"Actor: Earl Holliman"

• The Bridges At Toko-Ri | DVD | (13/10/2003) from £9.89   |  Saving you £6.10 (61.68%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A powerful study of courage in the face of irrational odds, The Bridges at Toko-Ri (based on James Michener's novel) is no less patriotic than many other war films, but it dispenses with the gung-ho bluster to focus on the very real and tragic consequences of war. This is also one of the first films to openly criticise the morality of the Korean War while praising the honour and integrity of the men who fought it. Lt Harry Brubaker (William Holden) is one of those men: a lawyer with a loving wife (Grace Kelly) and two young daughters, who is recalled to duty from the Navy Reserve, his mission; to fly with a bomber jet squadron over one of the Communists' most heavily protected targets, the strategically vital bridges in the Korean canyon of Toko-Ri. Brubaker has his own noble protection from his fellow pilots (including Charles McGraw in a fine supporting role), admiring admiral (Frederic March), and from the helicopter scouts (Mickey Rooney, Earl Holliman) who saved his life on a previous missions. But his ambivalence--and his fear that the Toko-Ri mission will be his last--is what gives the film its potent emotional impact. Holden is perfect in his role, and director Mark Robson steadfastly avoids any false sentiment or macho theatrics that would diminish the film's devastating climax. The Bridges at Toko-Ri is also a superlative showcase for the naval operations; the aerial sequences earned an Oscar for special effects and the Navy's cooperation assures total authenticity in the "flat-top" aircraft carrier scenes. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Forbidden Planet | Blu Ray | (04/10/2010) from £8.75   |  Saving you £9.24 (105.60%)   |  RRP £17.99

  This 1956 pop adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest is one of the best, most influential science fiction movies ever made. Its space explorers are the models for the crew of Star Trek's Enterprise, and the film's robot is clearly the prototype for Robby in Lost in Space. Walter Pidgeon is the Prospero figure, presiding over a paradisiacal world with his lovely young daughter and their servile droid. When the crew of a spaceship lands on the planet, they become aware of a sinister invisible force that threatens to destroy them. Great special effects and a bizarre electronic score help make Forbidden Planet as fresh, imaginative and fun as it was when first released.

• The Sons Of Katie Elder | DVD | (06/06/2005) from £5.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (116.86%)   |  RRP £12.99

  John Wayne recovered from his first bout of cancer to appear in 1965's The Sons of Katie Elder as the brother of Dean Martin, Earl Holliman and Michael Anderson Jr. All four characters are wandering souls prone to trouble, but after the funeral of their frontier mother, they set out to avenge her death. Directed by Henry Hathaway (Wayne's director on True Grit), the film moves like a conventional, latter-day Western, with good performances from Wayne and Martin, who'd already costarred with the Duke in Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo. There's also nice support from Dennis Hopper (who had a legendary conflict with Hathaway on this film), Strother Martin and George Kennedy. --Tom Keogh

• The Sons of Katie Elder (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (15/09/2020) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Gunfight At The OK Corral | DVD | (25/09/2006) from £6.33   |  Saving you £9.66 (152.61%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A gang of ruthless outlaws...a pair of larger-than-life heroes...a timeless tale of good versus evil. Acclaimed actors Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas team up to rid Tombstone Arizona of the murderous Clanton gang in this all-star action-packed classic. When lawman Wyatt Earp (Lancaster) and gunfighter ""Doc"" Holiday (Douglas) ride into town they find themselves pitted against one of the biggest foes ever encountered in the form of Ike Clanton (Lyle Bettger) and his ruthless gang. It isn't long before the confrontation explodes into a survival-at-all-costs battle with Rhonda Fleming Jo Van Fleet John Ireland Dennis Hopper Deforest Kelley Martin Milner and Lee Van Cleef among those swept into the drama and excitement of one of the Wild West's most legendary events!

• Sons of Katie Elder | Blu Ray | (27/02/2023) from £8.00   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Katie Elder Bore Four Sons...and the day she is buried they all return home to Clearwater, Texas, to pay their last respects. John Wayne is the eldest and toughest son, the gunslinger. Tom (Dean Martin) is the gambler and good with a gun when he has to be. Matt (Earl Holliman) is the quiet one nobody ever called him yellow twice. Bud (Michael Anderson, Jr.) is the youngest. Any hope for respectability lies with him. Directed by Henry Hathaway (True Grit ), an acknowledged master of the Western, the story has a dual theme; not only is this a he-man's story, but it is also a drama of the maternal influence of Katie Elder, movingly portrayed from beginning to conclusion.

• The Thorn Birds: Series 1 | DVD | (01/11/2004) from £13.24   |  Saving you £7.75 (58.53%)   |  RRP £20.99

  The second most-watched mini-series (after Roots) of all time, The Thorn Birds was originally broadcast in 1983 and captivated viewers with its story of a lifelong conflict between the spirit and the flesh. Adapted from the bestselling novel by Colleen McCullough, the production stars Richard Chamberlain as a Catholic priest named Ralph de Bricassart, whose life in Australia between 1920 and 1962 is one long torment as he pines for his lover, Meggie Carson (Rachel Ward), while seeking advancement in his clergyman career. The passion and the guilt make for compelling drama, but a stellar cast of supporting players adds muscle to the proceedings: Barbara Stanwyck (who won an Emmy for her work as Meggie's tough grandmother), Jean Simmons, Richard Kiley, Christopher Plummer, Bryan Brown, and Mare Winningham. Chamberlain, who was something of the king of the miniseries form at the time, is very good in the lead, as is the often-underrated Ward. Their affair is indeed irresistible to watch, which proves to be true, too, of the story's thick weave of church politics, forbidden desire, social change over decades, and family secrets. --Tom Keogh

• Forbidden Planet | DVD | (18/06/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In the year 2257 a distant colony has three inhabitants. Professor Morbius his bewitching daughter and Robby the Robot. When a space cruiser from Earth lands on the planet a deadly secret is revealed that could spell doom for all on the planet... Shakespeare's ""The Tempest"" is transformed into this landmark science-fiction film which features groundbreaking special effects.

• Anzio | DVD | (13/09/2004) from £4.29   |  Saving you £1.70 (39.63%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Available for the first time on DVD! Robert Mitchum Peter Falk and Arthur Kennedy star in the rivetting war drama Anzio a vivid portrait of one of the bloodiest WWII battles ever fought. After landing with Allied troops at Anzio Italy in 1944 war correspondent Dick Ennis (Mitchum) and buddy Corporal Rabinoff (Falk) tell Anzio commander General Lesley (Kennedy) that the road to Rome is wide open. But instead of heading to Rome Lesley attempts to build a coastal stronghold only

• Giant (Special Edition) | DVD | (28/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  The American domestic epic endured long into the post-war era, with Giant (1956) one of its last real manifestations. Director George Stevens gets real panoramic sweep in his adaptation of Edna Ferber's novel of social and economic change in rural Texas from the 1920s to the 1950s. Rock Hudson is imposing if uninvolving as rancher Vernon Reata II, constantly torn between his image and his humanity. As his wife Lesley, Elizabeth Taylor gives one of her most rounded performances as the Maryland girl whose liberal outlook causes friction within the social (and racial) mindset of the insular community as it lurches from rigid conservatism to mindless materialism over three decades. The film is best remembered for James Dean in what was his third and last screen appearance. He cuts a distinctive figure as Jet Rink, social outcast turned oil tycoon. The bravura of his inebriated speech before an empty banqueting hall would be no less memorable had his career not been curtailed days after shooting ended. The secondary roles are decently taken: look out for a teenage Denis Hopper, sallow but likeable as the gauche Vernon Reata III. On the DVD: Giant is evenly divided over two discs. Widescreen picture quality is excellent and the remastered soundtrack gives Dimitri Tiomkin's score a new lease of life. A laudable 56 chapter points are provided, with dubbing in English, French and Italian and subtitles in eight languages. A running commentary, though informative, is really for aficionados only, but the 45 minutes (on the second disc) of George Stevens recollections from heavyweights such as Herman J. Mankiewicz, Alan J Pakula and Fred Zinnemann ideally complements this sprawling but often compulsive old-school American movie. --Richard Whitehouse

• Gunfight at the O.K. Corral 60th Anniversary (BD) | Blu Ray | (29/05/2017) from £5.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas star as larger-than life heroes in this classic Western epic directed by John Sturges. Frontier lawman Wyatt Earp (Lancaster) joins his three brothers in their feud against the villainous Clanton gang, a local clan of cattle thieves in Tombstone, Arizona. When Earp defends the sickly gambler John Doc Holliday (Douglas) and puts a stop to the Clanton's lawlessness, the ruthless outlaws seek revenge and murder one of Earp's brothers. This leads the men into the most devastating showdown in Wild West history! Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is a timeless, cinematic tale of good versus evil.

• Forbidden Planet | Blu Ray | (07/12/2020) from £14.65   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Forbidden Planet is the granddaddy of tomorrow, a pioneering work whose ideas and style would be reverse-engineered into many cinematic space voyages to come. Leslie Nielsen plays the commander who brings his space-cruiser crew to Planet Altair-4, home to Dr Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), his daughter (Anne Francis), a dutiful robot named Robby and a mysterious terror. Featuring sets of extraordinary scale and the first all-electronic musical soundscape in film history, Forbidden Planet is in a movie orbit all its own. Special Features: Deleted Scenes and Lost Footage 2 Follow-Up Vehicles Starring Robby the Robot Feature Film The Invisible Boy The Thin Man TV Series Episode Robot Client TCM Original Documentary Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us 2 Featurettes: Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet, Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon Excerpts from The MGM Parade TV Series Theatrical Trailers of Forbidden Planet and The Invisible Boy

• Anzio/Cockleshell Heroes/Hellcats of the Navy | DVD | (08/01/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Anzio (1968): Robert Mitchum Peter Falk and Arthur Kennedy star in the rivetting war drama Anzio a vivid portrait of one of the bloodiest WWII battles ever fought. After landing with Allied troops at Anzio Italy in 1944 war correspondent Dick Ennis (Mitchum) and buddy Corporal Rabinoff (Falk) tell Anzio commander General Lesley (Kennedy) that the road to Rome is wide open. But instead of heading to Rome Lesley attempts to build a coastal stronghold only to discover that the Germans have outflanked them by enclosing the Anzio beachhead. Four months and over 30 000 casualties later the Allied forces smash through the German lines and victoriously march to Rome. Directed by Edward Dmytryk Anzio is a powerful film and a symbol of heroic tenacity. Cockleshell Heroes (1955): In World War II Royal Marine Major Stringer (Jose Ferrer) and Captain Thompson (Trevor Howard) chose volunteers for an unknown job. They trained the volunteers intensively in top secrecy for more than a year and then embarked with them on the most dangerous mission of the war - the canoe invasion of an enemy-held French port for the purpose of blowing up the giant battleships. The ten ""canoe commandoes"" were carried to their jump-off point by submarine despite a depth-charge attack. Facing fantastic hazards they paddled 70 miles through enemy waters to complete their mission. But only two survivors would return... Hellcats Of The Navy: (1957) US Navy submarines bravely try to penetrate the heavily-mined entrance to the Sea of Japan in order to sink enemy shipping which are carrying coal food and iron from China to the Japanese homeland.

• Last Train From Gun Hill | DVD | (06/06/2005) from £12.99   |  Saving you £3.00 (23.09%)   |  RRP £15.99

  'Last Train From Gun Hill' is the ultimate revenge tale set in an unlawful Old West... The Marshal's trail to find his wife's murderer leads him to the town of Gun Hill where he discovers the son of an old ally is responsible for the crime. A dangerous game of cat-and-mouse unfolds as the Marshall is trapped in a race against time to avenge his wife's death before he can catch the last train out of town...

• Anzio/Cockleshell Heroes/Night of the Generals | DVD | (04/07/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Anzio (1968): Robert Mitchum Peter Falk and Arthur Kennedy star in the rivetting war drama Anzio a vivid portrait of one of the bloodiest WWII battles ever fought. After landing with Allied troops at Anzio Italy in 1944 war correspondent Dick Ennis (Mitchum) and buddy Corporal Rabinoff (Falk) tell Anzio commander General Lesley (Kennedy) that the road to Rome is wide open. But instead of heading to Rome Lesley attempts to build a coastal stronghold only to discover that the Germans have outflanked them by enclosing the Anzio beachhead. Four months and over 30 000 casualties later the Allied forces smash through the German lines and victoriously march to Rome. Directed by Edward Dmytryk Anzio is a powerful film and a symbol of heroic tenacity. Cockleshell Heroes (1955): In World War II Royal Marine Major Stringer (Jose Ferrer) and Captain Thompson (Trevor Howard) chose volunteers for an unknown job. They trained the volunteers intensively in top secrecy for more than a year and then embarked with them on the most dangerous mission of the war - the canoe invasion of an enemy-held French port for the purpose of blowing up the giant battleships. The ten ""canoe commandoes"" were carried to their jump-off point by submarine despite a depth-charge attack. Facing fantastic hazards they paddled 70 miles through enemy waters to complete their mission. But only two survivors would return... Night Of The Generals (1967): Five years after their triumphant teaming in Lawrence of Arabia Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif reunited for this powerful World War II thriller about a Nazi General who becomes a serial killer. When a Polish prostitute is brutally murdered in Nazi-occupied Warsaw her killer is identified as a German General. The investigator Major Grau (Sharif) narrows the suspects to three Generals in the German high command: the heroic Tanz (O'Toole) the cynical Kahlenberge (Donald Pleasence) and the weak Von Seidlitz-Gabler (Charles Gray). For years the crime remains unsolved until the killer strikes again bringing this mesmerising mystery to its unforgettable finish. Also starring Christopher Plummer Tom Courtney Philippe Noiret and Joanna Pettet The Night Of The Generals is an all-star thriller from a master of the form.

• Broken Lance | DVD | (21/02/2005) from £8.10   |  Saving you £1.89 (18.90%)   |  RRP £9.99

  'Broken Lance' is a remake of 'House Of Strangers' (1949) which was also remade as 'The Big Show' (1961). All three are based loosely on Shakespeare's play 'King Lear'. Tyrannical cattle baron Matt Devereaux (Spencer Tracy) has raised his older sons harshly leaving them neglected and bitter particularly Ben (Richard Widmark). Matt's youngest son Joe (Robert Wagner) however receives the most attention from Matt's wife a Comanche Indian (Katy Jurado). Joe remains loyal even t

• Last Train From Gun Hill | Blu Ray | (07/01/2022) from £30.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn headline this suspenseful western which follows U.S. Marshal Matt Morgan (Douglas) on the trail of his wife's killer. Adding a dark twist to the tale-the suspect's father is Morgan's long-time friend, cattle baron Craig Beldon (Quinn). Morgan is determined to capture the killer and take him away by the 9:00 train, against all odds. Directed by John Sturges (Gunfight at the O.K. Corral), one of the greatest filmmakers of the Western genre.

• The Sons Of Katie Elder (2012 re-pack) | DVD | (06/08/2012) from £5.38   |  Saving you £7.61 (141.45%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Ranch owner Katie Elder's four sons determine to avenge the murder of their father and the swindling of their mother.

• The Burning Hills | DVD | (14/09/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Race Against the Harvest | DVD | (28/05/2007) from £12.98   |  Saving you £-7.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  A dramatic story of hatred, friendship and survival.When you're a dirt-poor farmer trying to eke out a living, you need good neighbours. But there's little love lost between Walter Duncan (Wayne Rogers, M*A*S*H*) and his neighbour, Krab Hogan (Earl Holliman, The Rainmaker).Now Walter need's Krab's combine to harvest his wheat before a storm destroys the crop. Krab refuses to help, and in revenge Walter sets up a rival harvesting business. The men's bitter feud escalates to the point where they might kill each other until Walter learns the truth about the secret that has poisoned their relationship for so many years.