The Blue Peter | |
---|---|
Directed by | Wolf Rilla |
Written by | Don Sharp John Pudney |
Based on | an original story by Don Sharp |
Produced by | Herbert Mason |
Starring | Kieron Moore Greta Gynt |
Cinematography | Arthur Grant |
Edited by | John Trumper |
Music by | Antony Hopkins |
Production companies | Group Three Productions Beaconsfield Productions |
Distributed by | British Lion Film Corporation (UK) |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
The Blue Peter (US title Navy Heroes) is a 1955 British film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Kieron Moore and Greta Gynt. [1] It was written by Don Sharp and John Pudney. It was released in the United States in December 1957. [2] The film is about youth seamanship at the original Outward Bound in Aberdyfi, Wales, a program similar to Sea Scouting or Sea Cadets.
Shellshocked following his experiences as a POW, naval war hero Mike Merriworth enrols as a physical instructor at an Outward Bound sea school in Wales, and discovers new purpose shaping the lives of the boys in his charge.
It was one of several scripts Don Sharp wrote for Group Three. [3] He had an idea for a film about the Outward Bound Program and researched it at a camp in Wales. Sharp also worked on the film as a second unit director. [4]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Conscientious but hardly inspired, the film fails sufficiently to communicate the central character's mental uncertainty, so that he too often appears little more than a self-pitying boor. It is the youngsters who mainly command the attention; and the final scenes, where a routine hike in the Welsh mountains almost ends in disaster, are effectively done. Despite its faults, the film manages to convey an agreeable open-air atmosphere." [5]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "good", writing: "Persuasive story has genuine warmth, grips and thrills in the right places." [6]
TV Guide wrote, "Several humorous scenes of camping life and a lively group of youngsters brighten an otherwise routine programmer." [7]
The Devil-Ship Pirates is a 1964 British pirate adventure film directed by Don Sharp.
Kieron Moore was an Irish film and television actor whose career was at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s. He may be best remembered for his role as Count Vronsky in the film adaptation of Anna Karenina (1948) with Vivien Leigh.
Greta Gynt was a Norwegian dancer and actress. She is remembered for her starring roles in the British classic films The Dark Eyes of London, Mr. Emmanuel, Take My Life, Dear Murderer and The Ringer.
Forbidden Cargo is a 1954 British crime film directed by Harold French and starring Nigel Patrick, Elizabeth Sellars and Jack Warner.
Man on the Run is a 1949 British film noir directed, written and produced by Lawrence Huntington and starring Derek Farr, Joan Hopkins, Edward Chapman, Kenneth More and Laurence Harvey.
The Ringer is a 1952 British mystery film directed by Guy Hamilton and starring Herbert Lom, Donald Wolfit, Mai Zetterling, Greta Gynt, William Hartnell, and Denholm Elliott. The screenplay was by Lesley Storm and Val Valentine. It was Hamilton's directorial debut and the third English-language sound version of Edgar Wallace's 1929 play based on his 1925 novel The Gaunt Stranger. The previous adaptations were in 1928 (silent), 1931, 1932 (Germany-Austria), and 1938.
My Wife's Family is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Gilbert Gunn and starring Ronald Shiner, Ted Ray, Greta Gynt, Diane Hart and Robertson Hare. It was written by Gunn and Talbot Rothwell.
Wolf Peter Rilla was a film director and writer of German background, who worked mainly in the United Kingdom.
The Green Scarf is a 1954 British mystery film directed by George More O'Ferrall and starring Michael Redgrave, Ann Todd, Leo Genn, Kieron Moore, Richard O'Sullivan and Michael Medwin. The film's plot concerns a man who is accused of a seemingly motiveless murder. The film was shot at Shepperton Studios with sets designed by the art director Wilfred Shingleton. It was written by Gordon Wellesley based on the 1951 Guy des Cars novel The Brute.
The World Ten Times Over is a 1963 British drama film written and directed by Wolf Rilla, and starring Sylvia Syms, June Ritchie, Edward Judd and William Hartnell. Donald Sutherland makes a brief appearance, in one of his earliest roles. The British Film Institute has described it as the first British film to deal with an implicitly lesbian relationship.
Morning Call is a 1957 British thriller film, directed by Arthur Crabtree and starring Greta Gynt and Ron Randell. It was written by Bill Luckwell and Paul Tabori from a story by Leo Townsend. It was distributed in the U.S. by Republic Pictures.
Mr Emmanuel is a 1944 British drama film directed by Harold French and starring Felix Aylmer, Greta Gynt and Walter Rilla.
Recoil is a 1953 British 'B' crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Kieron Moore, Elizabeth Sellars and Edward Underdown.
Bachelor of Hearts is a 1958 British comedy film directed by Wof Rilla starring Hardy Krüger as a German who studies at Cambridge University. It was written by Leslie Bricusse and Frederic Raphael.
Satellite in the Sky is a 1956 British CinemaScope science fiction film in Warner Color, produced by Edward J. Danziger and Harry Lee Danziger, directed by Paul Dickson, and starring Kieron Moore, Lois Maxwell, Donald Wolfit, and Bryan Forbes. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Special effects were by Wally Veevers, who would later work on Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
Conflict of Wings is a 1954 British comedy drama film directed by John Eldridge and starring John Gregson, Muriel Pavlow and Kieron Moore. The film is based on a novel of the same title by Don Sharp who later became a noted director. Villagers in Norfolk rally to prevent the RAF from attempting to use an island for target practice.
The Golden Disc is a 1958 British pop musical film directed by Don Sharp and starring Terry Dene and Mary Steele. It was written by Sharp and Don Nicholl. A young man and woman open a trendy coffee bar and discover a singing star.
The Great Van Robbery is a 1959 black-and-white British crime film starring Denis Shaw and Kay Callard, directed by Max Varnel. It was written by Brian Clemens and Eldon Howard and produced by The Danzigers.
Witness in the Dark is a 1959 British second feature crime drama film directed by Wolf Rilla, and starring Patricia Dainton, Conrad Phillips, Madge Ryan and Nigel Green. It was written by Leigh Vance and John Lemont and produced by Norman Williams.
Group 3 Films was a short lived British film production company that operated from 1951 to 1955.