Geoffrey Toone Movies

The time is World War I. The scene: a lonely trench, somewhere in the farthest reaches of the French battlefields. British "Tommy" Gary Cockrell shares the trench with his dying company commander. As he breathes his last, the commander informs Cockrell that he, Cockrell, has accidentally killed his own brother in the thick of combat. The rest of this 57-minute quota quickie finds Cockrell trying to make amends for his unintentional fratricide. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Captain Sindbad was based on an Arabian Nights story, was filmed in Germany, and starred an American leading man (Guy Williams), a German leading lady (Heidi Bruhl) and a Mexican villain (Pedro Armendariz). How's that for cultural diversity? Anyway, the story involves Sindbad's (Williams) efforts to enter the impenetrable castle where the evil El Kerim's (Armendariz) heart is being kept. So long as his heart is outside his body, El Kerim is invulnerable, enabling him to be as wicked and despotic as he chooses. Sindbad comes to the rescue just seconds before the heroine (Bruhl) is about to be crushed to death by an elephant. Despite the mortality rate on both sides, Captain Sindbad is pure kiddie-matinee stuff, adroitly put together by director/cinematographer Byron (War of the Worlds) Haskin and boasting top-notch special effects. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dr. Who was/is the longest-running entertainment series ever to run on the BBC, and for a variety of reasons, including its sassy humor, delightfully idiotic sets and special effects, and some first-class star-turns by a series of usually underrated actors in the title role, it generated a fanatic and devoted following in the U.K. One of the earliest "Doctors" in the movies was the great horror favorite Peter Cushing, and in this movie he saves the universe and, not incidentally, our dear old earth, from domination by the mostly robot and decidedly anti-biological Daleks (predecessors of the Borg, no doubt), a group of endearingly awfully designed (and made) A-frame shaped robots which, when massed together, appear to be engaged in a bumper-car race. No matter, the story races along at a furious and improbable pace, punctuated by wisecracks and gags, most of them from the almost-wise Doctor himself as he races about in his infinitely large (on the inside) antique London telephone booth known as "the Tardis" (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space), protecting the innocent. Fans of the series will be delighted with the film, but as is so often the case, newcomers to the series will wonder what all the fuss is about. The cumulative cheesiness of the whole Dr. Who concept does take quite a bit of getting used to, and any attempt to take the series or this movie seriously is doomed to failure. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the four-part story "The Curse of Peladon," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Jo (Katy Manning) investigate a murder which may ruin the planet Peladon's bid for membership in the Galactic Federation. It turns out that the killer may be the resurrected spirit of the sacred Pel beast known as Aggedor -- but who has summoned the beast from its eternal rest? Written by Brian Hayles, "The Curse of Peladon, Episode 2" first aired on February 5, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of the four-part story "The Curse of Peladon," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) discovers that the much-feared sacred Pel beast Aggredor is actually as timid and docile as a lamb. He also realizes at last that neither Aggredor nor the dreaded Ice Warriors are responsible for sabotaging the planet Peladon's efforts to gain acceptance in the Galactic Federation. But if all this is true, then who is the villain of the peace? The part of King Peladon is played by David Troughton, the son of Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee's predecessor in the role of the Doctor. Written by Brian Hayles, "The Curse of Peladon, Episode 4" first aired on February 19,1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A spy ring is responsible for the death of Betty McDowall's husband as discovered by reporters. ~ All Movie Guide

This Walt Disney filmization of Esther Forbes' Revolutionary-War novel Johnny Tremain was appropriately released on July 4, 1957. New Disney discovery Hal Stalmaster plays the title character, an apprentice silversmith in 1773 Boston. An on-the-job injury prevents Johnny from finding a job, but he is welcomed with open arms at the headquarters of the Revolution. After standing trial on a trumped-up robbery charge brought about by British sympathizer Jonathan Lyte (Sebastian Cabot), Johnny is set free, whereupon he joins the Sons of Liberty during their execution of the Boston Tea Party. Later on, General Gage (Ralph Clanton), the officer in charge of the colonies, does his best to stem the activities of the Sons of the Liberty without resorting to violence but this becomes a moot point after the battle of Lexington Green. If the storyline of Johnny Tremain seems to be divided into two even halves, it is because the film was originally intended as a two-part installment of the Disneyland TV anthology. As it turned out, the film did receive TV exposure on Walt Disney Presents, divided (as planned) into two segments: "The Boston Tea Party" (first telecast November 21, 1958) and "The Shot That Was Heard Around the World" (December 5, 1958). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this British wartime propaganda film, a Nazi spy creeps into England and is taken in by a kindly family who have no idea who he really is. He repays their kindness by using their home as a radio base for his communiqués to other Nazis regarding the location of British targets for German planes and paratroopers. The plot really thickens when the Nazi falls in love with the daughter. When the Nazis attack, the Nazi houseguest kills one of his own officers. He is then dragged out and shot just before the British bombers fly over and destroy the home. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this action film, a truck driver must carry a load of dynamite. Meanwhile, his girlfriend gets mixed up with a gang that sells stolen furs. Eventually, the truck driver must rescue his girlfriend from the bad guys and blows them and their loot to Kingdom Come. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide

Yul Brynner and Kay Kendall star as Victor and Dolly Fabian in this successful cinematic version of the stage comedy by Harry Kurnitz. Victor is a larger-than-life symphony conductor who loves music but has all the social skills of a wounded rhinoceros. After his wife Dolly gets fed up with smoothing over his relationships with his musicians and everyone else, she dumps him and takes up an offer of marriage from a physicist. Alas! Documentation -- or the lack of it -- soon reveals that the Fabians were never really married in the first place. Unfortunately, they still have to get divorced in order to save face and this, of course, leads to an increasingly unexpected series of complications. Elegant and witty actress Kay Kendall died of leukemia three months after this film was completed. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The British maritime meller Pirate of the Seven Seas first saw the light of day as Queer Cargo in 1938. John Lodge stars as Captain Harley, a slick pearl-smuggler saddled with a rebellious crew. Harley's men finally mutiny at the precise moment that their vessel is boarded by pirate leader Cabini (Kenneth Kent) and his band of cutthroats. Faced with choosing the lesser of two evils, Harley's crew finally decides to cast their lot with the captain, who has become the film's hero by default. Though filmed nearly two years before the outbreak of WW2, Pirate of the Seven Seas was foresighted enough to include a German villain in its cast of characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a young man desires to be like his father and graduate from the Royal Military College, but before he can, he must overcome his fear of horses. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide