smudge

PLAY FOR TODAY : Another Flip For Dominick

Following up from last Saturday's airing for the original THE FLIPSIDE OF DOMINICK HIDE, this week BBC digital gave us the sequel - this time without the credits squeezed off the screen !

The Dominick's have had quite a reputation for some years now, so re-viewing them I was frustrated at how pedestrian they actually are. Perhaps we were all wearing rose-tinted glasses because Sci-Fi turned up in the PFT strand back then ? Looking at them now, they seem more 'soapy' and their Sci-Fi concepts are certainly muddled (the old Terminator thing of the man who goes back from the future to create his own birth line... [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/huh.gif[/img] )

Another Flip benefits from the pupil-gone-astray plot as against the original's space-boy-meets-girl dullness, and it was nice to see the Mrs. Hide 'sauce for the gander' subplot as well. However, Peter Firth played it so flat, he dragged it down. The best moments were the brief scenes with Michael Gough as the barmy scientist.

The early 80s pop score was truly terrible, and there were just too many montages over which it ran.

Couldn't believe how much the lovely Caroline Langrishe had seemed to age in the intervening period.

The biggest thing that caught my attention was the fact that in 1982 London 4 Star petrol was £1.66 a gallon ! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img] The good old days...

SMUDGE

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/vampire.gif[/img]

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

David Brent

'Please Sir!' (1971). The film taken from the popular television series of the time.

Seeing the class of 5C again brought back many memories as did John Alderton's character of Hedges.
Class names such as Maureen, Dennis, Frankie Abbott, Peter Craven and Sharon played by Smudge's girlfriend Carol Hawkins. (He has the photos to prove it. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img] )

Not many of the actors who played the schoolkids are still in regular work. I was surprised to see that Malcolm McFee who played Peter Craven died in 2001 from cancer.
The wonderful Barbara Mitchell who was a well known face on television in the late fifties and sixties plays Mrs. Abbott the doting mother of Frankie. Sadly she also passed away at an early age from cancer in 1977.

A really enjoyable film.

Dave.

MrDrakesDuck

Glad you mentioned that because it's reminded me to tape it on C4 today. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

"I thought I had to shoot Germans, not chew 'em"

DB7

The Cement Garden (1993)

Based on Ian McEwan's novel but cinematically it's ostensively a remake of the Clayton/Bogarde film Our Mother's House. The 'intruder' this time isn't the father but the daughters adult boyfriend, and with it being shot in the more liberal 90s the theme of incest takes greater prevalence.

Do any of you London residents know where it was shot? There's a gas holder in the background and British Gas are thanked in the credits but the concrete house is almost like a converted RAF watchtower.

Steve Crook

I don't know that one. But most exteriors in London that include gas holders are usually around the back of Kings Cross station. There's a nice set of them there.

Steve

mysteriesofedgarwallace

There is also a single long-standing gas holder in Battersea, which appears in many films.

DB7

No Time to Die (1958)

WWII Action adventure film headed by a miscast Victor Mature and following the exploits of a disparate band of PoW escapee's trying to make their way back to Allied lines. Fanciful stuff in the Libyan desert but there's a stout cast of actors including Leo Genn, Alfred Burke, Percy Herbert and David Lodge to keep things rattling along.

Harbottle

A couple of Edgar Wallace Mysteries, Clue of the Silver Key (1961) starring Bernard Lee, Patrick Cargill, Finlay Currie and Anthony Sharp. Followed after the intermission and a choc ice by The Set-Up (1963) starring Maurice Denham, John Carson and Anthony Bate. The latter was a particularly good one and before you ask yes it did involve blackmail.

DB7

Payroll (from the vaults of Mr Smudge)

A great little heist film set on Tyneside and headed by Michael Craig as the ruthless mastermind of a payroll robbery. My only criticism is Billie Whitelaw's vengfeful widow who contrives to appear on the scene with all the consummate timing of Miss Marple. Michael Craig steals a kiss from their insiders wife - Billie Whitelaw walks ronds the corner. The insider and his wife accidently start a house fire - here comes Billie Whitelaw. The postman delivers a letter revealing Craig's method of escape - hey presto Billie Whitelaw's on hand to find it. The police are pretty much made redundant as Billie Whitelaw solves the case and apprehends Craig as he makes his mistake. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]

mysteriesofedgarwallace

Payroll is a cracker of a film, and it's nice to see a film shot north of the smoke; just for a change.
However, it does seem to lose a bit of steam towards the end, IMO.

mysteriesofedgarwallace

Well, what can I say.......
The actors listed above speaks for itself! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clapping.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clapping.gif[/img]

plasticjock

Pretty much the template for all current soaps on the telly............ [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/no.gif[/img]

Merton Park

When was this last shown on TV? I remember recording it one afternoon on a VHS about 15 years ago and not marking it. A day or so later there was a bit of a clean up at home and I never found the tape!! Finally got a copy a couple of years ago.

One of the producers,Irving Allen, used to live just round the corner from me when I was a child and I remember when it was made. Shepperton I think. Warwick Films was the production Company also owned by Cubby Brocolli who then went onto Bond etc. Irving Allen moved back to the US shortly after and made the Matt Helm films with Dean Martin.

Merton Park

Where the hell did you get that from? Used to love Dial 999!

DB7

Amicus' Danger Route

A below-par Bond pastiche that seems to run out of steam as soon as it opens. Waste of a good Britsh supporting cast too.

Tonight is Ken Annakin's The Informers.