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35 DOCTOR WHO Actors & Actresses
Reviews
Famous Ghost Stories (1961)
Not So Famous As It Turned Out
Vincent Price filmed scenes as a ghost (himself really) in a haunted house setting, a dark and stormy one as briefly presented here in an establishing shot. The idea apparently was for him to present various ghost stories adapted from authors such as Edgar Allen Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle, though here was to begin with an edited version of the film "Tormented" (1960) which was directed by Bert I Gordon, who was also behind this proposed TV pilot endeavor which for whatever reason was never picked up or even aired. With Vincent Price involved it may have been worthwhile, but Gordon's film credits were not good, so we'll never really know.
Tormented (1960)
Ghost Woman Gets Revenge
Bert I. Gordon directed this ghostly revenge thriller starring Richard Carlson as successful jazz pianist Tom Stewart, who is preparing to marry his wealthy fiancée on her family's California island which has an abandoned lighthouse where his ex-girlfriend/singer Vi confronts him at the top, and then accidentally falls to her death into the sea, though her vengeful ghost does not stay at rest, but torments him to admit his guilt, but he instead covers-up the death leading to inevitable tragedy. Susan Gordon and Joe Turkel co-star.
Good premise with much spooky potential at the Lighthouse setting is squandered in a heavy-handed and unimaginative manner, practically no suspense and feels overlong even at 74 minutes, leading to an all too predictable outcome. Ghost f/x are poorly realized as well.
The Swiss Conspiracy (1976)
Blackmailed Bank
Jack Arnold directed this independently produced thriller set in Switzerland at the Swiss Alps, as five wealthy clients of a Swiss bank find themselves being blackmailed that their account numbers and contents will be made public unless a ransom is paid, so their bank hires former U. S. Justice official David Christopher (played by David Janssen) to investigate the increasingly convoluted mystery where romance and assassins complicate things. Costarring Ray Milland, John Saxon, John Ireland, and Senta Berger.
Though filled with gorgeous and authentic scenery filmed in and around Zurich, unevenly paced film proves to be a medium mystery that never really amounts to much.
Snowball Express (1972)
Up and Down Comedy
Walt Disney Studios family comedy starring Dean Jones as New York accountant Johnny Baxter, fed up with his dead end office job who one day when arriving at work is told that a relative has died and he has inherited a successful though remote snowy mountain lodge/hotel in Silver City Colorado so abruptly quits and moves himself, his wife and two children there only to discover that it isn't the bustling ski resort he thought, but in desperate need of repair and advertising, but with help of family and friends may just turn it around.
Marginal though appealing comedy is extremely good natured and reasonably realistic, though of course does contain some expected pratfalls and contrived mishaps. Likable throughout but loses steam towards the climax. Still, nostalgia for this bygone era is strong. Costars Nancy Olsen, Harry Morgan, and Keenan Wynn.
The Million Dollar Duck (1971)
The Golden Goose?
Walt Disney Studios comedy starring Dean Jones as Professor Albert Dooley, doing (benign) research on laboratory animals which includes one dumb but lovable duck who becomes accidentally irradiated, and after going home with Dooley, is discovered to now have the ability to literally lay golden eggs, causing the near bankrupt professor to nearly lose everything else he has to gain the hoped for wealth, especially as the U'S Government comes bearing down on him... Costarring Sandy Duncan as his wife, Lee Harcourt Montgomery as his son, and Tony Roberts as his best friend and neighbor.
Undeniably dumb film that just gets dumber and more desperately outlandish as it goes on but is certainly inoffensive enough. Contrived of course, but kids may still like it. Not quite the Turkey of its reputation though!
How to Frame a Figg (1971)
Forgotten Figg
Don Knotts stars as much put upon public accountant Hollis A. Figg, who is found to be a useful idiot to take the blame for the embezzlement and shady business practices of the mayor and his staff, though Figg proves to be more determined than they expected, using the new city computer (nicknamed LEO) to his advantage, and clear his name.
Mostly forgotten (and forgettable) comedy tried to restore the star's box office popularity after the recent disastrous reception of "The Love God?" but proved to be equally bad and idiotic, not to mention overlong. Faded into deserved obscurity, though the bundled Blu-ray release with his other four Universal studios comedies will give it some modern attention.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Pandora Revisted
James Cameron returned to direct this equally groundbreaking sequel to his blockbuster 2009 original that sees the previously expelled Earth forces return with a vengeance to Pandora some 15 years later, forcing our heroes from the first film to leave the forest and head for the ocean, where they receive aid and sanctuary from the sea dwellers of the planet, as both groups must deal with their inevitable misgivings to battle the "Sky People" and defeat their evil plans of conquest.
Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang all return (though the latter two as "different" characters) to fine effect, as this too is a visually dazzling, immersive narrative experience, whose heart is in the right place with its profound pro-ecology message, though certain plot points do seem contrived, even far-fetched (such as how villain Quaritch, despite his death in the first, returns) still a must-see film that overcomes these issues to succeed.
Devil's Partner (1960)
Devil is a Deadly Partner
Ed Nelson stars as Nick Richards, who arrives in the sweltering desert town of Furnace Flats inquiring about his uncle Pete, but learns that he has recently died, and was a most unpopular resident as well. Nick decides to stay, but a series of mysterious animal related attacks and deaths of other citizens raises the suspicions of the local sheriff and doctor, whose daughter (played by Jean Allison) becomes the object of a love triangle that may prove to be their undoing. As the supernatural occurrences grow out of control...
Mediocre film has a good cast and score, with adequate. Direction by Charles Rondeau but hampered by a muddled plot and no discernable point. Might have worked better as an episode of "Thriller" or even "The Twilight Zone" but falls short as a feature.
Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961)
Creature Haunts the Sea
Roger Corman both produced and directed this extremely low budget, low effort horror/comedy picture about a group of American gangsters smuggling out by yacht Cuban military exiles who have secretly looted the treasury that they plan to steal in return (and murder them} by using a legend of a deadly sea monster that turns out to be all too real... Shoddy picture on all levels fails entirely as comedy and horror, with an astonishingly inept looking monster. Filmed in Puerto Rico, though that makes no difference to truly bad film.
Available in both a 60-minute theatrical and extended TV version of 73 minutes.
Oppenheimer (2023)
H-Bomb Creator or World Destroyer?
Christopher Nolan both writes and directs this ambitious, visually stunning, superbly acted film about the real-life physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy who uncannily does resemble the man) who is recruited by the United States to use his brilliant Quantum mechanical theory and skill to design and build the first atomic bomb, despite some ethical doubts about the innocent civilians to be killed upon the detonation, and the long-term consequences of such powerful technology in the wrong hands, and the possibility of a chain reaction leading to world destruction...
Sprawling 3-hour epic is another triumph for Nolan, taking a potentially dry subject matter and making it both mesmerizing storytelling and fascinating character drama, not just about him but the many people in his orbit whose lives are impacted both personally and professionally, as his brilliant mind is indeed all too human at heart.
Matthew Hopkins: Witchfinder General (1968)
Vincent Price as Mathew Hopkins
Veteran horror actor Vincent Price stars as real-life 17th century witch hunter Mathew Hopkins who persecuted and executed many innocent people in his maniacal pursuit of "serving God" but instead brought sorrow and violence, and here is portrayed as abusing his power by the corrupt societal circumstances of the time, here 1645 England engulfed in Civil War.
Price is excellent here in a restrained performance playing a truly evil though intelligent man, with good direction by Michael Reeves, but this is the kind of film that despite its technical achievements is profoundly unpleasant and ultimately unsatisfying to watch, with the unrelenting nihilism and tragic, downbeat ending making viewer feel as though they've been through an ordeal, without the needed dramatic weight and historical insight to make it worthwhile.
Also known as "Conqueror Worm" an equally apt title, though this picture had nothing to do with writer Edgar Allan Poe.
I tre volti della paura (1963)
3 Tales of Italian Terror
Italian director Mario Bava (who had helmed cult favorite "Planet of the Vampires") first directed this 3-part tales of terror with his usual visual flair and saturated colors. They are:
'A Drop of Water' - Greedy nurse steals a dead medium's ring, much to her regret. Best of the three, though too short to have much story impact.
'The Telephone' - Glamorous woman is terrorized at night by unseen stalker both over the phone and in person. Predictable story goes nowhere.
'The Wurdulak' Boris Karloff (who also introduces the 3 tales) plays a family patriarch in 19th century Serbia who may now be the title character, a vampire out to attack his relatives in their cabin. Despite Karloff and much atmosphere, story is thin and characters too gullible and irrational to care about, leading to tragic end for all.
Overall, a disappointment.
Ski Troop Attack (1960)
Ski Troop Attack in WWII
Roger Corman both directed and produced this WWII film set in late 1944 on the snowy mountains of Germany where the Allied Ski Troop (led by Michael Forest) are ordered to attack a trestle where an Axis train will be crossing, and the efforts of the local Nazi ski troops to stop them blowing it up, and the friction between the men as well.
Mediocre film has nice location filming in the snowy Black Hills of South Dakota but little character identification or involvement, limiting viewer story interest in the brief (73 minute) runtime. Still a cult favorite to some though. Made concurrently (with much of the same cast and in South Dakota) as the more well known "Beast from Haunted Cave."
Beast from Haunted Cave (1959)
Beast Haunts a Cave
Hybrid horror and heist picture directed by Monte Hellman set in and filmed in Deadwood South Dakota starring Michael Forest as a Ski guide to a small group of people in the mountains who it turns out are out to rob a few gold bars in town and later escape by plane, but that is thwarted by both bad weather and a mysterious and deadly spider-like monster that haunts a cave and plans to wipe them out.
Mostly dull and talky film with a slapdash monster that mainly appears at the climax, though there are a few effective scenes of horror, and it is nicely filmed on real locations, particularly the haunted cave itself. Otherwise, this is too thin to succeed. Still, a cult favorite to some.
The Wasp Woman (1959)
Stung By the Fountain of Youth
Roger Corman both produced and directed this female-centered monster film about a cosmetics tycoon (played by Susan Cabot) desperate to regain her youthful beauty using a dubious scientist's wasp serum extract which works initially but soon backfires horribly turning her into the titular creature, as brutal murders then ensue...
Good cast (Cabot in particular) can't save briskly paced but narratively garbled and unimaginative story. Monster mask makeup is poorly realized, result just isn't suspenseful or effective.
Available in both 61 and 73 minutes (for TV) versions, both of which have the same issues.
Sasquatch: The Legend of Bigfoot (1976)
The Legend Pursued One More Time
Docudrama account of a seven-man team from the fictional North American Wildlife Research Organization in the Pacific Northwest hunting the legendary Sasquatch/Bigfoot over the summer months on horseback, and how it is mostly a quiet, uneventful journey encountering native animals such as mountain lions, racoons, badgers, and bears, until they finally meet some real creatures at night, then wish perhaps they hadn't...
OK film for the most part does contain some effective attack scenes at the climax, though of course character development is put to the side. Comedy relief with the cook doesn't help, though just about works as a cross between "The Legend of Boggy Creek" and "The life and Times of Grizzly Adams", which are much better films.
Superman and the Mole-Men (1951)
Before the TV Series
Independently made film based on the immensely popular DC comic book superhero Superman stars George Reeves as Superman/Clark Kent, and Phyliss Coates as Lois Lane who arrive in the small town of Silsby Texas to discover a disrupted oil-drilling expedition due to the appearance of some "mole men" appearing from the drill entrance deep underground who are mistaken for monsters by an angry mob now bent to kill them, and the attempts of Clark/Superman to stop them before tragedy strikes.
Poor film on all levels is unimaginative in its visual and narrative approach, strangely portraying local rural Americans as a hate filled mob, even called Nazi storm troopers at one point by Superman, portrayed as an uninspiring stolid figure unworthy of a potential series! Despite this, it did indeed lead to the six-season TV series, which this was later re-integrated into as a two-part episode to complete the first season.
Stick with the 17-episode 1941-1943 cartoon shorts and the 4-film Christopher Reeve films instead.
Conquest of Space (1955)
From The Moon To Mars
George Pal produced; Byron Haskin directed attempt at a realistic portrayal.of a space mission from the moon (where a manned space wheel orbits) to Mars, and the physical and mental troubles that plague the astronauts, doesn't really come off too well, with cliched characters and unfunny comedy relief, though the model work and other F/X are quite variable. Certainly, pales in comparison to the excitement and scale of previous Pal/Haskin collaboration 'The War of the Worlds" (1953) and God knows the ambition, intelligence and realism of later "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), largely forgotten film is at best innocuous fluff, and now on Blu-ray for viewer to judge.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
The Sequel We Needed
Tom Cruise returns to his popular role of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, arrogant but goodhearted and incredibly talented navy fighter pilot of the original 1986 film, now some 30+ years later much the same thank goodness, though he hasn't risen above the rank of Captain and is currently a test pilot when he is ordered back to the Top Gun program to teach prior top graduates on a secret and dangerous mission to destroy a rogue uranium plant in a canyon on foreign territory, and deal with the estranged son of his late best friend "Goose" killed in the first film, and now a pilot himself. Jennnifer Connelly plays his current love interest Penny, who was mentioned in the first film, and Val Kilmer returns briefly as "Iceman" now a respected Admiral nearing the end of his life.
Surprisingly superb sequel surpasses the first in every way, though pays its respects to it most satisfactorily while still telling its own story and introducing interesting new characters who could possibly star in future installments, if this turns into a franchise. A huge blockbuster hit that troubled Hollywood could learn many lessons from, as this film is most exciting and emotional, not preachy with the "message", but an old-fashioned patriotic feel-good adventure that hasn't been seen for far too long. Not at all surprising story wise, but well-acted and directed (Joseph Kosinski) picture hits all the right buttons.
Ring of Bright Water (1969)
Mij The Otter, Mij the Friend
A bored Bachelor (played by Bill Travers) in London one day adopts an otter from a pet shop but finds that his flat cannot possibly contain him physically, so he decides to purchase a rundown seaside cottage in Scotland where they both thrive in their new surroundings, even finding mates (of a sort) though things will eventually take a dark, unexpected turn indeed...
Much remembered animal film from 1969 based on a true-life novel by Gavin Maxwell is beautifully filmed on real London and Scottish locations, with the viewer coming to care about the playful otter and his episodic escapades with his human friends will get a horrible shock involving the death of poor Mij by the ignorant fool ditchdigger that could have derailed the film, but despite the sorrow, is handled as well as possible, as the otter did really suffer a needless, tragic end, which could have been altered to be happy of course for the purpose of film, but the adherence to harsh reality was a conscious choice to be respected, and one still debated today, since it does cast a somber pall over the rest of the film, right through the end credits and haunting title song.
Regardless, animal lovers should still watch this, as it is indeed a reminder of why those precious few people care about animals and nature in the first place, turning away from their own kind.
The Neptune Factor (1973)
Undersea Rescue Mission
In the Atlantic Ocean, the Ocean Lab II, an undersea research habitat with five scientists is hit by an underwater earthquake sending it to an unexplored trench, where their lives are in imminent danger. The state-of-the-art submarine Neptune is then dispatched to rescue the survivors, who must also fend off the unusually large fish and eels that inhabit it...
Stars Ernest Borgnine, Ben Gazzara, Yvette Mimieux, and Walter Pidgeon do what they can to enliven this decidedly mediocre film that has a surefire premise but mishandled direction (Daniel Petrie) and disappointing F/X that do not live up to that otherwise excellent poster. Utterly inoffensive and watchable, but drags despite its 98-minute length, and rushed climax. Kids might not mind though.
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
There is Only One King
Fourth film in the "Monsterverse" series sees the long-awaited battle between Godzilla and Kong take place after a captured Kong (fifty+ years after his previous appearance) is being used by humans to navigate them to Hollow Earth, while an angered Godzilla attacks, only later events will cause them to team up after a rogue MechaGodzilla shows up...
Disappointing entry has variable CGI but a mostly dumbed down plot filled with wild coincidences and contrivances not in keeping with the serious nature of the previous films, with human characters you care nothing about, except perhaps for the deaf little girl who is friends with Kong. Otherwise, a hollow endeavor indeed.
The UFO Incident (1975)
Barney and Betty Hill
Fine TV film from 1975 stars James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons as real-life interracial couple Barney and Betty Hill, who claim they were abducted by aliens in 1961 after driving home from a vacation. Two years later, they undergo regression hypnosis to help them overcome their ordeal and get on with their lives.
Both actors are superb, really making them fully realized human beings rather than ciphers or victims. One of the first of its kind to take the subject matter seriously is also one of the best, certainly more grounded than say "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind" (1977), though of course less spectacular in comparison.
Dead of Night (1945)
Dead Of Night Spooky British Anthology Film
Mervyn Johns plays an architect called in to consult on a job in an English Farmhouse who arrives and when he meets the owner's guests, becomes convinced that he has somehow dreamt the place and people in a recurring nightmare, and their collective attempt to sort this out by recounting their own supernatural experiences, which leads to a most unexpected revelation as night falls.
Excellent British film from 1945 with several contributing directors and five memorable separate stories is among the first anthology films ever made, and ranks as one of the best, not a dud story in the bunch (the golfing ghost story is intentionally frivolous, though amusing), and the climax is genuinely chilling and unexpected. Stands up to multiple viewings.
Colorado Territory (1949)
Fine Western Remake Of High Sierra
Raoul Walsh directed this 1949 western remake of his 1941 film "High Sierra" that had starred Humphry Bogart as criminal Roy Earle; here it is Wes McQueen as portrayed by Joel McCrea, who also gets out of prison, wanting to go straight, but must follow through on one last heist that will of course mean his doom. Virginia Mayo costars as his partner/love interest and matches well with Ida Lupino from the earlier film.
Exciting, intelligent film is a fine match with the original, though does make some narrative changes that work well, and both versions employ an intriguing use of a non-judgmental, semi-morally detached view of its characters.