June Thorburn Movies
- 1964
Montgomery Tully, that phenomenally fast British directing machine, whipped up another espionage programmer with 1964's Master Spy. Stephen Murray stars as a Russian scientist who escapes from a Communist prison to go to work for the British. Despite his seeming sincerity, Murray's superiors suspect that he's a "plant," sent to monitor nuclear secrets on behalf of the Reds. It's more complex than that: Murray is a British spy, posing as a Russian defector, posing as a possible informer.... While only 71 minutes, Master Spy has enough plot twists for a library-full of Fleming and LeCarre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Murray, June Thorburn, (more)
- 1963
Squire Trevenyan (Peter Cushing), magistrate of an 18th century coastal village where a little smuggling has always gone on (and been tolerated), learns that a group of wreckers have moved into the district, destroying ships and slaughtering their survivors in order to steal the cargo. The local populace, consisting mostly of tradesmen, honest fishermen and some part-time smugglers, all want the wreckers stopped, and appeal to the squire; but Trevenyan also learns that his son Christopher (John Fraser) is involved with the daughter of a tradesman who receives stolen goods. He intends to act on wreckers and smugglers alike, and gets the support of the local nobility (Miles Malleson). But then Christopher Trevenyan is caught up in a killing -- in self-defense -- of one of the wreckers, and the squire is so certain of the corruption of the village, that he declines to use his son as a witness against the wreckers. Rather, he brings in soldiers and starts a campaign against the smugglers and fishermen, the wreckers' leader, Black John (Bernard Lee), standing with him and diverting attention from himself. The citizenry appeals to a local highwayman known as the Captain (William Franklyn), who proceeds to kidnap Christopher, with a vow to kill him if two convicted men are transported to a colony. The squire is now trapped -- Black John, who is eager for the sentences to be carried out so that the troops can be withdrawn and his wreckers return to work, threatens to denounce him if he delays deporting the men; and Trevenyan rationalizes his decision as being in keeping with the law, even though it will cost his son's life. The only way out for the innocent parties on all sides can come from Christopher's bravery and the Captain's sense of honor, and the slim chance that they find a common goal that will spare young Trevenyan's life. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Its the Cavaliers vs. the Copperheads in this costume drama set during the 17th-century British Civil War. Our sympathies are supposed to be with Oliver Cromwell's underground troops--and they are, since the arrogant Cromwell isn't around to comprise his followers' heroism. Lionel Jeffries, loyal to Cromwell, is confounded by his daughter June Thorburn's fidelity to the Throne. Oliver Reed co-stars as Jeffries' right-hand man and June's boyfriend. Crimson Blade does little to clarify the complex issues attending the war, but it delivers the goods in the action department. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lionel Jeffries, Oliver Reed, (more)
- 1962
No, this isn't Noel Coward's Design for Living, it's the British "beat generation" comedy Design for Loving. Hoping to capture the youth market, fashion mogul-ess June Thorburn hires beatnik Pete Murray as her chief consultant. Murray is actually a nobleman in disguise, so you can imagine the comic complications. This is one of those "trendy" films of the 1960s that wound up an anachronism almost from the moment it hit the theatres. Design for Loving was released in the US by Columbia Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In this British costume adventure, a courageous knight foils the plans of a baron to steal the treasure of King Henry III. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
In this crime drama, an FBI agent and a vengeful sister pursue diamond thieves who pulled their latest caper by placing a time-bomb aboard a plane piloted by the woman's brother. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
In this British bedroom farce, Bill Ferguson (Richard Todd), a Scottish travel agent, has a major row with his fiancée Stella (June Thorburn) shortly before leaving for a jaunt through Europe. Considering himself free to do as he pleases, Bill gives keys to his Edinburgh apartment to a number of beautiful women, inviting them to drop by if they happen to be in the neighborhood. When he comes home, Bill and Stella patch things up, which leaves him with a lot of explaining to do when a bevy of curvaceous females from across the continent begin appearing at their doorstep, including Ingrid (Elke Sommer) and Lucille (Nicole Maurey). Richard Todd served as producer as well as star; Frederic Raphael contributed to the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Todd, Nicole Maurey, (more)
The Three Worlds of Gulliver is perhaps the least known of the Charles H. Schneer-Ray Harryhausen collaborations of the 1960s, perhaps because it was withdrawn from circulation so soon after its initial release. Kerwin Mathews, star of the Schneer-Harryhausen classic Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1957), stars as Jonathan Swift's globetrotting adventurer Lemuel Gulliver. The first "world" is Lilliput, populated with teeny-tiny people who are about to go to war because they can't agree over which end of an egg to crack. Gulliver's second stop is Brobdignag, where our hero is surrounded by giants. The third world is England, where Gulliver is thrown into a lunatic asylum when he tries to relate his astonishing adventures. Jo Morrow plays the thoroughly dispensable love interest. The script, by director Jack Sher and Arthur Ross, manages to retain a great deal of Swift's trenchant satire without detracting from the film's "fun for all ages" entertainment value. As always, Harryhausen's Dynamation special effects are superb. A lilting, semihumorous musical score by Bernard Herrmann is the icing on this cinematic cake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kerwin Mathews, Jo Morrow, (more)
- 1960
When an ex-con changes his name and tries to make a new start, everything seems to conspire against him in his efforts. First of all, he is trying to fend of the attentions of his boss' wife. Then, to make things worse, an ex-cellmate shows up and blackmails him by threatening to tell about his past. Push comes to shove and our man, innocent of any crime, winds up back in jail with a murder conviction hanging on him. Not as interesting as it sounds. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1960
In this crime drama, an unemployed thespian gets a job as an escort-protector and winds up framed for murder after one of his wealthy clients is killed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Broth of a Boy is an even-keel film version of a play by Irish dramatist Hugh Leonard. Barry Fitzgerald plays the world's oldest man, a taciturn centenarian Irishman. Media representatives converge on Fitzgerald's village on the occasion of the old coot's 110th birthday. The eager TV exec who stages the event discovers that damage control is definitely in order: not only is Fitzgerald a widely despised poacher, but he also truculently refuses to participate in the ceremony. Broth of a Boy is a pleasant, easygoing satire of exploitive journalism--a target that is as viable today as it was in 1959. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Rooney (John Gregson) is a handsome but unambitious Irish sanitation worker. Rooney's landladies would love to see him married to one of their daughters, or nieces, or whatever, but Rooney ain't buyin'. Barry Fitzgerald plays Rooney's elderly bedridden neighbor, whom the young man befriends, turns to for advice, and tries to shield from the old man's bickering relatives. Stronger on characterization than plot, Rooney was based on a popular novel by Catherine Cookson. The film is at its best when the camera roams around the misty streets of Dublin, and at its worst when it pauses for sentiment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Gregson, Muriel Pavlow, (more)
Producer/animator/special-effect maven George Pal made his feature-film directorial bow with the colorful MGM musical fantasy Tom Thumb (the title of the film was spelled in lower case in the opening credits, and in all studio publicity material). Russ Tamblyn stars as the teeny-tiny titular protagonist, while veteran musicomedy favorite Jessie Mathews and stellar character actor Bernard Miles portray Tom's normal-sized parents. Journeying to the Village, Tom is pounced upon by villains Ivan (Terry-Thomas) and Tony (a corpulent Peter Sellers), who intend to exploit our 5 1/2-inch-tall hero. In-between his misadventures with the villains, Tom helps to expedite the romance between young forester Woody (Alan Young) and the magical Forest Queen (June Thorburn). Throughout, the special effects and oversized sets are first-rate, as are the "puppetoons" sequences featuring such delightful characters as The Yawning Man (voice by Stan Freberg). Written by several hands, the film's songs are hummable, if not particularly memorable. It is said that some children in the audience in 1958 were genuinely frightened by the more horrific aspects of the story (including the threatened execution of Tom's parents); it may be, however, that the adults were more scared than the kids. Incidentally, while most of Tom Thumb was filmed in MGM's London facilities, the special effects were produced in Hollywood, requiring Russ Tamblyn to do a lot of travelling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russ Tamblyn, Alan Young, (more)
- 1957
True as a Turtle isn't nearly as funny as its title, but it tries hard to please. Most of the action takes place aboard a yacht called the Turtle, owned by crusty Dudley (Cecil Parker). The yachtsman's guests are newlywed Tony (John Gregson) and his chronically seasick bride Jane (June Thorburn). After a series of slapstick mishaps, the plot rears its ugly head when crew member Harry (Keith Mitchell) reveals himself to be a criminal -- only he isn't really a criminal, see? Moderately successful in England, True as a Turtle made it to the U.S. by way of the Late Late Show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Gregson, June Thorburn, (more)
- 1955
Touch and Go stars Jack Hawkins as the head of a British family who decides to kick over the traces and emigrate to Australia. No one in the family, least of all wife Margaret Johnston, is enthused over this move, but they prepare themselves with dignity. As the technical and legal obstacles preventing their move begin to mount, even Hawkins has second thoughts about hitching his star Down Under. Since no one behaves very believably in the film, Touch and Go rises and falls on its individual comic sequences, some of which are quite good. The title Touch and Go has been used so often that when the film was released in the US, it was retitled The Light Touch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Hawkins, Margaret Johnston, (more)
- 1955
In this comedy, a jewel thief hides his loot on an abandoned scow. Later he is captured and thrown in jail after assaulting someone. Two models end up buying the boat. The barge is almost sunk in an accident. Later two tart old ladies end up with the goods. They then help the younger women get the reward money. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
This video features two stories in one. The first story chronicles the escape of a man living in an Eastern block country who was slated for execution. The second story centers on an Irish immigrant who left his native Erin after a love affair goes sour. Once in the New World, he becomes morally bankrupt while trying to build his fortune. But soon he finds himself a hated man. Fortunately, a wise priest offers sage advice and the hero finally finds peace and romantic bliss at last. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
In this comedy, the routines of two British army barracks are disrupted when they are invaded by a Hollywood film unit while their CO is away. Trouble ensues when he returns unannounced. Now the filmmakers must convince him to allow them to keep filming. To do so, they employ the charms of a full-bodied blonde starlet. Filming finally resumes, but then a larger military impresario decides to drop by for a snap inspection; the film crew is unable to offer an acceptable explanation for their presence in the camp. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
In this heartwarming film, a village squire generously offers a large cottage to a poor villager who has a lot of grandchildren. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
In this comedy of misunderstanding, a husband misses the train his wife is aboard and ends up staying at the very same hotel where his lovely ex-fiancee is holed up. She too has since married, and things get quite hectic when both of their jealous respective spouses suddenly show up. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
Robert Ayres plays a moody author with a suicide complex. Ayres' melancholia plays right into the hands of a gang of thieves. For a lofty fee, they convince the author to confess to their crimes and then kill himself. Yes, you're way ahead of us: Ayres has a change of heart and decides that he loves life. Delayed Action was produced by Robert Baker and Monty Berman, the men behind the popular 1960s TV adventure series The Saint. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
In this seagoing military drama set in World War II, Lt. Comdr. Ericson (Jack Hawkins) is made captain of a British corvette, a small escort vessel used to guide and protect convoys traveling through the Atlantic. Ericson had his confidence severely shaken during his last command, in which he lost his ship and most of its men following an attack by a German U-boat. As he leads a new and largely inexperienced crew aboard the H.M.S. Compass Rose, Ericson is once again thrown into a life-and-death dilemma that forces him to choose between destroying an enemy ship and sparing the lives of his own men. The Cruel Sea featured breakthrough early performances from Denholm Elliott and Virginia McKenna, and it was based on a best-selling novel by Nicholas Monsarrat, who stipulated that the film rights could be sold only to a British company. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, (more)
- 1952
John Hayter is Samuel Pickwick is this delightful filmization of Dickens' seriocomic novel. Mr. Pickwick is chairman of the Pickwick club, a scholarly league operating in mid-19th century London. The club's avowed purpose is to scrupulously study everyday life in England-not to improve or remonstrate, but simply examine, as a scientist would examine life under the microscope. The episodic storyline transports the Pickwicks all over town, from the fashionable digs of ever-in-debt roue Mr. Jingle (Nigel Patrick) to debtor's prison. The Candide-like Mr. Pickwick survives his many experiences (including a duel and breach of promise suit) with the invulnerability of innocence. The Pickwick Papers was produced, directed and adapted by Noel Langley, a brilliant, hard-drinking wit who once upon a time had labored on the screenplay of Hollywood's The Wizard of Oz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Hayter, James Donald, (more)
