Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie Game

 
This young lady is simply aghast about something... or someone. We're not asking you to guess who or what it is, your task is just to identify the film that this screenshot came from. We'll give you three guesses..or four...or five. In fact, there's no limit to the number of times you can guess!

As always, if you are not familiar with the rules of the game or the prize, simply click here.

The Flight That Disappeared ( 1961 )

Terror in the Sky....beyond known flight!

Just when you thought you explored all the sci-fi films of the 1960s, "new" titles appear in a book or while browsing online. For us, it was The Flight that Disappeared that magically appeared. If the title is new to you, too, it is probably because it was never released on VHS or DVD....and because it was produced by a not-so-famous independent production company: Harvard Film Corp. 

Today, it is available for viewing on Youtube and through streaming services such as Amazon Prime and Sling TV. The film is not worth going out of your way to track down but if it is easily accessible then give it a peek, you'll find it to be better than most B-films. 

The movie begins on a jetliner en route to Washington D.C. Onboard is a nuclear physicist, a rocket expert, and a mathematical genius ( Craig Hill, Dayton Lummis, Paula Raymond ) who are all going to attend a conference at the Pentagon. Also onboard is a blind woman and her rather crazy husband ( Meg Wyllie and Harvey Stephens ), a pretty stewardess ( Nancy Hale ), and a handsome Dick Tracy-ish pilot ( John Bryant ). The flight begins smoothly until a mysterious force takes over the controls from the pilot and he finds the plane climbing on its own. It keeps right on climbing and climbing and climbing, even beyond the altitude that the jet was capable of withstanding. As the poster proclaims....What mysterious force took over the controls? 

It is at this point in the script that the film moves from an airplane adventure theme to science-fiction. Its plot may be a bit far-fetched for some, but there is a nice twist at the end that helps to ground it a bit more. 

The Flight that Disappeared has a runtime of only 72 minutes so it is a breeze to watch and the film features a great cast of B-actors. Craig Hill did a small number of films in the 1950s before he moved to Spain and became a lead actor in spaghetti westerns. He is best known for playing P.T. Moore in the television series The Whirlybirds ( 1957-1960 ). Paula Raymond had a long career in film and television but had few leading roles. Instead, she is best known for her appearances on Perry Mason ( and oddly enough, she resembles Della Street in this film ). 

John Bryant was also a frequent guest star on Perry Mason, but he is best known for playing Mark Fleming, the nephew of bank president John Fleming in the Vincent Price horror classic The Bat ( 1959 ) which, like this film, was released by Allied Artists. Interestingly, Harvey Stephens, who played John Fleming in The Bat, has a small part in this film, too. And lastly, there is Dayton Lummis, a very recognizable character actor who should have been given better parts than what he usually played. Right after filming wrapped on The Flight that Disappeared, Lummis teamed up with Craig Hill for another Harvard Film Corp. production - the drive-in classic Deadly Duo. 

Ready to take a look at The Flight that Disappeared? Grab yourself some popcorn and sit back and enjoy it right here. 

Mae West Singing "Light My Fire"

"There are no good girls gone wrong...just bad girls found out"

This sounds like the lyrics of a rock song, but instead, these are words from the tongue of Mae West, one of the most famous actresses of the 1930s. This sassy bombshell certainly knew how to play the bad girl, both onscreen and off. With her hefty bosom and her opulent hips, she knew how to sashay around a room and magnetically attract men to herself. Mae West was a refreshing sensation in the 1930s and 1940s, and as she got older, she didn't let her age stop her from enjoying life to its fullest. 

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough" she famously said. She opened up her own one-woman show in Las Vegas where she surrounded herself on stage with wall-to-wall muscle men, invested in real estate, wrote several books, and also recorded two rock-n-roll albums. Her first album, cleverly titled "Way Out West" ( 1966 ), became a surprise chart topper and a few crazy teens actually danced to Mae singing such pop hits as "Twist and Shout", "Shakin' All Over" and "Day Tripper". But even more extraordinary was Mae's follow-up album ( released six years later ) called "Great Balls of Fire". This rad album featured Mae singing such rock songs as "Rock Around the Clock", "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", "The Naked Ape" and her very own version of The Doors' classic "Light My Fire". Rock on, Mae! 

Check it out here! 

Mae West's Great Balls of Fire Album

Watching Free Classic TV on Roku

Last month my sister and I bought ourselves a Roku and we have just begun to explore the classic movie and TV treasures to be found with this device. We first discovered the apps and then started unearthing all the channels within the Live TV stations....there are hundreds of them! 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a Roku is, it is a small device that you place near your television set and it allows you to stream films, tv shows, and live TV channels through your internet connection. Many new smart television sets come with Roku already installed, but since we own an older "dumb" television we bought a Roku Express player ( $24.99 ). You simply plug it into a power outlet and then attach the HDMI cable to your TV and presto! you'll have a neverending supply of stuff to watch. 

As with most streaming services, the films and tv series that are offered are not permanent. For example, Green Acres may be available for the spring/summer season and then it gets replaced with The Waltons. Right now, many of the apps are offering mystery/horror-themed films for the Halloween season. We won't even touch on the films, right now we want to share a list of what apps feature what television series to make it a little bit easier for you to navigate if you happen to have a Roku - or are thinking of buying one. 

Note: We missed a number of series, so we'll update this post as we come across "new" titles. 

Classic TV Series You Can Watch with No Subscription Services

PEACOCK TV 

Peacock is the new kid on the block direct from NBC but has a really nice selection already. It features some shows that other streaming apps don't offer so it is well worth adding to your homepage. 

1950s Series

• Father Knows Best
• Dennis the Menace

1960s Series

• The Munsters
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents
• Alfred Hitchcock Hour
• Leave it to Beaver

1970s Series

• The Carol Burnett Show
• The Rockford Files
• Little House on the Prairie
• Columbo
• Good Times

1980s Series

• Unsolved Mysteries
• Cheers
• Highway to Heaven
• Murder, She Wrote
• The Ray Bradbury Theater
• Saved by the Bell
• Punky Brewster
• Cheers

1990s Series

• Sliders
• Downtown Abbey
• Frasier
• Everybody Loves Raymond
• The Jeff Foxworthy Show

THE ROKU CHANNEL

The Roku Channel has a very large selection of programs as well as some great movies to watch. And if you don't feel like watching a program "on demand" you can tune into its Live TV app and browse nearly 200 channels such as the Western channel, the Sci-Fi channel, the Classic TV channel and even The Carol Burnett Show Channel. If you want to watch it right now ( even without buying a Roku ) just head on over to their website: https://therokuchannel.roku.com/

1950s Series

• Father Knows Best
• The Rebel
• Car 54, Where are You
• The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
• Fury
• The Lone Ranger
• The Cisco Kid
• Annie Oakley
• Tombstone Territory
• Tales of Wells Fargo
• Dick Tracy
• Decoy
• Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

1960s Series

• Dennis the Menace
• Bewitched
• The Real McCoys
• The Munsters
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents
• Alfred Hitchcock Hour
• Leave it to Beaver
• Peter Gunn
• Danger Man
• The Patty Duke Show
• Green Acres
• Flipper
• The Donna Reed Show
• Peter Gunn
• The Outer Limits
• The Saint
• Route 66
• The Beverly Hillbillies
• The Flying Nun
• That Girl
• The Naked City
• My Favorite Martian
• The Dick Van Dyke Show
• The Rifleman
• Petticoat Junction
• Hazel
• I Dream of Jeannie
• Thunderbirds
• Supercar
• The Addams Family

1970s Series

• The Carol Burnett Show
• The Rockford Files
• Little House on the Prairie
• Thriller
• Starsky and Hutch
• S.W.A.T
• Magnum P.I
• Charlie's Angels
• Benson
• The A-Team
• Movin' On
• UFO

1980s Series

• Unsolved Mysteries
• Xena
• Highway to Heaven
• Hart to Hart
• Murder, She Wrote
• The Ray Bradbury Theater
• Saved by the Bell
• The Johnny Carson Show
• Hunter
• Cagney and Lacey
• Silver Spoons
• Quantum Leap
• Alf
• Airwolf
• The Greatest American Hero
• T.J. Hooker
• The Facts of Life
• Coach

1990s Series

• Touch by an Angel
• Hawkeye
• Sliders
• Downtown Abbey
• Frasier
• Beyond Belief
• Mr. Bean
• Cybill

TUBI

Tubi is one of the mega-players and offers over 20,000 episodes of classic shows to watch, all for free ( there are commercials of course but not nearly as many as you'll find watching MeTV or Antenna TV ). 

1950s Series

• Four Star Playhouse
• Foreign Intrigue
• Adventures of Jim Bowie
• Our Miss Brooks
• Mister Peepers
• Tales from Wells Fargo
• The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
• Lights Out
• The Life of Riley
• Date with the Angels
• The Adventures of Sir Lancelot
• Hawkeye
• The Adventures of Robin Hood
• Frontier Doctor

1960s Series

• Scooby Doo, Where Are You?
• Thriller
• I Dream of Jeannie
• The Donna Reed Show
• The Flintstones
• The Andy Griffith Show
• Family Affair
• My Living Doll
• The French Chef
• The Adventures of Batman ( animated series )
• Petticoat Junction
• The Mothers-in-Law
• The Prisoner
• Bewitched
• The Dick Van Dyke Show
• Underdog
• My Favorite Martian
• The Beverly Hillbillies
• Gidget
• Route 66
• The Saint
• Pippi Longstocking
• The Flying Nun
• The Doris Day Show
• Secret Agent Man
• Stingray
• The Dick Cavett Show
• Professor Balthazar
• Captain Scarlett and the Mysterions
• Fireball XL5
• The Lucy Show
• At Last the 1948 Show
• Davey and Goliath
• The Merv Griffin Show
• Ultraman
• The Glen Campbell Hour
• The Westerner
• The Joey Bishop Show
• The New Three Stooges
• Cool McCool
• Joe 90
• Tate
• The Secret Service
• Krazy Kat
• Batman
• Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in
• Space Angel

1970s Series

• The Partridge Family
• Sapphire and Steel
• Charlies Angels
• Fantasy Island
• Dark Shadows
• Archie
• Hammer House of Horror
• Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels
• The Addams Family ( animated series )
• Space: 1999
• Soap
• Tales of the Unexpected
• Emmerdale
• The Sandbaggers
• The New Adventures of Flash Gordon
• Police Woman
• CPO Sharkey
• Ultraman Ace
• The Johnny Carson Show
• Thriller
• Battlestar Gallactica
• Buck Rogers in the 21st Century
• Logan's Run
• The Jeffersons
• The Rockford Files
• That's My Mama
• Grady
• Maude

1980s Series

• The New Scooby Doo Mysteries
• Designing Women
• Jem
• Ace Crawford, Private Eye
• Tim Conway Comedy Hour
• Mr. T
• Family
• Hart to Hart
• Columbo
• Alf
• The Transformers
• V
• 221
• What's Happening Now
• My Two Dads

1990s Series

• Hercules
• Xena
• Mr. Bean ( animated series )
• Zorro
• The Nanny

Just Like the Saint! - Roger Moore Off Screen

He's six foot two, fair-haired, and fabulously handsome. He's one of the world's best-dressed men and he's tough. He drives a racy, 100 mile-an-hour-plus sports car and travels internationally. He's outside the law, but he always gets his man - and his girl. He's The Saint. The man who plays him on the TV screen is of course Roger Moore. And all the things The Saint is you can say Roger Moore is - well practically all the things. 

Roger, born in London, travels the world. He tends to regard Rome as his home. But once it was California that was home to him. 

In his early days, Roger mainly played French parts and, thorough in everything he does, he went to France to learn the language and customs. He now speaks perfect French, German, and Italian - as does The Saint, who adds Portuguese and Russian to his list of languages! 

The Saint, created by Leslie Charteris 30 years ago, has always been a favourite with Roger Moore. 

"I feel I've known him, admired him, and understood him all my life," he says. Before he landed the role, he was so keen to play the part that he tried to buy the TV rights of The Saint books - all 110 of them! 

Roger began acting when he was 16. His first part after training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art was as a gendarme. He says: "I was stuck under a gendarme's hat and my parents who came to see the show didn't recognize me!"

After that, nearly all his roles were in costume. In repertory it was all tennis shorts and big brass hats. In Hollywood - and films - he wore "long wigs, tin armour, more helmets, tropical gear, long hair and beards, togas, more armour and army rig."

On TV there was the Ivanhoe series with chain mail and lots of lusty sword-play; The Alaskans series which called for parkas and furs; and the Maverick series in which he wore the fancy and elegant suitings of Beau. 

Now the clothes Roger needs for his part as Simon Templar, the Saint, he supplies from his own extensive and expensive wardrobe. "It's nice to know the socks I choose in the morning can stay on all day," he says. 

Roger is the tenth actor to play The Saint, though the first on TV. The other nine were Louis Hayward, George Sanders, Hugh Sinclair, Felix Marten - in French films only, Edgar Varrier - on American radio, Tom Conway, Vincent Price, Brian Aherne and Barry Sullivan. 

Looking back on his career so far, Roger Moore says, "I don't think I've really done anything I can be proud of. The worst part in the world is a hero. In reality, heroes are highly improbable - they always win. I think I would enjoy acting more if I played villains. They are more meaty roles, even if they are often smaller. And they are much nearer life as it really is."

Roger has plans to start a company for independent film productions. "The days of the big studios are numbered," he says. "TV has taken over but there is still scope for good films. I'd like to make some."

As The Saint, Roger tries to show that everyone - including Simon Templar - is human. "I try to be as real and honest as possible," he says. "That is why The Saint TV series has changed from the normal cops-and-robbers style of thing. I am trying to show a man who though almost a superman at times is very much a human being in reality."

However, for the moment, the role of the Saint - the man with all the time in the world on his hands- keeps Roger Moore pretty busy. He doesn't even get much chance for a social life. 

Still, Roger - son of a London policeman - seems to get a mighty big kick out of whatever he's doing, wherever he happens to be. 

Just like The Saint, in fact! 

This article originally appeared in STAR T.V. and Film Annual 1967 published by Odhams Books Ltd. Movie Magazine Articles, another one of our ongoing series, feature articles like this reprinted for our reader's entertainment. Click here to find more posts in this series!

Note: The article neglected to point out that Roger also had a hand in directing many of The Saint episodes. And it is interesting that Roger Moore thought he had not done any roles that he could be proud of, for after The Saint his career really took off and he had some smashing good parts. 

From the Archives: The Hasty Heart ( 1949 )

 

Ronald Reagan was not only a great president but a great actor, too. His most recognized film is King's Row ( 1942 ) but we think The Hasty Heart ( 1949 ) ranks up there right along with it. Ronald gave a standout performance as a dying soldier in this wartime drama that also starred the beautiful Patricia Neal.

From the Archives is our latest series of posts where we share photos from the Silverbanks Pictures collection. Some of these may have been sold in the past, and others may still be available for purchase at our eBay store : http://stores.ebay.com/Silverbanks-Pictures