Showing posts with label David Niven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Niven. Show all posts

Saturday, 29 September 2018

1969, Film: "Le cerveau" ("The Brain")

The French-Italian comedy film "Le cerveau" was released on 7 March 1969 in France. The film was directed Gérard Oury and written by Marcel Jullian and Danièle Thompson. Main stars are Jean-Paul Belmondo and Bourvil as two French scammers , David Niven as a British Army Colonel who is also "The Brain" behind a criminal organisation and Eli Wallach as a Italian mafioso. The music was composed by Georges Delerue with songs by The American Breed and Caterina Caselli.

Synopsis
Two French thieves, Arthur (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and Anatole (Bourvil) plan to rob a train transferring NATO funds from Paris to Brussels. Little do they know that a criminal organisation led by "The Brain" (David Niven) has the same intention...
Jean-Paul Belmondo as Arthur Lespinasse and Bourvil as Anatole
David Niven as Colonel Carol Matthews and
Eli Wallach as Frankie Scannapieco
Jean-Paul Belmondo as Arthur Lespinasse
Main cast
  • Jean-Paul Belmondo as Arthur Lespinasse
  • Bourvil as Anatole
  • David Niven as Colonel Carol Matthews
  • Eli Wallach as Frankie Scannapieco
  • Silvia Monti as Sofia
  • Raymond Gérôme as Le commissaire bègue
  • Jacques Balutin as L'inspecteur Pochet
  • Henri Attal as a gang member
  • Yves Barsacq as a prison warden
  • Jacques Ciron as L'inspecteur Duboeuf
  • Robert Dalban as a Belgian MP
  • Mario Davidas Jean-François
  • Raoul Delfosse as Belgian MP
  • Tommy Duggan as superintendant Cummings
Jean-Paul Belmondo as Arthur Lespinasse and Bourvil as Anatole
Silvia Monti as Sofia and David Niven as Colonel Carol Matthew
Jean-Paul Belmondo as Arthur Lespinasse, David Niven as Colonel Carol Matthews
and Bourvil as Anatole
Trivia
"Le cerveau" was filmed in two languages (French and English) with the same cast.


"Le cerveau" trailer (1969)

Saturday, 9 August 2014

1976, Film: “Murder by Death”

On 23 June 1976 the American mystery comedy film "Murder by Death" is released by Columbia Pictures. The film featured an impressive cast with amongst others Truman Capote, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, David Niven, Peter Sellers and Maggie Smith. It was written by Neil Simon and directed by Robert Moore.

The film is a spoof of the traditional whodunit such as Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" with the cast playing parodies of fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Charlie Chan, Nick and Nora Charles, and Sam Spade.


Alec Guinness
Peter Sellers
Truman Capote
Synopsis
The world's most famous detectives are invited to a "dinner and murder" by the wealthy Lionel Twain (Truman Capote). The invitees are: New York amateur detectives Dick (David Niven) and Dora Charleston (Maggie Smith), Belgian detective Milo Perrier (James Coco) accompanied by his chauffeur Marcel (James Cromwell), Chinese Inspector Sidney Wang (Peter Sellers) accompanied by his Japanese adopted son Willie Wang (Richard Narita), British Miss Jessica Marbles (Elsa Lanchester) accompanied by her invalid nurse Miss Withers (Estelle Winwood) and San Francisco detective Sam Diamond (Peter Falk) accompanied by his sidekick Tess Skeffington (Eileen Brennan)...
Left to right: James Coco, James Cromwell, Eileen Brennan, Peter Falk, Richard Narita,
Estelle Winwood, Elsa Lanchester, Peter Sellers, David Niven and Maggie Smith

Eileen Brennan, David Niven and Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith, David Niven and Eileen Brennan
Main Cast
  • Eileen Brennan as Tess Skeffington
  • Truman Capote as Lionel Twain
  • James Coco as Milo Perrier
  • Peter Falk as Sam Diamond
  • Alec Guinness as Bensonmum
  • Elsa Lanchester as Jessica Marbles
  • David Niven as Dick Charleston
  • Peter Sellers as Sidney Wang
  • Maggie Smith as Dora Charleston
  • Nancy Walker as Yetta
  • Estelle Winwood as Miss Withers
  • James Cromwell as Marcel
  • Richard Narita as Willie Wang
Left to right: Richard Narita, Eileen Brennan, James Cromwell, James Coco,
Elsa Lanchester, Estelle Winwood, Peter Falk, David Niven and Maggie Smith
Left to right: Maggie Smith, James Coco, David Niven,
Elsa Lanchester, Peter Falk and Estelle Winwood

"Murder by Death" Trailer

Wednesday, 7 May 2014

1964, Television: “The Rogues”

On 13 September 1964 the American television series “The Rogues” premieres on NBC. The series, created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, stars David Niven, Charles Boyer, Gig Young, Robert Coote and Gladys Cooper. The three leads, Niven, Boyer and Young, rotated in the episodes as their schedules permitted. Gig Young starred more shows since he was less busy otherwise than David Niven or Charles Boyer. The series was cancelled after one season, a total of thirty episodes were produced.
Charles Boyer, Gig Young, David Niven, Robert Coote and Gladys Cooper
Charles Boyer, Gig Young and David Niven
Synopsis
The cousins Marcel St. Clair (Charles Boyer), Timmy St. Clair (Robert Coote), Alexander Fleming (David Niven) and Tony Fleming (Gig Young) are former con-men . They can be persuaded to use their skills in a just cause...
Charles Boyer and Elsa Martinelli in "The Real Russian Caviar" (S01E15)
Gig Young and Gia Scala in "Take Me to Paris" (S01E09)

Main Cast
  • David Niven as Alexander "Alec" Fleming
  • Charles Boyer as Marcel St. Clair
  • Gig Young as Tony Fleming
  • Gladys Cooper as Auntie Margaret St. Clair
  • Robert Coote as Timmy St. Clair
  • John Williams as Inspector Arthur Briscoe
  • Larry Hagman as Mark Fleming
Laura Devon and Gig Young in "Bow to a Master" (S01E21)
Awards
  • Golden Globe for Best TV Show (USA, 1965)

Opening Credits