Eddie Byrne Movies
A mainstay of Dublin's Abbey Theatre, Irish actor Eddie Byrne made his film bow in Odd Man Out (1946), a drama which took place during the Irish rebellion. Good-looking enough for leading roles, Byrne managed to star in Time Gentlemen Please (1952) and one or two other British films of the 1950s, but for the most part was utilized in supporting parts. He was particularly busy in the years 1954 through 1958, a time in which, as historian David Quinlan put it, Byrne "seemed to be turning up in every third British film." American moviegoers could see Byrne in such internationally released pictures as Abandon Ship (1957), The Mummy (1959) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1962). Eddie Byrne returned to live and work in Ireland in the mid 1960s, though he'd occasionally surface in British-filmed productions like Star Wars (1977), in which he played General Willard. The actor should not be confused with American TV star Ed "Kookie" Byrnes - if indeed such confusion is possible. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1953
Time Gentlemen Please is a phrase that is all too familiar to British pub patrons; it means that it's closing time, and everyone is invited to go home. Actually, the film has less to do with elbow-bending than with the vagaries of British traditions. A tiny English village is thrown into a panic when the Prime Minister announces an impending visit, to honor the community for 100-percent employment. Alas, Irish reprobate Dan Dancer (Eddie Byrne) steadfastly refuses to get a job. In trying to force Dan into seeking work, the locals lock him up in the local almshouse -- where, thanks to an archaic law, Dan finds himself in line for a yearly income of 6000 pounds! Time Gentleman Please is based on R. J. Nimmey's novel Nothing to Lose. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Byrne, Hermione Baddeley, (more)
- 1953
The title character of Albert, R.N is portrayed by-well, by no one. Albert is a papier-mache dummy, constructed by the British inmates of a German POW camp. The dummy is used as a diversion in a daring escape plan. Anthony Steel plays the mastermind of the getaway scheme, while Anton Diffring costars as the shrewd-and utterly despicable-Nazi commandant. Albert, R.N was released in the US under the unimaginative title Break to Freedom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Steel, Jack Warner, (more)
- 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
During the Irish "troubles", an IRA gunman (John Mills) wearies of the constant violence. He begins to preach a philosophy of peaceful persuasion, and refuses direct orders to blow up a London railway station. The gunman's impatient brother (Dirk Bogarde) find his sibling's new approach to be counterproductive to the movement. The rest of the IRA agrees, and soon the gentle gunman is branded a traitor and a price is placed on his head. Based on the stage play by Roger MacDougall, Gentle Gunman was seldom seen once the Troubles were resparked in the Ireland of the 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Mills, Dirk Bogarde, (more)
- 1951
Despite its lighthearted title, Lady Godiva Rides Again is a fairly potent indictment of the darker side of beauty contests. Waitress Marjorie (Pauline Stroud) enters one competition after another, hoping for fame and fortune. She manages to make the finals of a "Lady Godiva" contest, never suspecting that the outcome has been rigged. By accident, Marjorie wins First Prize, a huge sum of money and a movie contract. Alas, she hasn't the talent to parlay her win into a lasting career, and soon Marjorie is scrounging around for any "girlie show" job she can find. Only when reduced to performing nude in a French cabaret review is Marjorie rescued by her Australian boyfriend Larry Burns (John McCallum), who makes her promise to stop all this nonsense and settle down to domesticity. The well-chosen cast includes Dennis Price as a lascivious movie star and Stanley Holloway and Gladys Henson as the girl's nonplused parents. Featured in smaller roles are such future leading ladies as Kay Kendall, Diana Dors, Dagmar (later Dana) Wynter and, in an uncredited bit, Joan Collins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Price, John McCallum, (more)
- 1949
Saints and Sinners is set in a remote Irish village where "appearances" take precedence over everything else. Having served two years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, Michael Kissane (Kieron Moore) returns to his home town of Kilwarra. While many of his old friends believe in Michael's innocence, he is obliged to prove that innocence before he will be fully accepted again. Christine Norden plays Blanche, the girl who promised to wait for Michael but who went back on that promise at the behest of her family. Drenched in atmosphere and local color, Saints and Sinners falters only in its depiction of a stereotypical American visitor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kieron Moore, Christine Norden, (more)
- 1947
Set in early 19th-century Ireland, this fact-based drama chronicles the peasant uprising of peasants who finally tire of the brutality of Captain Boycott, the rent collector for the Earl of Erne. The impoverished farmers conspire to banish him from the area. When Boycott learns of this, he tries to change his image by spending his entire fortune launching a newspaper promotion of his good points. It doesn't work and in desperation, he squanders the rest of his fortune on buying a race horse. He enters it in a big race and bets the rest of his fortune upon it. Unfortunately, just before it wins, the peasants spring to action, start a riot and successfully oust the cruel captain from their lands. It is from this situation that the English word "boycott" is derived. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Byrne, Maureen Delaney, (more)
