TPTV Films Page 44

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 6th September 2021, 3:08 PM

How to Undress in Public Without Undue Embarrassment (1965)

Well, this is a weird docu-film, and no mistake. I wouldn't normally look at anything post 1960, but I was intrigued as it starred Jon Pertwee in various "nude" romps, with Kenneth Connor and Reginald Beckwith making brief appearances, and a shared commentary by Fenella Fielding and, of all people, John Deacon.

Full marks to Renown Pictures for digging this oddity up - as the IMDb puts it "Comic survey of methods of undressing through the ages, from Victorian modesty to modern strip clubs."

50 minutes, filmed in B&W with original Soho nightclub clips, so done on the cheap - Jon's nude scenes, such as Adam in the Garden of Eden, was poorly edited and more than once you got a glimpse of the white underpants he was wearing.

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It's a shame Fenella was only doing the commentary.

Quote: beaky @ 14th September 2021, 6:30 PM

What a selfless chap is dear Herc, watching this dross so we don't have to!

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Thank you................I do my best to save my fellows from an attack of ennui.

They Knew Mr. Knight (1946)

I only watched this because Mervyn Johns was in a lead part, as I'm a big fan of his.

Rather a slow burn for 2/3rds of the film and I was on the point of giving up with it, as that hour seemed more like two, when it started to come alive.

IMDb:-

A random accident brings struggling businessman Thomas Blake (Johns) into contact with Mr Knight, a successful financier. Knight encourages him to take risks with his money and his honour, and Blake discovers that all that glitters is not gold.

Not much else to say really, fairly mediocre fair.

They are showing Secret Army on
Sunday nights now

Always a Bride (1953)

Long time con artist persuades his daughter to pretend to be his newly wed wife, as they play their tricks on the super-rich along the French Riviera - his new "young wife" giving the impression that he is super rich.

Not a bad story that originally was apparently a comedy with different actors in the father's part, but was re-written a couple of times, with this version being co-written by Peter Jones, who had a small part as an Egyptian (?) - very odd to see him with darkened skin and a fez.

Anyway, Terence Morgan, who usually plays a nasty piece of work or absolute cad/rotter, in this film is a tax inspector of sorts who falls in love with the old man's "wife" played by the luscious Peggy Cummins, and everything comes to a head with a sort of comedy "carry on" style chase and everyone lives happy ever after.

The Man Outside (1933)

Couple of people I vaguely recognise seeing in other films, otherwise I knew no one is this so called "tense murder drama", which apart from the opening scenes, was just like watching a stage play (set in one room), and again, typical of post-war British films, the actors talking with cut glass, clipped voices, with one of them (Henry Kendall) sounding like Noel Coward on acid.

The IMDB:-

" A murder at a country house centres around the whereabouts of a horde of stolen diamonds and the unmasking of people who are not as they at first seem."

Quote: lofthouse @ 26th September 2021, 9:33 PM

They are showing Secret Army on
Sunday nights now

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Yes. Billy let us know weeks ago.

The Flood (1963)

Another one from the CFF with mainly a cast of children and only watched it as it said it was set in East Anglia, which it was, but miles from me, up in the Fens.

Stuck with it though, as it was a short film and am always intrigued to see how the child actors got on in later life. Some went on to other films, but most fizzled out in the mid 60s or it was their one and only film.

Bit stilted and amateurish and a so-so story about the kids getting stranded in their father's farm as the floods got worse after the father took his wife off to have yet another baby in the local hospital and the farm manager had gone off to market - riveting stuff!

Only knew the father (vaguely), played by Richard Leech who had a reasonable career in films up to the late 80s.

The Nanny (1965)

Starring Bette Davis and Wendy Craig (but no connection with her much later tv series) with less prominent appearances by Jack Watling, Alfred Burke, Maurice Denham and Harry Fowler. Bette Davis is an English nanny whose charge is 10-year-old Joey, who has been discharged from a children's home where he'd spent two years undergoing treatment for drowning his little sister in the bath. He returns home to an unloving father, fragile mother, and doting nanny whom he hates and who he continues to insist is responsible for killing his sister. The only person who believes him is the 14 year old daughter of a neighbour...

The last Hammer film to be made in b&w. Probably many of you have seen it in the past but, if you haven't, worth catching when it next turns up in the TPTV schedules.

In case my many fans were wondering where I'd been with no film reviews appearing, that's 'cos the majority now being shown on TPTV are repeats, many times over.

So, breaking my no later than 1960 rule, I watched this one, as it was short.

A Question of Suspense (1961)

Stars my least liked actor Peter Reynolds (dunno why), in his usual role of nasty piece of work, who murders his business partner (no spoiler there as you sort of see it at the start, BUT I'm wondering now, knowing how touchy TPTV are over what we see, whether they cut the actual murder out, as the film seemed to leap a scene).

Whatever. So, the police are baffled by the man's disappearance and are on the point of giving up, when the man's "wife" turns up and starts her own investigation (she also happens to be the ex-girlfriend of both men when they were all in their teens).

You'd think the murderer would brush her off, but no, he foolishly tries to re-kindle the relationship and I all goes tits up for him, when a friend of the "wife" happens to see the murderer and victim in his (rather nice) dark blue Mk1 Jaguar.

Not a bad little film, in B&W and I only knew the colour of the car, because the witness mentioned it.

Mystery Junction (1951)

Quote: Billy Bunter @ 31st October 2021, 7:34 PM

6:35pm tomorrow (Monday): Mystery Junction (1951), starring Sidney Taffler & Barbara Murray, and described by TPTV themselves as a real rarity and one you won't want to miss. This mystery story set on a train and a spookily deserted railway station is full of twists and turns and will keep you guessing until the end. Reviews on IMDB range from "Poor" through "Not too bad" to "Excellent Murder Mystery" with comments including "a nicely composed classical locked-room mystery, decently acted, and brilliantly shot" and "better than a lot of rubbish on Netflix".
There's only one way we're going to find out...

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Seen this sort of plot twist used twice previous, and I should have twigged it earlier what the outcome was going to be. Nuff said, won't say anymore for fear of a spoiler.

Nonetheless, good dark moody film with Sydney Tafler not in his usual nasty piece of work role, and a 22 year old, hardly recognisable, Barbara Murray, although it did get a little confusing as to who were the baddies and goodies - this from the IMDb review sums it up well:-
"Mystery Junction plays out the tale neatly and efficiently, keeping us guessing all the way, although following exactly who has done what to whom becomes increasingly difficult."

Pool of London (1951)

Every now and then, there's a post war film that is a gem, and this is one of those, which I really enjoyed.

American Bonar Colleano (killed in a car crash in the UK), who I've seen in a number of films now, was superb as the merchant seaman and small-time smuggler, mostly cigarettes and bizarrely ladies' nylons (WHY?!), gets involved in agreeing to smuggle diamonds out of the UK to Holland - diamonds that were yet to be stolen to order, but when the nightwatchman gets killed the blame game shifts (via a series of events) to Colleano, who goes on the run, in and around the London docks.

Also starring Moira Lister playing a tart who inadvertently gets him into trouble with the police, Susan Shaw, who tries to help him out, with other minor parts played by weirdly James Robertson Justice as the drunken ship's engineer, Alfie Bass as one of the diamond thieves, Leslie Phillips as a crew mate, and blink and you'll miss them - Arthur Mullard, Ian Bannen, Victor Maddern and YES, ITMA Sam Kydd.

Good film - watch it if you can.

Murder in Eden (1961)

So, 10 years after the very good "Pool of London" comes this load of toss.

It didn't have one redeeming feature, even Ray McAnally (the only actor I knew) struggled to make anything of it, as a police officer investigating painting forgeries linked to the murder of an art expert who first exposes the fakes.

In fact, I've seen a very similar and better story/film about this, where somebody copies a masterpiece and then swaps it with the real thing while the painting is in transit between museums/art galleries/countries.

Normally don't watch anything post the 1950s, but it was only an hour long, so took a gamble. Even the totty interest was some French bird who couldn't act for toffee, and drove around in of all things (trying to be discreet following suspects as she pretends to be a French magazine reporter) an Isetta 3 wheeled bubble car - Good Grief, I don't know why she didn't fly the Tricolour out of the sun roof, if she wanted to be noticed.

The IMDb lists it as a Crime Mystery - presumably the latter being why it was made in the first place.
Oh, and it did have one other "star", in the shape of Angela Douglas (Kenneth More's young wife) playing a Beatnik - very with it for the time.

And I leave you with the fact that the Scotland Yard Wolseley police cars all had Irish number plates, which presumably would have made it cheaper to make than in London.

The Girl Who Couldn't Quite (1950)

Managed about 20 minutes - just everyone in it got on my nerves. Only "star" was Bill Owen, who hadn't appeared by the time I gave up, and I'm not a big fan of his anyway, so no great loss.

Brass Monkey (1948)

Watched this out of curiosity as it starred Canadian Carroll Levis who ran a talent show on BBC radio and then TV long, long before Simon Cowell, and fellow (almost) Canadian Hughie Green, for those of ancient disposition like me. I do actually have a very vague recollection of The Carroll Levis TV Show, but very misty.

This one of only two films Levis starred in, as actor he ain't, but not as bad as some I've seen, and the other significant person in this was Carole Landis, whose career nose-dived through scandal/drugs resulting in her committing suicide aged only 29. Shame, as I thought she was good in this and very attractive.

So, the plot of murder and "thrills" revolves around finding/stealing the third monkey in a set of the three usual "See No......etc" that belonged to an ancient religion and worth, as a set, £60,000 - a LOT of money in 1948. Over £2,230,000 in today's money.
Interspersed with this, is Levis running his radio talent show, which gives us a chance to see variety stars of the day, including a toe-curling performance from, of all people, Terry-Thomas, who does and song and dance number at the audition and then some peculiar Swedish man impersonation act, finishing off with his usual persona of the suave dinner suited cad with long black cigarette holder.

Quite a long film 1h 40m for its day, so dragged a bit, but Herbert Lom was very good as a gang hood, who was the only other person I recognised.