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Helen Horton
Helen Virginia Horton (November 21, 1923 – September 28, 2007) was an American actress. She was born in Chicago and had a brief career in New York. She married Hamish Thomson and lived near London. She worked extensively in British television, radio and theatre, and had three children; her granddaughter is the English actress Lily James. Horton voiced the ship's computer, "Mother", in the 1979 film '' Alien''. Early life Horton attended Northwestern University where she became lifelong friends with Patricia Neal (Helen Benson in ''The Day the Earth Stood Still''). She was well thought of in the drama department and was cast as Viola, the lead role in ''Twelfth Night'', with Neal cast as Olivia, in a university production of the Shakespeare play. In September 1945, Horton and Neal took a shared apartment in New York and looked for work. They both got parts in a production of ''Seven Mirrors'' at the Blackfriars Theatre. Career Horton took over from Vivien Leigh as Blanche in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_type2 = Counties , subdivision_name1 = Illinois , subdivision_name2 = Cook and DuPage , established_title = Settled , established_date = , established_title2 = Incorporated (city) , established_date2 = , founder = Jean Baptiste Point du Sable , government_type = Mayor–council , governing_body = Chicago City Council , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Lori Lightfoot ( D) , leader_title1 = City Clerk , leader_name1 = Anna Valencia ( D) , unit_pref = Imperial , area_footnotes = , area_tot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunday Night Theatre
''Sunday Night Theatre'' was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, partly because of technical limitations in this era, and the theatrical basis of early television drama. Some of the earliest collaborations between Rudolph Cartier and Nigel Kneale were produced for this series, including ''Arrow to the Heart'' (1952, 1956) and ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (1954). The Sunday night drama slot was subsequently renamed ''The Sunday-Night Play'' which ran for four seasons between 1960 and 1963. ITV transmitted its own unrelated run of ''Sunday Night Theatre'' between 1969 and 1974. Archive status The overwhelming majority of the run (1950–1959) of 721 plays are missing from television archives; only 27 are believed to still exist as telerecordings. The Thursday 'repeat performance; of ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Razor's Edge (1984 Film)
''The Razor's Edge'' is a 1984 American drama film directed and co-written by John Byrum starring Bill Murray, Theresa Russell, Catherine Hicks, Denholm Elliott, Brian Doyle-Murray, and James Keach. The film is an adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's 1944 novel ''The Razor's Edge''. This marked Murray's first starring role in a dramatic film, though he did inject some of his dry wit into the script. The book's epigraph is dramatized as advice from the Katha Upanishad: "The path to salvation is narrow and as difficult to walk as a razor's edge." Plot In Illinois in 1917, just before the United States joins World War I, a fair has been planned to raise money to support Gray Maturin and Larry Darrell, who are joining the war in Europe as ambulance drivers. Larry looks forward to returning home to marry his longtime sweetheart Isabel. Larry shares a final night with Isabel watching the fireworks along with Gray, their close friend Sophie, and her husband Bob. At the front, commandi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Benny Hill Show
''The Benny Hill Show'' is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV (from 1969) between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketches that were full of slapstick, mime, parody and double entendre (which could be described as a filmatographic version of British saucy seaside postcard humour). At its peak ''The Benny Hill Show'' was among the most-watched programmes in the UK with the audience reaching more than 21 million viewers in 1971. In 1972, Hill received a BAFTA Television Award for Best Writer, and he was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance. In the late 1970s, the Thames Television version of the show gained a following in the United States and would run in syndication until 1991. In 1980 and 1981, it received Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Variety. In 1984 Hill received a Rose d'Or. Thames cancelled production of the show in 1989 due to declining ratings and large pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Superman III
''Superman III'' is a 1983 superhero film directed by Richard Lester from a screenplay by David Newman and Leslie Newman based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the third installment in the ''Superman'' film series and a sequel to ''Superman II'' (1980). The film features a cast of Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Annette O'Toole, Annie Ross, Pamela Stephenson, Robert Vaughn, and Margot Kidder. Although the film recouped its budget of $39 million, it proved less successful than the first two ''Superman'' films, both financially and critically. While harsh criticism focused on the film's comedic and campy tone, as well as on the casting and performance of Pryor, the special effects and Christopher Reeve's performance as Superman were praised. A sequel, '' Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'', was released in July 1987. Plot The Metropolis-based conglomerate Webscoe hires Gus Gorman, a talented computer programmer. Gus embezzles from his e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phase IV (1974 Film)
''Phase IV'' is a 1974 science-fiction horror film. The only feature-length film directed by graphic designer and filmmaker Saul Bass, it stars Michael Murphy, Nigel Davenport and Lynne Frederick. The interiors of the film were shot at Pinewood Studios in England and the exterior locations were shot in Kenya, though the film is set in the Arizona desert in the United States. It was produced by Alced Productions and Paramount Pictures. The film was a box office flop and, as a result, this was the only feature film directed by Bass. It has since gained a cult following, due to TV airings beginning in 1975 and also being shown on ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' during the KTMA era. The film was inspired by H. G. Wells's 1905 short story "Empire of the Ants". A novelization of the script, written by Barry N. Malzberg, was published as ''Phase IV'' in November 1973. Plot After a spectacular and mysterious cosmic event, ants of different species undergo rapid evolution, develop a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endless Night (1972 Film)
''Endless Night'' is a 1972 British horror-mystery film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Hayley Mills, Britt Ekland, Per Oscarsson, Hywel Bennett, and George Sanders. Based on the 1967 novel '' Endless Night'' by Agatha Christie, the plot follows a newlywed couple who feel threatened after building their dream home on cursed land. This would be the last project Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder worked together for British Lion, their home since 1950’s '' The Happiest Days of Your Life''. Plot Michael Rogers is a wistful and aimless young aspiring photographer working as a chauffeur and living with his mother in London. Though from a working class background, Michael aspires to a life of luxury and is obsessed with the fine arts. Through his travels as a chauffeur, he discovers a spot along the Devon coast known as Gypsy's Acre, where a dilapidated Victorian mansion sits. Michael fantasizes about one day building a new home on the plot of land and aims to one day have S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Dick Emery Show
''The Dick Emery Show'' is a British sketch comedy show starring Dick Emery. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1963 to 1981. It was directed and produced by Harold Snoad. The show was broadcast over 19 series with 166 episodes. The show experienced sustained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s. The BBC described the show as featuring 'a vivid cast of comic grotesques'. Frequent performers included Pat Coombs, Victor Maddern, Deryck Guyler, Roy Kinnear, Joan Sims and Josephine Tewson. The principal writers of the programme were David Cummings, John Singer, and John Warren. Additional contributions were by David Nobbs and Peter Tinniswood. Other writers included Dick Clement, Barry Cryer, Selma Diamond, John Esmonde, Marty Feldman, Lucille Kallen, Bob Larbey and Harold Pinter. The American comedy writers Mel Brooks and Mel Tolkin contributed sketches in the early years of the show. The nature of the show with its rapid sketches was initially inspired by the American sketch show ''Your ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Chairman (1969 Film)
''The Chairman'' (or alternatively ''The Most Dangerous Man in the World'') is a 1969 spy film starring Gregory Peck. It was directed by J. Lee Thompson. The screenplay was by Ben Maddow based on a novel by Jay Richard Kennedy. Plot A Western agent is sent to Communist China in order to retrieve an important agricultural enzyme. What he does not know is that there is a bomb implanted in his head; the forces behind his mission will detonate it if he fails to carry out the assignment. Nobel Prize–winning university professor Dr. John Hathaway's mission begins with Lt. General Shelby's request at the U.S. embassy in London that he travel to China to visit Soong Li, a former professor of Hathaway's who has reportedly developed an enzyme that would permit crops to grow in any kind of climate. The hesitant Hathaway is further urged to go by a phone call from the President of the United States. Hathaway is concerned about the situation, as is a close female friend he knows named Ka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Last Shot You Hear
''The Last Shot You Hear'' is a 1969 British thriller film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Hugh Marlowe, Zena Walker, Patricia Haines, and William Dysart. It was Marlowe's last film appearance. The film marked the end of the association between Robert L. Lippert and 20th Century Fox which produced over 200 films. Cast * Hugh Marlowe as Charles Nordeck * Zena Walker as Eileen Forbes * Patricia Haines as Anne Nordeck * William Dysart as Peter Marriott * Thorley Walters as Gen. Jowett * Lionel Murton as Rubens * Joan Young as Mrs. Jowett * Helen Horton as Dodie Rubens * John Nettleton as Det. Inspector Nash * John Wentworth as Chambers * Alister Williamson as CID Man * Job Stewart as Policeman * Julian Holloway as Brash Young Man Production The film is based on William Fairchild's play ''The Sound of Murder'' which premiered in 1959 in a production starring Peter Cushing and Elizabeth Sellars Elizabeth Macdonald Sellars (6 May 1921 – 30 December 2019) was a Sco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ITV Play Of The Week
''Play of the Week'' is a 90-minute British television anthology series produced by a variety of companies including Granada Television, Associated-Rediffusion, ATV and Anglia Television. Synopsis From 1955 to 1967 approximately 500 episodes aired on ITV. The first production was ''Ten Minute Alibi'', produced by Associated-Rediffusion on 14 May 1956 while the earliest to survive is ''There Was a Young Lady'', transmitted on 23 July 1956 and was telerecorded (film recorded). The first production not to be transmitted live was Henrik Ibsen's ''The Wild Duck'' which was also film recorded. The first to be pre-recorded on videotape was ''Mary Broome'', a Granada production broadcast on 3 September 1958. Subsequently, only one play was transmitted live, Associated-Rediffusion's ''Search Party'' on 26 July 1960. The recording of ''The Liberty Man'', a Granada production broadcast on 1 October 1958, contains the original advertisements during the first commercial break. ''The Viole ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Never Take Sweets From A Stranger
''Never Take Sweets from a Stranger'' (US ''Never Take Candy from a Stranger'') is a 1960 British film, directed by Cyril Frankel and released by Hammer Film Productions. The screenplay was developed by John Hunter from the play ''The Pony Trap'' by Roger Garis. It stars Patrick Allen, Gwen Watford, Janina Faye as their victimised daughter and Felix Aylmer, the latter being cast notably against type. The twin themes are paedophilia and the child sexual abuse, and the way in which those with sufficient pull can corrupt and manipulate the legal system to evade responsibility for their actions. The film is regarded as bold and uncompromising for its time. Plot The film is set in a small Canadian town to which the British Carter family (Peter, Sally and 9-year-old daughter Jean) have just moved, following Peter's appointment as school principal. One night Jean appears restless and disturbed, and confides to her parents that earlier that day while playing in a local wood, she and he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
