Snowball (1960 film)

Last updated

Snowball
"Snowball" (1960 film).jpg
British quad poster
Directed by Pat Jackson
Written byAnne Francis
Based onnovel Snowball by James Lake
Produced by Leslie Parkyn
Julian Wintle
Starring Gordon Jackson
Kenneth Griffith
Zena Walker
Edited by Peter Taylor
Music by Clifton Parker
Production
company
Distributed by Rank Film Distributors
Release date
  • 1960 (1960) [1]
Running time
69 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Snowball is a 1960 British drama film directed by Pat Jackson and starring Gordon Jackson, Kenneth Griffith and Zena Walker. [2] It is based on the 1958 novel of the same name by James Lake.

Contents

Plot

10-year-old Mickey is late home from school. He tells his parents he was thrown off the school bus by the conductor for not having a ticket, obliging him to walk four miles. The local press makes an issue of the incident and the story snowballs out of control. The conductor, Phil Hart, a former POW with memory problems, is harassed until he collapses on railway tracks and is killed by a train. Mickey finally owns up to lying.

Cast

Production

It was made at Beaconsfield Studios. [1] The film's sets were designed by the art director Harry Pottle.

Critical reception

Monthly Film Bulletin said "Though Pat Jackson's direction misses a few opportunities, this is a fascinating little second feature. The unsophisticated plot, given a few coincidences too many, is well developed and followed through, the everyday characters apart from a naive portrayal of a cub reporter being convincingly interpreted by a well-chosen cast. Zena Walker and Gordon Jackson as the parents, and especially Kenneth Griffith and Daphne Anderson as the accused bus conductor and his loyal wife, play with a minimum of decoration and a maximum of effect in a way that underlines the strength of the film's whole approach." [3]

Kine Weekly said "The picture, which illustrates the saying "O what a tangled web we weave when we first we practise to deceive," occasionally leans on the long arm of coincidence, but, paradoxically enough, the few theatrical tricks sharpen rather than blunt its point. Dennis Waterman is natural and keeps one guessing as Mickey; Zena Walker and Gordon Jackson register as Mary and Bill; and the supporting characters, too, are convincingly drawn. Atmosphere and detail are flawless, and the dialogue flows smoothly. In short, "Snowball" is the ticket." [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Waterman</span> English actor and singer (1948–2022)

Dennis Waterman was an English actor and singer. He was best known for his tough-guy leading roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks, singing the theme tunes of the latter two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Jackson (actor)</span> Scottish actor (1923–1990)

Gordon Cameron Jackson, was a Scottish actor best remembered for his roles as the butler Angus Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs and as George Cowley, the head of CI5, in The Professionals. He also portrayed Capt Jimmy Cairns in Tunes of Glory, and Flt. Lt. Andrew MacDonald, "Intelligence", in The Great Escape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Griffith</span> Welsh actor

Kenneth Griffith was a Welsh actor and documentary filmmaker. His outspoken views made him a controversial figure, especially when presenting documentaries which have been called "among the most brilliant, and controversial, ever made in Britain".

<i>Yancy Derringer</i> American action/adventure TV program

Yancy Derringer is an American action/adventure series that was broadcast on CBS from October 2, 1958, to September 24, 1959, with Jock Mahoney in the title role. It was broadcast from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursdays.

The following is a list of players, both past and current, who appeared in at least one game for the Cleveland American League franchise known as the Blues (1901), Bronchos (1902), Naps (1903–14), Indians (1915–2021), and Guardians (2022–present).

<i>The White Bus</i> 1967 British film by Lindsay Anderson

The White Bus is a 1967 British short drama film directed by Lindsay Anderson and starring Patricia Healey. The screenplay was jointly adapted with Shelagh Delaney from a short story in her collection Sweetly Sings the Donkey (1963). It was the film debut of Anthony Hopkins.

<i>Chain of Events</i> 1958 film

Chain of Events is a 1958 British crime film directed by Gerald Thomas based on a radio play by Leo McKern. It features Susan Shaw, Dermot Walsh, Jack Watling, Freddie Mills and Joan Hickson.

<i>A French Mistress</i> 1960 British film

A French Mistress is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Cecil Parker, James Robertson Justice, Agnès Laurent, Ian Bannen, Raymond Huntley, Irene Handl and Thorley Walters.

<i>Sailor Beware!</i> (1956 film) 1956 British film by Gordon Parry

Sailor Beware! is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Gordon Parry and starring Peggy Mount, Shirley Eaton and Ronald Lewis. It was released in the United States by Distributors Corporation of America in 1957 as Panic in the Parlor.

<i>Flight to Nowhere</i> 1946 film by William Rowland

Flight to Nowhere is a 1946 American film noir crime film directed by William Rowland and starring Alan Curtis, Evelyn Ankers and Micheline Cheirel. An independent film, it was one of the first postwar productions to deal with the atom bomb secrets.

<i>Love Thy Neighbour</i> (1973 film) 1973 British comedy film by John Robins

Love Thy Neighbour is a 1973 British comedy film directed by John Robins and starring Jack Smethurst, Rudolph Walker, Kate Williams and Nina Baden-Semper. It was a spin off from the television series Love Thy Neighbour (1972–76).

<i>The Comedy Man</i> 1964 British film by Alvin Rakoff

The Comedy Man is a 1964 British kitchen sink realism drama film directed by Alvin Rakoff and starring Kenneth More, Cecil Parker, Dennis Price and Billie Whitelaw. It depicts the life of a struggling actor in Swinging London.

<i>Danger Tomorrow</i> 1960 British film by Terry Bishop

Danger Tomorrow is a 1960 British second feature noir crime film directed by Terry Bishop and starring Zena Walker, Robert Urquhart and Rupert Davies.

<i>Night Train for Inverness</i> 1960 British film by Ernest Morris

Night Train for Inverness is a black and white 1960 British drama film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Norman Wooland, Jane Hylton and Dennis Waterman.

<i>Hello London</i> 1960 British film by Sidney Smith

Not to be confused with the 1951 re-release of It Happened in Leicester Square (1949), re-titled Hello London.

<i>The Diamond</i> (film) 1954 British film by Montgomery Tully

The Diamond is a 1954 British film noir crime film directed by Montgomery Tully/Dennis O'Keefe and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Margaret Sheridan and Philip Friend. It is based on the 1952 novel Rich Is the Treasure by Maurice Procter. It was released by United Artists in Britain and in America, where it was known as The Diamond Wizard.

<i>The Big Day</i> (1960 film) 1960 film by Peter Graham Scott

The Big Day is a 1960 black and white British "B" drama film directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring Donald Pleasence, Harry H. Corbett, Andrée Melly and Colin Gordon.

Seducing Charlie Barker is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Amy Glazer, starring Daphne Zuniga, Stephen Barker Turner, Heather Gordon and David Wilson Barnes. It is an adaptation of writer Theresa Rebeck's play The Scene.

References

  1. 1 2 "Snowball (1960)". Archived from the original on 10 October 2016.
  2. ↑ "Snowball". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "Snowball". Monthly Film Bulletin . 27 (312): 131. 1960 – via ProQuest.
  4. ↑ "Snowball". Kine Weekly . 518 (2755): 27. 21 July 1960 – via ProQuest.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.