Ben Williams Movies
British character actor Ben Williams first appeared before the cameras in 1935. Often cast in mystery films (he was a bit shady-looking), Williams showed up in such efforts as Man Without a Face (1935), Whispering Smith Hits London (1951), and The Teckman Mystery (1954). He was also prominently cast in two of RKO's British-filmed Saint series entries, The Saint in London (1939) and The Saint Meets the Tiger (1954). In films until 1958, Ben Williams' range of characters included detectives, butlers, German soldiers, and one or two Beefeater guards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1957
In this crime drama, the trouble begins when Arabs kidnap a young wife and hold her hostage for a pair of rare books. Mayhem ensues as her husband and another book smuggler team up to get her back without having to sacrifice the rare tomes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1955
In this detective drama, a biographer researches the death of a heroic pilot who died during a failed test and ends up in love with the deceased's sister. He then learns that the pilot's strange disappearance may not have been accidental and mayhem ensues. Soon other people associated with the case begin to die and the writer becomes nervous until two Scotland Yard inspectors get on the case and solve the mystery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margaret Leighton, John Justin, (more)
- 1955
This fourth film version of A.E.W. Mason's adventure yarn The Four Feathers relies heavily on stock footage from the more famous 1939 adaptation (both were produced by Alexander Korda and codirected by Korda's brother Zoltan). Anthony Steel stars as 19th cntury British officer Harry Faversham, who begs off from serving with Kitchener's forces in the Sudan, preferring to stay in London with fiancee Mary Burroughs (Mary Ure). Almost immediately, Faversham receives the traditional "white feather" of cowardice from his three closest friends--and then is handed a fourth feather by Mary. Determined to prove that he is not a coward, Faversham heads off to the Sudan to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with his comrades. He also intends to return those dreaded feather to his three former friends, even resorting to native disguise at one point to do so. Laurence Harvey essays the old Ralph Richardson role of John Durrance, who is blinded by the sun and thus unaware of Faversham's true identity, while James Robertson Justice fills the shoes of Four Feathers' crusty C. Aubrey Smith ("War was war in my day, sir!") ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Steel, Laurence Harvey, (more)
- 1955
In this comedy, two rabid football fans begin an unstoppable train of events when they physically harass a referee. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Handel's "Messiah" becomes a bone-of-contention in a tiny Welsh community in this comedy. The trouble begins when the choirmaster chooses a new contralto to sing the solo. Unfortunately, this leaves out the soloist who has sung the part for the past 15 years. This precipitates a family feud the women belong to the wealthiest family's in town. To reunite the warring factions, a young couple put off their elopement, but the real solution comes when the choirmaster turns the solo into a duet. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Black-market babies in a British boardinghouse provide the basis of this brutal crime drama. Though the landlady is outwardly upstanding and self-righteous, she is really the brains behind the operation. Her newest tenant is the pregnant lover of a convicted killer who has come there to avoid publicity. There the hapless girl is horribly mistreated as are all of the "guests." But despite the abuse, the young woman refuses to report it. Another boarder, who lost her baby due to the landlady's refusal to call a doctor, becomes the young woman's friend. Eventually things become so bad that a houseworker phones the police. Just before they arrive, the evil landlady shoves the pregnant woman down a flight of stairs and leaves her there to die. The wicked woman is then arrested and goes on to get her just desserts. This film received the very first British "X" rating. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
This romantic and tuneful war drama tells the story the singer who captured the hearts of Allied soldiers during WW II. It begins when she refuses to marry the American reporter she loves. She vows not to say yes until she becomes a star. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
The British Roadhouse Girl was released in the US as Marilyn, but don't go looking for Ms. Monroe around these parts. Sandra Dorne plays Marilyn, the sexy young wife of ill-tempered garage owner Leslie Dwyer. Assuming that his wife is fooling around with mechanic Maxwell Reid, Dwyer begins punching Reid out. Defending himself, Reid accidentally kills his boss. Marilyn helps Reid cover up the crime, and together the two strike out to find a new life. Several months later, the couple is running a just-getting-by roadhouse. Wealthy Ferdy Mayne agrees to lend the couple some money, figuring the Marilyn will offer her affections as repayment. But things take a sorry turn when Mayne begins to suspect that Reid has committed a murder. Though based on a play by Peter Jones, Roadhouse Girl seems heavily indebted to James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
In this comedy, a diamond merchant's secretary gets fired by her new boss for being too efficient. She ends up kidnapped by a ring of jewel thieves. The clever hostage soon convinces the crook that she is with them and joins the gang. She then sneaks a note to her former boss and he comes to save her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
The contentious world of prizefighting provides the setting of this episodic drama that chronicles the lives of five different fighters. Each of the fighters explains their reasons for becoming professional pugilists. One of the fighters, Kid Curtis, ends up dead after a particularly brutal beating. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Warner, Robert Beatty, (more)
- 1952
The Women of Twilight in this controversial British production are the unwed mothers living in a group home. Helen Alistair (Freda Jackson), owner of the shelter, uses a veneer of kindness and generosity to mask her true character: Helen exploits the young women as cheap labor, then farms out their babies to the black-market adoption market. The story concentrates on one of the young unfortunates (Rene Ray), whose tragic plight finally arouses the suspicions of the authorities. Considered raw meat in 1953, Women of Twilight seems to pull most of its punches today. The film was based on a play by Anatole de Grunwald. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Freda Jackson, Renee Ray, (more)
- 1952
Released in Britain as Whispering Smith Hits London, this economically produced whodunit stars Richard Carlson as famed pulp-novel amateur sleuth Whispering Smith. While vacationing in London, Smith becomes intrigued by a suicide case. He suspects that there's more to this than meets the eye, and of course he's right: the so-called suicide was really a murder -- and also the tip of the iceberg in a massive cover-up conspiracy. Greta Gynt co-stars as the Woman in the Case, who may not be All She Seems. For reasons unknown, the British prints of Whispering Smith vs. Scotland Yard credit the screenplay to John Gilling, while the American prints bestow sole screenwriting credit upon Steve (I Wake Up Screaming) Fisher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Carlson, Greta Gynt, (more)
- 1952
In this murder mystery, an aspiring novelist and amateur detective begins looking into the case of a famous unsolved murder and eventually ends up in a mansion filled with serpents. He then enlists the aid of his wife, solves the murder, and gets kudos for his newest book. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Brilliant plastic surgeon Philip Ritter (Paul Henreid) loses the love of his life, concert pianist Alice Brent (Lizabeth Scott), to her manager, David (Andre Morell). As a balm to his wounded pride, Dr. Ritter Henreid makes over a hideously scarred female criminal into the spitting image of the woman who jilted him (the girl is played by Mary McKenzie "before," and, of course, by Lizabeth Scott "after"). Alas, he cannot make over her personality as well, and soon she's run off with her own crooked crowd. A not-bad precursor to Hitchcock's Vertigo, A Stolen Face was produced by Britain's Hammer Films, and distributed in the U.S. by Lippert. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Henreid, Lizabeth Scott, (more)
- 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
- 1952
In this detective story, based on a novel by John Creasey, a smooth-talking detective helps a young woman solve her uncle's murder. When the Robin Hood-like thief accused of the crime is proved innocent, everyone breathes a sight of relief. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1951
In this entry in the series, amateur sleuth and aspiring novelist Temple and his wife look for a kidnapped scientist whose formula for a new atomic weapon has been stolen by the enemy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1951
Henry Koster directs the 1951 aviation drama No Highway in the Sky, based on the novel by Nevil Shute. James Stewart stars as Theodore Honey, a widower and single parent to 11-year-old Elspeth (Janette Scott). He's also an absent-minded engineer who has formed a scientific theory about metal fatigue in a specific model of aircraft. He tries to convince British Airways that their airplanes will come apart after a certain amount of miles, but no one believes him. Then administrator Dennis Scott (Jack Hawkins) sends him on a flying mission to investigate a crash site in Newfoundland. Along the way, he meets stewardess Marjorie Corder (Glynnis Johns) and movie star Monica Teasdale (Marlene Dietrich). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, (more)
- 1951
A trilogy of short stories based on true Scotland Yard cases entitled "The Lady's Companion," "The Telephone" and "The Interrogation." ~ All Movie Guide
- 1951
Basil Radford is cast superbly to type as The Galloping Major. The story concerns the efforts by retired Major Arthur Hill (Radford) to purchase a valuable race horse. He manages to attain financial backing from 300 fellow racing enthusiasts--and then messes things up for all concerned by buying the wrong horse. Persevering, Major Hill enters the steed in the Grand National, whereupon the horse disappears on the eve of the big event. The comic frustrations faced by the Major and his creditors are played effectively for light chuckles rather than belly laughs. The cast includes such polished farceurs as Hugh Griffith, Joyce Grenfell (a favorite of director Henry Cornelius, as witness Genevieve), Sydney Tafler and Alfie Bass. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Basil Radford, Jimmy Hanley, (more)
- 1951
In this British crime drama, a petty crook teams up with a gangster to steal some jewels, but somehow the robbery goes awry and an innocent man is fatally shot. The man later turns out to be the father of the crook's newest girl friend. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1951
Lilli Marlene was inspired by the popular wartime German ballad. Lisa Daniely plays a French songstress who achieves radio fame during the Nazi occupation. She is spirited out of France by an American radio broadcaster (Hugh McDermott), but is recaptured by the Nazis and forced to make "Axis Sally" style pro-German propaganda speeches. After the war, the girl is tried for treason, but is cleared by the American who'd earlier gotten her out of France. Distressingly shoddy, Lilli Marlene was nonetheless a hit, thanks to the built-in popularity of the title song. It was followed by a less successful sequel, The Wedding of Lilli Marlene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh McDermott, Lisa Daniely, (more)
- 1950
Guy Rolfe is top-billed in the British Prelude to Fame, but the critics' attention was directed at young newcomer Jeremy Spencer. This is the story of a poverty-stricken boy named Guido (Spencer) who turns out to be a musical prodigy. Prodded into fame by a wealthy, childless patroness of the arts (Kathleen Ryan), Guido rises to the uppermost rungs of the musical world -- and loses his childhood in the process. Star Rolfe is cast as John Morrell, the philosophy professor who discovers Guido's genius, only to regret what happens to the boy afterward. Best scene: Jeremy Spencer leading the London Philharmonic without adult assistance. Released in America by Universal-International, Prelude to Fame is based on a story by Aldous Huxley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Rolfe, Kathleen Byron, (more)
- 1950
In this comedy, a street artist has successfully conned his wife and family into believing that he is a well-to-do businessman. This scam has been going on for many years. Unfortunately, it all blows up in his face when his alter ego is believed murdered and that he is the prime suspect. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1950
Future Avengers star Patrick Macnee stars in the 1951 British romantic drama The Girl is Mine. Macnee and Pamela Deeming play Hugh Hurcombe and Betty Marriott, part-owners of a charter boat. Their business success, and their budding romance, is threatened by vindictive dock owner James Rutt (Lionel Murton). American businessman Pringle (Arthur Melton) offers to help the young couple. Hugh accepts the offer, only to regret it later on when Pringle himself falls in love with Betty. The Girl is Mine was produced and directed by Marjorie Deans, one of a handful of female directors in England. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
