Honor Blackman Movies
British actress Honor Blackman began as a J. Arthur Rank contractee, where she was groomed for demure "English rose" types in films like Fame is the Spur (1947) and Quartet (1948). Honor would not realize major stardom until 1962, when she was cast as leather-clad karate expert Cathy Gale in the British TV adventure series The Avengers (until recently, U.S. audiences were permitted to see only the Avengers episodes featuring Ms. Blackman's successors, Diana Rigg and Linda Thorson). International stardom ensued when Honor was seen in another martial-arts gig as the gloriously yclept Pussy Galore in Goldfinger (1964). She has played a wide variety of roles since, with special emphasis on droll comedy. Honor Blackman's last picture was the 1978 remake of The Cat and the Canary, though she continues to appear in British television, most recently on the weekly series The Upper Hand (1990-93). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1962
Going undercover, Cathy Gale joins the board of directors of a highly suspicious munitions firm. It's all part of a master scheme to infiltrate an organization specializing in smuggling and assassination. But before she can put all the pieces together and trap the head villains, Cathy is herself targetted for elimination -- which, curiously enough, was her partner Steed's intention all along. Originally telecast October 20, 1962, "Bullseye" was written by Eric Paice. The episode made its first American appearance on January 30, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Cathy poses as a journalist to find out why a circus clown (Robert Rietty) is trying to murder Steed. It turns out that the clown is a functionary of the Mafia, and that Steed is getting too close for comfort to the "organization's" American drug-smuggling operation. It also turns out that the clown wants to escape the clutches of the Mafia himself. . .or does he? Originally telecast in England on March 2, 1963 (and finally shown in America on February 27, 1991), "Conspiracy of Silence" was written by Roger Marshall. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Steed and Cathy are sent to Jamaica to investigate the murder of a British courier. Compounding the mystery is the fact that the courier was carrying papers of no major importance. The Avengers end up following the clue trail to Buenos Aires, where they come up against a most unexpected opponent. This episode is a favorite of Avengers buffs, for reasons that will become obvious upon viewing. Written by Leonard Fincham, "Death Dispatch" was first telecast in England on December 22, 1962; it finally made it to American cable TV on February 12, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
The "WHO" in A Matter of Who isn't a "who" but a "what". The word is an anagram for the World Health Organization, a curious subject for a British comedy--especially one which utilizes a communicable disease as a plot device! WHO operatives Terry-Thomas and Alex Nicol trace the outbreak of a smallpox epidemic to ruthless oil millionaire Guy Deghy. Offsetting the (literal) unhealthiness of the plotline is Terry-Thomas' romance with Sonja Ziemann, the widow of a smallpox victim. A Matter of WHO was picked up for U.S. distribution by MGM. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sonja Ziemann, Alex Nicol, (more)
- 1962
London's federation of diamond merchants is being plagued by a vicious gang of smugglers. Steed and Cathy pose as husband-and-wife gem dealers in hopes of flushing out the villains. Ultimately, Cathy is targetted for death by the smugglers, but here as elsewhere, she proves to be up to the challenge. First telecast in England on December 1, 1962, Death on the Rocks was written by Eric Paice. The episode made its American cable-TV bow on February 7, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Honor Blackman, the future "Pussy Galore" of Goldfinger fame, guest stars as Katherine Holt, a blind woman married to a British pilot (played by Jack Watling, the father of Invisible Man regular (Deborah Watling). Wrongly accused of trafficking in illegal drugs, Katherine's husband is killed before he can clear his name. In order to flush out the dope-dealing murderer, "Invisible Man" Peter Brady orchestrates an elaborate ruse to convince the culprit that Katherine is able to see...and is even capable of driving a car. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In this competent entertainment about a minor crook in trouble, Terry is the driver for a successful bank job. He is told by gang-boss Shelton to lie low but instead celebrates with Della, a greedy but alluring party girl, then gets picked up on suspicion. He is released when the key witness refuses to identify him because the gang is holding his fiancee hostage. Shelton tries to shut Terry up for good, but Terry escapes and seeks refuge with Della. She lets him stay, but only if he agrees to confront the gang leader one more time. ~ Michael P. Rogers, All Movie Guide
This meticulous re-creation of the sinking of the Titanic was adapted by Eric Ambler from the best-selling book by Walter Lord, and it preceded the blockbuster Titanic by almost 40 years. The film covers the life and death of the huge vessel from its launching celebration to that fateful night of April 14, 1912, when the "unsinkable" ship struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Of the 2224 passengers on board, 1513 were drowned as a result of the bad planning of lifeboats and escape routes. Kenneth More heads a huge and stellar cast, with 200 speaking parts, as second officer Herbert Lightoller, from whose point-of-view the story unfolds. Also in the cast are Laurence Naismith as the ill-fated Captain Smith; Michael Goodliffe as conscience-stricken ship's designer Thomas Andrews; Tucker McGuire as feisty American millionaire Molly Brown, whose courage and tenacity saved many lives; and Anthony Bushell as the captain of the Carpathia, who launched a noble but vain rescue mission once he was apprised of the disaster. Also appearing are two future TV favorites: The Avengers' Honor Blackman as a woman who believes that she has nothing to live for, and The Man From UNCLE's David McCallum as a wireless operator. The climactic sinking of the vessel is re-created with painstaking accuracy; filmed in "real time," it is a mere 37 minutes shorter than the actual tragedy. Two years before the film's release, an American TV adaptation of A Night to Remember set a precedent as the most elaborate and technically complex "live" broadcast of its time. Some viewers will find this movie a more accurate and gripping representation of this sea disaster than the romance-heavy Titanic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth More, Honor Blackman, (more)
In this British comedy, set during WWII, a street laborer likes to harass the British soldiers and ends up drafted into becoming part of the British army labor regiment. Unfortunately, a mix-up occurs and he ends up being parachuted behind Nazi lines where he is mistaken for a Nazi officer. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norman Wisdom, Honor Blackman, (more)
- 1957
In this crime drama, the trouble begins when Arabs kidnap a young wife and hold her hostage for a pair of rare books. Mayhem ensues as her husband and another book smuggler team up to get her back without having to sacrifice the rare tomes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
The always reliable Griffith Jones is afforded the leading role in the British Account Rendered. Jones plays a victim of circumstance, accused of murdering his wife Ursula Howells. With the police breathing down his neck, Jones endeavors to prove his innocence. He is aided in this effort by the lovely Honor Blackman ("Pussy Galore" in Goldfinger and the first female star of the long-running TVer The Avengers). Account Rendered is based on a novel by Pamela Barrington. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
In this British crime drama, a philanderer finds himself accused of murder after the man he used for his alibi is found murdered. Fortunately, his story is believed by a hard-working crime reporter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1955
A carnival freak show provides the setting for this murder mystery. The trouble begins when the "Starving Man" the world's longest survivor of a fast is found dead inside his glass cage. It is later learned that he was killed because he had witnessed the murder of an extortionist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
This crime drama contains two stories. In the first, a luckless fellow has even worse luck when he is suspected of murder because the victim carried information that would have kept the man from inheriting a fortune. Fortunately, another person had an even greater motive for the killing and justice ensues. In the second, a widow gets revenge upon the two who killed her husband for money. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
A string of jewel thefts lead to murder as investigated by a free-lance reporter and his wife. (AKA Delavine Affair) ~ All Movie Guide
- 1954
Horseracing provides the framework of this British drama. The story begins as a former champion jockey Sam Lilley is barred from racing. Although he himself can no longer race, the jockey decides to live his dreams through Georgie Crain, who becomes his youthful protege. Sam teaches George all he knows, and also insists that he keep his morals high. But when Georgie's mother encounters financial disaster, the lad and his mentor decide they have no choice but to throw a race for a gang of criminals. Unfortunately, this leads to even more ethical problems. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Morley, Kay Walsh, (more)
- 1954
The Delavine Affair is a jewel robbery orchestrated by a particularly vicious criminal gang. Reporter Peter Reynolds (his character name is-no kidding-Rex Banner) makes it his mission in life to track down the crooks and round them up for the Law. The bad guys reciprocate by framing Reynolds for the murder of a stool pigeon. Everything works itself out within the film's alotted 64 minutes. Honor Blackman, famed for her participation in the original The Avengers TV series, costars. Delavine Affair was based on Winter Wears a Shroud, a novel by Robert Chapman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1954
Hollywood actress Marsha Hunt, blacklisted during the "Red Scare" of the early 1950s, was able to find occasional work in England. Ms. Hunt is top-billed in Diplomatic Passport, but hers is a secondary role to hero Paul Carpenter. The latter plays an American diplomat who is being used as an unwitting courier by diamond smugglers.Honor Blackman, twixt and tween her "English Rose" period and her leather-clad Avengers days, is the femme fatale. Diplomatic Passport was co-produced by Burt Balaban, of American theatre-chain fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1951
Though Green Grow the Rushes has the look and feel of an Ealing comedy, the film was actually produced through the auspices of British Lion. The story takes place on the southern coast of England, where through a bureaucratic oversight a small patch of land in Kent is protected from outside legal intervention by an ancient charter. It is here that a group of liquor smugglers, headed by Captain Biddie (Roger Livesey), carries on its activities with impunity and with full cooperation of the regional politicians. The fun begins when a cargo of precious potables ends up in a duck pond owned by a local farmer, sparking an onslaught of governmental foolishness. Two future stars carry the slim romantic subplot in Green Grow the Rushes: Honor Blackman plays a well-meaning newspaper columnist, while Richard Burton shows up as a slovenly smuggler (this was Burton's final British film before his move to Hollywood). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Livesey, Honor Blackman, (more)
