Ken Thorne
Kenneth Thorne (26 January 1924 – 9 July 2014) was a British television and film score composer. Early life Thorne was born in Dereham, a town in the English county of Norfolk. Thorne began his musical career as a pianist with the big bands of England during the 1940s, playing at night clubs and the dance halls. At age 27, Thorne decided to seriously study composition with private tutors at Cambridge and later studied the organ for five years in London. Film scoring Thorne began composing scores for films in 1948. He was considered Richard Lester's composer of choice since their first work together on ''It's Trad, Dad!'' (1962), ''Help!'' (1965) and ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' (1966). When Henry Mancini was scoring Blake Edwards' 1968 film '' The Party'' with Peter Sellers, Thorne composed the soundtrack to ''Inspector Clouseau''. He also composed the music scores for ''How I Won the War'' (1967), The Monkees movie ''Head'' (1968), '' The Magic Christi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dereham
Dereham (), also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of the England, English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, about 15 miles (25 km) west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles (40 km) east of King's Lynn. The civil parish has an area of and, in the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 census, had a population of 15,659 in 6,941 households; the population at the 2011 census increased to 18,609. Dereham falls within, and is the centre of administration for, Breckland (district), Breckland District Council.Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes'. Retrieved 2 December 2005. The town should not be confused with the Norfolk village of West Dereham, which lies about 25 miles (40 km) away. Since 1983, Dereham has been town twinning, twinned with the town of Rüthen in Nor ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs and became known to a worldwide audience through his many film roles, among them Chief Inspector Clouseau in '' The Pink Panther'' series. Born in Southsea, Portsmouth, Sellers made his stage debut at the Kings Theatre, Southsea, when he was two weeks old. He began accompanying his parents in a variety act that toured the provincial theatres. He first worked as a drummer and toured around England as a member of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). He developed his mimicry and improvisational skills during a spell in Ralph Reader's wartime Gang Show entertainment troupe, which toured Britain and the Far East. After the war, Sellers made his radio debut in ''ShowTime'', and eventually became a regular performer on vario ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Zoo Gang
''The Zoo Gang'' is a 1974 ITC Entertainment drama series that ran for six one-hour colour episodes, based on the 1971 book of the same name by Paul Gallico. Plot Five French Resistance fighters, known by their animal-based code names (the Wolf, the Tiger, the Elephant, the Leopard and the Fox), fought during World War II. Their efforts came to a stop when one of their number, Claude Roget (the Wolf), was betrayed to the Gestapo by a contact called Boucher. In their interrogation of him, Roget—who was the husband of Manouche (the Leopard)--was shot dead before her eyes. Twenty-eight years later, Thomas Devon (the Elephant) spots Boucher (going under the name of Rosch) in his shop. The surviving members of the Zoo Gang drop what they are doing and rendezvous for vengeance. The rest of the series follows the adventures of the remaining gang of four resistance fighters reunited decades later to scam habitual con artists and criminals in order to take their money and use it for ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Persuaders!
''The Persuaders!'' is an action-comedy series starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore, produced by ITC Entertainment, and initially broadcast on ITV and ABC in 1971. The show has been called 'the last major entry in the cycle of adventure series that began 11 years earlier with ''Danger Man'' in 1960', as well as 'the most ambitious and most expensive of Sir Lew Grade's international action adventure series'. ''The Persuaders!'' was filmed in Britain, France, and Italy between May 1970 and June 1971. Despite its focus on the British and American markets, ''The Persuaders!'' became more successful elsewhere.''The Persuaders!'' at Television Heaven It won its highest awards in and S ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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R3 (TV Series)
''R3'' was a 50-minute British television drama series produced by the BBC between 1964 and 1965. Its full title was ''Ministry of Research Centre No. 3''. The series starred John Robinson as Sir Michael Gerrard, Jeremy Young as Wilson, David Blake Kelly as Captain Rogers, and was set in a scientific research facility at the Ministry of Research. ''R3'' is also notable for providing early TV exposure for a young Oliver Reed, cast as one of the scientists on the ministry staff, Dr. Richard Franklin. In "Experiment in Death" (shown Tuesday 27 July 1965 on BBC1), written by N J Crisp, undersea exploration becomes an experiment in survival in a bathysphere. That show starred Edward Judd as Peters, Brigit Forsyth as a secretary, Donald Hoath as Turner and Stephen John as a meteorologist. It was produced by John Robins and directed by Paul Bernard. No episodes of this series are thought to have survived the BBC's purging of the archives between the 1960s and 70s. However, a trailer ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kevin Connor (director)
Kevin Connor (born 14 July 1937) is an English film and television director based in Hollywood. Biography Connor was born in Kings Cross, London on 14 July 1937. He left school in 1953, first working on documentary films in Soho. Later, he became a sound editor on several British productions, working with directors such as Tony Richardson, Richard Attenborough, Richard Lester, Abraham Polonsky and Michael Cacoyannis. Connor worked as an editor on ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' in 1969, and was eventually given his directing break with ''From Beyond the Grave'' in 1974, thanks to producer Milton Subotsky of Amicus Productions. He is best remembered for directing 1970s fantasy/adventure films such as '' The Land That Time Forgot'' (1974), '' At the Earth's Core'' (1976), '' The People That Time Forgot'' (1977), ''Warlords of Atlantis'' (1979) and ''Arabian Adventure'' (1979). Connor has also directed other films such as ''Trial by Combat'' (1976), ''Motel Hell'' (1980), '' The House ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John Williams
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who was born on February 8, 1932.")(23 April 2022)From Jaws to Star Wars, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra celebrates John Williams CTV News is an American composer, conductor and pianist. In a career that has spanned seven decades, he has composed some of the most popular, recognizable and critically acclaimed film scores in cinematic history. Williams has won 25 Grammy Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. With 52 Academy Award nominations, he is the second most-nominated individual, after Walt Disney. His compositions are considered the epitome of film music and he is considered among the greatest composers in the history of cinema. Williams has composed for many critically acclaimed and pop ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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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]   |
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Superman II
''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment in the ''Superman'' film series and a sequel to ''Superman'' (1978). It stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, and Jack O'Halloran. The film was released in Australia and mainland Europe on December 4, 1980, and in other countries throughout 1981. Selected premiere engagements of ''Superman II'' were presented in Megasound, a high-impact surround sound system similar to Sensurround. In 1977, it was decided by producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind that they would film both ''Superman'' and its sequel simultaneously, with principal photography beginning in March 1977 and ending in October 1978. Tensions rose between original director Richard Donner and the producers in which a decision was made to stop filming th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Ritz (film)
''The Ritz'' is a 1976 British-American comedy farce film directed by Richard Lester based on the 1975 play of the same name by Terrence McNally. Actress Rita Moreno – who had won a Tony Award for her performance as Googie Gomez in the Broadway production – and many others from the 1975 original cast, such as Jack Weston, Jerry Stiller, and F. Murray Abraham, reprised their stage roles in the film version. Also in the cast were Kaye Ballard and Treat Williams. The film, Jack Weston, and Rita Moreno all received Golden Globe nominations in the comedy category. It opened to mixed reviews. It was shot at Twickenham Studios in London with sets designed by the art director Philip Harrison. Plot In a gay bathhouse in Manhattan, unsuspecting heterosexual businessman Gaetano Proclo has taken refuge from his homicidal brother-in-law, mobster Carmine Vespucci – whose name he uses on the register. In the bathhouse, Gaetano stumbles across an assortment of oddball characters, inclu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Magic Christian (film)
''The Magic Christian'' is a 1969 British satirical farce black comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with appearances by John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Raquel Welch, Spike Milligan, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski. It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel '' The Magic Christian'' by the American author Terry Southern, who co-wrote the screenplay adaptation with McGrath. The film also features pre-Monty Python appearances of John Cleese (credited) and an uncredited Graham Chapman, who had jointly written an earlier version of the film script. Songs by Badfinger, including " Come and Get It" written by Paul McCartney, were used on the soundtrack. The official soundtrack album had other music as well as dialogue from the film. Badfinger released an album, ''Magic Christian Music'', containing their songs for the film. The film received mostly negative reviews on release, citing its unrelenting and heavy-ha ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Head (film)
''Head'' is a 1968 American satirical musical adventure film written and produced by Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson, directed by Rafelson, starring television rock group the Monkees ( Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith) and distributed by Columbia Pictures. During production, one of the working titles for the film was ''Changes'', which was later the name of an album by the Monkees. Another working title was ''Untitled''. A rough cut of the film was previewed for audiences in Los Angeles in the summer of 1968 under the title ''Movee Untitled''. The film featured Victor Mature as "The Big Victor" and cameo appearances by Nicholson, Teri Garr, Carol Doda, Annette Funicello, Frank Zappa, Sonny Liston, Timothy Carey, Percy Helton and Ray Nitschke. Also appearing on screen in brief non-speaking parts are Dennis Hopper and film choreographer Toni Basil. Plot ''Head'' begins at the dedication of the Gerald Desmond Bridge in Long Beach, California. As a local pol ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |