denry's - Rented List
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The Fall of the House of Usher / Who Killed Harvey Forbes / Murder at the Grange (1952)The Fall of the House of Usher / Tangled Destinies / Death at the Festival
Triple bill of horrors.
The Fall of the House of Usher (1950)Edgar Allan Poe's most representative tale, crammed with madness, disease, incest, and characters grimly clinging to memories of a faded past. A traveller arrives at Usher mansion to visit his old friend Roderick (KayeTendeter) and discovers that Roderick and his sister (Gwen Watford) have been inflicted with a strange disease.
Who Killed Harvey Forbes (1932)
A group of passengers are forced to take shelter in an abandoned mansion after their plane makes an emergency landing. When one of the passengers is murdered for the bag of diamonds he was carrying, detective Randy Gordon (Gene Morgan) must find the person responsible amongst the survivors.
Murder at the Grange (1952)
A former police detective who is now a private investigator is approached by two elderly sisters. They say that someone is terrorising them and they think it's the ex-fiancee of one of the sisters, who they believe had killed their father years before. However, when it turns out that the man they suspected has been long dead, the detective has to look elsewhere...- Director:
- Ivan Barnett
- Cast:
- Gwen Watford, Kay Tendeter, Irving Steen
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Raymond Rudford (Geoffrey Wardwell) is on trial for the murder of the wealthy uncle who adopted him as a boy following the death of his parents. The prosecution produces seemingly damning evidence - including Raymond's own fingerprints on the razor that killed his uncle - and a powerful motive: the fear that he would be disinherited if he should marry Alicia (Lorna Hubbard), his fiancée. She knows that Raymond is innocent; but how can she prove it? - Director:
- Walter Summers
- Cast:
- Richard Bird, Lorna Hubbard, Geoffrey Wardwell
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Author-explorer Reggie Blake (Terry-Thomas) takes an unorthodox approach to his craft, apparently finding inspiration in the adventures suggested by his agent Charles Lunton (Wilfrid Hyde-White); it matters little that most of his experiences are wildly embellished or even entirely fictitious... Reggie's latest trip, however, has proved a little too authentic. Having lost his way in the desert and subsequently adopted by a remote Bedouin tribe, he has experienced a deep transformation in outlook and personality and one that drives his loyal wife Fran (Janette Scott) to despair. When his pomposity and chauvinism reach alarming new heights, she decides immediate, and dramatic, action is called for! - Director:
- Brian Desmond Hurst
- Cast:
- Terry-Thomas, Janette Scott, Wilfrid Hyde-White
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Robert Beatty stars as Detective Inspector Mike Maguire, a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman posted to New Scotland Yard, in this popular late '50s series depicting London's fight against crime. Overseen by legendary producer Harry Alan Towers, 'Dial 999' sees Maguire assigned to a wide range of cases as he observes how his British counterparts deal with everything from workplace pilfering to mail-train robberies, drug-smuggling and murder! Featuring scripts by Brian Clemens (as Tony O'Grady) and guest appearances from Patrick Troughton, Barbara Steele, Sydney Tafler, William Hartnell, Peter Bowles, Gordon Jackson, Robert Rietty, Tom Bell and Zena Marshall among many others, this set contains all 39 dramatic episodes. - Director:
- Bernard Knowles
- Cast:
- Robert Beatty, John Howlett, Richard Bebb
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The Intruder (1953)Six Came Back
Wolf Merton (Jack Hawkins), a London stockbroker with a fine war record as colonel of a tank regiment, returns to his Belgravia home to find that there is an intruder in the house - a young armed thug called Ginger Edwards (Michael Medwin), who he remembers well as one of the most fearless and spirited troopers under his leadership. But why has Ginger taken up housebreaking? And will Merton be able to help him to return to a more honourable way of life? - Director:
- Guy Hamilton
- Cast:
- Michael Ripper, Jack Hawkins, Hugh Williams
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Through a series of unforeseen events, two glamorous young ladies find that they are obliged to spend the night on board the battleship HMS Falcon, where they have been attending a 'bon voyage' reception. At first it seems that Captain Randall (Jack Buchanan) will be able to keep them concealed, but then the Admiral (Fred Emney) unexpectedly arrives on board and orders the ship to sea. The result is maritime mayhem! - Director:
- Thomas Bentley
- Cast:
- Jack Buchanan, Greta Gynt, Fred Emney
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Spider's Web (1982)Agatha Christie's Spider's Web
Clarissa Hailsham-Brown (Penelope Keith), wife of a Foreign Office diplomat, is inconvenienced by finding a corpse in her drawing-room. Expecting her husband home with an important foreign politician, the only thing to do is hide the body and persuade her three house guests to become accessories and accomplices. To complicate matters, as Clarissa starts her search for the motive and murderer, she must convince a police inspector who has shown up, that there is no murder at all. - Director:
- Basil Coleman
- Cast:
- Penelope Keith, Robert Flemyng, Thorley Walters
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Adapted from J.B. Priestley's famous novel charting the ups and downs of a struggling touring concert party, this endearing musical comedy features an outstanding array of British talent. The future looks bleak for The 'Dinky Doos' when their manager runs off with the funds and dwindling audiences force the theatre owner to close their show. Young Susie Dean is particularly disconsolate: the talented singer and dancer is sure the setback will mean an end to her theatrical career. However, a chance meeting of three strangers could bring about a big change in the fortunes of the little company... - Director:
- J. Lee Thompson
- Cast:
- Eric Portman, Celia Johnson, Hugh Griffith
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Fanny by Gaslight (1944)Man of Evil
Returning to 1870's London after finishing at boarding school, Fanny (Phyllis Calvert) witnesses the death of her father in a fight with Lord Manderstoke (James Mason). She then finds that her family has for many years been running a bordello next door to their home. When her mother dies shortly after, she next discovers that her real father is in fact a well-respected politician. Meeting him and then falling in love with his young adviser Harry Somerford (Stewart Granger) leads to a life of ups and downs and conflict between the classes. Periodically the scoundrel of a Lord crosses her path, always to tragic effect. - Director:
- Anthony Asquith
- Cast:
- James Mason, Ann Stephens, Gloria Sydney
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As the Second World War rages in Europe, the harsh realities of the conflict seem somehow a million miles away to Diana Wentworth, living in the idyllic English countryside and waiting for her husband to return. Colonel Michael Wentworth, once a Member of Parliament, is away at the front fighting. The shattering news that he has been killed in battle comes out of the blue. Diana's mind drifts back over their wonderful life spent together and she resolves to carry on her own life - and his. She is elected to Michael's old seat in parliament, discovers a new reason for living and even falls in love again. And then a second message threatens to tear her in two, Michael is not dead. He has been a prisoner of war and his release is imminent. Which direction should she choose - to pursue her new life or to return to the life she once cherished...? - Director:
- Compton Bennett
- Cast:
- Michael Redgrave, Valerie Hobson, Flora Robson
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Nobleman Lord Datchett (Stewart Granger), a notorious woman-hater, persuades his friend Bob (David Hutcheson) to jilt his fiancée Julia (Georgina Cookson) at the altar. The pair of misogynistic men travel to London, where Hollywood starlet Colette Marly (Edwige Feuillère) has recently arrived. Colette has a reputation for hating men, so Datchett sets out to prove that she is a fake. Inevitably, they end up falling for each other. - Director:
- Terence Young
- Cast:
- Edwige Feuillère, Stewart Granger, Ronald Squire
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John Harrington (Christopher Good) runs across the fields, almost blind with terror. His dog, left behind, whimpering and cowering with fear, can only watch as the creature closes in on his master. Harrington runs for his life but instinct tells him that the creature is gaining on him and he trips, stumbles and falls. When they find him, grown men recoil in horror when they discover that something had broken almost every bone in his body... - Director:
- Lawrence Gordon Clark
- Cast:
- Iain Cuthbertson, Jan Francis, Bernard Gallagher
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Richard (Stewart Granger) is from a poor family, but he grows up with Francis (Dennis Price), the son of a rich man, and Oriana (Anne Crawford). Richard and Oriana fall in love and wish to marry as soon as Richard has made his fortune, but Francis intends to stop their plans. After rescuing a wealthy Spaniard (Gerard Heinz), Richard is sent to Spain to transport some valuable goods for him. However, there he is robbed and left for dead. Can Richard reach Oriana or will Francis triumph? - Director:
- Arthur Crabtree
- Cast:
- Anne Crawford, Stewart Granger, Jean Kent
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Separated from his wife and embittered by lack of promotion, Harrington Brande is posted to a small port in Spain. With him goes his young son Nicholas, a shy boy forced to lead a quiet life by his domineering father. At their new home they meet their gardener, José, who strikes up a friendship with the boy. As Nicholas's father realises this, out of jealousy, he bans them from speaking. Things go from bad to worse when Nicholas's watch is stolen and planted on Jose, who is then arrested. Will his father realise the meaning of true friendship before it is too late? - Director:
- Philip Leacock
- Cast:
- Dirk Bogarde, Maurice Denham, Jon Whiteley
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Bob Randall (Richard Greene) is a war correspondent trapped in Northern France. He manages to escape from Dunkirk and return to his job as a journalist with The Gazette in London. Randall soon becomes aware of the 'People for Peace Society' which advocates making peace with Germany. Randall however believes the organisation objectives are more sinister and attends a meeting with fellow Gazette journalist Carol Bennett (Valerie Hobson). As Randall investigates further his attempts to have his findings published are censored. As the sinister plot escalates the journalists end up fighting for the truth as well as their lives. - Director:
- Harold French
- Cast:
- Richard Greene, Valerie Hobson, Basil Radford
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