TPTV Films

As Aaron is not keen to start a separate forum on non-comedy films, I thought I would start this thread on the excellent output of Talking Pictures TV, and to kick off..................................

Tom Brown's Schooldays, the post war version with the inevitable John Howard Davies in the title part. Again, one of those films I have only ever watched in bits on a Sunday afternoon through a beery haze; but this time, thanks to TPTV I watched it all the way through - most enjoyable! Especially as it had Robert Newton in it.

As is my want I like to check what happened to some of the main actors and was surprised to find that John Charlesworth, who played Tom's mate "East" in the school also played Harry Wharton in the much missed 1950's TV version of Billy Bunter and Greyfriars School, AND that he committed suicide by gassing himself in 1960 at the age of only 24.

How sad.

Scotland Yard - "The Silent Witness"

Really enjoying these short 'B' movies and sometimes get to spot stars, although most are people you've never heard of. There was one I watched last night where it was the only part the leading actor ever played! Whatever happened to his film career?

In this one though we had Rita Webb (the mouthy cockney), Mollie Weir (1950s Flash TV adverts etc), Patricia Driscoll who I recognised from the late 1950s Robin Hood TV series where she played Maid Marian AND an uncredited Captain Peacock (Frank Thornton) playing a barman for all of about 5 seconds, but did have a line to say.

I see it was introduced by Edgar Lustgarden.
Whose name has always fascinated me.You don't get many of them in the phone book.Do you?
According to IMDB he had quite an interesting life.

Quote: john tregorran @ 8th August 2019, 3:01 AM

I see it was introduced by Edgar Lustgarden.
Whose name has always fascinated me. You don't get many of them in the phone book. Do you?

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That's certainly true but if I may make a small correction here, his name was Lustgarten.

My correction makes absolutely no difference to the point you make but I mention it just for the sake of accuracy.

"Lustgarten" is a German word meaning "a pleasure garden" although the pleasure referred to is not lustful in our normal understanding of the term.

What the Germans call a lustgarten, the English would call a pleasance (remember Donald of that ilk?) - a word dating back to the 15th century and meaning (typically) an area adjacent to a mansion where people would go to relax among the beauty of flowers and shrubs and other garden-like things in order to experience the pleasure afforded by such surroundings.

As you suggest, the name is exceedingly rare and in my entire life I've only ever heard of one Lustgarten and one Pleasance.

Quote: Rood Eye @ 8th August 2019, 6:51 AM

As you suggest, the name is exceedingly rare and in my entire life I've only ever heard of one Lustgarten and one Pleasance.

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What about his daughter Angela?

Quote: Chappers @ 8th August 2019, 9:10 PM

What about his daughter Angela?

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I didn't immediately recognise the name but, having just googled her, I recognise her famous face.

Googling her has enabled me to link the name and the face but it's also taught me that I was quite wrong to link her father Donald to the word "pleasance".

His/their surname is Pleasence.

Oh well, at least we know what a lustgarten is.

Gielgud,that's another.

Quote: Rood Eye @ 8th August 2019, 9:20 PM

Oh well, at least we know what a lustgarten is.

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Yes, and my world will never be the same again.

"Time Is My Enemy" with Dennis Price. Really enjoyed this with a nice twist at the end, and "unknowns" starting out with Alfie Bass, William Franklyn, Dandy Nicholls and Erik Chitty who I recognised from "Please Sir".

And then blow me down, I watched a "Never Mind The Quality, Feel The Width" from my box-set rotation straight after this and who should be in it? None other than Dennis Price and Erik Chitty!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVSRm80WzZk

"Carlton Browne of the F.O." (or as the Yanks stupidly call "Man in a Cocked Hat" for f**k's sake!! ) is one of those films where the lead of Cadogan de Vere Carlton-Browne is not only played to perfection, the actor - in this case Terry-Thomas - could not have been more suited. It's like he was born to play the part of the bungling civil servant in the Colonial Office, or as he says at one point in the film "Good show!"

Great story too with loads of marvellous comedy actors of the time including a chubby Peter Sellers.

LOVED IT!

I remember watching that probably pretty soon after it came out.

"Chain of Events"

I was sure I had seen this, but soon realised I hadn't, then remembered I was thinking of "Train of Events", which had an entirely different plot/s.

Nice little film with loads of period cars, which I enjoy seeing (effin' great 2 door open top Bentley for one!) and a plot twist that I should have seen coming earlier.
Smattering of (later) well known faces, the most notable for me being "The Major" from Fawlty Towers, and was strange as he looked a lot taller in this.

Everyone looks short next to John Cleese.

Crooks in Cloisters on TV here.
Ronald Fraser,Wilfred Bramble,Bernard Cribbins and Babs Windsor.

Set in a disused monastery and just as hilarious as that sounds.

Quote: john tregorran @ 12th August 2019, 3:34 AM

Everyone looks short next to John Cleese.

Crooks in Cloisters on TV here.
Ronald Fraser,Wilfred Bramble,Bernard Cribbins and Babs Windsor.

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Not against Manuel.

Wilfrid

Scotland Yard - "Passenger to Tokyo"

Another thoroughly enjoyable one (the passenger being a body in a trunk) with again actors you have never heard of and wonder what happened to them (OK, it's only me then).

One I picked at random because of her name, Totti Truman Taylor, turned out to be 'Woman in Library' in Hancock's "The Missing Page". At least she got a credit, unlike the other 'Woman/Man in Library'.

It's a funny old small world.