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Vera Day
Vera Day (born 4 August 1935) is an English film and television actress. She was born in London just before the war and grew up in Forest Gate, East London. Early career Leaving school at 15, she had various jobs before finding employment in a hair salon. Modelling for hairstylists, she became a full-time model. One day she saw an advertisement in a theatrical paper for showgirls, so taking time off work and with the smallest bikini she could find, she attended the auditions. Even though she was untrained in singing and dancing, she caught the attention of Jack Hylton, who gave her a part in ''Wish You Were Here'' at the London Casino in 1953. She was only nineteen. Val Guest was at the opening night and left a note for her at the stage door to contact him. This led to Vera being cast in the film '' Dance Little Lady''. However, she had to ask permission from Jack Hylton, for she was under contract for two more shows, which ended up being '' Pal Joey'' at the Princes Theatre an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for two millennia. The City of London, its ancient core and financial centre, was founded by the Romans as '' Londinium'' and retains its medieval boundaries.See also: Independent city § National capitals The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has for centuries hosted the national government and parliament. Since the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the metropolis around this core, historically split between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire, which largely comprises Greater London, governed by the Greater London Authority.The Greater London Authority consists of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. The London Mayor is distinguished fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Too Many Crooks
''Too Many Crooks'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi. The plot concerns a bunch of inept crooks who kidnap the wife of a shady businessman, only for him to decide he doesn’t want her back. It stars George Cole, Sidney James and Bernard Bresslaw as members of the gang, alongside Brenda de Banzie as the victim and Terry-Thomas as her husband. Plot The members of a gang, especially Sid, grow impatient as their incompetent leader, Fingers, botches the robbery of a fur store, the latest in a series of disasters. Fingers then comes up with the idea of robbing businessman William Gordon. Gordon bluffs them into believing the police are on their way. Fingers refuses to give up, plotting to kidnap Gordon's daughter. However, he errs yet again and ends up with Gordon's meek wife Lucy instead. Thinking she will do just as well, Fingers demands £25,000 ransom for her safe return. To his surprise, Gordon gleefully refuses. The philanderer has been carrying on an a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
And The Same To You
''And the Same to You'' is a 1960 British boxing-themed comedy film directed by George Pollock and starring Brian Rix and William Hartnell. It is based on a stage farce by A.P. Dearsley. Premise Stuck with the nickname "Dreadnought", Dickie Marchant (Brian Rix) feels he has no choice but to pursue a career as a boxer. However, to mollify his uncle (Leo Franklyn), Marchant pretends to be the soul of religiosity, while his tough-talking manager, Walter 'Wally' Burton (William Hartnell), poses as a man of the cloth. Cast * Brian Rix as Dickie 'Dreadnought' Marchant * William Hartnell as Walter 'Wally' Burton * Leo Franklyn as Rev. Sydney Mullett * Tommy Cooper as Horace Hawkins * Vera Day as Cynthia Tripp * Sid James as Sammy Gatt * Miles Malleson as Bishop * Arthur Mullard as Tubby * Renee Houston as Mildred Pomphret * Dick Bentley as George Nibbs * John Robinson as Archdeacon Humphrey Pomphret * Terry Scott as Police Constable * Shirley Anne Field as Iris Collins ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Haunted Strangler
''The Haunted Strangler'' (also known as ''Grip of the Strangler'' and originally titled ''The Judas Hole'') is a 1958 British horror film directed by Robert Day. It was adapted from "Stranglehold", a story which screenwriter Jan Read had written specially for Boris Karloff, and was shot back to back with producer Richard Gordon's ''Fiend Without a Face'', with both later being released as a double feature by MGM.Stephen Jacobs, ''Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster'', Tomahawk Press 2011, p. 410-412 Plot In Victorian era-London, Edward Styles is accused of being the notorious Haymarket Strangler, the brutal killer of five women. He is tried and executed for these crimes. As he is being buried, an unknown person slips a knife into his coffin. Twenty years later, James Rankin (Boris Karloff), a novelist and social reformer, launches an investigation to prove that Styles was innocent. His search for clues leads him to the sleazy Judas Hole music hall, where the Strangler picked hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Up The Creek (1958 Film)
''Up the Creek'' is a 1958 British comedy film written and directed by Val Guest and starring David Tomlinson, Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Hyde-White, David Lodge and Lionel Jeffries. Plot Lieutenant Humphrey Fairweather, a well-meaning but accident-prone naval officer with a passion for rockets, is posted where he can (so the navy hopes) cause no further damage. He is given command of a mothballed Royal Navy vessel, HMS ''Berkeley'', which has had no commanding officer for several years. She is moored at a wharf on the Suffolk coast near the (fictional) village of Meadows End. He discovers that the ship is woefully under strength and is forced to contend with the schemes of his bosun, Chief Petty Officer Doherty (Sellers). He and the crew are running several profitable businesses, including a same-day laundry, selling naval rum and cigarettes to the local pub, the ''Pig and Whistle'', and making pies and pastries for sale to the villagers. They also keep pigs and hens. After the n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Was Monty's Double (film)
''I Was Monty's Double'' (aka ''Hell, Heaven or Hoboken'') is a 1958 film made by Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC). It was directed by John Guillermin. The screenplay was adapted by Bryan Forbes from the autobiography of M. E. Clifton James, an actor who pretended to be General Montgomery as a decoy during the Second World War. Plot A few months before the D-Day landings during the Second World War, the British government decides to launch a campaign of disinformation; spreading a rumour that the landings just might take place at a location other than Normandy. The details of the operation (actually, there were several such operations) are handed to two intelligence officers, Colonel Logan ( Cecil Parker) and Major Harvey (John Mills). They are initially unable to devise such a plan – but one night, Harvey sees an actor at a London theatre, putting on a convincing impression of General Bernard Montgomery. Logan and Harvey discover that the actor is M. E. Clifton ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Prince And The Showgirl
''The Prince and the Showgirl'' (originally titled '' The Sleeping Prince'') is a 1957 British romantic comedy film starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier, who also served as director and producer. The screenplay written by Terence Rattigan was based on his 1953 stage play '' The Sleeping Prince''. ''The Prince and the Showgirl'' was filmed at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire. Plot In London in June 1911, George V will be crowned king on 22 June and in the preceding days, many important dignitaries arrive, including the 16-year-old King Nicholas VIII of the (fictional) Balkan country of Carpathia, with his father the stiff and pompous widower prince regent Charles, and his maternal grandmother the widowed queen dowager of Carpathia (inspired by King Michael I of Romania, Carol II of Romania and Queen Marie of Romania). The British government decide that keeping Carpathia in the Triple Entente is critical amid the rising tensions in Europe. They wish to pamper the ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fun At St
Fun is defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "Light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement; boisterous joviality or merrymaking; entertainment". Etymology and usage The word ''fun'' is associated with sports, entertaining media, high merriment, and amusement. Although its etymology is uncertain, it has been speculated that it may be derived from Middle English ' (fool) and ' (the one fooling the other). An 18th century meaning (still used in Orkney and Shetland) was "cheat, trick, hoax", a meaning still retained in the phrase "to make fun of". The way the word ''fun'' is used demonstrates its distinctive elusiveness and happiness. Expressions such as "Have fun!" and "That was fun!" indicate that fun is pleasant, personal, and to some extent unpredictable. Expressions such as "I was making fun of myself" convey the sense that fun is something that can be amusing and not to be taken seriously. The adjective "funny" has two meanings, which often need to be clar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Kid For Two Farthings (film)
''A Kid For Two Farthings'' is a 1955 film, directed by Carol Reed. The screenplay was adapted by Wolf Mankowitz from his 1953 novel of the same name. The title is a reference to the traditional Passover song, Chad Gadya, which begins "One little goat which my father bought for two zuzim". At the end of the film, Mr. Kandinsky softly sings fragments of an English translation of the song. It was one of the last films produced by Alexander Korda before his death. Plot In the busy wholesale-retail world of London's East End everyone, it seems, has unattainable dreams. Then a small boy – Joe – buys a unicorn, in fact a sickly little goat, with just one twisted horn in the middle of its forehead. This, he has been led to believe by a local tailor, Kandinsky, will bring everyone good fortune. The film has a haunting last image, of Kandinsky carrying the tiny body of the "unicorn" to the graveyard, whilst passing in the opposite direction is a Torah-reading Rabbi pushing a horn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
It's A Great Day
''It's a Great Day'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by John Warrington. A spin-off of the popular soap ''The Grove Family'', the film stars Ruth Dunning as Gladys Grove, Edward Evans as Bob Grove, and Sid James as Harry Mason. Nancy Roberts, (1885-1962), as Gran, played the same rôle in the TV series. Plot summary A local builder, Bob Grove, has some temperamental differences with his Council Manager leaving him without a product to finish a housing estate. His son, Jack, recruits the services of an alternative supplier, of dubious character, to help him get hold of the materials required to finish work on the new houses. Things turn sour when Bob and his son, Jack, are suspected of stealing, leading to a situation which involves a police investigation. All this takes place around a planned Royal Visit, to the new housing estate. Cast * Ruth Dunning as Gladys Grove * Edward Evans as Bob Grove * Sid James as Harry Mason * Vera Day as Blondie * Sheila Sweet as Pat Gro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Crowded Day
''The Crowded Day'' is a 1954 British comedy drama film directed by John Guillermin and starring John Gregson, Joan Rice, Cyril Raymond and Josephine Griffin. The film follows a group of shopgirls working in Bunting and Hobbs, a London department store, during the Christmas shopping season. It was an attempt by Adelphi Films to move into bigger budgeted films. It was the last movie Guillermin directed for the company.The Crowded Day/Song of Paris Johnston, Trevor. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 21, Iss. 4, (Apr 2011): 85. It was released in the United States under the title ''Shop Spoiled''. Plot The Christmas holidays are approaching, and a group of shopgirls head to their jobs at Bunting and Hobbs, a busy London department store. Peggy French ( Joan Rice) is upset at her shopman fiance, Leslie Randall ( John Gregson), because he refuses to sell his vintage car, "Bessie", that takes up all of his time and money. Peggy notes that he went to a car club meeting the previous n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dance, Little Lady
''Dance, Little Lady'' is a 1954 British drama film directed by Val Guest and starring Terence Morgan, Mai Zetterling, Guy Rolfe and Mandy Miller. The film was made by independent producer George Minter and distributed by his Renown Pictures. It was shot in Eastmancolor at the Walton Studios near London. The film's sets were designed by the art director Frederick Pusey. Plot Prima ballerina Nina Gordon is being financially exploited by her husband Mark (Terence Morgan). On the night of her triumphant Royal Opera House debut, she discovers he is also being unfaithful. Distraught, she leaves the party they were attending. However, Mark pulls up in their car and she gets in and he drives off at speed into the night. There is a car crash and Nina's leg is badly broken. Learning that she'll never dance again, Nina is abandoned by Mark. But with the help of a sympathetic doctor (Guy Rolfe), Nina recovers the use of her legs, and begins to live her life vicariously through her talent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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