In 1960, Norman Wisdom was left all at sea in The Bulldog Breed. He had already made a farce of the army in The Square Peg (1958), so what better than to join the navy? Back in the real world, the Russians had kick-started the space race putting Sputnik into orbit, so Norman rapidly finds himself selected to be the first Brit in space. Playing to type, the result is excellent physical comedy and copious tomfoolery at the expense of the upper ranks. With support from John Le Mesurier and Edward Chapman (the legendary "Mr Grimsdale") and uncredited appearances from Oliver Reed and Michael Caine, this is a notable British comedy, with an unusually direct reference to the risqué Carry On movies. For his second starring role Norman Wisdom played the oldest orphan of Greenwood Children's Home in 1954's One Good Turn. Not only does he have to find the money to buy one of the orphans a model car, but after a visit to Brighton he discovers Greenwood is due to be closed down by the home's own unscrupulous chairman, a property developer with plans to build a factory on the site. Also starring Thora Hird, One Good Turn was surely a film with a personal resonance for Wisdom who was himself brought-up in an orphanage after his mother died and his father was unable to raise him. As would become a tradition, he contributes a song, "Please Opportunity", and the movie, though produced by Rank, now sits easily in that classic Ealing era where the ordinary man took on the big guys and won. The innocent knockabout humour remains appealing. --Gary S Dalkin
From 'Doctor Who' producer Barry Letts and writer Terrance Dicks comes Moonbase 3 originally aired in 1973. The series had two directors Ken Hannam who also directed the 1981 TV version of The Day of the Triffids and Christopher Barry who had directing duties on Doctor Who and The Tripods. Among the stars were British acting stalwart Donald Houston and Ralph Bates star of many Hammer horror films. Moonbase 3 was another groundbreaking piece of science-fiction from the BBC employing James Burke as scientific advisor it was unique in its technical authenticity. Deaprture And Arrival: Dr. Helen Smith becomes concerned over the mental state of one of the pilots Harry Sanders. She expresses her concerns to the base's second in command Michael Lebrun and tries to convince him to get Commander Ransom to remove the pilot from duty. Ransom refuses and assigns Sanders to pilot the Commander's shuttle for a trip to Earth. After an malfunction Sanders cuts the communications link and goes outside the shuttle to make repairs and is thrown into space. When Ransom attempts to pilot the shuttle it explodes. The European agency sends a Welch scientist to take over the station and to investigate the shuttle accident. Behemoth: After a number of mysterious deaths paranoia sets in as the crew begins to believe the deaths are being committed by a 'Moon Monster' living on the surface of the Moon. Achilles Heel: The station's crew suffers from an unusual number of accidents and mistakes. Director Caulder must deal with the problems while trying to operate within his Earth-bound superiors' budgetary limitations. Outsiders: An auditor is sent to Moonbase 3 from the European Headquarters in Brussels to investigate whether or not the cost of operating the base is justified. Director Caulder demands results for the base scientists as Dr. Helen Smith becomes concerned over the stress on the staff especially Steven Partness... Castor And Pollux: An accident leaves Tom Hill stranded in a shuttle between Earth and the Moon. The only person who can save him is Colonel Gararov a Russian cosmonaut. However to rescue Hill Gararov would have to disobey the orders of his superior General Trenkin Commander of the Russian moon base. Viw Of A Dead Planet: The Artic Sun Project proposes to use a nuclear explosion over the Artic thereby melting the ice and creating a Garden of Eden. The project's designer Sir Benjamin Dyce comes to Moonbase 3 in an attempt to stop the program for fear that the explosion can not be contained and it will lead to the extinction of mankind...
Saved from the brink of cancellation by its loyal fanbase, Star Trek's third and final season rewarded them with a number of memorable episodes. Tight budgets and slipping creative control, however, made it the most uneven, though it did have some of the coolest episode titles ("For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky", "Is There in Truth No Beauty", "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"). Some of the best moments involved a gunfight at the OK Corral ("Spectre of the Gun"), a knock-down drag-out sword battle with the Klingons aboard the Enterprise ("Day of the Dove"), the ship getting caught in an ever-tightening spacial net ("The Tholian Web"), TV's first interracial kiss ("Plato's Stepchildren"), Sulu taking command ("The Savage Curtain"), and Kirk's switching bodies with an ex-love interest ("Turnabout Intruder"). Also appearing in the set as a coda are two versions of the series pilot, "The Cage", a restored color version and the original, never-aired version that alternates between color and black and white. Starring Jeffery Hunter as Captain Pike, Leonard Nimoy as a relatively emotional Spock, and Majel Barrett (the future Nurse Chapel and Mrs. Gene Roddenberry) as a frosty Number One, this pilot was rejected, but a second was commissioned, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", now considered the "official" beginning of the series. But "The Cage" is very recognizably Star Trek with its far-out concepts (telepathic aliens collecting species samples), sexy humanoid women, character development, and of course cheesy costumes and special effects. Footage was later reused in the season 1 two-parter, "The Menagerie". The best of the 63 minutes of bonus material focuses on three of the actors: Walter Koenig, George Takei, and James Doohan. Koenig discusses how he was cast and shows off his various collections, one consisting of Chekov figurines. Takei speaks movingly about the Japanese American internment and, in what is probably his last Star Trek appearance, Doohan, slowed by Alzheimer's but still with a twinkle in his eye, recalls his voiceover roles and his favorite episodes. The Easter eggs are amusingly called "Red Shirt Files" in tribute to those poor saps who everyone knew were only in the landing party so they could die. --David Horiuchi
Meet Clark Kent. Sent to Earth as an infant from the dying planet Krypton, he arrived with as many questions as the number of light-years he traveled. Now a young man, he makes his living in Metropolis as an intern at the Daily Planet alongside reporter Lois Lane while secretly wielding his alien powers of flight, super-strength and x-ray vision in the battle for good. Follow the fledgling hero as he engages in bloody battles with intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo and before fighting for his life with the alien Parasite. The world will learn about Superman but first, Superman must save the world! Special Features: Lobo Natural Force of Chaos-He's the rude, crude, galactic bounty hunter who has been more than a thorn in the side of DC's greatest heroes. This is a full throttle look at Lobo. Martian Manhunter - Lost and Found-This is the personal journey of J'onn J'onzz. A stranger in a strange land who emerges from the shadows as a force for eace and justice. A Sneak Peek at DC Universe's Next Animated Movie-Description intentionally omitted. A Preview of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies-Have a look at the animated feature film, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies A Preview of Justice League vs. The Fatal Five -A dangerous new menace appears from across time and space to threaten our galaxy. This featurette is a thrilling look at the new film Justice League vs. The Fatal Five. Superman: The Animated Series, The Main Man: Part I-Superman squares off against the moronic superpowerful space-biker mercenary, Lobo, who has a contract on the superhero. Superman: The Animated Series, The Main Man: Part II-Superman and Lobo must join forces to escape being exhibits of an alien zoo.
Featuring 11 smash hit sounds from the likes of Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen Gene Vincent and Heinz Live It Up! Is a pop classics from the golden era of rock 'n' roll. GPO despatch riders dream of becoming as big as the Beatles with their own group The Smart Alecs. The master tape of a certain hit is lost and the plot accelerates to the pace of some vintage music.
'Seriously Funny!' is the funniest DVD you will ever own! Introduced by Nick Hancock this is the best and most hilarious comic talent and their funniest sketches for Comic Relief. Whether it's Alan Partridge Kevin & Perry Ali G or Billy Connolly to name but a few who make you laugh out loud if it's hot comedic action you're after then you'll love this DVD! *Portion of sales going to Comic Relief.
Based freely on the classic novels by CS Forester, Hornblower is a series of TV films following the progress of a young officer through the ranks of the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The series' greatest asset is the handsome and charismatic Ioan Gruffudd in the lead role, surely a major star in the making. For television films the production values are very good, though as Titanic, Waterworld and The Perfect Storm demonstrated, filming an aquatic adventure is a very expensive business, and it is clear that the Hornblower dramas simply make the best of comparatively small budgets. No more faithful to Forester's books than the 1951 Gregory Peck classic Captain Horatio Hornblower, the real inspiration seems to have come from the success of Sharpe, starring Sean Bean, which likewise featured a British hero in the Napoleonic Wars. Nevertheless, while rather more easygoing than the real British navy of the time, the Hornblower saga delivers an entertaining adventure, greatly enhanced by the presence of such guest stars as Denis Lawson, Cheri Lunghi, Ronald Pickup and Anthony Sher. --Gary S Dalkin
Originally produced and broadcast on Canadian television this collection of 26 mini biographies features some of the most compelling characters of the 20th century. From dictators to statesmen Presidents to Prime Ministers Voices In Time represents history brought to life. Speeches Comprise: Disc 1: 1. David Lloyd George 2. Emily Pankhurst 3. Franklin D Roosevelt 4. Ho Chi Mingh Disc 2: 1. Adolf Hitler 2. Jawaharlal Nehru 3. John F Kennedy 4. Margaret Thatcher Disc 3: 1. Richard Nixon 2. Nelson Mandela 3. Ronald Reagan 4. Winston Churchill Disc 4: 1. Eleanor Roosevelt 2. Fidel Castro 3. Gloria Steinem 4. Harry S Truman Disc 5: 1. Lech Walesa 2. Jimmy Carter 3. Ayatollah Khomeini 4. Albert Einstein 5. Woodrow Wilson Disc 6: 1. Theodore Roosevelt 2. Robert Kennedy 3. Mikhail Gorbachev 4. Malcolm X 5. Mahatma Gandhi
Reunited with many of the team behind Trouble in Store (1953), his smash hit of the previous year, for his second starring role Norman Wisdom played the oldest orphan of Greenwood Children's Home. Having being raised in the home Norman has stayed on as odd-job man, a role which ideally suits his man-child persona. Not only does he have to find the money to buy one of the orphans a model car, but after a visit to Brighton he discovers Greenwood is due to be closed down by the home's own unscrupulous chairman, a property developer with plans to build a factory on the site. Also starring Thora Hird, One Good Turn was surely a film with a personal resonance for Wisdom who was himself brought-up in an orphanage after his mother died and his father was unable to raise him. As would become a tradition, he contributes a song, "Please Opportunity", and the movie, though produced by Rank, now sits easily in that classic Ealing era where the ordinary man took on the big guys and won. The innocent knockabout humour remains appealing and it is simply impossible not to like Norman Wisdom. The film's success led directly to the aptly named Man of the Moment (1955). --Gary S Dalkin
A portrait of one of the 20th century's most influential cultural icons, with testimonies from artists, musicians, writers and friends. William Burroughs is now regarded as a huge influence over late 20th century fiction and cultural life. This documentary features previously unseen footage of Burroughs in conversation, as well as footage of him at many of his infamous readings, where he brought to life his writing, in front of audiences the world over.
This mammoth of a box set is a dream come true for any fan of Trotter's Independent Traders PLC. Featuring all the episodes from series 1-7 and the following specials: 1. The Story Of Only Fools And Horses 2. Time On Our Hands 3. Sleepless In Peckham 4. Dates 5. Fatal Extraction 6. Frog's Legacy 7. Heroes & Villains 8. Modern Men 9. If They Could See Us Now 10. Jolly Boy's Outing 11. Miami Twice 12. Mother Nature's Son 13. Rodney Come Home 14. Royal Flush 15. To Hull & Back 16. Strangers On The Shore
Voted Britain's best ever sitcom in millennium polls, Only Fools and Horses has a muddled history on video. This release should make things clearer, containing for the first time the complete fifth series on a double-video. Dating from 1986, the episodes have previously appeared on the compilations Tea for Three and Watching the Girls Go By.Like so much great comedy, pathos lies behind these cleverly scripted, deceptively straightforward tales, continuing the tradition of lovable rogues in BBC sitcoms from Steptoe and Son and Porridge. David Jason's Del Boy dreams of becoming a millionaire, "this time next year", but we know life isn't like that. In "From Prussia with Love", Del, kid-brother Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) and Uncle Albert (Buster Merryfield) replay Three Men and a Baby , while "The Miracle of Peckham" raises the church roof. "The Longest Night" has our trio as prisoners of the world's most useless criminal, while Rodney has an unhappy encounter with a sunbed in "Tea For Three". The gormless one turns unlikely film-maker, resulting in a "Video Nasty", before the series ends with "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?", testing family loyalties when Del is offered the chance of a lifetime. Essentially British and very re-watchable, Only Fools and Horses deserves the description classic comedy. --Gary S. Dalkin
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