''Guns in the Heather'' is a 1969 Walt Disney

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

directed by Robert Butler and produced by Ron Miller. It stars

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the Westerns on television, western series ''The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV series), The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (19 ...

Glenn Corbett Glenn Corbett (born Glenn Edwin Rothenburg; August 17, 1933 – January 16, 1993)"CORBETT Obituary — Corbett, 59, starred in 'Route 66,' Wayne films." ''San Antonio Express-News'' January 18, 1993. Web. May 29, 2012. Document #0F22314D ...

and

Alfred Burke Alfred Burke (28 February 1918 – 16 February 2011) was an English actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Frank Marker in the drama series '' Public Eye'', which ran on television for ten years. Early life Born in London's south-east ...

. It was originally broadcast in parts on ''

Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...

'' in the United States under the title ''Guns in the Heather'', then re-edited for a European theatrical release under the English title, ''The Secret of Boyne Castle''. It was re-broadcast on American television in 1978 under the title ''Spy-Busters''. The story is based on the 1963 novel ''Guns in the Heather'', by

Lockhart Amerman Lockhart Amerman (1911–1969) was an American minister and novelist. Born in New York City in 1911 to William Libbey Amerman and Carrie Lockhart, he attended Collegiate School (New York City), Collegiate School in New York City and then studied ...

. The film was primarily shot on location in Ireland (

St. Flannan's College Saint Flannan's College is an Irish co-educational secondary school located in Ennis, County Clare, which takes its name from the 7th century patron saint of the Dál gCais. Formerly an all-boys boarding school, the first girls class was entere ...

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

, Corkscrew Hill, Corofin and

Kilfenora Kilfenora ( ga, Cill Fhionnúrach , meaning 'Church of the Fertile Hillside' or 'Church of the White Brow') is a village and a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is situated south of the karst limestone region known as the Burren. Si ...

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

feature) with additional scenes shot at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to te ...

near London, England.

Plot

Rich Evans (

), An American exchange student’s day at the Leinster School in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

is interrupted when a bleeding man drives up to the school and gives Rich a message for his brother Tom (

), before dying. Rich and his friend Sean O’Connor ( Patrick Dawson) are taken from the school by a man who claims to be from the American Embassy, but who turns out to be an Eastern Bloc agent. Rich and Sean make a daring escape and eventually reach Tom, who is an American intelligence agent and not the Irish sales rep for an American steel company as Rich thought. Rich and Sean get off the flight to London Tom placed them on when they spot some of the enemy agents and find Tom in time to save him from other agents, who had grabbed him. They head to Boyne castle, where the message said vital info about an East Bloc defecting scientist was hidden. However Tom is locked up with the real Lord Boyne, while East Bloc agents replace Lord Boyne and his staff. Rich finds the info, but when he calls the US embassy with it, the bad guys are listening in. The imprisoned group help Tom make an ingenious escape from the dungeon they’re locked into. Using a dory and a glider they are able to intercept the East Bloc agents before they can grab the defecting scientist.

Cast

as Tom Evans *

as Kersner *

as Rich Evans *Patrick Dawson as Sean O'Connor *

Patrick Barr Patrick David Barr (13 February 1908 – 29 August 1985) was an English actor. In his career spanning over half a century, he appeared in about 144 films and television series. Biography Born in Akola, British India in 1908, Barr was educate ...

as Lord Boyne * Hugh McDermott as Carleton *Patrick Westwood as Levick *

Eddie Byrne Eddie Byrne (31 January 1911 – 21 August 1981) was an Irish actor. Career His stage work included many appearances with Dublin's Abbey Theatre, and also work with the National Theatre in London. Outside Ireland he is probably best known ...

as Bailey *

Godfrey Quigley Godfrey Quigley (4 May 1923 – 7 September 1994) was an Irish film, television and stage actor. He appeared in Stanley Kubrick's films ''A Clockwork Orange'' and ''Barry Lyndon''. Biography Quigley was born in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine, ...

as Meister *

Kevin Stoney Kevin Stoney (22 January 1921 – 22 January 2008) was an English actor. He was best known for his television roles, in which he became familiar for his "portrayal of establishment types". During the Second World War, Stoney served with the Ro ...

as Enhardt *

Shay Gorman Shay may refer to: People Shay is an Irish Gaelic name, a variant of the name Shea. It is derived from Seamus, which is anglicized from Ó Séaghdha. Shay is also a Hebrew unisex name, meaning gift, deriving as a variation of Shai. Mononym * Shay ...

as Headmaster *

Niall Tóibín Niall Tóibín (; 21 November 1929 – 13 November 2019) was an Irish comedian and actor. Born in Cork into an Irish speaking family, Tóibín grew up on the north-side of the city in Bishop's Field. He appeared in ''Ryan's Daughter'', ''Brides ...

as Kettering *Ernst Walder as Vollos *Robert Bernal as Sgt. Clune *Vincent Dowling as Maston *John Horton as Stafford *

J. G. Devlin James Gerard Devlin (8 October 1907 – 17 October 1991) was a Northern Irish actor who made his stage debut in 1931, and had long association with the Ulster Group Theatre. In a career spanning nearly sixty years, he played parts in TV pro ...

as Muldoon *Nicola Davies as Kathleen *Gerry Alexander as Paddy * Eamon Morrissey as Hennessey *

Declan Mulholland Thomas Declan Mulholland (6 December 1932 – 29 June 1999) was a Northern Irish character actor of film and television. He is known for his multiple appearances in ''Doctor Who'' and for his deleted portrayal of Jabba the Hutt in ''Star Wars'' ...

as Retchick *Mary Larkin as Mary *

Paul Farrell Thomas Paul Farrell (21 September 1893 – 12 June 1975) was an Irish film and television actor. He is best remembered as the "Tramp" who gets beaten up by Alex and his "droogs", in Stanley Kubrick's ''A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Oran ...

as Groundskeeper

References

External links

* 1969 films 1960s adventure thriller films 1960s chase films 1960s mystery thriller films 1960s spy films British adventure thriller films British chase films British mystery thriller films Films about brothers Films based on adventure novels Films based on mystery novels Films directed by Robert Butler Films produced by Ron W. Miller Films scored by Buddy Baker (composer) Films set in Ireland 1969 directorial debut films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films {{Adventure-film-stub