Campbell Singer Movies

In the second episode of the four-part story "The Celestial Toymaker," the title character (Michael Gough) renders himself and the Doctor (William Hartnell) invisible as they play a deadly game of one-upsmanship. The pawns in this game are the Doctor's companions, Steven (Peter Purves) and Dodo (Jackie Lane), who must accumulate a large number of "points" if they ever hope to escape the Toymaker's colorful but sinister domain. Complicating matters is a group of malevolent living dolls, whose mission in life is to hoodwink Steven and Dodo into making disastrous miscalculations. Written by Brian Hayles, "The Hall of Dolls" first aired on April 9, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the third episode of the four-part story "The Celestial Toymaker," Steven (Peter Purves) and Dodo (Jackie Lane) continue to act as unwitting pawns in a deadly game of chance perpetrated by the malevolent Toymaker (Michael Gough). Having been rendered invisible and powerless, the Doctor (William Hartnell) must rely on his wits to extricate himself and his travelling companions from the present crisis. As Steven and Dodo brave the perils of a lavish but lethal ballroom, they are suddenly joined by a deceptively jolly jester named Cyril (Peter Stephens). Written by Brian Hayles, "The Dancing Floor" first aired on April 16, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The star of this slapstick comedy is not a person but an antique Bentley sports car, the source of several misadventures. Murdoch Troon (Stanley Baxter) is a simple civil servant who has his heart set on romancing Claire (Julie Christie in an early role), the daughter of wealthy businessman Charles Chingford (James Robertson Justice). As a part of his scheme to appear irresistible, Murdoch takes driving lessons so he will be able to impress Claire in the Bentley. Both the lessons and his driving test produce moments of hilarity, and as might be expected, there cannot be a movie featuring a car without a wacky, wild chase. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Cathy falls in love with the widowed father of one of her oldest friends. Little does she know that her current amour, a prominent shipbuilder, is at the center of a scheme to control all British ship manufacturing -- and he's not above murder to achieve his goal. This time around, John Steed must not only thwart the villain, but also convince Cathy to follow her head rather than her heart. Written by Fred R. DeKoven, "Six Hands Across a Table" was originally telecast in England on March 16, 1963; it was first shown in America on March 1, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In a different type of comedy-drama based on a play by Mike Watts, director Peter Graham Scott looks at life in a British prison. Rainbow (Paul Massie) has just been sent into the slammer for a year for duking it out in a brutal fight over his girlfriend Wendy (Carole Lesley). He knows he is in for a miserable time of it, so much so that after being assigned kitchen duty he joins up with the rest of his co-workers in wheeling and dealing the food they can snitch for various sundries stolen from other parts of the prison's supply chain. This racket is well-organized, but one day its prime mover is framed and threatened with an extended sentence unless Rainbow can come up with a way to save him. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Peter Finch portrays the titular flamboyant Irish poet/playwright in The Trials of Oscar Wilde. The storyline, lifted to a great extent from actual court records, recounts Wilde's late 19th century libel action against the Marquis of Queensbury. The author loses, whereupon he himself is tried for sodomy due to his homosexual affair with the Marquis' son, Lord Douglas. Wilde is sentenced to prison; the public humiliation leads to the once-proud writer's immortal poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol--and to his premature death in 1900. The film had to tiptoe around certain touchy legalities, in that sodomy was still a punishable offence in British courts in 1960. The US title for this film was The Trial of Oscar Wilde, effectively killing the ironic double meaning of the plural British title. In certain regions, the film was shown as The Man with the Green Carnation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Young and the Guilty was part of the "misunderstood youth" British film cycle of the 1950s. Young Eddie (Andrew Ray) and Sue (Janet Munro) are in love, albeit chastely. One of the kids sends a mash note to the other, which is intercepted by their parents. There's nothing remotely suggestive in the letter, but the adults suspect the worst, causing pain and heartbreak for everyone concerned. Finally, one of the fathers sees the light, suggesting that Eddie and Sue be allowed to maintain their special friendship-after all, remember what happened to Romeo and Juliet when their folks butted in! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Corpulent "Goon Show" regular Harry Secombe plays the title role in the British comedy Davy. Set in the rarefied world of the British music halls, the film focuses in on the Mad Morgans, a family song-and-dance act. It is clear that Davy Morgan is the star of the act, but he loyally remains with his family, even though he seems destined to spend the rest of his life in the Small Time. At long last, Davy gets a chance to perform at the Covent Garden--but only as a solo. Will ambition win out over family solidarity, or vice versa? A stellar supporting cast enables Davy to overcome its occasional banalities and cliches. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this British parody of an American western, an Englishman travels to Canada to run the ranch he recently inherited from his grandfather, a crusty old sheriff. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Twelve-year old Frankie (Andrew Ray) feels guilty after his best friend falls to his death when they are playing in a bombed-out London building. Len (Sylvester) is a petty thief who has just become a murderer by killing the pub owner in a botched robbery. Frankie and Len's paths cross, and Len learns Frankie's secret then poses as the boy's friend to blackmail the lad into stealing from his parents to finance Len's escape. When the crook suspects that Frankie knows enough to link him to the murder, he tries to silence the boy in a tense, "hide-and-seek" chase played out in a bomb- damaged, highly perilous underground station. The initial idea for this movie may well have been borrowed from The Window (1949), but several intriguing plot twists and effective use of the post-war London location make The Yellow Balloon a unique entertainment in itself. ~ Michael P. Rogers, All Movie Guide

The first Ealing Studios comedy shot in color, Titfield Thunderbolt takes place in a tiny British village serviced by a branch railway line. When the government plans to close the line down, the locals are in a panic--except for a group intending to set up an expensive bus service. The local vicar (George Relph) concocts a scheme with the town's wealthiest man (Stanley Holloway) for the villagers to run the rail line themselves; in this way they hope to prove to the railway inspectors that their branch is still worth keeping. When the bus interests attempt to sabotage this undertaking, the villagers respond by stealing a stray locomotive--and when this proves cumbersome, they reactivate a 19th century train engine from the local museum. The Titfield Thunderbolt is uniquely British in humor and approach, but not so "inside" as to alienate American filmgoers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jack Hawkins plays a former British army officer who is surprised in his home one evening by a burglar. His surprise is compounded when the intruder turns out to be one of the men from his World War II army unit. With the straight-arrow diligence of a wartime commander, Hawkins delves into the unfortunate burglar's past, trying to discover why so promising a soldier hit the skids. The film is not so much a mystery but a genteel expose of the socioeconomic problems facing discharged servicemen in postwar England. The Intruder was adapted by Robin Maugham (son of Somerset Maugham) from his own novel Line on Ginger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide