George Bishop Movies

Mania is the venerable Burke and Hare story, previously cinematized by producer Val Lewton as The Body Snatcher. Peter Cushing plays a respectable 19th-century Edinburgh doctor who needs fresh cadavers in order to continue his crucial research. Since the exhuming of bodies for medical purposes is illegal, Lee must rely upon grave-robbers George Rose and Donald Pleasance for his corpse supply. What Lee doesn't know is that Rose and Pleasance frequently cut out the middleman by "creating" their own corpses. The good doctor catches on when the latest cadaver turns out to be his own fiancee. Its excessively violent climax has prevented Mania from being shown completely intact on commercial television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The life of the founder of modern Methodism is dramatized in John Wesley. Originally intended for church assembly showings, the film stars Leonard Sachs in the title role. The screenplay charts the Methodist Movement from its inception in 18th century England to the present day. Produced by the Radio and Film Commission of the Methodist church, the film was financed by the contributions of some 500 churches. Unfortunately, the budget didn't allow for a professional cast, thus many potentially worthwhile scenes are laid low by amateurish acting. On the other hand, the film is quite slick and accomplished on a technical level, thanks to the first-rate cinematography of Hone Glendenning and the assured direction of Norman Walker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, dishonest stable boys from Britain and France join forces in a smuggling operation. Using a horse blanket, the crooks stuff a horse blanket full of counterfeit money. Unfortunately the horse they've chosen to wear the blanket is hurt and taken out of the race and the bad boys must choose a replacement. He is the worst horse in the stable, Dunderhead. When the nag's jockey overhears the stablehand's scheming he stops them and manages to prove that there is more to his horse, indeed a champion, by winning the Big Race. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Based on the infamous Archer-Shee case of 1912, The Winslow Boy features Neil North as the 14-year-old title character. Accused of a petty theft, North is expelled from Naval College. His father, retired bank official Sir Cedric Hardwycke, is prevented by existing British law to clear his son's name. He engages attorney Robert Donat, who successfully petitions for the right to sue the Admiralty and make this august organization prove its charges in court. Public opinion, however, is strongly against Hardwycke and his family: particularly effected is Hardwycke's daughter Margaret Leighton, whose fiance breaks off their engagement. For dramatic purposes, Margaret finds solace in a romantic relationship with barrister Donat. Terrence Rattigan worked on the cinemadaptation of his own play, which was later restaged on American television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This ironic little British character study stars Stuart Rome as a "most likely to succeed" type. Rome has been invited to give a speech to his old classmates about self-sufficiency and optimism in the face of worldwide depression. Unfortunately, to finance his trip to London, the impoverished Rome must hock everything he owns. The hero's regaining of his own self-respect is the core of this understated drama. Reunion wasn't seen in the US until the early 1950s, when hungry-for-product TV stations were running every British picture they could get their hands on. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Victor McLaglen plays Frank Wilson, who early in the film is lost at sea. Declared legally dead, Wilson nonetheless returns to his home port after many years. He discovers that his "widow" Norah (Gertrude McCoy) has married a wealthy merchant in order to provide a father for her physically challenged child. Rather than impede Norah's present and future happiness, Wilson takes drastic action to remove himself from the picture. Heartstrings was based on A Manchester Marriage, a novel by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide