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Vanda Godsell
Vanda Godsell (17 November 1922 – 2 April 1990) was an English actress. Hal Erickson writes in Allmovie, "Vanda Godsell specialised in playing disheveled housewives, busybody landladies and blowsy domestics." She appeared as Mrs Weaver in ''This Sporting Life'' (1963), Mrs Pitt in '' Bitter Harvest'' (1965), Mrs Goodge in ''The Wrong Box'' (1967) Early life She was born in Bognor Regis into the Godsell family, best known for its brewery based in Stroud. Her father was an officer in the Navy and served in the Battle of Jutland whilst her mother, Muriel, was the sister of novelist and actress Naomi Jacob. Godsell's sister Felicia was also an actress, and her other sister was an editor in the publishing world. Career Godsell began acting when she joined the Bristol Repertoire aged 14 making her film debut in 1953 in ''Flannelfoot'' starring Ronald Howard. She also appeared in ''Hell Is a City'', '' A Shot in the Dark'', ''The Earth Dies Screaming'', ''The Wrong Box'', '' B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
This Sporting Life
''This Sporting Life'' is a 1963 British kitchen sink drama film directed by Lindsay Anderson. Based on the 1960 novel of the same name by David Storey, which won the 1960 Macmillan Fiction Award, it recounts the story of a rugby league footballer, Frank Machin, in Wakefield, a mining city in Yorkshire, whose romantic life is not as successful as his sporting life. Storey, a former professional rugby league footballer, also wrote the screenplay. The film stars Richard Harris, Rachel Roberts, William Hartnell and Alan Badel. The film was Harris's first starring role, and won him the Best Actor Award at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival. He was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Roberts won her second BAFTA award and received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Harris was nominated for the BAFTA that year as well. The film opened at the Odeon Leicester Square in London's West End on 7 February 1963. Plot Set in Wakefield, the film concerns Frank Mach ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Earth Dies Screaming
''The Earth Dies Screaming'' is a 1964 British science-fiction horror film directed by Terence Fisher, written by Harry Spalding, and starring Willard Parker, Virginia Field, and Dennis Price.John Hamilton, ''The British Independent Horror Film 1951-70'' Hemlock Books 2013 p 129-132 Plot Human bodies are scattered around an English village, apparently dead in a sudden cataclysm. A small group of survivors gathers in the local hotel bar, led by an American jet test pilot, Jeff Nolan. Apparently, a mysterious gas attack has killed off most of the Earth's population. Figures in space suits appear in the streets; Vi Courtland thinks they have come to rescue them, but they turn and kill her with their touch. Several of these bulletproof killers stalk the streets. A very pregnant Lorna Brenard and her moody husband, Mel, arrive by car. Mel says they broke into a fallout shelter the previous night to sleep. The group goes to a local Territorial Army drill hall to look for weapons. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Streetcar Named Desire
''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of personal losses, leaves her once-prosperous situation to move into a shabby apartment in New Orleans rented by her younger sister and brother-in-law. Williams' most popular work, ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is one of the most critically acclaimed plays of the twentieth century.Williams, Tennessee (1995). ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. Introduction and text. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers. It still ranks among his most performed plays, and has inspired many adaptations in other forms, notably a critically acclaimed film that was released in 1951.Production notesDecember 3, 1947—December 17, 1949IBDb.com Plot After the loss of her family home to creditors, Blanche DuBois travels from Laurel, Mississippi, to the New Orleans French Q ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blanche DuBois
Blanche DuBois (married name Grey) is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams' 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. The character was written for Tallulah Bankhead and made popular to later audiences with Elia Kazan's 1951 film adaptation of Williams' play; ''A Streetcar Named Desire'', starring Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando. Character overview The recently penniless and homeless Blanche DuBois arrives in New Orleans--though with the attitude of a wealthy woman--to stay with her sister Stella and her brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski. A former schoolteacher from a wealthy family, she has been evicted from her family home, Belle Reve, after the deaths of several family members wiped out her and Stella's inheritance. It is also later revealed that, years earlier, her husband, Allan Grey, committed suicide after she caught him having sex with another man. She had a series of meaningless affairs to numb her grief, and was soon thrown out of her hometown ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taxi! (British TV Series)
''Taxi!'' was a BBC television comedy-drama series transmitted in 1963 and 1964. Created by Ted Willis, who had developed ''Dixon of Dock Green'', Willis was well aware of taxicab drivers inclination to provide stories, and intended 12 individual plays for what became the first series. Starring Sid James as cab firm owner and driver Sid Stone, it is similar to his role in the near contemporary film ''Carry On Cabby'' (1963), but the programme was more a drama with humour than comedy, Jack Rosenthal scripted a few episodes and Bill Owen appeared as the cab firm's co-owner Fred Cudell with Ray Brooks as driver Terry Mills. The three men shared part of a converted house, with Sid Stone tending to interfere in the lives of his colleagues and his customers. James' character was, according to John Fisher, "streetwise, but conscientious". While ratings for the first series were poor, it was transmitted in the summer, a second series was broadcast in 1964. Female neighbours were now ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
In Loving Memory (TV Series)
''In Loving Memory'' is a British period sitcom set in an undertakers business that starred Thora Hird and Christopher Beeny. A pilot with Marjorie Rhodes in the Thora Hird role was transmitted in 1969 by Thames Television, who rejected the idea before it was finally accepted by Yorkshire Television nearly 10 years later, where it ran for a further five series between 21 May 1979 and 27 March 1986. Plot The year is 1929 and in the opening episode Jeremiah Unsworth (Freddie Jones), the proprietor of the undertakers, dies. This leaves his widow Ivy (Thora Hird) and gormless nephew Billy (Christopher Beeny) to take over the business. As might be expected, the accident-prone Ivy and Billy have numerous mishaps, and hardly a funeral goes by without something untoward occurring. A running subplot is Billy's pursuit of romance, often at the encouragement of Ernie Hadfield; this later ends with Billy's marriage to old schoolfriend Mary Braithwaite - who had originally been set to marry ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Didn't Know You Cared
''I Didn't Know You Cared'' is a British television comedy set in a working-class household in South Yorkshire in the 1970s, written by Peter Tinniswood loosely based upon his books ''A Touch of Daniel'', ''I Didn't Know You Cared'' and ''Except You're a Bird''. It was broadcast by the BBC in four series (seven episodes each in series 1, 3 and 4 and six in series 2) from 1975 to 1979. The main characters are: Carter Brandon (played by Stephen Rea and, in series 3 and 4, Keith Drinkel); his uncle, Uncle Mort (Robin Bailey); his mother, Annie ( Liz Smith); his father, Les (John Comer); his girlfriend (later wife), Pat Partington (Anita Carey and, in series 3 and 4, Liz Goulding); and his other uncle, Uncle Staveley (Bert Palmer and, in series 4, Leslie Sarony). Auntie Lil (Gretchen Franklin), appears in the first two series. Other recurring characters, mostly from Carter's workplace, are: Linda Preston (Deirdre Costello); Mrs Partington, Pat's mother (Vanda Godsell); Sid Skelhorn ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bless This House (British TV Series)
''Bless This House'' is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 2 February 1971 to 22 April 1976. Starring Sid James and Diana Coupland, it was created by Vince Powell and Harry Driver, but mainly written by other hands including Dave Freeman and Carla Lane. It was made for the ITV network by Thames Television. In 2004, ''Bless This House'' was ranked by a BBC poll as the 67th Best British Sitcom. Synopsis ''Bless This House'' centres on life in Howard Road, New Malden, where travelling stationery salesman Sid Abbott and his wife Jean live with their teenagers: Mike is fresh from art college and more pre-occupied with protests than finding a job; and trendy schoolgirl Sally. Mike is 18 and Sally is 16, at the series' start. Sid and Jean constantly battle to comprehend the new generation's permissive ways and are usually out-of-touch. Their neighbours and best friends are Trevor Lewis and his wife Betty. A total of 65 episodes of ''Bless This House'' were produced between 197 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gideon's Way
''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. J. Marric'). The series was made at Elstree Studios in twin production with ''The Saint'' television series, which was likewise produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman. The show did not acknowledge any help from Scotland Yard or any other police force or advisor. Synopsis Daphne Anderson starred as Gideon's wife, Kate; their three children were played by Giles Watling as younger son Malcolm, Richard James as elder son Matthew (who seemed to have a lot of new girlfriends), and Andrea Allan as daughter Pru. Unusually for police stories, Gideon was shown as a family man at home—though urgent phone calls from his bosses tend to disrupt family plans too often. However, he did admit in "State Visit" that his wife had walked out on him for a while years ago, when he put the job first and her second. They live in a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Newcomers (TV Series)
''The Newcomers'' was a late 1960s BBC soap opera which dealt with the subject of a London family, the Coopers, who moved to a housing estate in the fictional country town of Angleton. It was broadcast in bi-weekly half-hour episodes from October 1965 until November 1969. It was initially produced by Verity Lambert. Series outline A fictional light industrial manufacturing company called Eden Brothers decides to relocate to the rural location. There are conflicts with the older members of the existing community, as well as some lighter moments as urbanites encounter "country characters". Many of the relocated workers have trouble living outside the city. As the series progresses, problems on the factory floor spill over into the community. Throughout this the Coopers strive to raise their daughter and two sons, who are having their own issues. The Cooper and Harker families were the initial focus of the series. The on-screen sudden death of the character of Ellis Cooper led ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dixon Of Dock Green
''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 to 1976. The central character, George Dixon, first appeared in the film ''The Blue Lamp''. Dixon is a mature and sympathetic police constable, played by Jack Warner in all of the 432 episodes. Dixon is the embodiment of a typical "bobby" who would be familiar with the area in which he patrolled and its residents and often lived there himself. The series contrasted with later programmes such as ''Z-Cars'', which reflected a more aggressive policing culture. It retained a faithful following throughout its run and was voted second-most popular programme on British television in 1961. Jack Warner Warner's success as Dixon was well received by police forces. He was made an honorary member of both the Margate and Ramsgate Police Forces in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minder (TV Series)
''Minder'' is a British comedy-drama series about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television, and shown on ITV for ten series between 1979 and 1994. The series was notable for using a range of leading British actors, as well as many up-and-coming performers before they found their greatest success; at its peak it was one of ITV's most watched shows. The series was revived by Channel 5 in 2009 but was discontinued after only six episodes. Plot The first seven series starred Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann, a Fulham fan, an honest and likeable bodyguard (''minder'' in London slang) and George Cole as Arthur Daley, a socially ambitious, but highly unscrupulous importer/exporter, wholesaler, used-car salesman and purveyor of anything else from which there was money to be made, legally or not. The series is principally set in inner west London (specifically Shepherd's Bush, Ladbroke Grove, F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
