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Michael Ward (actor)
Michael Ward (born George William Everard Yoe Ward; 9 April 1909 – 8 November 1997) was an English character actor who appeared in nearly eighty films between 1947 and 1978. Early life Ward was born in Carnmenellis in Cornwall, to clergyman William George Henry Ward and his wife Annie (née Dingle). He originally trained and worked as a teacher but then retrained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, and won his first film role in 1947, playing Mr Trafford in Alexander Korda's ''An Ideal Husband''. Career In between the years 1947 and 1960, Ward appeared in no fewer than 30 films, making him one of the UK's busiest and most recognisable character actors. As well as five ''Carry On'' films, Ward also appeared in four Norman Wisdom films and six made by the Boulting brothers. In the early 1960s television started to take over Ward's career, and until his retirement in 1978 he appeared in (amongst many others) ''The Jack Benny Programme'', '' The Avengers'', '' The Morec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sleeping Car To Trieste
''Sleeping Car to Trieste'' is a 1948 British comedy thriller film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Jean Kent, Albert Lieven, Derrick De Marney and Rona Anderson. It was shot at Denham Studios outside London. The film's sets were designed by the art director Ralph Brinton. It is a remake of the 1932 film ''Rome Express''. Plot The setting is almost entirely on a train travelling between Paris and Trieste after World War II. Two rather mysterious people, Zurta (Albert Lieven) and Valya (Jean Kent), are at ease in sophisticated society. Zurta steals a diary from the safe of an embassy in Paris while they are guests at a reception there, killing a servant who walks in on the robbery. Poole, an accomplice, is passed the diary, but he double-crosses them and attempts to escape with it on the Orient Express. Just in time, Valya and Zurta board the train. They start looking for Poole, who seeks to conceal himself and the diary. Other travellers become involved, including ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sykes (TV Series)
''Sykes'' is a British sitcom that aired on BBC 1 from 1972 to 1979. Starring Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques, it was written by Sykes, who had previously starred with Jacques in '' Sykes and a...'' (1960–1965) and '' Sykes and a Big, Big Show'' (1971). Forty-three of the 1970s colour episodes were remakes of scripts for the 1960s black and white series, such as "Bus" based on 'Sykes and a Following' from 1964 and the episode "Stranger" with Peter Sellers based on 'Sykes and a Stranger' from 1961. ''Sykes'' had the same premise as ''Sykes and a...'' with Sykes, Jacques, Richard Wattis and Deryck Guyler reprising their former identical roles. The series was brought to an end by the death of Hattie Jacques of a heart attack on 6 October 1980. Cast *Eric Sykes – Himself *Hattie Jacques – Harriet (Hat) Sykes *Richard Wattis – Charles Fulbright-Brown (series 1–3) *Deryck Guyler – PC Corky Turnbull *Joy Harington – Melody Rumbelow *Joan Sims – Madge Kettlewell Plot With t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
So Long At The Fair
''So Long at the Fair'' (US re-release title ''The Black Curse'') is a 1950 British thriller film directed by Terence Fisher and Antony Darnborough, and starring Jean Simmons and Dirk Bogarde. It was adapted from the 1947 novel of the same name by Anthony Thorne. Origin The general plot derives from what appears to be a 19th-century urban legend, known variously as "The Vanishing Hotel Room" or "The Vanishing Lady", which has inspired several fictional works. The first published version of the story was written by Nancy Vincent McClelland as "A Mystery of the Paris Exposition" in ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' dated 14 November 1897. It next appeared in the ''Detroit Free Press'' in 1898 as "Porch Tales: The Disappearance of Mrs. Kneeb", by Kenneth Herford. The German author Anselma Heine's novel ''Die Erscheinung'' (1912) covers the same idea, and it was filmed as a segment called 'The Apparition" in '' Unheimliche Geschichten (Uncanny stories)'' (1919, remake 1932). Bello ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
High Jinks In Society
''High Jinks in Society'' is a 1949 British comedy film directed by John Guillermin and Robert Jordan Hill and starring Ben Wrigley, Barbara Shaw, Basil Appleby, Peter Gawthorne and Moore Marriott. Plot After foiling a robbery, a window cleaner is hired by an aristocrat to protect their valuables with comic results. Cast * Ben Wrigley as Ben * Barbara Shaw as Angela * Moore Marriott as Grandpa * Basil Appleby as Hector * Netta Westcott as Lady Barr-Nunn * Michael Ward as Watkins * Peter Gawthorne as Jenkins Production It was an early film credit for John Guillermin John Guillermin (11 November 192527 September 2015) was a French-British film director, writer and producer who was most active in big-budget, action-adventure films throughout his lengthy career. His more well-known films include '' I Was Mont .... References External links *Hijinks in Societyat BFIHijinks in Societyat Letterbox DVD Films directed by John Guillermin 1949 films 1949 comedy films Briti ... [...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] |
Helter Skelter (1949 Film)
''Helter Skelter'' is a 1949 British romantic comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Carol Marsh, David Tomlinson and Mervyn Johns. A radio star becomes involved with a wealthy heiress. The recurring English comic characters Charters and Caldicott also appeared in the film. Plot Susan Graham is a discontented heiress whose joint guardians are both trying to get her married to their odious nephews. On her nineteenth birthday, the five of them visit a nightclub called the Magnolia Club; also present happens to be radio star Nick Martin, whom Susan detests. When she is inadvertently seated at Martin's table directly in front of the floor show, she refuses to move, and Martin, despite his radio reputation as a fearless detective, is too intimidated by her hauteur to insist. This, however, proves to be a mixed blessing for Susan; when the evening's principal performer, a ventriloquist, comes out, she laughs so hard at his routine that she gets a bad case of the hiccups. Sh ... [...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] |
Stop Press Girl
''Stop Press Girl'' is a 1949 British fantasy comedy film directed by Michael Barry and starring Sally Ann Howes, Gordon Jackson, Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne; the latter two appearing in several different roles in the film. The film was one of the four of David Rawnsley's films that used his "independent frame" technique, a form of back projection. Plot Roy Fairfax, junior partner for timepiece manufacturers Fairfax & Sons, arrives in the quiet village of Slipfold to visit his fiancée Jennfier Peters and ask her uncle for permission to marry. On his way through town in his new motorcar, Roy causes a commotion and spooks the horse of village dentist Arthur Peters. Arriving at her home, Roy encourages Jennifer to join him for a drive and gives her a new watch in lieu of an engagement ring, however Jennifer explains she never wears a watch as they always seem to stop. After only fifteen minutes Roy's car stops working as does the watch he gave to Jennifer and later his own wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Queen Of Spades (1949 Film)
''The Queen of Spades'' is a 1949 British fantasy-horror film based on the 1834 short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. It stars Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans and Yvonne Mitchell. Evans and Mitchell were better known at the time as stage actors; this film was their cinematic debut. Plot Captain Herman Suvorin is a Russian officer of the engineers in St Petersburg in 1806. He constantly watches the other officers gamble at faro, but never plays himself because he is adverse to the risk of losing his money. Herman overhears gossip among several military officers about the aging Countess Ranevskaya, who knows the secret of winning at cards and won a large sum of money after selling her soul. Later Herman purchases a book titled ''The Strange Secrets of the Count de Saint Germain'' purporting to tell the true stories of people who sold their souls for wealth, power or influence. One chapter of the book describes how in 1746 a "Countess R***" obtained the secret from the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Once A Jolly Swagman
''Once a Jolly Swagman'' is a 1949 British film starring Dirk Bogarde, Bonar Colleano, Bill Owen, Thora Hird and Sid James. It is centred on the sport of motorcycle speedway racing, which was at its peak of popularity at the time. It was released in the U.S. as ''Maniacs on Wheels''. The film is based on the 1946 novel by Montagu Slater. The title of the film refers to the first line of the Australian song "Waltzing Matilda". Director Jack Lee later said he enjoyed making the film "because it was physical, there was action and I had good actors."Brian MacFarlane, ''An Autobiography of British Cinema'', Methueun 1997 p 357 Cast *Bill Fox - Dirk Bogarde *Tommy Possey - Bonar Colleano *Pat Gibbon - Renée Asherson *Lag Gibbon - Bill Owen *Dorothy 'Dotty' Liz - Moira Lister *Ma Fox - Thora Hird *Duggie Lewis - Cyril Cusack *Rowton - Sidney James *Pa Fox - James Hayter *Dick Fox - Patric Doonan *Mr Pusey - Russell Waters *Taffy - Dudley Jones *Derek Blake - Anthon ... [...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] |
Calling Paul Temple
''Calling Paul Temple'' is a 1948 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley, Dinah Sheridan and Margaretta Scott. It was the second in a series of four Paul Temple films distributed by Butcher's Film Service. The first was ''Send for Paul Temple'' (1946), with Anthony Hulme as Paul Temple. John Bentley then took over the role in ''Calling Paul Temple'', continuing for two further films: ''Paul Temple's Triumph'' (1950) and ''Paul Temple Returns'' (1952). It was produced by Ernest G. Roy at the Nettlefold Film Studios in Walton On Thames. Plot A woman is found dead on a train, and the name "Rex" has been written on the pull-down blind. It is the third in a mysterious string of "Rex" murders, all carried out on trains. And soon there's a fourth murder. All the victims are discovered to have been the wealthy patients of a doctor who specialises in nervous disorders. The detective novelist Paul Temple and his wife Steve are called in to help Scotland Yar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |