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Sheila Steafel
Sheila Frances Steafel (26 May 1935 – 23 August 2019) was a British actress, who was born in Johannesburg, but lived all her adult life in the United Kingdom. Life and career Steafel, who was born in Johannesburg, trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. She appeared in many television series, including ''The Frost Report'', ''Z-Cars'', '' Sykes'', '' Dave Allen at Large'', ''The Kenny Everett Television Show'', ''Minder'', '' The Ghosts of Motley Hall'', '' Oh Brother!'' and ''The Laughter of a Fool''. She was a regular in the BBC One music hall programme '' The Good Old Days'', portraying her comic creation "Miss Popsy Wopsy", who invariably "played up" to chairman Leonard Sachs. She was also a regular on the "Tommy Cooper Hour". In February 2018 she appeared in the daytime comedy drama '' Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators'' Episode 2 as care home resident Dora Bentley. Her film appearances included ''Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.'' (1966), ''J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by population, one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demographia, the Johannesburg–Pretoria urban area (combined because of strong transport links that make commuting feasible) is the 26th-largest in the world in terms of population, with 14,167,000 inhabitants. It is the provinces of South Africa, provincial capital and largest city of Gauteng, which is the wealthiest province in South Africa. Johannesburg is the seat of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, Constitutional Court, the highest court in South Africa. Most of the major South African companies and banks have their head offices in Johannesburg. The city is located in the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills and is the centre of large-scale gold and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Cooper
Thomas Frederick Cooper (19 March 1921 – 15 April 1984) was a Welsh prop comedian and magician. As an entertainer, his appearance was large and lumbering at , and he habitually wore a red fez when performing. He served in the British Army for seven years, before developing his conjuring skills and becoming a member of The Magic Circle. Although he spent time on tour performing his magical act, which specialised on magic tricks that appeared to fail, he rose to international prominence when his career moved into television, with programmes for London Weekend Television and Thames Television. By the end of the 1970s, Cooper was smoking and drinking heavily, which affected his career and his health, effectively ending offers to front new programmes and relegating him to performing as a guest star on other entertainment shows. On 15 April 1984, Cooper died at the age of 63 after suffering a heart attack live on television. Early life Thomas Frederick Cooper was born on 19 Mar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melody (1971 Film)
''Melody'' (originally marketed as ''S.W.A.L.K.'' in the UK) is a 1971 British children's romantic comedy-drama film directed by Waris Hussein about puppy love. The film starred Jack Wild, Mark Lester and Tracy Hyde. Although the film was a box office disappointment in both the United States and Britain, it turned out to be a hit in Japan as well as in some Latin American countries such as Mexico, Argentina and Chile, and a modest hit in South Africa. Plot This romantic story is told through the viewpoint of the children in the story, the adults playing only supporting roles. Daniel Latimer befriends the troublesome Ornshaw. However, when Daniel falls in love with Melody Perkins, the boys' friendship becomes jeopardized, as Ornshaw grows jealous of the amount of time that Daniel gives her. Initially embarrassed by the attention, Melody comes to return Daniel's feelings, and the couple announce to their parents that they want to get married. Not sometime in the future, but now. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Percy (1971 Film)
''Percy'' is a 1971 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas starring Hywel Bennett, Denholm Elliott, Elke Sommer and Britt Ekland. The film is based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Raymond Hitchcock, and features a soundtrack by The Kinks. It was followed by a 1974 sequel, '' Percy's Progress''. Plot Edwin (Bennett), an innocent and shy young man, is hit by a nude man falling from a high-rise building while carrying a chandelier. Edwin's penis is mutilated in the accident and has to be amputated; the falling man is killed. Edwin becomes the recipient of the world's first penis transplant: he receives the very large penis of the womanizer killed in the same accident. With his new bit of anatomy (which he names "Percy"), Edwin follows the womanizer's footsteps, meeting all his women friends, before settling happily with the donor's mistreated widow. Cast Production Producer Betty E. Box discovered the novel when she and director Ralph Thomas were meeting a publ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tropic Of Cancer (film)
''Tropic of Cancer'' is a 1970 American drama film directed by Joseph Strick and written by Betty Botley and Joseph Strick. It is based on Henry Miller's 1934 autobiographical novel ''Tropic of Cancer''. The film stars Rip Torn, James T. Callahan, David Baur, Laurence Lignères, Phil Brown and Dominique Delpierre. The film was released on February 27, 1970, by Paramount Pictures. Strick had previously adapted other controversial works of literature – Jean Genet's ''The Balcony'' and James Joyce's '' Ulysses''. Though the book came out in 1934, the film is set in the late 1960s when Paris, while little changed visually, was a very different place. Filming took place on location in Paris, produced by Joseph Strick with some help from the author, whose persona was portrayed by Rip Torn and his wife Mona by Ellen Burstyn. The novel had provided a test for American laws on pornography and the film was rated X in the United States, which was later changed to an NC-17 rating in 1992 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilfrid Brambell
Henry Wilfrid Brambell (22 March 1912 – 18 January 1985) was an Irish television and film actor, best remembered for playing the grubby rag-and-bone man Albert Steptoe alongside Harry H. Corbett in the long-running BBC television sitcom ''Steptoe and Son'' (1962–65, 1970–74). He achieved international recognition in 1964 for his appearance alongside the Beatles in '' A Hard Day's Night'', playing the fictional grandfather of Paul McCartney. Early life Brambell was born in Dublin, the youngest of three sons born to Henry Lytton Brambell (1870–1937), a cashier at the Guinness Brewery, and his wife, Edith Marks (1879–1965), a former opera singer. The family surname was changed from "Bramble" by Wilfrid's grandfather Frederick William Brambell. His two older brothers were Frederick Edward Brambell (1905–1980) and James Christopher Marks "Jim" Brambell (1907–1992). His first appearance was as a child, entertaining the wounded troops during the First World War. After ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Some Will, Some Won't
''Some Will, Some Won't'' is a 1970 British comedy film directed by Duncan Wood, a remake of ''Laughter in Paradise'' (1951). It starred an ensemble British cast which included Michael Hordern, Ronnie Corbett, Dennis Price, Leslie Phillips and Arthur Lowe. In Henry Russell's will, four family members are left £150,000 on condition they do the bizarre tasks Russell has set out for them. Plot In his will, eccentric practical joker Henry Russell leaves his four relatives £150,000 each, but with stipulations designed to make each of them step completely out of character, and prove themselves as human beings. Bossy Agnes Russell must work as a maid for a month, Herbert must overcome his natural shyness and rob a bank, woman chasing bachelor Simon has to marry the first single woman he speaks to, and crime writer Denniston is asked to commit a crime and be sent to jail for a month. When the four individuals report back to the executor, their lives are transformed for the better. B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Smashing Bird I Used To Know
''The Smashing Bird I Used to Know'' is a 1969 British drama/sexploitation film, directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring Renée Asherson, Patrick Mower, Dennis Waterman, Madeleine Hinde and Maureen Lipman. As with other Hartford-Davis films, ''The Smashing Bird I Used to Know'' contains elements from different genres including psychological drama and social commentary. It is best known however as a sexploitation piece featuring nudity, attempted rape and lesbianism. The film features the first screen credit of the then 15-year-old Lesley-Anne Down in a supporting role. The film was not released in the U.S. until 1973, retitled by AIP as ''School for Unclaimed Girls''. More recent issues of the film in the UK have also used this title as being less dated and more indicative of the film's content AIP also reissued the film a year later under their shadow company United Producers Organization as ''Hell House Girls''. A scene outside a cinema shows the poster for Hart ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otley (film)
''Otley'' is a 1968 British comedy thriller film, starring Tom Courtenay and Romy Schneider. It was adapted by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais from a book by Martin Waddell, and released by Columbia Pictures. Plot Tom Courtenay plays Gerald Arthur "Gerry" Otley, a charming but feckless young drifter who scrapes a living from selling antiques in trendy 1960s London. Gerry's responsibility-free life suddenly takes a serious turn, when he finds himself caught up in a round of murder, espionage and quadruple crossing. He is mistaken for a spy; is kidnapped and detained several times; and becomes romantically involved with a foreign agent (Romy Schneider) working for British Intelligence. Cast * Tom Courtenay .... Gerald Arthur Otley - "Gerry" * Romy Schneider .... Imogen * Alan Badel .... Sir Alec Hadrian * James Villiers .... Hendrickson * Leonard Rossiter .... Johnson * Freddie Jones .... Philip Proudfoot * Fiona Lewis .... Lin * James Bolam .... Albert * James Cossins .... Geffc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baby Love (1968 Film)
''Baby Love'' is a 1969 British drama film directed by Alastair Reid and starring Diana Dors, Linda Hayden Keith Barron and Ann Lynn.Simon Sheridan, ''Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema'', Titan Books 2011 p 59-60 The film tells the story of a 15 year-old schoolgirl who seduces her adoptive family after her mother committed suicide. Reid went on to work in television, while Linda Hayden, who was only 15 at the time of filming, later appeared in sexploitation movies, including two of the entries in the ''Confessions'' film series, ''Confessions of a Window Cleaner'' (1974) and '' Confessions from a Holiday Camp'' (1977). The film features an uncredited appearance by Bruce Robinson, later to direct ''Withnail & I'' (1987). Plot Luci Thompson is a 15 year old school girl whose mother Liz, suffering from cancer, commits suicide. She goes to live with Robert Quayle, a childhood friend of Liz's, who is married to Amy and has a son, Nick. Luci’s arrival c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quatermass And The Pit (film)
''Quatermass and the Pit'' (US title: ''Five Million Years to Earth'') is a 1967 British science fiction horror film from Hammer Film Productions, a sequel to the earlier Hammer films ''The Quatermass Xperiment'' and '' Quatermass 2''. Like its predecessors it is based on a BBC Television serial, in this case ''Quatermass and the Pit'', written by Nigel Kneale. It was directed by Roy Ward Baker and stars Andrew Keir in the title role as Professor Bernard Quatermass, replacing Brian Donlevy, who played the role in the two earlier films. James Donald, Barbara Shelley and Julian Glover appear in co-starring roles. The storyline, which is largely faithful to the original television production, centres on the discovery of a mysterious object buried at the site of an extension to the London Underground. Also uncovered nearby are the remains of early human ancestors more than five million years old. Realising that the object is in fact an ancient Martian spacecraft, Quatermass ded ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
