Having first worked together on The Frost Report back in 1966, writers Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett teamed up for their first BBC series in 1971, and The Two Ronnies commenced a 16-year run that yielded 12 series, plus Christmas specials--a total of 98 shows. In the process, they came to represent a distinctly old-fashioned style of British humour, more traditional, familiar and reassuring than the surrealism of Monty Python, or the inspired anarchy of The Goodies. Even the format was designed for minimum disruption, with virtually every episode following the same pattern: opening and closing with the pair seated behind a desk, reading spoof news items, heavy on "blue" puns and spoonerisms (Barker's particular forte). In between, came various sketches (man-in-pub, man-at-party), mock-adventure serials with titles like "Death Can Be Fatal", a typically rambling monologue from Ronnie Corbett, and a climactic musical extravaganza--heavily indebted to Gilbert & Sullivan, and usually performed in drag. A haven for writers, both amateur and professional, the show attracted hundreds of submissions each week, with many of the news items selected only minutes before the start of recording. Though archaic by today's standards, it remains one of the best-loved and most quintessentially "English" of comedy series. --Andrew McGuire
James Stewart was one of the great western icons and this collection houses several of his finest efforts. The Man From Laramie (Dir. Anthony Mann 1955): Will Lockhart comes to a small town to find the man who sold rifles to the Apaches and caused the death of his brother a cavalry officer. Beaten and nearly killed by cohorts of the arms dealer he also becomes embroiled with a ranch baron and his overwrought son. Father and son are plotted against by their treacherous foreman who wants the ranch for himself. Two Rode Together (Dir. John Ford 1961):: This is John Ford's criminally overlooked western and the first collaboration between Ford and James Stewart A group of children are held captive by the Indians. A Lieutenant enlists the help of a Texas Marshall in a rescue attempt. Based on the novel by Will Cook. Destry Rides Again (Dir. George Marshall 1939): As Destry a mild-mannered deputy who doesn't like guns Stewart is called to restore order to the hopelessly corrupt frontier town of Bottleneck. Though reluctant to undertake such an enormous task he's soon roped into action after meeting the seductive Frenchy (Dietrich) an alluring saloon girl who belts out unforgettable show-stoppers like ""The Boys in the Back Room "" while winning the hero's heart. Shenandoah (Dir. Andrew V. McLaglen 1965): James Stewart stars as a Virginia farmer during the Civil War. He refuses to support the Confederacy because he is opposed to slavery yet he will not support the Union because he is deeply opposedito war. When his son is taken prisoner Stewart goes to search for the boy. Seeing first-hand the horrors of war he is at last forced to take his stand...
Ladies Who Do: Whilst financier, James Ryder, discusses a potential take-over deal, he is unaware that Mrs. Cragg, his cleaning lady, is busy polishing the floor beneath his desk. After Ryder leaves, Mrs Cragg retrieves an un-smoked cigar from the wastepaper bin, wraps it in a crumpled telegram, and takes it for her next cleaning client, Colonel Whitforth. The Colonel gladly accepts the cigar, but is even more excited by the contents of the telegram, which allow him to make a cool 5,000 on the stock market! But when the city financiers decide to redevelop the cleaners' houses, they soon find out that the 'ladies who do'.The Boy Who Stole A Million: Paco, a 12-year-old boy working in a Valencia bank as a runner, decides to 'borrow' money from the bank in order to pay the repair bill on his father's taxicab. But a bank clerk soon realises that the bank has been robbed and Paco finds himself being chased all over town by the police and local villains.The Battle of the Sexes: Angela Barrows is a man-eating businesswoman sent to investigate export opportunities in Edinburgh. En route she meets Robert MacPherson who wants to bring his company into the 20th century. The staff have other ideas though and a comic battle between the old and new business methods soon breaks out.
Charles and Barbara are a devoted couple who in seven years' marriage have never spent a night apart. When they come up to town for a family engagement an urgent business appointment obliges Charles to let Barbara go on without him. Left alone and bored in the hotel Charles agrees to accompany a man-about-town friend to a nightclub. He gets helplessly drunk among dubious company and come the morning finds that a hangover is the least of his problems..! Noted actor-dramatist Emlyn Williams is the errant husband in this highly engaging pre-war marital comedy also featuring popular leading lady Lesley Brook and Constant Nymph star Leonora Corbett. Night Alone is presented here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. Bonus Features: Image Gallery
Revel in 150 minutes of pure comic brilliance with this six-part series featuring some of Britain's greatest comedy icons!Digging deep into the archives, Make 'Em Laugh features many of British film's favourite comic moments from hilarious horror spoofs to farcical crime capers! Arranged thematically, this series features excerpts from an array of classics and showcases the comedy genius of Alastair Sim, Frankie Howerd, Terry-Thomas, John Cleese, Benny Hill, Will Hay, Kenneth Williams, Harry H. Corbett, Wilfrid Brambell, Mollie Sugden, Leslie Phillips, Marty Feldman, Warren Mitchell, Dick Emery and Sid James.The films covered in this series include:Up Pompeii!Steptoe and SonThe RebelTill Death Us Do PartHoliday on the BusesClockwiseThe Great St. Trinian's Train RobberyAre You Being Served?Every Home Should Have OneRhubarbOoh, You Are AwfulThe Ghost of St. Michael'sand numerous Carry Ons!
A series that's as much about one as the other, the wonderfully funny, touching and utterly genuine Sex and the City dares to portray real adults in a thoroughly realistic environment. Filmed in and around the streets of Manhattan, the show brings New York life--and specifically singles life--alive as no other has done before. Like its HBO stablemate The Sopranos, this is TV for grown-ups: frank and non-patronising, dizzyingly well written and devastatingly accurate in its characterisations. Sarah Jessica Parker plays Carrie Bradshaw, Manhattan's "sexual anthropologist" whose weekly newspaper column gives the series its title. Kristen Davis, Kim Cattrall and Cynthia Nixon are her acerbic, cynical, thirtysomething singleton pals: gossip, sex, men, shoes, shopping, sex, designer clothes, fashion and sex dominate their affluent yet incomprehensibly empty lifestyles as they move from swanky restaurant opening to night club to art exhibition in the relentless pursuit of fulfilment and validation. Conspicuously, the men in their lives--from "toxic bachelors" to "modelisers" and beyond--fail to provide either, leaving the women to pick up the pieces after each shattered relationship. Adapted from Candace Bushnell's bestseller, in the first season Carrie embarks on her long and tortuous liaison with "Mr Big" and watches wryly as her pals seek solace with various members of the male sex, electric appliances and even, disastrously yet briefly, celibacy. On the DVD: Fortunately, 12 outstanding episodes are their own selling point here, since the presentation of these two discs leaves something to be desired. Although Region 2 encoded, inexcusably the broadcast format is American NTSC not PAL, so if you don't have a reasonably modern TV you'll have trouble playing the discs in the first place; there's a tiny promo feature and teaser trailers, plus cast biographies and synopses that pop up at the beginning of every episode. The interface lacks a "Play All" facility, forcing you to skip back and forth from the main menu after each episode. Add to that some pretty nasty packaging and this set won't win any prizes for presentation. But the shows themselves are a constant delight: anyone who's ever dated or been dumped should own this set. --Mark Walker
In this Manhattan-set romantic comedy 40-something florist Genevieve Gernier (Nia Vardalos) has had a tricky time with love. In order to avoid the complications and risks she associates with lasting relationships she has devised a rule for herself that she may have no more than five dates with a man. However her trusted edict is put to the test when she meets Greg Gatlin (John Corbett) a handsome restaurateur who sets up a new business near her shop.
Life has a role for everyone. Mike (Corbett) only wants to perform in great productions. So when a clueless amateur (Marcus Thomas) is given the lead in Cyrano de Bergerac Mike decides he must personally train him. But when real life begins to mimic the play's love triangle and his protg falls for the girl Mike loves but can't commit to (Smart) suddenly it's Mike's turn to learn - not how to act but how to live!
Two professional motorcycle racers (a cossetted professional and a hotheaded privateer) competing in the world motorcycle championships find themselves at odds in a more personal type of competition: they both love the same woman...
With the integrity and depth of an epic Shenandoah tells the dramatic story of a man caught in a dilemma. James Stewart stars as a Virginia farmer during the Civil War. He refuses to support the Confederacy because he is opposed to slavery yet he will not support the Union because he is deeply opposed to war. When his son is taken prisoner Stewart goes to search for the boy. Seeing first-hand the horrors of war he is at last forced to take his stand.
The Best Of The Adventures
The Professionals (Dir. Richard Brooks): Four soldiers of fortune are hired by a wealthy Texan oil baron to rescue his kidnapped wife (Cardinale) who's been spirited across the Mexican border by a band of mercenaries led by Jesus Raza (Palance). The four rugged professionals each regarded as a specialist in his selected field - an expert marksman and tracker (Strode) the explosives master (Lancaster) horse handler (Ryan) and one skilled in tactics and weaponry (Marvin) - make their way across the treacherous landscape to retrieve the beautiful kidappee but discover all is not what it seems... High Plains Drifter (Dir. Clint Eastwood): Eastwood portrays a mysterious stranger who emerges out of the heat waves of the desert and rides into the guilt-ridden town of Lago. After committing three murders and one rape in the first 20 minutes The Stranger is hired by the town to protect it from three gunmen just out of jail. The Stranger then paints the entire town bright red renames it ""Hell "" and supplies Divine retribution in a fiery climax. Tall In The Saddle (Dir. Edwin L. Marin): When a stranger arrives in a western town he finds that the rancher who sent for him has been murdered. Further most of the townsfolk seem to be at each other's throats and the newcomer has soon run contrariwise to most of them... Shenandoah (Dir. Andrew V. McLaglen): James Stewart stars as a Virginia farmer during the Civil War. He refuses to support the Confederacy because he is opposed to slavery yet he will not support the Union because he is deeply opposedito war. When his son is taken prisoner Stewart goes to search for the boy. Seeing first-hand the horrors of war he is at last forced to take his stand...
The Sooty Show was a hugely popular children's TV series featuring the loveable puppets Sooty and Sweep.
Hailed by critics for its heartfelt performances by its powerhouse cast Dreamland is a coming-of-age film about friends and family who test the boundaries of loyalty dependence and love. In the heart of the New Mexico desert lies a trailer park named Dreamland which serves as a haven for healers mourners and passionate romantics. Audrey (Agnes Bruckner) resides here with her father (John Corbett) who lives in an alcohol-induced haze reminiscing about his long-departed wife. When she's not nurturing her father Audrey is encouraging her best friend (Kelli Garner) who is battling a debilitating disease yet dreams of becoming a beauty queen. When an attractive young athlete (Justin Long) moves in next door a love triangle ensues which forces Audrey to choose between pursuing her own desires or staying in Dreamland taking care of everyone else.
In this hilarious programme we revisit some of Ronnie Barker's funniest moments from an illustrious career that has made him one of Britain's best loved comedy heroes. Laugh again at some of the best sketches ever written for television and a few that may have escaped you from his earlier career. In addition to archive interviews with Mr Barker himself we also hear the first hand reflections of his long term partner Ronnie Corbett and others he starred with such as Terry Wogan Erik Sykes Bernard Cribbins and Lynda Baron who all pay tribute to the comic genius that was Ronnie Barker. Although sadly missed Ronnie Barker will continue to entertain us on TV screens for years to come via the comic legacy that is The Two Ronnies Going Straight Open All Hours Porridge and much more.
ITV’s Jaspar Corbett gives a unique insight into how to taste wine in this spectacular DVD. Jaspar Corbett goes back to basics with the help of his wine students. This wine course will entertain everyone form novices to the most experienced of palettes. Always know the perfect wine to accompany any dish. This is a must have for everyone who shares a love of wine!
It's 1862 and the Victoria Turf Club in Melbourne Australia has just announced the highest stakes horse race ever. Young horse handler Dave Power sets off on the journey of a lifetime to take Archer a top contender for the race to Melbourne.
Only Bob Kane the creator of 'Batman' could dream up the weird array of villains that try to befuddle the most debonair detective ever to slip on a trench coat- Cool McCool. Together with his sidekick Breezy his dada Harry and the Komedy Kops Cool McCool foils the dastardly deeds of such wacky criminals as The Rattler and Hurricane Harry in an outrageous assortment of cartoon adventures bursting with cloak and dagger lunacy. Adventures for Cool McCool in 'Bagging The Windbag' 'Big Top Cops' 'In The Dough' 'Will The Real Cool Mobile Please Stand Up' 'Owl On The Prowl' 'Three Men On A House' 'Caps And Robbers' and 'College Of Crooks'.
A scientist predicts the complete depletion of the ozone layer leading to hell on earth. No one believes him until very strange things begin to happen then everyone turns to him for help. But is it too late ?
Rare Breed (1966): In the 1880s Englishwoman Martha Price (Maureen O'Hara) and her daughter Hilary (Juliet Mills) come to America to sell their prize Hereford bull at an auction. When he is purchased by Bowen a wild Scotsman (Brian Keith) the women hire a footloose cowhand named Burnett (James Stewart) to help them transport the animal to its new owner. So begins an adventure that tests the mettle of all involved as they battle killers cattle stampedes and each other. But when they reach Bowen's ranch even greater obstacles force them to summon up extraordinary courage if they and the prize bull are to survive... Shenandoah (1965): James Stewart stars as a Virginia farmer during the Civil War. He refuses to support the Confederacy because he is opposed to slavery yet he will not support the Union because he is deeply opposedito war. When his son is taken prisoner Stewart goes to search for the boy. Seeing first-hand the horrors of war he is at last forced to take his stand...
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy