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The Ugly Duckling (1959 Film)
''The Ugly Duckling'' is a 1959 British science fiction comedy film, directed by Lance Comfort and starring Bernard Bresslaw, Jon Pertwee and Reginald Beckwith. The film is a comic adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' storyline and the opening credits include "with ideas stolen from Robert Louis Stevenson". The film has no connection to the Hans Christian Andersen story. The tagline on posters was "He's a changed man after taking Jekyll's family remedy." Plot Joe Loss and his Orchestra are playing at a dance. Joe Loss then introduces the Henrietta Jekyll Old Time Dance Team and her brother Henry Jekyll, who is a rather incompetent last-minute stand-in. They give a display of formation ballroom dancing with their brother Victor Jekyll (Jon Pertwee) taking over the conducting, but Henry turns it into a disaster, much to his sister's dismay. Henry (Bernard Bresslaw) is a bungling, awkward and socially inept man. He is working in his brother’s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lance Comfort
Lance Comfort (11 August 1908 – 25 August 1966) was an English film director. In a career spanning over 25 years, he became one of the most prolific film directors in Britain, though he never gained critical attention and remained on the fringes of the film industry, creating mostly B movies. Comfort carried on working almost right up to his death in Worthing, Sussex, in 1966. He had four children: Edward (born 1929), James (born 1931), Anna (born 1934) and Jack (born 1936). Filmography *''Penn of Pennsylvania'' (1941) *'' Hatter's Castle'' (1942) *'' Those Kids from Town'' (1942) *''Squadron Leader X'' (1943) *''Escape to Danger'' (1943) *''When We Are Married'' (1943) *''Old Mother Riley Detective'' (1943) *''Hotel Reserve'' (1944) *'' Great Day'' (1945) *'' Bedelia'' (1946) *''Temptation Harbour'' (1947) *'' Daughter of Darkness'' (1948) *''Silent Dust'' (1949) *'' Portrait of Clare'' (1950) *'' Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents'' (1953–1957) *''The Girl on the Pier' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisting of 156 stories across nine volumes and translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. His most famous fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", " The Nightingale", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", " The Red Shoes", " The Princess and the Pea", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling", " The Little Match Girl", and " Thumbelina". His stories have inspired ballets, plays, and animated and live-action films. Early life Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark on 2 April 1805. He had a stepsister named Karen. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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] |
Keith Smith (actor)
Keith Wilfred Smith (26 February 1926 – 30 March 2008) was an English actor who is known for his roles in ''The Army Game'' and ''The Beiderbecke Trilogy''. Smith also appeared in ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' as a manager of a Grot shop. Smith also appeared in ''George and Mildred ''George and Mildred'' is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television and first aired between 1976 and 1979. It is a spin-off from ''Man About the House'', and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as constantly-sparring married couple Ge ...'' in the episode '' My Husband Next Door'', on 1 November 1976 as the TV repair man taking away the Roper's TV set, in series 1. Smith was a regular in the '' Q...'' with Spike Milligan. He died in London on 30 March 2008 at the age of 82 from motor neurone disease. Filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Keith 1926 births 2008 deaths English male television actors English male film actors ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Lodge (actor)
David William Frederick Lodge (19 August 1921 – 18 October 2003) was an English character actor. Career During the Second World War, Lodge served in the RAF. Before turning to acting he worked as a circus clown. He also appeared in Gang Shows and variety before making his screen debut in ''The Cockleshell Heroes'' and going on to feature in many British films usually portraying military types, and often comedic roles. He was a close friend of Peter Sellers and appeared as part of Spike Milligan's team on his '' Q'' programmes (a running gag being that in each episode he or Spike would mention his role in ''The Cockleshell Heroes''). Lodge was very prolific during the 1950s and in 1958 alone he appeared in ten films. He appeared in a 1969 episode of '' Randall and Hopkirk Deceased'' (" Who Killed Cock Robin?"), and continuing with his military-type roles as Company Sergeant-Major Sharp in an episode of ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' in 1976. Lodge appeared in ''Carry On Eng ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harold Goodwin (English Actor)
Harold Goodwin (22 October 1917 – 3 June 2004) was an English actor born in Wombwell, South Yorkshire, England. Acting career Goodwin trained at RADA and was a stage actor at Liverpool repertory theatre for 3 years. He appeared in numerous British films of the 1950s and 1960s, usually playing 'flat cap'-wearing working class characters from Northern England or low ranks in the military. He had significant parts in the war films '' The Dam Busters'' (playing Guy Gibson's batman, 'Crosby'), ''Bridge on the River Kwai'' and '' The Longest Day.'' He can also be seen in films such as '' The Ladykillers'', ''Sea of Sand'', '' Angels One Five'' and '' The Cruel Sea'' (in which he was the ASDIC operator). Goodwin made hundreds of appearances in British television programmes such as ''Minder'' (as ''Dunning'', episode '' Get Daley!'', 1984)'' and a notable role in '' All Creatures Great and Small''. Goodwin was a 'staple' of the popular 1980s sitcom, '' That's My Boy''. His last ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Ripper
Michael George Ripper (27 January 1913 – 28 June 2000) was an English character actor. He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. Along with Michael Gough he played one of the two murderers in Laurence Olivier's film version of ''Richard III'' (1955). Ripper became a mainstay in Hammer Film Productions playing supporting character roles: coachmen, peasants, tavern keepers, pirates and sidekicks. Appearing in more of the company's films than any other performer, these included ''The Camp on Blood Island'' (1958), ''The Revenge of Frankenstein'' (1958), ''The Mummy'' (1959), ''The Brides of Dracula'' (1960), '' Captain Clegg'' (1962), ''The Scarlet Blade'' (1963), ''The Reptile'' (1966), ''The Plague of the Zombies'' (1966) and ''The Mummy's Shroud'' (1967). Some of his parts were little better than glorified bits (as in ''The Curse of the Werewolf''), but his penultimate role for Hammer Fil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elwyn Brook-Jones
Elwyn Brook-Jones (11 December 1911 – 4 September 1962) was a British theatre, film and television actor. Life Brook-Jones was born in Kuching, Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. After a private education, he attended Jesus College, Oxford. His public debut was in Australia, aged 11, as a concert pianist; he later made cabaret appearances in the US and the Far East. He was a repertory actor, first appearing in London in 1943 in ''Hedda Gabler'' as Judge Brack, before going on to appear in many productions in the West End, films and television. In the BBC children's series ''Garry Halliday'', he was the hero's opponent "The Voice". His most prominent film role was arguably Tober in Carol Reed's ''Odd Man Out'' (1947). He was also Gladwin in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's ''The Small Back Room'' (1949) and the Emir in ''The Pure Hell of St Trinian's'' (1960). He died in Reading, Berkshire, aged 50. Selected filmography * ''Odd Man Out'' (1947) * ''The Three Weird Sist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Wattis
Richard Wattis (25 February 1912 – 1 February 1975) was an English actor, co-starring in many popular British comedies of the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Richard Cameron Wattis was born on 25 February 1912 in Wednesbury, Staffordshire, the elder of two sons born to Cameron Tom Wattis and Margaret Janet, née Preston. He attended King Edward's School and Bromsgrove School, after which he worked for the electrical engineering firm William Sanders & Co (Wednesbury) Ltd. His uncle, William Preston (1874–1941), was the managing director and was the Conservative MP for Walsall from 1924 to 1929. Career After leaving the family business, Wattis became an actor. His debut was with Croydon Repertory Theatre, and he made many stage appearances in the West End in London. His first appearance in a film was ''A Yank at Oxford'' (1938), but war service interrupted his career as an actor. He served as a second lieutenant in the Small Arms Section of Special Operations Executive at S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maudie Edwards
Elizabeth Maud Edwards (16 October 1906 – 24 March 1991), professionally known as Maudie Edwards, was a Welsh actress, radio broadcaster, comedian, dancer and singer, best remembered for having spoken the first line of dialogue in soap opera ''Coronation Street'', and playing Elsie Lappin in the first two episodes. She was previously best known to listeners of the radio programme ''Welsh Rarebit'', which attracted weekly audiences of 10 million. Early life Born in 16 Florence St. Neath, Glamorgan, Wales, to semi-professional comedian and singer Ned Edwards, she appeared on stage at the age of four, with her sister May, as Ned Edwards' ''Two Little Queenies''. Career Edwards would go on to play the principal boy in many pantomimes. She presented her signature tune before radio broadcasts of ''Welsh Rarebit'' with the lyrics: I bring you the voice of the people from over the hills and dales :and the voice of the people is brought to you by a voice that comes from Wale ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golliwog
The golliwog, also spelled golliwogg or shortened to golly, is a doll-like character – created by cartoonist and author Florence Kate Upton – that appeared in children's books in the late 19th century, usually depicted as a type of rag doll. It was reproduced, both by commercial and hobby toy-makers, as a children's toy called the "golliwog", a portmanteau of ''golly'' and ''polliwog'', and had great popularity in the UK and Australia into the 1970s. The doll is characterised by jet black skin, eyes rimmed in white, exaggerated red lips and frizzy hair, a blackface minstrel tradition. Today the word is regarded as a racial slur towards black people. Though home-made golliwogs were sometimes female, the golliwog was generally male. For this reason, in the period following World War II, the golliwog was seen as a suitable soft toy for a young boy, akin to a teddy bear or a sock monkey. Golliwogs were collected throughout the Caribbean Islands. While some people see the d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ballroom Dancing
Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television. ''Ballroom dance'' may refer, at its widest definition, to almost any recreational dance with a partner. However, with the emergence of dance competition (now known as Dancesport), two principal schools have emerged and the term is used more narrowly to refer to the dances recognized by those schools. * The International School, originally developed in EnglandFranks A.H. 1963. ''Social dance: a short history''. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London. and now regulated by the World Dance CouncilWDC and the World DanceSport FederationWDSF, is most prevalent in Europe. It encompasses two categories, Standard and Latin, each of which consist of five dances—International Waltz, International Tango, International Viennese Waltz, International Slow Fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
