Lance Comfort Movies
Lance Comfort was somewhere between 18 and 20 years old when he started his film career as director and animator of British medical training shorts. Comfort's first feature was The Courageous Mr. Penn (1941), an ambitious biopic marred only slightly by amateurish miniature work. He followed this with the successful big-budgeter Hatter's Castle (1941), then delighted the folks in the cheap seats with the knockabout comedy Old Mother Riley, Detective (1942). He functioned as both producer and director of the 1945 film Daughter of Darkness. Many of his postwar efforts, notably Eight O'Clock Walk (1954) and Tomorrow at Ten (1962), were distinguished by their creative utilization of actual locations and well-sustained levels of suspense. A busy TV director, Lance Comfort was also co-producer of the internationally popular anthology series Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Presents (1952-1955). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1968
In this spaghetti western, based on the Marvin H. Albert novel The Bounty Killer, a bounty hunter swears he will bring in a notorious Mexican outlaw. The outlaw is captured, but then, with the help of a pretty lady, escapes and goes to his hometown. There he enlists the aid of the locals and gets his old gang back together. The bounty hunter eventually catches up, but he is immediately captured and tortured by the outlaw who then robs and kills a few of the hapless townsfolk. This causes the woman to reconsider her actions. She frees the bounty hunter, and a violent shoot-out ensues. In the end, all of the bad-guys are slain, and the bounty hunter finds himself a rich man. There are no likeable or heroic characters in this film that is unfortunately marred by poor English-language dubbing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Wyler, Tomas Milian, (more)
- 1965
An Englishman finds himself on the holiday from hell in this horror movie. He had gone to Britanny for rest and relaxation. Instead he finds himself involved in a satanic cult run by a sophisticated vampire. Two of the man's friends are killed there because the cult requires human sacrifices. The man really gets mad when the vampire kidnaps his girlfriend. The angered Englishman soon exposes the creature's identity leaving the bereft vampire to wander through a cemetery. There, he stumbles upon a cross and dies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Dave Martin (David Hemmings) and his mates once again find themselves dealing with the tricky side of the music business in this sequel to the British pop musical Live It Up. Dave has become interested in writing, and has a lead on a job with a newspaper in the seaside community of Brighton. As luck would have it, his parents Herbert (Ivor Salter) and Margaret (Diana King) are also moving to Brighton, having inherited a guest house there that they've decided to take over as the family business. En route to Brighton, Dave meets Erica (Andrea Monet), a pretty girl from the United States who is going to Brighton to audition for a job as a dancer. She is lacking accommodations, so Dave offers to put her up at the family's new guest house, though Herbert and Margaret at first believe their son has less than honorable intentions. When Erica's audition falls through, she opts to stay on in Brighton, and she's soon joined by Dave's old pals Phil (John Pike) and Ricky (Stephen Marriot), who were his partners in the beat group the Smart Alecks. Publicity friendly impresario Hilton Bass (David Healy) arrives in town looking for "the Brighton Sound," which he's convinced will be the next big thing after the success of Merseybeat. Dave asks his pals to re-form the Smart Alecks to enter the talent competition Bass is staging, but he's disqualified when he learns the paper he's working for is helping to sponsor the contest. However, Dave thinks he may have struck upon a story when he uncovers evidence that suggests Bass has rigged the contest to favor a group he's already signed to a deal. Be My Guest features guest appearances from Jerry Lee Lewis and the Nashville Teens (the latter of whom also serve as Lewis' backing band), as well as lesser known beat groups the Nightshades, Kenny and the Wranglers, and the Zephyrs. Noted British rock producer Shel Talmy coordinated the film's musical score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hemmings, Steve Marriott, (more)
- 1964
Based on a novel by Laurence Meynell, this film tells of a young businessman from England who who gets involved in a scheme to inundate a small communist country in the Middle East with counterfeit money. Things do not go as planned when his wife begins digging into matters. This thriller runs a short 59 minutes. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Reynolds, Dermot Walsh, (more)
- 1964
Tomorrow at Ten stars Robert Shaw as a desperate criminal who kidnaps a small boy. He locks his victim in a room with a time bomb set to go off at 10 AM, then posts his ransom demands. When the police catch up with the kidnapper, he dies without revealing the bomb's location. With precious little time left, the police attempt to retrace the criminal's steps, rescue the boy, and keep half of London from being blown to bits. The plot for 1964's Tomorrow at Ten has since been lifted bodily for use in several American TV programs, notably The FBI (in which the kidnapee was a teenager, played by singing idol Bobby Sherman). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
A handful of teenage rock and rollers are looking for their big break and they need it fast in this British pop-musical, which offers a look at the U.K. rock music scene in the days before the Beatles took it international. Dave Martin (David Hemmings) and his pals Phil (John Pike), Ron (Heinz Burt), and Ricky (Stephen Marriot) work as delivery boys for the post office during the day, but in their spare time they're members of a beat group called the Smart Alecks who are looking to get ahead. Dave's mother Margaret (Joan Newell) is supportive of Dave's interest in music, but his father Herbert (Ed Deveraux) thinks his son is wasting his time and money, especially after the band blows its savings cutting a demo tape of their best original song, "Live It Up." Herbert gives Dave one month to get his foot in the door of the music business, or else he'll force him to go look for a real job. Dave is sure the tape will score the Smart Alecks a record deal, especially after an accident at a movie studio while he's on a delivery puts his name in the papers, but as fate would have it, Dave misplaces the tape. As the Smart Alecks look for a new way to get the attention of a music biz bigwig, Jill (Jennifer Moss), Dave's girlfriend, thinks she might be able to use her job as a taxi dispatcher to help. Originally released in the United Kingdom as Live It Up, Sing and Swing features a brief appearance by first generation rock icon Gene Vincent, who sings the song "Temptation Baby" in a television studio, while legendarily eccentric producer Joe Meek coordinated the movie's musical score. Future Deep Purple and Rainbow guitarist Ritchie Blackmore can be spotted sitting in with the group the Outlaws, while Stephen Marriot would soon shorten his first name to Stevie and become a pop star as a member of the Small Faces. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hemmings, John Pike, (more)
- 1963
The villains in the British The Switch are members of a wristwatch-smuggling gang. Poor Zena Marshall knows too much, so the gangs abducts her. Stalwart customs official Anthony Steel struggles manfully to rescue the girl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Man in the Dark is a quickie British suspenser geared for double-feature bills. William Sylvester stars as a blind composer of hit songs. Sylvester's wife Barbara Shelley hates him beyond measure. She contrives with her lover, artist Rickie Seldon, to kill Sylvester, but the composer has the last ha-ha. The so-called popular songs heard on the soundtrack of Man in the Dark, including the title number, suggest that William Sylvester is not only blind but tone-deaf. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Sylvester, Barbara Shelley, (more)
- 1963
In this crime drama, a con-artist's mark finds himself in deep trouble after he gets drunk, goes to the apartment of an attractive grifter and discovers that her partner has been slain (something that shocked her too!). The real trouble begins when the fellow accidentally touches the murder weapon belonging to the leader of a Soho gang, and then allows the woman to con him into taking care of the corpse. His actions catch the watchful eyes of the cops; he is soon arrested. Things look bleak for the hapless fellow until his fiancee and friends rally together, catch the con-woman, call the cops and get him acquitted. In the end, the con-woman is killed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
The 58-minute Touch of Death manages to pack quite a lot into its short lifespan. The action begins when a gang of crooks pulls off a huge heist. What the criminals don't know is that the loot has been treated with a deadly poison. Commandeering a houseboat, the bad guys terrorized the female occupant (Jan Waters) before they start dropping like flies. Director Lance Comfort wasn't what you could call inspired, but he sure knew how to sustain audience interest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In this British drama, a seventeen-year-old girl flees from her dreadful home and hitchhikes to London's Soho district. There, a carnival fortune teller befriends her and helps her get a job waiting tables. Her new boss makes sexual advances and the girl rejects him. She in turn makes a successful play for an aspiring singer. He impregnates her and they marry. They decide to move to Canada, but they need cash so the singer burglarizes their employer's home. Unfortunately, the employer awakens during the theft and shoots the singer. The wounded singer retaliates and kills his boss; he then steals a car, grabs his wife, and flees with the police in hot pursuit. They move in closer and the cornered killer tries to hold them at bay until he drops dead from blood loss. His wife sobs beside his crumpled form. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Jazz musician Acker Bilk plays himself in this cinematic jam session of music, melodrama, and low comedy. The film's title is literal: the plot involves a jazz band comprised of ex-convicts. Once released, they supposedly go straight, taking their show on the road. Actually, their tour is a subterfuge to commit a series of robberies. Jimmy Thompson appears in Band of Thieves for comedy relief, while Jennifer Jayne hangs around for sex appeal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
In this thriller, a safe designer suffers amnesia after jewel thieves trick him into cracking a safe. He cannot clear his name until he can regain his memory. His wife assists him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1959
A persuasive ad man cons a British TV makeup artist to slip in a promotion for Bonko Detergent during a show in this comedy. The ploy is a success until the makeup man is fired. He and the ad man team up and create a pirate station that broadcasts their commercials into other shows. They soon find themselves in trouble when thieves, believing their roving broadcast van is filled with gold, steal the vehicle. The adman radios the police and the robbers are captured. This leads him to get a new job with the television network. The makeup man then interrupts the man's first show with his commercials. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arthur Askey, Sidney James, (more)
- 1959
In this comedy, a common chemist lives up to his lineage (he's a direct descendant of Dr. Jekyll), and creates a concoction which changes him into a suave jewel thief. After pulling off a caper, the thief becomes his original self and then helps bring in a gang of robbers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1958
For pretty Jean Francis (Lisa Gastoni), the nightmare begins when she inadvertently witnesses a robbery-murder. Rapson (Griffith Jones), leader of the criminal gang responsible, puts pressure on Jean to keep her from testifying. Fortunately, Jean finds a champion in the form of reporter Bob Meredith (Vincent Ball), who's been after the gang for months. In the end, the villains' worst enemies turn out not to be Jean or Bob, but themselves. Released in Great Britain as 3DFace in the Night3D, this British crime quickie reads rather better than it plays. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Griffith Jones, Lisa Gastoni, (more)
- 1957
In this crime drama, a movie stunt man finds himself caught up in a wicked scam designed to exploit post-WW II Algerian refugees after the members of a passport forging gang try to frame him for murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this drama, a brilliant scientist is stalked by the Communists who want his secret formula. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Off-his-trolley concert pianist Stephen Murray craves both money and publicity. He hopes to attain both by kidnapping beauteous lady journalist Patricia Dainton. Notifying the London media, Murray announces that unless his conditions are met, Dainton will be murdered five days hence "at the stroke of nine". It is the "helpless" heroine herself who engineers the psychopath's downfall. Leading lady Patricia Dainton, who'd begun her career in precocious teen-ager roles, made only a handful of films after At the Stroke of Nine before her 1960 retirement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
In this crime drama, two WW II veterans become fugitives from the police after one of them kills a man during a fight. A friendly reporter offers them sanctuary aboard her boat, but one of the two is so flighty he is almost psychotic. His erratic actions attract too much attention and during a fight with police he is killed causing his cohort to surrender. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
In the tradition of The Window (1949) and The Yellow Balloon, Bang! You're Dead juxtaposes the innocence of childhood with the bleak realities of the adult world. Two rural British youngsters come across an abandoned gun. One of the boys accidentally shoots a much-despised local citizen. The police arrest a man who had a grudge against the victim; will the actual miscreant confess, and bring shame upon his parents? Filmed in England, Bang! You're Dead was released in the U.S. as A Game of Death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Warner, Derek Farr, (more)
- 1954
This drama is comprised of two short films originally made to be shown on British television. The first short is the story of a scientist who invents a miraculous new drug that no one pays attention to. Distraught, the scientist is just about to end his life when his drug saves a child's life. In the second drama, the patriarch of an Irish family falls for the mechanisms of a con artist and threatens to squander the family savings on the foolish scheme. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
