Lionel Jeffries

One of my favorite character actors since I was a young child, British actor/director Lionel Jeffries, with his bald, egg-shaped head, was fated to play older, often eccentric, men his entire career. In CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, he was, in fact, a year younger than Dick van Dyke who played his son but you'd never know it.

As director, his few films include two memorable productions--THE RAILWAY CHILDREN and THE AMAZING MR. BLUNDEN.

 

The Girls of St. Trinians

Based on a series of popular books and starring or co-starring some of Britain's best--including Alistair Sim, Terry-Thomas, Frankie Howerd, Dennis Price. Sid James, George Cole, Cecil Parker, Joyce Grenfell, Michael Hordern, Thorley Walters and, in the revival. Rupert Everett, David Tennant and Colin Firth--the real stars are the well-organized tribe of wild girls' school students.

Legacy of Satan

Found on several of those 50 Horror Films for $9.99 type DVD sets, LEGACY OF SATAN was a no budget nothing of a seventies horror flick worth noting for exactly two reasons. One is that it was produced and supposedly directed by Gerard Damiano right around the time of his fame with DEEP THROAT. Speculation was that it may have originally had hardcore sex scenes that were cut. The other reason is that it was the first film appearance of the tragic Christa Helm--misbilled here as "Christ" Helm. She has a brief, small role but it's tough to watch since her character is stabbed to death...as she later was in real life. For more on Christa Helm, see our companion blog.