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The Birthday Present (short Story)
''The Birthday Present'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by Pat Jackson. The film also featured Thorley Walters and Ian Bannen in small roles. Pat Jackson considered it one of his favourite films, calling it "an honest piece of filmmaking, with a lovely performance from Sylvia Syms. It was a very interesting and well written script." Plot Simon Scott, a top toy salesman, returns from a business trip to Germany with a watch hidden inside a toy intended as a birthday present for his wife ( Sylvia Syms). He is caught by customs, arrested, and the following day sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for smuggling. He is taken to Wormwood Scrubs. He is not the normal type of prisoner, wearing a three-piece suit with a silk tie. He then becomes prisoner 1692 and is taken to a spartan cell. The guards are surly but other prisoners are generally friendly. As he pleads guilty there is no right of appeal (other than against the length of sentence). He tells his wife an appeal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pat Jackson
Patrick Douglas Selmes Jackson (26 March 1916 – 3 June 2011) was an English film and television director. Biography Born in Eltham, to a formerly affluent family which was severely affected by the Wall Street Crash in 1929, and his father's long-term illness and early death ending Jackson's formal education. He joined the GPO Film Unit on his 17th birthday as a messenger boy after his mother persuaded her MP, Sir Kingsley Wood, then also postmaster general, to find work for her son. Rising to production assistant, he was part of the crew for the short film ''Night Mail'' (1936). The voice narrating the poem by W.H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ... ("This is the Night Mail crossing the border, bringing the cheque and the postal order.") was Jackson him ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Welsh (actor)
John Welsh (7 November 1914 – 21 April 1985) was an Irish actor. Biography Welsh was born in Wexford. After an early stage career in Dublin, he moved into British film and television in the 1950s. His roles included James Forsyte in the 1967 BBC dramatisation of John Galsworthy's ''The Forsyte Saga'' and Sir Pitt Crawley in Thackeray's Vanity Fair, as well as the waiter, Merriman in ''The Duchess of Duke Street'', Sgt. Cuff in ''The Moonstone'' and a brief scene as the barber in ''Brideshead Revisited''. He also appeared in ''Hancock's Half Hour'', '' The Brothers'', ''Prince Regent'', ''To Serve Them All My Days'', 'The Frighteners' ('Bed and Breakfast' episode, 1972), and ''The Citadel'', and played the assistant chief constable in the early series of '' Softly, Softly''. Welsh also appeared in a number of different roles in ''Danger Man'' that included British diplomats and butlers. He died in London. Filmography * ''The Accused'' (1953) - Mr. Tennant * '' The Clue of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fanny Rowe
Frances Rowe (26 June 1913 – 31 August 1988) was an English stage, film and television actress. Early years Rowe was born in Preston, Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, the daughter of a parson, and educated at Channing School For Girls in Highgate and then went on to study at Newnham College, Cambridge, Newnham College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge. Stage Rowe's acting career started in the Marlowe Society, University of Cambridge, Cambridge. She then worked in repertory theatre at Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle, Coventry, Harrogate, Worthing, Dundee and Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor. She appeared in many theatrical productions both in London's West End theatre, West End and also in the USA. Her American stage debut was in ''Man and Superman''. In 1951 she was awarded the Clarence Derwent Award (her real name Frances Rowe is listed). She played the part of Alex Cornwall in ''Who Goes There! (play), Who Goes There!''. In 1955 she starred in the J.B. Priestley play ''Mr. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ralph Michael
Ralph Michael (26 September 1907 – 9 November 1994) was an English actor. He was born as Ralph Champion Shotter in London. His film appearances included ''Dead of Night'', ''A Night to Remember (1958 film), A Night to Remember'', ''Children of the Damned'', ''Grand Prix (1966 film), Grand Prix'', ''The Assassination Bureau'' and ''Empire of the Sun (film), Empire of the Sun''. Television credits include: ''The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series), The Adventures of Robin Hood'', ''A Tale of Two Cities'', ''Dixon of Dock Green'', ''Danger Man'', ''Kessler (TV series), Kessler'', ''The Forsyte Saga (1967 TV series), The Forsyte Saga'', ''Man in a Suitcase'', ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'', ''Colditz (1972 TV series), Colditz'', ''Doctor at Large (TV series), Doctor at Large'', ''Gazette (TV series), Gazette'', ''Public Eye (TV series), Public Eye'', ''Sutherland's Law'', ''Softly, Softly (TV series), Softly, Softly'', ''The Professionals (TV series), The Profession ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arnold Bell
Arnold Bell (23 May 1901 – 12 March 1988) was a British actor. Selected filmography * ''Convict 99'' (1919) - Warder Gannawy * '' Doctor Josser K.C.'' (1931) * '' Josser in the Army'' (1932) - Becker * ''Doss House'' (1933) - Reporter * ''Jack of All Trades'' (1936) - (uncredited) * '' His Lordship'' (1936) - Ibrahim's Butler (uncredited) * ''Strange Experiment'' (1937) - Leech * '' O.H.M.S.'' (1937) - Matthews (uncredited) * '' The Greed of William Hart'' (1948) - Dr. Cox * ''The Temptress'' (1949) - Dr. Leroy * ''No Place for Jennifer'' (1950) - Judge * ''Women of Twilight'' (1952) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''Appointment in London'' (1953) - Padre (uncredited) * ''Rough Shoot'' (1953) - Sgt. Baines * '' The Fake'' (1953) - Police Inspector * '' Murder at 3am'' (1953) - McMann * '' Star of India'' (1954) - Captain * ''Bang! You're Dead'' (1954) - The Warder * '' The Diamond'' (1954) - Police Chemist (uncredited) * '' The Master Plan'' (1954) - Gen. Harry Goulding * ''The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laidman Browne
Laidman Browne (13 September 1896 - 11 September 1961) was an English radio and television actor. In 1949 he was the narrator of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Speckled Band "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is one of 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the eighth story of twelve in the collection ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. It was originally published in '' Strand Maga ...", the first book read on the BBC's long-running series '' A Book at Bedtime''. Filmography References External links * 1896 births 1961 deaths 20th-century English male actors Male actors from Newcastle upon Tyne English male radio actors English male television actors {{England-actor-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malcolm Keen
Malcolm Keen (8 August 1887 – 30 January 1970) was an English actor of stage, film and television. He was sometimes credited as Malcolm Keane.Malcolm Keen at IMDb Born in , he made his stage debut in 1902 and his first film in 1916. Keen was an early collaborator with the director , starring in his silent films '''', '' [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victor Brooks (actor)
Victor Brooks (11 November 1918 – 19 January 2000) was a prolific English film and television actor. He specialised in character roles, police inspectors in particular, in British thrillers such as '' Cover Girl Killer'' (1959), ''Witchcraft'' (1964), and '' Devils of Darkness'' (1965). In 1961, he narrated the fifteen minute instructional Short, 'The Warden, His Duties and Training'. He also appeared in eight of the thirty-two episodes of 1964's ' Open House', playing himself, and The Host. His best known films are probably ''Goldfinger'' (1964), ''The Brides of Dracula'' (1960) and ''Billy Budd'' (1962). On television, he was noted for playing a pipe-smoking authority figure in crime series like ''Dixon of Dock Green'', ''Gideon's Way'', ''Detective'', ''Z Cars'' and '' Crown Court''. He also appeared in the television series '' Raffles'', in the recurring role of the Albany porter. Selected filmography Film * '' The Hostage'' (1956) – Inspector Clifford * ''The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anthony Sagar
Anthony Sagar (19 June 1920 – 24 January 1973) was an English character actor and a member of the National Theatre. He was prolific screen performer and appeared in many films (including seven of the ''Carry On'' series) and television series including the 1959 adaptation of ''The Moonstone'', ''Steptoe and Son'', '' The Avengers'' and ''Dad's Army''. Career James Anthony Sagar was born in Burnley, Lancashire and his early career was largely in film and stage. His first television role, in ''Dixon of Dock Green'', came at the age of 36. He stayed with police dramas, appearing in ''Z-Cars'', ''Special Branch'' and ''New Scotland Yard''. Other television roles included Ernie Kidd in ''Swallows and Amazons'' (1963), Sergeant Harris in ''Doomwatch'' (1970) and Parker in ''Spyder's Web'' (1972), as well as appearances in '' The Avengers'' (1969) and ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' (1969).Richard Webber, Jimmy Perry and David Croft, ''The Complete A-Z of Dad's Army'' – Orion M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |