Peter Sallis Movies

This hour-long episode of the ITV network's anthology series Television Playhouse (which ran from 1955 through 1964 in the UK) originally aired December 10, 1955. It constitutes an adaptation of Howard Clewes's play Quay South, about a seafarer, Captain Daniel Thwaite (here played by Roger Livesey), who struggles to retain control over his blockship "The Ebb Tide" despite the authorities' persistent attempts to take it away. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

This film adaptation of Bernard Shaw's 1903 comedy/drama stars Dirk Bogarde, which might have led some impressionable viewers to assume that Doctor's Dilemma was merely the latest installment in Bogarde's "Doctor in the House" series. Bogarde plays a rakish artist who falls victim to consumption. Leslie Caron is his lovely wife, who will not face up to Bogarde's indiscretions. Rather than watch her husband die, Caron begs a doctor to utilize a revolutionary new serum on Bogarde. With the serum in short supply, the doctor is faced with his dilemma: should he save the life of the "worthless" Bogarde, or hold out until a more deserving patient comes along? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this uneven but well-acted mystery story with a few gaps in the plot here and there, Alec Guiness plays a double role. He is John Barratt, a British teacher on vacation in France who is conned into taking on another identity. The identity he assumes is that of his double, Count Jacques de Gue, who has none of John's upright, moral character. Once ensconced as the Count, John discovers that the Count's mother (Bette Davis) is addicted to morphine, his wife (Irene Worth) believes he is out to kill her, and the Count's brother-in-law (Peter Bull) is embezzling funds away from the family business. And those are just a few of his problems, alleviated somewhat by his mistress (Nicole Murray). Once John realizes how decadent and immoral the Count really is he feels duty-bound to challenge him to a duel. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Dr. Susan Hayward makes a tragic mistake when she leaves her Canadian practice to follow her ailing, married lover to England. Dying slowly and in great pain, her love begs her to help him die quickly. With great compassion, she does so with a large morphine injection. Unfortunately, her mercy lands her in court where she must face the ruthless and ambitious prosecuting attorney Peter Finch. Hayward ends up serving two years in prison. Afterward, her medical practitioner's license is revoked and she is left destitute and desperately alone until an anonymous party contacts her and invites her to take a job caring for the man's mentally ill wife. She goes to check out the situation and discovers the man to be Finch. Apparently his wife, Diane Cliento went mad after her father accidentally died. She accepts the position and soon finds herself deeply involved in a complicated situation where nothing is quite as it seems and where a death again leads her to stand trial in court for a crime she did not commit. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Terrence Rattigan, the playwright who brought us the multicharactered, multistoried Separate Tables, again offers us an episodic cross-section of humanity in The V.I.P.'s. When a heavy London fog paralyzes all air traffic, the lives of several people are profoundly affected. As indicated by the title, most of the characters in this portmanteau film are of the social and/or financial elite. Elizabeth Taylor wishes to leave her enormously wealthy husband Richard Burton in favor of playboy Louis Jourdan. Peripatetic European film producer Orson Welles is hoping to escape London with his newest protegee Elsa Martinelli in order to avoid paying his income tax. Australian businessman Rod Taylor, accompanied by his devoted (and adoring) secretary Maggie Smith, is anxious to head to New York to stave off a hostile takeover of his firm. And impoverished aristocrat Margaret Rutherford (who won an Oscar for her performance) would rather not go to Florida to accept a job as a social arbiter, but the wolf must be kept from the door. Before the fog disperses, you can be sure that at least one of the many plotlines will intersect with another. David Frost, in a tiny part as a reporter, was fond of recalling in later years that, while the major stars of The VIPS were introduced in the opening titles with animated limousines, he was consigned a tiny Volkswagen; alas, no such cartoon joke appears in the film, though on occasion the actors-particularly Mr. Welles-behave as though they were cartoons. Mercilessly skewered by the critics, The VIPS was a winner at the box-office, due in great part to the Cleopatra-inspired publicity concerning the top-billed Liz Taylor and Dick Burton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Assigned to investigate the disappearance of five fellow agents, Steed ends up being accused of their murders. Alas, the only person able to prove his innocence has completely lost his memory. Acting on her own volition, Cathy tries to get to the truth herself and learns a few unpleasant facts about her "trusted" colleagues. Written by Martin Woodhouse, "The Wringer" was originally telecast in England on January 18, 1964; it made its American TV bow on March 26, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Escape by Night was originally released in Great Britain as Clash by Night, which was also the title of the Rupert Croft-Brooke novel on which it was based. Gangster boss Tom Bowman has been arrested and is being transported to prison in a bus containing several innocent "civilians." Bowman's old gang hijacks the bus to rescue their boss, then take refuge in an old barn. The gang holds off the authorities by threatening to torch the barn and all its occupants. The climactic conflagration is predictable, but its outcome isn't. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The six-episode Doctor Who adventure "The Ice Warriors" is set in 3000 A.D., when the earth is in the midst of a new Ice Age. The Doctor (Patrick Troughton) joins a team of scientists headquartered in an emergency base, all of whom are dedicated to preventing an ice barrier from consuming the world. Unfortunately, the team accidentally revives a frozen Ice Warrior named Varga (Bernard Bresslaw) -- who, to put it mildly, is up to no good. Written by Brian Hayles, "The Ice Warriors, Episode 1" originally aired on November 11, 1967; of the six episodes, only the first and second are presently available in the BBC archives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of the six-part story "The Ice Warriors," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) is forced to revive the comrades and recover the spaceship of hostile Martian Ice Warrior Varga (Patrick Troughton). Meanwhile, Dr. Clent (Peter Barkworth), leader of a team of 31st century scientists dedicated to preventing the world from being totally enveloped in ice, appears to have a solution to the Doctor's dilemma. But for reasons best known to himself, Clent refuses to reveal what he knows. Written by Brian Hayles, "The Ice Warriors, Episode 3" originally aired on November 25, 1967; this episode apparently no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the fifth episode of the six-part story "The Ice Warriors," the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) realizes that the computer he hoped to use to defeat Varga (Bernard Bresslaw) and the Martian Ice Warriors is useless. As an alternate plan, the Doctor intends to deploy a powerful ionizer against the villains. But this also proves impossible, inasmuch as the Doctor and a team of Earth Scientists need the Ice Warriors' space ship to survive. Set during the "New Ice Age" of the 31st century, "The Ice Warriors, Episode 5" was written by Brian Hayles, and originally aired on December 9, 1967; this episode apparently no longer exists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a play by John Osborne, this is one of those movies where the audience pulls for the protagonist but has a hard time actually saying that he IS a protagonist. A highly unlikeable fellow, this protagonist is an attorney in all the ways that make this more an epithet than a profession. He's hated by his office personnel as much as his associates. He's unfaithful to his wife, lousy to his clients, and miserable with his children. Surprisingly, though, Nicol Williamson has taken this nasty person and made us still somewhat care what happens to him. Quite an accomplishment considering the lack of anything at all to love about this misanthrope, but somehow we see just a glimmer of humanity. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

This romantic drama concerns two star-crossed lovers who are half-brother and sister to each other. Catherine (Anna Calder-Marshall) is the daughter of the lord of the manor who falls for the brooding stable boy Heathcliff (Timothy Dalton). When Heathcliff leaves to seek his fortune, he returns to find Catherine has married the local magistrate Edgar (Ian Ogilvy). The story is told by the beautiful blonde servant girl Nellie (Judy Cornwell), who narrates at the beginning to set the stage for the picture. Hindley (Julian Glover) is Catherine's older brother who tries to take over the house and land after the death of their father (Harry Andrews). When his own wife and child dies, a drunken Hindley gambles away the family holdings to the opportunistic Heathcliffe. Filmed in England, the scenery is spectacular but this version lacks the foreboding, shadowy drama of the 1939 original starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide