Alice (Virginia Davis) and woken up by Peggy the dog and heads off to the seashore. When she is there she hears a story of an old shipwreck and then dreams of visiting a mysterious world under the seas including an underwater zoo!
Although not the first to be made this was the first Alice film to be released and is a fun little thing with it's mix of styles. There isn't much to it but it has a bit of charm. It is probably most notable for historical reasons though.
Some very strange stuff, it must have been cool in 1960 (well you would hope anyway).
A rather surreal and formless variety show hosted by cardigan and tie wearing Jack Jackson. It jumps between comedy sketches and oddness and some music performances including by George Calypso Browne, some of which are pretty good as well. File footage including Elvis in US Army uniform is also included.
It is all light nonsense (incredibly it was directed by Michael Winner of all people) and can be hard going at times being rather cringe worthy. However, if you give it a chance then it can be fun (sometimes even intentionally), and fascinating at the same time.
An early romantic comedy with some interesting early use of the close-up in film.
A young couple (Harry Solter and Linda Arvidson) are chased out of the house by the girl's angry father (Charles Inslee). In shades of Romeo and Juliet, the lad turns up under his lady's balcony to woo her. He suggests they elope, she agrees and begins to pack her trunk and he heads off to make preparations. Things are complicated by a burglar (George Gebhardt) who sets up a rope ladder on the balcony and then hides in the trunk...
An early film by D.W. Griffith, it falls into the interesting rather than astounding camp though has some early uses of close-ups, editing and other film making techniques which Griffith was still experimenting with. In a few years everyone would be using them, but for now this is cutting edge and a work in progress. Alas for a comedy its really not that funny.
Mary (Irene Ware), after being embarrassed by her drunken oaf boyfriend, loses her job as a waitress. She meets a rich former millionaire who is now skint (and stops him killing himself). Kenneth (Sidney Blackmer) and Mary concocts a plan where he will teach Mary how to be a refined lady and snag a rich husband (and she can pay him a finder's fee). Naturally, things don't go to plan...
So, a familiar story, poor girl learns how to be a rich girl. Its a pleasant little comedy with some decent performances and good chemistry between the lead pair. Witty dialogue especially early on makes the film, it does fall a little flat later on though the film is short enough for this not really to be a problem.
Frankie (Frankie Darro) is a page boy in a swanky radio station building. He pretends to be a big shot though to impress new receptionist Anne (Marjorie Reynolds) and try and get her a spot on air (she does have a very pleasing singing voice). He is also trying to master his comedy act with the janitor Jeff (Mantan Moreland).
However, the station's big star Rita (Lorna Grey) is shot dead during a rehearsal. Soon a singing cowboy called Tex (Gordon Jones) is also killed. How are they linked and how is Anne mixed up in it? Frankie of course wants to find out, dragging a reluctant Jeff along with him...
One of a series of films starring Darro and Moreland who worked very well together. It is a bright and breezy drama with plenty of comedy thrown in. Highly entertaining if not exactly a deep or original mystery.
A criminal couple (Del Moore and Sue Casey) steal a valuable painting and take it to Catalina island where they plan to swindle a dodgy Greek art collector by showing him the real one then selling him a fake. The collector Lakapolous (Lee Deane) however, has his own scheme to steal the painting off the gang. The couple's son Tad (Peter Duryea) finds out what his folks are up to and plans to steal the painting himself and return it. Other kids including Don (Tommy Kirk) also get involved.
If thats not enough there is a mysterious guy who is watching them but keeps falling into the water, oh and Catalina island is full of teens in their swimwear dancing about in that swinging 1960s pop manner soon to be made obsolete by psychedelia.
This is light fare really, and quite ridiculous too. Basically a 1960s beach movie with a bit of crime added. The frequent musical interludes take any momentum away from any other part of the story, one of these interludes does include a cameo from Little Richard though so thats quite cool and probably the movie's best bit.
Geri (Gloria) breaks up with Jim (Monroe Owsley) on New Year's Eve, his infidelities and probably his golf too being too much for her. Geri soon meets novelist Tony (Ben Lyon) and falls in love, Tony doesn't want to know about the man in Geri's past and wants to remain ignorant. All is fine until Geri's sister Joan (Barbara Kent) turns up with her new man... Jim!
An enjoyable film, pre-code and quite racy for the times too such as when Gloria shows a bit of leg in the shower! The dialogue is a little awkward at times as in many early talkies though it does give a bit of a natural feel. Gloria sings a few songs too. A fun and enjoyable film.
You'll also fall in love with some of the interior sets, and the furniture!
Tim (Robin Askwith) passes his test to become a driving instructor (by bonking his female examiner of course). He and Sid (Anthony Booth) open a driving school next door to a rival led by the rather deranged Truscott (Windsor Davis). Naturally most of the pupils appear to be sex starved women whom Tim has to instruct (in various ways!)
There isn't really much plot to this, its more a series of saucy sexcapades with gratuitous nudity, nonsensical comedy situations and crude innuendo. Its brilliant of course!
A very funny film and maybe the best in the series, its not high art for sure but has its own special kind of genius. Some very good comedy turns including by Irene Handl make this highly enjoyable if you are broad minded enough.
Freckles (Johnny Downs) has returned to his small town from college, unbeknownst to him the guy (Walter Sande) sat next to him on the bus and who he persuaded to also stay in town is a gangster called Dolan on the run! Freckles discovers that his father (Irving Mitchell) has financial troubles but is too proud to end his feud with the town banker (John Ince) to enable a new road to be built to boost the town's (and Freckles' family's fortunes).
Dolan offers to help Freckles by bringing in his financier friend (Bradley Page). However, this friend Quigley is really here to plan how to rob the bank! Meanwhile, the family servant Jeff (Mantan Moreland) has a scam involving a machine that can apparently detect gold and he tries to trick Quigley's chauffeur Roxbury B Brown the Third (Laurence Criner)! While all this is going on can the romance between Freckles and old flame Jane (Gale Storm) blossom?
An enjoyable film with plenty of storyline packed in (maybe a little too much to be honest). The film can be a little confusing at times with so many plot elements clashing, some of the characters are also a bit one dimensional. It's well worth a watch though, the comedy scenes with Moreland and Criner are superb.
Tim (Robin Askwith) is still working for his brother-in-law Sidney (Anthony Booth) as a window cleaner / sex toy of bored housewives. Sidney has a new business idea, getting into the pop music business. He finds an unsigned band (who are pretty awful) but uses Tim to seduce a music promotor's (Bob Todd) wife (Jill Gascoine) to help get the band on the road to stardom... with Tim as the drummer...
It may be pretty low-brow in many ways, and includes a lot of female nudity and sex but this is a genuinely funny film with a good deal of slapstick farce, saucy smut and nonsense. Some good comedy talent including Ian Lavender and Bill Maynard are on hand to make the film a great deal of fun and very watchable.
Of it's time, not that bad a time to be honest.
A police space cruiser captained by Captain Butt (Avery Schreiber) - the name features in a number of jokes, as does Uranus, thats the level of humour here - is sent into deep space to discover a jewel called the Blue Star which contains unimaginable power.
His crew are mostly misfits except for gorgeous android Galaxina (Dorothy Stratten) who basically runs the ship. Indeed the rest of the crew seem more interested in getting stoned and getting their legs over with either alien prostitutes with three breasts or Galaxian herself...
The film meanders along fairly amicably, the weirdness keeps you interested. In some ways this film reminds me of Dark Star, though this film is no where near as good or funny. It needed to be a bit more subtle.
It's watchable, pretty ridiculous but could have been so much more.
Scrooge (Sid James) makes the life of Cratchit (Bernard Bresslaw) a misery. Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Christmas past (Charles Hawtrey) and present (Barbara Windsor). We then get a rather odd horror film pastiche involving Dr Frank N Stein (Terry Scott) and then a pantomime. It is all rather strange and all rather awful...
The script was rather uninspired and it seems thrown together very poorly. The only real humour is from the classic catchphrases from the likes of Sid James and Charles Hawtrey.
Its a real shame as this could have been something special with most of the classic cast being present. Best enjoyed on Christmas night after half a bottle of brandy.
Tim (Robin Askwith) is working as an apprentice window cleaner for his brother-in-law Sidney (Anthony Booth). However, Tim soon realises that bored housewives are driven incredibly randy by window cleaners apparently (knww i should have taken up my grandfather's trade)...
Whilst indulging in saucy but what are often also rather awkward situations with various ladies, Tim falls in love with policewoman Elizabeth (Linda Hayden), much to the chagrin of his Dad (Bill Maynard) who has filled the house with nicked junk...
This is a typical early 1970s British film. Saucy, smutty, grubby and tawdry with a few decent tunes. However, it is also wonderfully enjoyable. The film is pretty ridiculous and is a great fun sex comedy, maybe not boisterously hilarious for a comedy but certainly has plenty of sex. John Le Mesurier is excellent as Elizabeth's disapproving police inspector father.
Fred (La Rue) is an actor who is called up by the British Army to entertain the troops in early 1940. However, while Fred is on stage in drag, the Germans launch a surprise attack and capture everyone. Fred is told he must stay in drag otherwise he'll be shot as a spy! Unfortunately for Fred, General Brincker (Alfred Marks) takes a fancy to them!
Fred soon finds themself involved with Miss Flodden (Lally Bowers), Miss Lockhart (Frances de la Tour) who are leading a bunch of English schoolgirls trapped in France (and as this is a 1970s comedy the girls are of course saucy and oversexed), and a shot down RAF pilot (Lance Percival) whom they are hiding...
So, this is a typically British piece of whimsical nonsense, containing so many innuendoes and obvious jokes. It is terrible but incredibly funny at times. The charisma and charm of La Rue holds the film together and somehow makes it work.
Jimmy (James Dunn) is a skip tracer or repo man who is told he needs to get results or he will be looking for alternative employment. This is an annoyance as he wants to marry his sweetheart Mary (Frances Gifford). He combines a date with Mary with repossessing a radio from Lulu (Lita La Roy), unbeknownst to Jimmy Lulu is involved in a crime to steal jewellery from a movie star and has stashed the gems in the radio!
Jimmy's attempts to get the radio result in he and Mary spending the night in jail, however he is undaunted though unaware of the plot surrounding Lulu and the gems. When he finally does get them he finds himself in a car chase and shoot out with the gangster Steve (George Douglas)...
A great little film, a nicely involving story and some decent comedy moments but kept straight enough to take the crime element seriously. Great performances mean this film is well worth your time.
Peter (Bill Murray), Raymond (Dan Aykroyd) and Egon (Harold Ramis) are three paranormal scientists who get kicked out of university while they are investigating ghosts (though Peter is more interested in getting laid). They go into business to detect and catch ghosts. After a chaotic adventure at a hotel where they capture a ghost after wrecking a ballroom, the Ghostbusters become overnight sensations...
But the EPA is interested in closing down their laser containment system and unlicenced nuclear accelerators. Meanwhile, in a mysterious NY apartment block Dana (Sigourney Weaver) appears to have a Hittite god in her fridge. The god is getting ready to return to the world and herald a new dark age...
This is a great film, full of funny lines which entered 1980s pop culture. The visuals were great for their day and many images from the film are pretty iconic, including the giant marshmallow man...
This could have been a decent enough spy drama though is let down by whimsy and stereotypes.
Rocky (Steve Forrest) and Archie (Archer MacDonald) are two American soldiers on leave from the Korean War. They head to Tokyo, there they find their uniforms keep them out of interesting bars. They instead buy some clothes from a Japanese tailor, by coincidence the shop is the front for a diabolically evil scientist who had developed a bomb so powerful it makes the atom bomb look like a firework. Archie heads off with an example of this new bomb (which is pill sized) in his pocket...
The gang leader Nakano (Tetsu Nakamura) invites the guys back to his home, where he just so happens to have a geisha school. The guys also bring along flight attendant Peggy (Martha Hyer) who is secretly an Allied agent. Nakano and his inept thugs try repeatedly to get back the pill-bomb...
Fairly light hearted and quite ridiculous, this could though have been a solid enough spy film but is let down by the ridiculous Archie character. Obviously used for comic relief though he mostly succeeds in being pretty annoying. The bizarre hypnotist Zoro (Dekao Yokoo) is quite something though.
A curious and generally pretty awful little film.
Darla (Dorothy Abbott) is a small town reporter who is sent to Hollywood to get the real deal on the home of dreams. Her trip to Hollywood runs into trouble almost immediately when she gets chased around some ruins by Playboy models. She also ends up in a rather tame burlesque club and encounters some of the strange menfolk (including a rather terrible comedian)... and womenfolk... of tinsel town in a series of "adventures".
A very strange film with a tiny budget, the running time padded out by inserted two out-of-context 3-D short films in the centre of it! Its a shame that this was long-time bit-part actor Abbott's only starring role, she deserved a lot better than this nonsense. Truly terrible - definitely one of the worst films ever made - though pretty compelling watching of course!
An enjoyable and highly inventive comedy from the legendary Buster Keaton.
Buster Keaton and Joe Roberts are poor farmhands who manage to survive in very inventive ways, including reusing the same coin over and over again in the gas meter! They are both interested in the farmer's daughter Sybil Seely. Buster disguises himself as a scarecrow to cause trouble for Joe and soon he and Sybil are engaged. But of course they get married in a madcap road scene while on a motorbike and sidecar combination!
A great comedy, inventive (the hut they live in at the start with all the hidden gadgets and tricks is brilliant) and slipstick which culminates in a frenetic and fairly spectacular final scene.
Meanwhile in the cheap seats is a tramp, who looks rather like Chaplin's future iconic character, who causes even more trouble. When a fire eater is on stage he thinks the building is on fire and starts to hose down the stage... and the audience!
The film is of it's time, violent slapstick without any real story or meaning. Chaplin at this stage was randomly punching people for laughs, which in itself is sometimes funny though something better was yet to come.