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The Strange Case Of The End Of Civilization As We Know It
''The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It'' is a 1977 comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring John Cleese. It is a low-budget spoof of the Sherlock Holmes detective series, as well as the mystery genre in general. Plot Aboard a private aircraft, Dr. Gropinger (Ron Moody)—a parody of Henry Kissinger—is on a goodwill tour of Middle Eastern countries. He misplaces his diary and is thrown into a panic as, without the diary, he no longer knows what country he is about to land in. Stepping off the plane, he extends greetings in Hebrew to a congregation of Arabs and is shot dead. Soon after, the U.S. President (Joss Ackland, in a caricature of Gerald Ford) receives a threatening letter claiming responsibility for the death, signed "Moriarty", who claims to have set in motion a plan that will allow him to rule the world. The president dispatches a top agent to London to work with the world's top law enforcement officials and find a strategy to comba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph McGrath (film Director)
Joseph McGrath (born 28 March 1928) is a Scottish film and television director and screenwriter. He was born in Glasgow and studied at Glasgow School of Art in the late 1940s and early 1950s where his energy and talent was much admired by his contemporaries. McGrath is best known for his collaborations with ''The Goon Show'' stars Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan. He directed the scenes with Sellers and Orson Welles in the multi-director James bond spoof '' Casino Royale'' (1967). He also directed Sellers and Spike Milligan in '' The Magic Christian'' (1969) and '' The Great McGonagall'' (1974). 1108 ppPublished in the U.S. via Applause BooksThis comprehensive biography contains multiple reference to Milligan and McGrath. McGrath also worked with director Richard Lester on the Beatles' musical-comedy films '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964) and ''Help!'' (1965). In November 1965, McGrath directed the Beatles' first-ever music videos (known at the time as "promo clips"), filming the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joss Ackland
Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE (born 29 February 1928) is an English retired actor who has appeared in more than 130 film and television roles. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying Jock Delves Broughton in '' White Mischief'' (1987). Early life Ackland was born in North Kensington, London on 29 February 1928, the son of Major Sydney Norman Ackland (died 1981), an Irish journalist who had been sent to England to live with an aunt by his parents for seducing their maid, but subsequently seduced his aunt's maid, Ruth Izod (died 1957), whom he married. He was trained by Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Drama, then based at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Ackland and Rosemary Kirkcaldy were married on 18 August 1951, when Ackland was 23 and she 22. She was an actress and Ackland wooed her when they appeared on stage together in Pitlochry, Scotland. The couple struggled initially as Ackland's acting career ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Mitchell (actor)
Bill or Billy Mitchell may refer to: People In arts and entertainment * Billy Mitchell (saxophonist) (1926–2001), American jazz tenor saxophonist * Billy Mitchell (pianist) (born 1943), American jazz pianist * Bill Mitchell (artistic director) (1951–2017), founder of theatre company Wildworks * W. R. Mitchell (1928–2015), British writer * Billy Mitchell, performer on the Canadian television game show '' Acting Crazy'' (1991–1994) * Billy Mitchell, performer with the American rhythm and blues/doo-wop vocal group the Clovers * Billy Mitchell, performer with the English folk rock and progressive rock band Lindisfarne * Billy Mitchell, performer with the folk rock/electric folk group Jack the Lad * Billy Mitchell (''EastEnders''), fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders In sports * Bill Mitchell (Canadian football) (born 1935), former award-winning professional Canadian football centre * Bill Mitchell (ice hockey) (1930–2014), Canadian professional ice hock ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Val Pringle
Val may refer to: Val-a Film * ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a Soviet assault rifle Music *''Val'', album by Val Doonican *VAL (band), Belarusian pop duo People * Val (given name), a unisex given name * Rafael Merry del Val (1865–1930), Spanish Catholic cardinal * Val (sculptor) (1967–2016), French sculptor * Val (footballer, born 1983), Lucivaldo Lázaro de Abreu, Brazilian football midfielder * Val (footballer, born 1997), Valdemir de Oliveira Soares, Brazilian football defensive midfielder Places * Val (Rychnov nad Kněžnou District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic * Val (Tábor District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic * Vál, a village in Hungary * Val, Iran, a village in Kurdistan Province, Iran * Val, Italy, a ''frazione'' in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Ven ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holly Palance
Holly Kathleen Palance (born August 5, 1950) is an American former actress and journalist. She is perhaps best known for her role as the nanny of Damien Thorn in Richard Donner's ''The Omen'' (1976). Palance also appeared in Pete Walker's horror film '' The Comeback'' (1978). Beginning in 1984, she also co-hosted the series '' Ripley's Believe it or Not!'' with her father, Jack Palance. Palance also had a leading role opposite Robin Williams and Kurt Russell in the comedy '' The Best of Times'' (1986) before retiring from acting. She later shifted to a career in journalism, serving as the editor-in-chief of the ''Los Angeles Times''s lifestyle magazine. Early years Holly Kathleen Palance was born on August 5, 1950 in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of actor Jack Palance and his wife Virginia Baker. Holly was the first of three children born to the couple. She is of Ukrainian descent. Palance spent her early life in Los Angeles before relocating with her father to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot (, ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by British writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-running characters, appearing in 33 novels, two plays ('' Black Coffee'' and ''Alibi''), and more than 50 short stories published between 1920 and 1975. Poirot has been portrayed on radio, in film and on television by various actors, including Austin Trevor, John Moffatt, Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov, Ian Holm, Tony Randall, Alfred Molina, Orson Welles, David Suchet, Kenneth Branagh, and John Malkovich. Overview Influences Poirot's name was derived from two other fictional detectives of the time: Marie Belloc Lowndes' Hercule Popeau and Frank Howel Evans' Monsieur Poiret, a retired French police officer living in London. Evans' Jules Poiret "was small and rather heavyset, hardly more than five feet, but moved with his head held high. The most remarkable features of his head were the stiff military moustache. His apparel was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Columbo (character)
Columbo or Lieutenant Columbo is the eponymous main character in the American detective crime drama television series ''Columbo'' created by Richard Levinson and William Link. The character is a shrewd but inelegant blue-collar homicide detective whose trademarks include his shambling manner, rumpled beige raincoat, cigar and off-putting, relentless investigative approach. Columbo is portrayed almost entirely by Peter Falk, who appeared in the role from 1968 through 2003. Columbo's first name has never officially been identified, although the name "Frank Columbo" has been visible on pieces of identification throughout the show's history. Levinson and Link have said that the character was partially inspired by the ''Crime and Punishment'' character Porfiry Petrovich as well as G. K. Chesterton's humble cleric-detective Father Brown. Other sources claim Columbo's character is also influenced by Inspector Fichet from the French suspense-thriller film '' Les Diaboliques'' (1955). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sam Spade
Sam Spade is a fictional character and the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel '' The Maltese Falcon''. Spade also appeared in four lesser-known short stories by Hammett. ''The Maltese Falcon'', first published as a serial in the pulp magazine '' Black Mask'', is the only full-length novel by Hammett in which Spade appears. The character, however, is widely cited as a crystallizing figure in the development of hard-boiled private detective fiction— Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, for instance, was strongly influenced by Spade. Spade was a departure from Hammett's nameless and less-than-glamorous detective, The Continental Op. Spade combined several features of previous detectives, most notably his detached demeanor, keen eye for detail, and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice. Portrayals Spade was a new character created specifically by Hammett for ''The Maltese Falcon''; he had not appeared in any of Hammett's previous stories. Hammett says a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's historic and primary financial centre. Its name derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which also had an entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became the public entrance, and over time "Scotland Yard" has come to be used not only as the name of the headquarters building, but also as a metonym for both the Metropolitan Police Service itself and police officers, especially detectives, who serve in it. ''The New York Times'' wrote in 1964 that, just as Wall Street gave its name to New York's financial district, Scotland Yard became the name for police activity in London. The force moved from Great Scotland Yard in 1890, to a newly completed buil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Professor Moriarty
Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and criminal mastermind created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to be a formidable enemy for the author's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. He was created primarily as a device by which Doyle could kill Holmes and end the hero's stories. Professor Moriarty first appears in the short story " The Adventure of the Final Problem", first published in '' The Strand Magazine'' in December 1893. He also plays a role in the final Sherlock Holmes novel '' The Valley of Fear'', but without a direct appearance. Holmes mentions Moriarty in five other stories: "The Adventure of the Empty House", " The Adventure of the Norwood Builder", "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter", " The Adventure of the Illustrious Client", and " His Last Bow". Moriarty is a criminal mastermind who uses his intelligence and resources to provide criminals with crime strategies and sometimes protection from the law, all in exchange for a fee or a cut of profit. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stratford Johns
Alan Edgar Stratford Johns (22 September 1925 – 29 January 2002), known as Stratford Johns, was a British stage, film and television actor who is best remembered for his starring role as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in the long-running BBC police series ''Z-Cars''. Early life Johns was born and grew up in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. After serving as a deckhand in the South African navy during World War II, he worked for a time in accountancy, but soon became involved in amateur theatre. Career In 1948, Johns bought a one-way ticket to Britain and learned his craft working in repertory theatre at Southend-on-Sea for almost five years. He began to appear in British films from the mid-1950s, including a bit part in the classic Ealing comedy '' The Ladykillers'' (1955). He ran a small hotel in London during the 1950s, and was a member of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre during the Angry Young Men period when new playwrights, including John Osborn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South America, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense''. After extraction from coca leaves and further processing into cocaine hydrochloride (powdered cocaine), the drug is often snorted, applied topically to the mouth, or dissolved and injected into a vein. It can also then be turned into free base form ( crack cocaine), in which it can be heated until sublimated and then the vapours can be inhaled. Cocaine stimulates the reward pathway in the brain. Mental effects may include an intense feeling of happiness, sexual arousal, loss of contact with reality, or agitation. Physical effects may include a fast heart rate, sweating, and dilated pupils. High doses can result in high blood pressure or high body temperature. Effects ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
