always delightful Joyce Grenfell, Forbidden Cargo is humorless Dragnet material transplanted to the high seas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Nigel PatrickElizabeth Sellars, (more)
1955  
 
In this British espionage drama, a murderer hopes to escape his fateful appointment on death row by identifying the leaders of a spy ring. Unfortunately, a detective has already figured it out before he talks and the killer hangs for his crime. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Read More

1955  
 
In Svengali, the 1955 adaptation of George DuMaurier's classic novel Trilby, Donald Wolfit achieves the near-impossible: he out-hams John Barrymore, who'd played Svengali in the 1931 version. A last-minute replacement for the equally flamboyant Robert Newton, Wolfit pulls out all the stops as the scroungy, sinister musician/mesmerist who hypnotizes lovely artist's model Trilby (Hildegarde Neff) and transforms her into a world-famous singer. While under Svengali's spell, Trilby forgets all about "Little" Billy (Terence Morgan) the starving artist who loves her fervently. But Billy doesn't forget, and follows Svengali and Trilby all over the world. The film's best moment is the celebrated Covent Garden climax, wherein Svengali finally, and fatally, relaxes his hold on Trilby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Hildegarde NeffDonald Wolfit, (more)
1956  
 
Set in Ireland, The March Hare stars Terence Morgan as Sir Charles Hare, a wastrelly aristocrat who gambles away his family fortune. About to be evicted from his ancestral racing stables, Hare decides to stay on when he's mistaken for a groom by the new American owner's pretty daughter Pat Maguire (Peggy Cummins). Continuing to conceal his true identity, Hare helps Pat to raise a colt for racing purposes, leading to a lengthy but exciting Derby Day finale. Though The March Hare has lapsed into public domain, most existing prints retain the vivid color cinematography of Patrick Hildyard. The film was based on Gamblers Sometimes Win, a novel by Captain Field. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Peggy CumminsTerence Morgan, (more)
1956  
 
No relation to the 1939 Claudette Colbert-James Stewart comedy of the same name, It's a Wonderful World is essentially a vehicle for British-based bandleader Ted Heath. The thinnish plot is set in motion by would-be songwriters Terence Morgan and George Cole, who manage to sell a tune by claiming that it was composed by a reclusive musical genius. When the tune hits the top of the charts, Morgan and Cole find themselves in the embarrassing position of having to produce the "real" composer. Director Val Guest manages to extract new laughs out of such old setpieces as showing a snobbish audience being gradually won over by pop music. The principal attraction of It's a Wonderful World--to modern viewers, at least is the presence of Ted Heath, whose screen appearances were all too few and far between. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Terence MorganGeorge Cole, (more)
1957  
 
British juvenile actor Colin Peterson plays the title character in Scamp. The son of a drunken vaudevillian performer, Peterson is left in the care of a kindly professor (Richard Attenborough) and his wife (Dorothy Alison) when his father goes on a South American tour. His guardians try to get the boy to behave properly, but Peterson has been on his own for so long that he has never developed any sense of self-discipline. After running afoul of the law, Peterson is sent back to his father, who resumes his abuse of the boy. During an argument, Peterson hits his father over the head with an ashtray--and shortly afterward, the father drops dead. Convinced that he's a murderer, Peterson hides out in the professor's home. With the help of his new surrogate father, Peterson proves that his besotted dad died of a booze-induced fall. Scamp was based on Charlotte Hastings' play Uncertain Joy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Richard AttenboroughTerence Morgan, (more)
1959  
 
An abused boy stands accused of killing his drunken father in this British drama. Fortunately two compassionate neighbors take him in and help to prove his innocence. The film is also called Scamp. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Read More

1959  
 
In this crime drama, two crooked brothers, an embezzler and a gambler, find themselves in deep trouble when the embezzler steals from a steel mill so he can buy his lover fancy clothes. During the theft, he kills a night guard. This spawns an investigation by the slain watchman's son who locates a sightless witness. The son then convinces the killer that the witness saw him and this causes him to confess. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Read More

1960  
 
This is a routine tale about the vice squad versus pornographer and blackmailer Augie Cortona (Terence Morgan). After the petty criminal gets out of prison, he discovers his old partners in crime are not interested in him anymore, and the prostitution ring he once bossed is controlled by someone else. His solution is to set up a fake photographer's and model's studio during the day that becomes a place where porno photo men can do their work at night, as call girls engage in their trade with unsuspecting customers. The photographs bring in extra lucre through a blackmail scheme -- Cortona makes the hookers' clients pay to keep their activities quiet. As he is building up this racket, a gangland boss is out to get him -- and so is the vice squad. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Terence MorganHazel Court, (more)
1960  
 
This fast-paced, standard crime story about a caper gone awry is directed by Rilla Wolf and stars Terence Morgan as Dominic, a petty crook with minor crimes on his agenda until he sees a chance for a big haul. Dominic's associates include tough guy Pready (John Crawford) and Edward (Dennis Price), a crooked gambling boss who Dominic helps by introducing innocent victims into his con game. One day Dominic hooks up with Fina (Yoko Tani) the naive daughter of an ambassador who just happens to let slip that a whole lot of cash is stashed away in their embassy's safe. Dominic's charms work wonders, and before long Fina agrees to help in a robbery of the embassy's holdings. At that point, careful planning and a good safecracker (William Hartnell) make it seem like everything will go off without a hitch. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Read More

Starring:
Terence MorganYoko Tani, (more)
1962  
 
In this adventure, Sir Francis Drake and his crew must rescue English sailors who are being held hostage by the Spanish. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Read More

BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster Inc. © 2009 Blockbuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Portions of Content Provided by All Movie Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.© 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.