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The 39 Steps (1959 Film)
''The 39 Steps'' is a 1959 British thriller film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Kenneth More and Taina Elg. Produced by Betty Box, it is a remake of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film, loosely based on the 1915 novel '' The Thirty-Nine Steps'' by John Buchan. In the film, diplomat Richard Hannay returns home to London, only to become inadvertently embroiled in the death of a British spy investigating the head of an organisation planning to sell the secret of a British ballistic missile. Hannay thus travels to Scotland to escape the police, and attempts to complete the spy's work. It is the first colour version of the Buchan tale, and, unlike the mainly studio-bound original, features extensive location shooting. Several large set pieces (such as Hannay's escape from the train on the Forth Bridge and the music hall finale) and much of the dialogue are taken from the original film. As with the Hitchcock version, the scenario was contemporary rather than the pre-Great War sett ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Harvey (English Screenwriter)
Frank Harvey (1912–1981) was an English screenwriter and playwright who jointly won a BAFTA Award with John Boulting and Alan Hackney for ''I'm All Right Jack'' in 1960. During his career he was nominated for a second BAFTA for Private's Progress. Biography He was born on 11 August 1912 in Manchester, Lancashire, his father was Frank Harvey and his mother was Grace Ackerman. He died on 6 November 1981 in Ottery St. Mary, Devon. He was the third of three generations of writers who all took the non-de plume 'Frank Harvey'. His grandfather, originally John Ainsworth Hilton, and his father, originally Harvey Ainsworth Hilton, all took the name when writing and performing for the stage. His father, Harvey Ainsworth Hilton also called Frank Harvey (1883–1965) was born in London, England before he moved to Australia in 1914 and did not return until 1926. Harvey was an actor and a playwright, producing 4 plays including ''The Last Enemy'' (1929) and '' Cape Forlorn'' (1930). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thriller Film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. Tension is created by delaying what the audience sees as inevitable, and is built through situations that are menacing or where escape seems impossible. The cover-up of important information from the viewer, and fight and chase scenes are common methods. Life is typically threatened in a thriller film, such as when the protagonist does not realize that they are entering a dangerous situation. Thriller films' characters conflict with each other or with an outside force, which can sometimes be abstract. The protagonist is usually set against a problem, such as an escape, a mission, or a mystery. Screenwriter and scholar Eric R. Williams identifies thriller films as one of eleven super-genres in his screenwriters' taxonomy, claiming that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifically played in schools. Netball is most popularly played in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth nations. A common misunderstanding of the sport's origins has resulted in the mistaken belief that netball was created to prevent women from playing basketball. However, the sport is the result of Clara Baer's misinterpretation of its rules. Baer had asked James Naismith, the Canadian inventor of basketball, to send her a copy of the rules, and Baer's errors resulted in what marked the beginning of the development of a separate sport. Netball originated in England, UK, in the late 19th century. In the beginning it was described as 'women's basketball' but had emerged as a distinctly separate sport due to its #Description and rules, different r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London King's Cross Railway Station
King's Cross railway station, also known as London King's Cross, is a passenger railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, on the edge of Central London. It is in the London station group, one of the List of busiest railway stations in Great Britain, busiest stations in the United Kingdom and the southern terminus of the East Coast Main Line to North East England and Scotland. Adjacent to King's Cross station is St Pancras railway station, St Pancras International, the London terminus for Eurostar services to continental Europe. Beneath both main line stations is King's Cross St Pancras tube station on the London Underground; combined they form one of the country's largest and busiest transport hubs. The station was opened in Kings Cross, London, Kings Cross in 1852 by the Great Northern Railway (Great Britain), Great Northern Railway on the northern edge of Central London to accommodate the East Coast Main Line. It quickly grew to cater for suburban lines and was expand ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LNER Class A4
The Class A4 is a class of streamlined 4-6-2 steam locomotive designed by Nigel Gresley for the London and North Eastern Railway in 1935. Their streamlined design gave them high-speed capability as well as making them instantly recognisable, and one of the class, 4468 ''Mallard'', holds the world record as the fastest steam locomotive. Thirty-five of the class were built to haul express passenger trains on the East Coast Main Line route from London Kings Cross via York to Newcastle, and later via Newcastle to Edinburgh, Scotland. They remained in service on the East Coast Main Line until the early 1960s when they were replaced by Deltic diesel locomotives; they themselves proving to be worthy successors to the A4s. Several A4s saw out their remaining days until 1966 in Scotland, particularly on the Aberdeen – Glasgow express trains, for which they were used to improve the timing from 3.5 to 3 hours. Overview Gresley introduced the Class A4 locomotives in 1935 to haul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast and east, and the Irish Sea to the south. It also contains more than 790 islands, principally in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. Most of the population, including the capital Edinburgh, is concentrated in the Central Belt—the plain between the Scottish Highlands and the Southern Uplands—in the Scottish Lowlands. Scotland is divided into 32 administrative subdivisions or local authorities, known as council areas. Glasgow City is the largest council area in terms of population, with Highland being the largest in terms of area. Limited self-governing power, covering matters such as education, social services and roads and transportation, is devolved from the Scott ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Hayter (actor)
Henry James Hayter (23 April 1907 – 27 March 1983) was a British actor of television and film. He is best remembered for his roles as Friar Tuck in the film ''The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men'' (1952) and as Samuel Pickwick in the film ''The Pickwick Papers'' (1952), the latter earning him a BAFTA Award for Best British Actor nomination. Early life He was born in Lonavala, India, and brought up in Scotland, attending Dollar Academy. He made his West End debut in the 1936 comedy ''The Composite Man'' at Daly's Theatre. His best remembered film roles include Friar Tuck in the 1952 film ''The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men'' (he reprised the same role in the 1967 film ''A Challenge for Robin Hood'') and Samuel Pickwick in ''The Pickwick Papers'' of the same year. His rotund appearance and fruity voice made him a natural choice for such roles. Acting career A pupil of Dollar Academy, he became a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His film career ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Music Hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Britain between bold and scandalous ''Music Hall'' and subsequent, more respectable ''Variety'' differ. Music hall involved a mixture of popular songs, comedy, speciality acts, and variety entertainment. The term is derived from a type of theatre or venue in which such entertainment took place. In North America vaudeville was in some ways analogous to British music hall, featuring rousing songs and comic acts. Originating in saloon bars within public houses during the 1830s, music hall entertainment became increasingly popular with audiences. So much so, that during the 1850s some public houses were demolished, and specialised music hall theatres developed in their place. These theatres were designed chiefly so that people could consume food ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Hannay
Major-General Sir Richard Hannay, KCB, OBE, DSO, is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist John Buchan and further made popular by the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film '' The 39 Steps'' (and other later film adaptations), very loosely based on Buchan's 1915 novel of the same name. In his autobiography, ''Memory Hold-the-Door'', Buchan suggests that the character is based, in part, on Edmund Ironside, from Edinburgh, a spy during the Second Boer War. Novels By Buchan Hannay appears in several novels as a major character, including: * '' The Thirty-Nine Steps'' (1915) * ''Greenmantle'' (1916) * ''Mr Standfast'' (1919) * ''The Three Hostages'' (1924) * ''The Island of Sheep'' (1936) He also appears as a minor character in: * ''The Courts of the Morning'' (1929) * ''Sick Heart River'' (1940) By other authors Robert J. Harris has written ''The Thirty-One Kings'' (2017) which purports to be the beginning of a new series called "Richard Hannay Returns" about his adventures ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighting occurring throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia. An estimated 9 million soldiers were killed in combat, plus another 23 million wounded, while 5 million civilians died as a result of military action, hunger, and disease. Millions more died in genocides within the Ottoman Empire and in the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was exacerbated by the movement of combatants during the war. Prior to 1914, the European great powers were divided between the Triple Entente (comprising France, Russia, and Britain) and the Triple Alliance (containing Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy). Tensions in the Balkans came to a head on 28 June 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Music Hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Britain between bold and scandalous ''Music Hall'' and subsequent, more respectable ''Variety'' differ. Music hall involved a mixture of popular songs, comedy, speciality acts, and variety entertainment. The term is derived from a type of theatre or venue in which such entertainment took place. In North America vaudeville was in some ways analogous to British music hall, featuring rousing songs and comic acts. Originating in saloon bars within public houses during the 1830s, music hall entertainment became increasingly popular with audiences. So much so, that during the 1850s some public houses were demolished, and specialised music hall theatres developed in their place. These theatres were designed chiefly so that people could consume food ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forth Bridge
The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge across the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, west of central Edinburgh. Completed in 1890, it is considered a symbol of Scotland (having been voted Scotland's greatest man-made wonder in 2016), and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was designed by English engineers Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker. It is sometimes referred to as the Forth Rail Bridge (to distinguish it from the adjacent Forth Road Bridge), although this has never been its official name. Construction of the bridge began in 1882 and it was opened on 4 March 1890 by the Duke of Rothesay, the future Edward VII. The bridge carries the Edinburgh–Aberdeen line across the Forth between the villages of South Queensferry and North Queensferry and has a total length of . When it opened it had the longest single cantilever bridge span in the world, until 1919 when the Quebec Bridge in Canada was completed. It continues to be the world's second-longest s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
