Dennis Vance Movies
- 1972
A top-secret government agency called the Web was the catalyst for the action in this weekly, hour-long British TV series. The individual episodes concentrated on the thrilling undercover activities of the Web's three top agents: Lottie Dean (Patricia Cutts), Wallis Ackroyd (Veronica Carlson), and Clive Hawksworth (Anthony Ainley). Roger Lloyd-Pack played the agents' boss, while the guest-star roster included the likes of Ferdy Mayne and Andre Morell. The 13 episodes of Spyder's Web were broadcast by ATV from February 22 to April 14, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Often compared to the popular British crime series The Sweeney (both projects were produced by Euston Films), Thames Television's Special Branch began its weekly, 60-minute run on September 17, 1969. In its earliest episodes, the series focused upon an elite group of tough, unsentimental London cops, presided over by Superintendent Eden (Wesley Pithey), Det. Supt. Inman (Fulton Mackay), and Det. Insp. Jordan (Derren Nesbitt). After ending its second season on November 4, 1970, Special Branch went on a three-year hiatus. When it returned on April 4, 1973, virtually the entire cast had been replaced: Now the activities of the Special Branch were overseen by Commanders Nichols (Richard Butler) and Fletcher (Frederick Jaeger), and Detective Chief Inspectors Craven (George Sewell), and Haggerty (Patrick Mower). The 53rd and final episode of Special Branch aired on May 9, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
After six weeks of live telecasts, The Avengers went back to videotape with this episode, which was originally broadcast on April 1, 1961. Suspecting that a civil servant has been blackmailed into passing secret information to the enemy, Steed allows himself to be blackmailed by the seedy owner of a Soho nightclub. Ordered to drop off a valuable package at the monkey house in a private zoo, Steed watches with a mixture of amazement and amusement as a monkey picks up the parcel and delivers it to the head of the blackmailers. He is even more amazed (and not amused) when he discovers the identity of the "brains" of the outfit. "Please Don't Feed the Animals" was written by Dennis Spooner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this darkly comic chiller, a surgeon suggest that his students steal corpses to use in their experiments. Unfortunately, they aren't very good at purloining the dead and resort to murder instead. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1955
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Marius Goring stars in this TV adaptaion of Baroness Orczy's adventure novel The Scarlet Pimpernel. Goring plays Sir Percy Blakeney, 18th century English fop by day, rescuer of French aristocrats by night. Disguised as the Scarlet Pimpernel, Blakeney does his utmost to save deserving souls from the guillotine at the height of the French revolution. The TV series is more formularized than the novel, but admirable captures the spirit of the original. Four volumes of Scarlet Pimpernel episodes are currently available on videocassette: the episodes contained in Volume 2 are "Sir Andrew's Fate" and "Tale of Two Pigtails." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
In this melodrama, a Welsh storekeeper secretly dreams of becoming a songwriter. His dream comes true when he wins a contest and gets a contract with a big London publishing company. He moves to the city and leaves his beloved behind. Once there, he finds himself so lonely that he is unable to create. Fortunately, he has enough music already written to satisfy his publisher, but he is totally blocked for writing new material. After a great struggle, he manages to write a decent song, but a corrupt publisher steals it from him. Fortunately, the writer has kept the music. Later he and his lover are reunited. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1950
Shadow of the Eagle is set during the reign of Russia's Catherine the Great. Dashing Count Orlof (Richard Greene) is dispatched to Venice to kidnap Princess Elizabeth (Valentina Cortesa), a pretender to Catherine's throne. Falling in love with the princess, Orloff casts his lot with Elizabeth's followers. When Catherine (Binnie Barnes) finally gets her clutches on Elizabeth and sentences her to death, Orloff nobly offers to die in her place. All of this sounds suspiciously like The Eagle, a 1925 Rudolph Valentino vehicle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Greene, Valentina Cortese, (more)
- 1949
Diamond City is a British "western", set not in Australia as was often the case but in the wilds of South Africa. David Farrar is a lawkeeper sworn to lawkeep in the diamond mines. The poachers thereabouts try their luck at circumventing Farrar, but he's too fast for them. The final shootout isn't quite the Gunfight at the OK Corral, but it will serve until English history offers a real counterpart to that famous western battle. David Farrar's leading lady in Diamond City is future Avengers star Honor Blackman, who in 1949 was still in her blushing-heroine phase. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Farrar, Honor Blackman, (more)
- 1949
Based on a novel by Mary Mitchell, Warning to Wantons is the story of 17-year-old Renee (Anne Vernon). After wriggling out of a convent school, Renee manages to crash high society. She twists several wealthy men around her little finger before making a surprising marital decision. David Tomlinson, stuffy second lead of many a Disney film, is fun to watch as a high-society twit. The film's 144-minute running time had to be boiled down considerably before the film was distributed to America. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harold Warrender, Anne Vernon, (more)
- 1949
Reverent to the point of tedium, Christopher Columbus stars Fredric March in the title role, and he's welcome to it. March's wife Florence Eldredge co-stars as Queen Isabella, who finances Columbus' expedition to find a westward route to India. After several reels devoted to table-top miniatures impersonating the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria (punctuated by rumbles of mutiny--no, not "rumble rumble, mutiny mutiny") Columbus reaches the New World. Though obviously filmed on an extravagant budget (Technicolor was still a rare commodity in 1949), the British Christopher Columbus has less going for it than the 1939 Porky Pig cartoon Christopher Columbus Jr.. Filmgoers stayed away in droves, as they would when the movie industry "rediscovered" Columbus for a brace of disastrous multimillion-dollar films in 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fredric March, Florence Eldridge, (more)
- 1949
Landfall takes place during the early portions of WWII. RAF pilot Rick (Michael Denison) is transferred to another squadron after sinking a British sub during a bombing raid. Disgraced, Rick has no one to turn to, save for sympathetic barmaid Mona (Patricia Plunkett). With her help, the pilot is able to find out the truth behind his "fatal error" and clear his name. Landfall was based on a novel by Nevil Shute, of On the Beach fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patricia Plunkett, Edith Sharpe, (more)
John Mills stars as Commander Scott, the leader of the ill-fated and famed 1911 expedition to be the first to discover the South Pole. The British were up against the Norwegians in the Arctic quest for fame and honor which was won by Norway. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Mills, Diana Churchill, (more)
- 1948
Like such later American programmers as Rock Around the Clock, the British Trouble in the Air is essentially an excuse to parade popular radio entertainers before the cameras. The plot is but a sliver: When a team of small-town bellringers is picked to perform over the BBC, their village is beseiged by oppotunists, including a gang of toughs. Radio announcer Jimmy Edwards gets wind of the villain's schemes and uses the airwaves to alert the authorities. Trouble in the Air is so dependent upon built-in audience familiarity with its stars that it leaves American audiences at a complete loss. As a time capsule for British radio fans, however, the film is invaluable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
