Patricia Routledge Movies

Dr. Jonathan Miller, onetime Beyond the Fringe trouper, who was one of the leading lights of the PBS Shakespeare productions of 1978-83, serves as director of The Beggar's Opera. This adaptation of John Gay's lusty 18th-century "play with song" stars The Who's Roger Daltrey as robber captain MacHearh. Stratford Johns co-stars as Peachum, king of beggars, whose licentious daughter Polly falls in love with MacHeath, while Bob Hoskins is appropriately scrungy as an "on the take" constable. Originally taped for British television, The Beggar's Opera received American air play on public and cable TV. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Broadway adaption of Gilbert and Sullivan's famed operetta is presented in this lively musical. It is the tale of a journeyman pirate who has just come of age and decides he wants to go straight. Unfortunately, his mentor, the king of the pirates, has other things in mind. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

Originally broadcast by the BBC on January 9, 1971, this adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved tale recounts the events that unfold when Elinor & Marianne Dashwood discover that they may soon be sharing their Norland home with their mother's stepson and his wife. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Three sailors on shore leave engage in a series of comedic sexual pursuits in Lock Up Your Daughters!. Jim Dale, Ian Bannen, and Tom Bell hit dry land with one thing on their minds -- something that lands everyone in jail in this comedic romp. Susannah York, Glynis Johns, and Elaine Taylor become the objects of the lovesick sailors' alleged affections. The farcical proceedings are witnessed by Lord Foppington (Christopher Plummer), the aristocratic dandy who shudders in horror over the trouble the three salts cause in their efforts to spice up their love lives. This film version is taken from the musical of the same name, sans the music. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Polly (Hayley Mills) is a shy young girl on a world tour with her impossible aunt (Brenda de Banzie). In Singapore, the ladies are entertained by their Eurasian guide (Shashi Kapoor). Polly begins an affair with the seductive guide, and upon the death of her aunt she finally comes out of her shell to blossom into full womanhood. Noel Coward had received some of the worst reviews in his life when he published the uncharacteristically bitter Pretty Polly and Other Stories; the film version of Pretty Polly substitutes sentiment for cynicism, but isn't much of an improvement over the Coward original. The film is better known under its American title A Matter of Innocence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Humorist Max Wilk scripted this listless film version of his book of the same name. Jerry Lewis plays George Lester, an American entrepreneur living in London. After a money-raising scheme fails, his wife Pamela (Jacqueline Pearce) threatens him with divorce. Trying to demonstrate his willingness to get serious with Pamela, George, with crackbrained finesse, turns her country home into a discotheque. Pamela, shocked, demands that George restore her home the way it was. While defending himself, George notes than Pamela now has a snobbish suitor in tow -- Dudley Heath (Nicholas Parsons). To show up Pamela, George contacts an old friend, conman H. William Homer (Terry-Thomas). Together, they concoct a scheme to abscond with Dudley's blueprints for an electronic oil drill and sell it to the Arabs. But complications occur when George catches the mumps and has to rely upon airline steward Fred Davies (Bernard Cribbins) to transport the microfilmed blueprints to Lisbon in his teeth. Once in Lisbon, a local dentist, Dr. Pinto (John Bluthal), is tabbed to remove the blueprints from Davies's mouth, but Dr. Pinto double-crosses them. George flies off to Lisbon with Pamela in pursuit, and the chase is on. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Sidney Poitier, who in 1955 played a student in a tough inner-city high school, portrays a teacher assigned to a similar institution in To Sir, With Love. Unable to find work as an engineer, Poitier accepts a teaching post in London's East End slums. To reach his sullen, rebellious students, Poitier throws away his textbooks and endeavors to reach them as human beings--and as the adults they're going to become. It's an uphill climb, but gradually the students are won over. They begin referring to Poitier as "Sir," not out of blind obedience but as a gesture of genuine affection. Not that there aren't obstacles to overcome: in addition to trying to get through to hardcase student Christian Roberts, Poitier must face down the resistance and hostility of his fellow teachers. The sweetly sentimental finale amply displays the vocal talents of Lulu, who trills the title song. Based on the novel by E. R. Brainwaite, To Sir, With Love was one of the biggest moneyspinners of 1967 (with this film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and In the Heat of the Night, Sidney Poitier had quite a year). In 1996, a belated made-for-TV sequel was produced, briefly reuniting To Sir with Love co-stars Sidney Poiter, Lulu and Judy Geason, none of whom looked a day older. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Adapted from the internationally successful theatrical piece by Laurence Housman, the British TV miniseries Victoria Regina starred Patricia Routledge as Queen Victoria. The part proved to be as much a tour de force for Routledge as it had been for Helen Hayes in the original Broadway and London production: Enacting four different episodes in the life of the titular British Queen (individual titles: "Spring," "Summer," "Autumn," "Winter"), Routledge was required to age over 60 years, from naïve young monarch to wizened dowager. Also in the cast were Max Adrian as Prime Minister Disraeli and Joachim Hansen as Victoria's beloved consort Prince Albert. Victoria Regina was broadcast from November 13 to December 4, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi