Gordon Tanner Movies

Written by David Tomblin and Ian L. Rakoff, "Living In Harmony" briefly whisks Number Six away from The Village and plunks him into the American West circa 1870. Forced by a "Roy Bean"-style judge (David Bauer) to accept the job of sheriff, Number Six discovers that his first assignment is to protect to beautiful Cathy (Valerie French) from a vicious outlaw known as The Kid (Alexis Kanner). This places the protagonist in an uncomfortable position: How can he fulfill his new responsibility while keeping his self-promise to never again use a gun? Harmony, by the way, is the name of the town where all this takes place --- or does it? Originally slated as Episode 12 of The Prisoner, "Living In Harmony" was seen as the series' 14th installment when it originally aired in England on January 14, 1968. Curiously, this episode was not shown in America where The Prisoner was first networkcast in the summer of 1968 (reportedly, it contained too much violence --- or, possibly, too much of the leading lady's cleavage), though it was included in the Prisoner package syndicated in the US in the fall of 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The sagacious Oriental Interpol agent leaves his Hawaiian home to crack a case in London involving the evil Dargo, an ex-Nazi. During a skirmish between them, Dargo believes that he has killed Moto. Unfortunately for the villain it is not so and Moto stops the crook from getting his syndicate control over the world's oil supplies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In 1964, with the Cuban Missile Crisis fresh in viewers' minds, the Cold War at its frostiest, and the hydrogen bomb relatively new and frightening, Stanley Kubrick dared to make a film about what could happen if the wrong person pushed the wrong button -- and played the situation for laughs. Dr. Strangelove's jet-black satire (from a script by director Stanley Kubrick, Peter George, and Terry Southern) and a host of superb comic performances (including three from Peter Sellers) have kept the film fresh and entertaining, even as its issues have become (slightly) less timely. Loaded with thermonuclear weapons, a U.S. bomber piloted by Maj. T.J. "King" Kong (Slim Pickens) is on a routine flight pattern near the Soviet Union when they receive orders to commence Wing Attack Plan R, best summarized by Maj. Kong as "Nuclear combat! Toe to toe with the Russkies!" On the ground at Burpleson Air Force Base, Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers) notices nothing on the news about America being at war. Gen. Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) calmly informs him that he gave the command to attack the Soviet Union because it was high time someone did something about fluoridation, which is sapping Americans' bodily fluids (and apparently has something to do with Ripper's sexual dysfunction). Meanwhile, President Merkin Muffley (Sellers again) meets with his top Pentagon advisors, including super-hawk Gen. Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott), who sees this as an opportunity to do something about Communism in general and Russians in particular. However, the ante is upped considerably when Soviet ambassador de Sadesky (Peter Bull) informs Muffley and his staff of the latest innovation in Soviet weapons technology: a "Doomsday Machine" that will destroy the entire world if the Russians are attacked. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This first entry in the long-running (some would say interminable) British "Carry On" series is at base a collection of motheaten army jokes, albeit served up with freshness and energy. Future Doctor Who star William Hartnell plays Sergeant Major Grimshaw, whose fondest wish is to win the coveted Best Troop Award before his retirement. Alas, this may never come to pass: his newest batch of conscripts include some of the biggest and stupidest foul-ups in military history. Popular comedian-cartoonist Bob Monkhouse and cockney bombshell Shirley Eaton head up the supporting cast, which includes such "Carry On" stalwarts-to-be as Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey and Kenneth Williams. Carry On Sergeant was very loosely based on The Bull Boys, a novel by R. F. Delderfield. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After years of suffering through lookalike MGM musicals (at least, that was his complaint), Howard Keel was able to sink his teeth into a dramatic role in the British Floods of Fear. Serving a life term for murder, Donavan (Howard Keel) breaks out of jail with sadistic convict Peebles (Cyril Cusack), taking along a wounded guard (Harry H. Corbett) as hostage. It is Donavan's intention to exact revenge against the man who framed him, but this will have to wait: a driving rainstorm is threatening to precipitate a raging flood. Taking refuge in the tiny house owned by the terror-stricken Elizabeth (Anne Heywood), the convicts and their captives nervously wait out the storm. Slowly, Elizabeth and Donavan are drawn to one another, while Peebles threatens to erupt into a fit of homicidal rage at any moment. When the flood reaches the danger level, Donavan performs several self-sacrificial acts of courage, prompting Elizabeth to try to save him from ruining what's left of his life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Time Lock is a textbook example of how a talented director and cast can do a lot with a little. Lensed in Canada, the story gets under way when a child is accidentally locked in a bank vault. The vault's time-lock isn't set to open for another 63 hours -- by which time, of course, the child will have suffocated. One expert after another tries to open the lock, to no avail. Finally, an appeal for help over the local radio station yields salvation. Though the film works best as an ensemble effort, Robert Beatty emerges as the star of the proceedings in the role of a no-nonsense vault expert. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a novel by Hammond Innes, the British Campbell's Kingdom is set in the Canadian Rockies. Dirk Bogarde plays Bruce Campbell, a British aristocrat who has been given only six months to live. Inheriting a financially troubled Canadian valley, Campbell finds a new lease on life as he champions the cause of the local citizenry. He is particually effective in standing up to the eco-unfriendly excesses of contractor Owen Morgan (Stanley Baker), whose ethically-challenged dam project threatens to flood the valley. Methodically paced, Campbell's Kingdom rewards the viewer's patience with an abundance of action highlights, the best of which is reserved for last. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this crime drama, a boxer ignores gangsters' threats and refuses to throw a fight. While hiding out from the crooks, he starts working at a garage. After falling in love with the boss's daughter, he listens to her advice and decides to stand up to the bullies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The blarney is as thick as the characters' brogues in You Can't Beat the Irish. Jack Warner stars as lazy but enterprising Irish paterfamilias Bartley Murnahan. To support his family, Bartley has hit upon a foolproof scam. By arranging a series of subtle subterfuges, he convinces his neighbors that he has fallen heir to a huge fortune. Before long, Bartley is the cock of the walk, never having to pay a cent for anything because all the local merchants assume he's going to reimburse them tenfold when the legacy is settled. The beautiful part of the scheme is that Bartley himself never has to tell a lie: he merely relies upon the gullibility and greed of those around him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide