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Anthony Steel (actor)
Anthony Maitland Steel (21 May 1920 – 21 March 2001) was a British actor and singer who appeared in British war films of the 1950s such as ''The Wooden Horse'' (1950) and ''Where No Vultures Fly''. He was also known for his tumultuous marriage to Anita Ekberg. He was described as "a glorious throwback to the Golden Age of Empire... the perfect imperial actor, born out of his time, blue-eyed, square-jawed, clean-cut." As another writer put it, "whenever a chunky dependable hero was required to portray grace under pressure in wartime or the concerns of a game warden in a remote corner of the empire, Steel was sure to be called upon." Another said "Never as popular as Stewart Granger or as versatile as Kenneth More, he enjoyed a brief period of fashionability embodying the kind of idealised, true-blue Englishman who probably rowed for his university, played cricket on the village green and exuded calm under pressure as he bravely fought for king and country." Early life and car ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
30th Academy Awards
The 30th Academy Awards ceremony was held on March 26, 1958, to honor the best films of 1957. The Oscar for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium was awarded to Pierre Boulle for ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'', despite the fact that he did not know English. The actual writers, Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson were blacklisted at the time and did not receive screen credit for their work. Foreman and Wilson have since been acknowledged by the Academy for their contributions. '' Peyton Place'' tied the record for the most nominations without a win (9) set by ''The Little Foxes'' (1941). This record would stand until 1977 when '' The Turning Point'' received 11 nominations without a win, which is the record to date (''The Color Purple'' tied the record in 1985). ''Peyton Place'' also set the record for most unsuccessful acting nominations with five; this record has been tied once, by '' Tom Jones'' at the 36th Academy Awards. This was the first time all five Be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commission (document)
A commission is a formal document issued to appoint a named person to high office or as a commissioned officer in a territory's armed forces. A commission constitutes documentary authority that the person named is vested with the powers of that office and is empowered to execute official acts. A commission often takes the form of letters patent. Commissions are typically issued in the name of or signed by the head of state. In Commonwealth realms, the documentation is referred to a King's Commission or Queen's Commission (depending on the gender of the reigning monarch). However, in Commonwealth realms other than the United Kingdom, they may be signed by the governor-general, the representative of the monarch of that realm. Terminology Because the word "commission" can also refer generally to an individual's duty, the more specific terms commissioning parchment or commissioning scroll are often used to specify the commissioning document. However the document is not usually i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poet's Pub
''Poet's Pub'' is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Frederick Wilson and starring Derek Bond, Rona Anderson and James Robertson Justice. It is based on the 1929 novel of the same title by Eric Linklater. The film was one of four of David Rawnsley's Aquila Films that used his proposed "independent frame" technique. It was made at Pinewood Studios. Premise An Oxford poet is persuaded to become manager of the Pelican Pub, after complaining about the food and service. Cast Production The film features actors viewing a combined radiogram television receiver made by Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scottish people, Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed i ... in 1948. External links * * 1949 films 1949 comedy films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films based on British novels British comedy films British b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trottie True
''Trottie True'' is a 1949 British musical comedy film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Jean Kent, James Donald and Hugh Sinclair. It was known as ''The Gay Lady'' in the US, and is an infrequent British Technicolor film of the period. According to BFI Screenonline, "British 1940s Technicolor films offer an abundance of visual pleasures, especially when lovingly restored by the National Film Archive. ''Trottie True'' is not among the best known, but comes beautifully packaged, gift wrapped with all the trimmings." The film is based on a novel by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon, published in 1946. ''The New York Times'' called it "a typical Gay nineties success story" that "amuses but never convulses the reader." Premise Trottie True is a Gaiety Girl of the 1890s who, after a brief romance with a balloonist, marries Lord Digby Landon, becoming Duchess of Wellwater when he succeeds to the dukedom. Her music hall background delights the staff, but does not, at first, deligh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Blue Lamp
''The Blue Lamp'' is a 1950 British police procedural film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Warner as PC Dixon, Jimmy Hanley as newcomer PC Mitchell, and Dirk Bogarde as criminal Tom Riley. The title refers to the blue lamps that traditionally hung outside British police stations (and often still do). The film became the inspiration for the 1955–1976 TV series ''Dixon of Dock Green'', where Jack Warner continued to play PC Dixon until he was 80 years old (even though Dixon's murder is the central plot of the original film). The screenplay was written by ex-policeman T.E.B. Clarke. The film is an early example of the "social realism" films that emerged later in the 1950s and 1960s, sometimes using a partial documentary-like approach. There are also cinematic influences of the film noir genre, particularly in underworld scenes featuring Bogarde's Tom Riley, such as the pool rooms and in and around the theatre, making deliberate use of genre trademarks like slow mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quartet (1948 Film)
''Quartet'' is a 1948 British anthology film with four segments, each based on a story by W. Somerset Maugham. The author appears at the start and end of the movie to introduce the stories and comment about his writing career. It was successful enough to produce two sequels, '' Trio'' (1950) and ''Encore'' (1951), and popularised the compendium film format, leading to films such as ''O. Henry's Full House'' in 1952. The screenplays for the stories were all written by R. C. Sherriff. The Facts of Life Based on "The Facts of Life", included in the 1940 collection of Maugham stories ''The Mixture as Before''. * Director: Ralph Smart * Cinematographer: Ray Elton Cast * Jack Watling as Nicky * Mai Zetterling as Jeanne * Basil Radford as Henry Garnet * Angela Baddeley as Mrs. Garnet * Naunton Wayne as Leslie * Ian Fleming as Ralph * Jack Raine as Thomas * James Robertson Justice as Branksome Plot Despite their reservations, Mr. and Mrs. Garnet allow their promising tennis player s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marry Me! (1949 Film)
''Marry Me!'' (alternative title: ''I Want to Get Married'') is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Terence Fisher, and starring Derek Bond, Susan Shaw, Patrick Holt, Carol Marsh and David Tomlinson. The film was formerly known as ''I Want to Get Married''. Plot Newspaper journalist David Haig is assigned by his Fleet Street editor to go undercover and write about the people behind the ads in the ''Marriage Chronicle'', a weekly newspaper published by the H & E Marriage Bureau. During his initial interview with owners Hester and Emily Parsons, he tells them he is an Australian sheepman and steals some of their files. Dancehall hostess Pat Cooper is fed up with her life. She is paired with self-described "country bumpkin" Martin Roberts. He makes a good first impression; then she learns he is a clergyman and backs out. However, he persists and wins her over. He is on the point of asking for her hand in marriage when Brenda Delamere, her flatmate, inadvertently reveals her tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Portrait From Life
''Portrait from Life'' (also known as ''Lost Daughter'', and in the U.S. as ''The Girl in the Painting'') is a 1948 British drama film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Mai Zetterling, Robert Beatty and Guy Rolfe. Plot A British Army officer, Major Lawrence (Guy Rolfe), is on leave from being stationed in occupied Germany just after WW2 when he sees a painting of a beautiful young girl called Hildegard in a London art gallery. While viewing the painting he is approached by an old man, Professor Franz Menzel (Arnold Marlé), who escaped from Nazi Germany in the 1930s leaving his family behind and claims to be the young girl's father. Major Lawrence agrees to search for the young girl when he returns to Germany. On returning to Germany and after a long search Major Lawrence eventually tracks down the young girl but she is suffering from amnesia and living with a German couple who claim to be her parents. As Lawrence investigates, the circumstances of the young girl's past bec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Piece Of Cake (film)
''A Piece of Cake'' is a 1948 British fantasy comedy film directed by John Irwin and starring and co-written by the husband and wife team of Cyril Fletcher and Betty Astell as well as Laurence Naismith and Jon Pertwee. It was made at Highbury Studios as a second feature for release by the Rank Organisation. Plot Set in the austere post–World War II British world of rationing, Cyril dreams up an ode to an imaginary character named Merlin Mound who can provide anything one can wish. Merlin becomes real and grants his host's wishes; not by conjuring the items out of thin air, but obtaining them from other people's ownership, which leads to trouble. Cast * Cyril Fletcher as Cyril Clarke * Betty Astell as Betty Clarke * Laurence Naismith as Merlin Mound * Jon Pertwee as Mr Short * Sam Costa as Les Millins * Miki Hood as Mrs Short * Tamara Lees as Dinner Guest * Audrey White as Dinner Guest * Philip Saville as Dinner Guest * Ethel Coleridge as Mrs Fiddle * Johnnie Schofield as Wind ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saraband For Dead Lovers
''Saraband for Dead Lovers'' (released in the United States as ''Saraband'') is a 1948 British historical drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Stewart Granger and Joan Greenwood. It is based on the 1935 novel by Helen Simpson. Set in seventeenth-century Hanover, it depicts the doomed romance between Philip Christoph von Königsmarck and Sophia Dorothea of Celle, the wife of the Elector of Hanover. The saraband mentioned in the title is a type of Spanish dance. Jim Morahan, William Kellner and Michael Relph were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Color. It was the first Ealing Studios film shot in colour. Plot summary In 1682, Sophie Dorothea (Joan Greenwood) has an arranged marriage at age sixteen to Prince George Louis of Hanover and both parties are very unhappy with this political tryst. She seeks solace from dashing Count Philip Konigsmark (Stewart Granger) when her husband Prince George Louis (Peter Bull), later to b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Company Of Youth
The Company of Youth was an acting school for young contract players for the Rank Organisation who were being groomed for stardom. It was commonly known as the Rank Charm School. History The Company of Youth was a conscious attempt by J. Arthur Rank to manufacture stars similar to the Hollywood studio system. He was also inspired by the success Gainsborough Pictures had in developing British stars such as Stewart Granger, James Mason, Patricia Roc, Margaret Lockwood, and Phyllis Calvert. Producer Sydney Box originally set up a Company of Youth at Riverside Studios in December 1945. Box put half a dozen young actors under contract and placed them in bit roles while they learnt their craft. Box transferred the company to Gainsborough in 1946 when he was recruited by the Rank Organisation. The school was based at the church hall next to Rank's "B picture" studio at Highbury in London. Students were given an allowance of around £10 a week and trained in breathing, deportment, moveme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities. It also diversified into the manufacture of radios, TVs and photocopiers (as one of the owners of Rank Xerox). The company name lasted until February 1996, when the name and some of the remaining assets were absorbed into the newly structured Rank Group plc. The company itself became a wholly owned subsidiary of Xerox and was renamed XRO Limited in 1997. The company logo, the Gongman, first used in 1935 by the group's distribution company General Film DistributorsThe Independent July 16, 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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