CaptainWaggett

Yes, the Jack Warner-story is very Huggett-like and Bill Owen is the detective who solves The Nightclub Case. Still very dull though full of 'historical interest'.

Steve Crook

Not exactly last night, but watched this afternoon...
The Slipper and the Rose (1976), a wonderful retelling of the Cinderella story.

OK, Gemma Craven might not be Disney's idea of a beautiful young girl, but she's a good classic English Rose, and she has a superb singing voice and this is a musical version of the story.

OK, Richard Chamberlain might have been too old as The Prince, but he gave a good enough performance. He could act the anguish when he lost his one true love.

But those slight problems are more than made up by the stellar cast. Like Dame Edith Evans as the Dowager Queen, Michael Hordern as the King, Margaret Lockwood as the wicked Stepmother, Rosalind Ayers and Sherrie Hewson as the not exactly ugly but spiteful sisters, Kenneth More as the Lord Chamberlain and the wonderful, superb Annette Crosbie as the Fairy Godmother.

It is a musical version so we also have the delightful sight of all of those great actors doing various silly song and dance numbers

Gemma is always very serious, but very kind as Cinders and is always so delightful. She's better known for her work on stage, particularly in musicals. I saw her in a great production of South Pacific a few years back. She hasn't done all that much on film or TV but this is a chance to see why people love her so much.

This is the fuller version of the story so when the prince finds Cinderella again the King and the Lord Chamberlain start to intrigue and convince her that she mustn't stay and that it'd be for the best if she left him. This takes us past the usual immediate happy ending but gives a chance to flesh out the characters much more.

But of course there is still a happy ending
They just take a bit longer to get there.

Superb production and great direction from Bryan Forbes

Annette Crosbie stole every scene she was in as the nonchalant, error prone Fairy Godmother.

A wonderful way for a soppy old romantic to spend a few hours on a cold Easter Sunday

Steve

Rob Compton

Not terribly British, I know, but last night we watched a couple of episodes of the ever-watchable "Alias Smith and Jones".

All together now.... "Well the Governor can't just come flat out and give you amnesty....first you've gotta prove you deserve it"


"There's one thing we've gotta git Heyes"
"What's that?"
"Out of this business!"

"Into the west came many men. Some were good men and some were bad men. Some were good men that had some bad in them, and some were bad men that had some good in them. This is the story of two pretty good bad men."

Was required viewing at 8:10 pm on Monday nights on BBC2 in the 1970's. Still great now...



rgds
Rob

CaptainWaggett

"Till then only you, me and the Governor will know about it. It'll be our little secret. "

That makes me feel so nostalgic! Did you see Hannibal Heyes 1.0 or 2? Pete Duel must have been about the earliest celeb death I noticed.

Rob Compton

These were earlier episodes, CW, so it was Pete Duel, before Roger Davis took over

smudge

Well if the Mods were happy, I would gladly post some further lines about the theatre here. Most of our theatre-going is influenced by wanting to see actors I have grown up with on the screen in person, so much of it should be vaguely relevant to Britmovie browsers.

Back on topic -

Last night we watched a couple of episodes of the 72/3 PUBLIC EYE; The Bankrupt and Girl In Blue. Excellently constructed stories, with lots of subtext and brilliantly executed using very few characters. Of course Frank didn't come out on top again....

Just watched 1962 Hammer version of The Phantom of the Opera, with the ever-reliable Herbert Lom in the titular role. This Phantom is transposed to London, with the villainous Michael Gough as Lord Ambrose D'Arcy trying to pass himself off as the composer of a new opera of St. Joan.

The production is fated as the Phantom wreaks his revenge for the stealing of his work. In a twist from the usual story the Phantom dies saving the heroine, whom he had taught to sing like a nightingale in his underground lair.

This version is better than I remembered and boasts some decent production values in the wonderful sets built at Bray. Edward De Souza is suitably cool as the hero and the Hammer Rep appears in the guise of the wonderful Thorley Walters and not one but two cabbies; Michael Ripper in heavy make up and Miles Malleson, who steals his scenes with ease.

Smudge

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

stevie boy

poor old Pete Duel, depression, in his case,was a killer.

CaptainWaggett

Girl in a Million, possibly the most sexist film ever made. Hugh Williams, Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne are research scientists living in a curmudgeonly menage a trois until Joan Greenwood (struck dumb by a childhood trauma) is foisted on them. Messrs Radford and Wayne teach her miniature gold and darts and take her on dates while Mr Williams completely ignores her. And I think you can see where this is going... But worth it for the Radford /Wayne banter -notably the following exchange -

Radford - We must give it a try, for the sake of the old school

Wayne - What old school?

Radford - Oh, any old school. They're all the same.

Harbottle

Dancing with Crime (1947) DVD-R. Excellent crime yarn starring husband and wife team Dickie Attenborough and Sheila Sim, this one does not flag for a moment John Paddy Carstairs makes an excellent job of direction.

Assassin for Hire (1951) DVD-R Another "quota quickie" from Merton Park, with Sydney Tafler, Ronald Howard and John "Captain Birdseye" Hewer. Quite a decent story that nicely fills a hour.

stevie boy

was there another partnership that matched Radford & Wayne???

stevie boy

watched Face to Face, an old interview with Tony Hancock. He seemed happy at that time and spoke well and seemed quite modest. Shame that he died early, he was a comedy genius.

CaptainWaggett

He seemed to have a lot of self-awareness - recognising when G and S used his own personality in their scripts. I know research was harder pre-internet but could John Freeman have thought that Hancock's middle name was really Aloysius?

Steve Crook

Loads, but not many that made as many films. Lots of cross-talk double acts like that were to be found on the radio and on stage in the old days, before even my time

Arthur Askey and Richard 'Stinker' Murdoch or others from the Bandwagon / Crazy Gang type shows like Flanagan & Allen, Nervo & Knox, Naughton & Gold and quite a lot more

Steve

CaptainWaggett

I think Stevie might be talking about double-acts that are still, you know, funny

Harbottle

Eight Witnesses (1954) DVD-R. Listed as a TV production at IMDB though my copy seems to be a film release, anyway a fairly routine spy story and combined UK\USA\West German production. Only really of interest to fans of Dennis Price, and running to only a hour it is watchable.