Stephen Murray Kay Walsh James Fox Meredith Edwards Gladys Henson Thora Hird Michael Brooke Wylie Watson Julien Mitchell Anthony Oliver Molly Hamley-Clifford Harold Goodwin Joan Hickson Joss Ambler Sam Kydd Russell Waters James Robertson Justice, 79mins The long, complicated adventure in the main body of the film is a good, very worthwhile one, but does not have quite the same legendary status as the beginning and ending. Clarke. So, this is Liverpool accent, huh? Born: 19-May-1939 Birthplace: London, England Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Actor Nationality: England Executive summary: A Passage to India Father: Robin Fox (theatrical agent) Mother: Angela Worthington (actress) Brother: Edward Fox (actor, b. 11 year old Johnny Brent (Fox) is home from school during a scarlet fever outbreak, but not making much attempt to stay isolated. | , Writers William Gilbert was an English physician and natural philosopher who wrote a six-volume treatise that compiled all of the information regarding magnetism and electricity known at the time. I worked with many colleagues in Hackney (east London) where they was born bred and worked - most had a beautiful speaking voices and were well spoken. 216726). Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 December 2018. Scene from the classic movie "The Magnet" (1950) in which William (later James) Fox sets his eyes on a younger boy's favorite toy. Kay Walsh. Various other things he overhears confirms his theory. But other than that, for the most part the cast as terribly well spoken. English films from right after the war particularly those from Ealing or Archers are a pretty interesting pocket to mine. It was whilst in Baghdad that he decided to start the Reunion Theatre; this association was designed to help demobilised actors who had been out of the business for several years. (1967), The Chase Fox makes for a great child actor I loved how he uses his arms to signal panic or mischief, particularly when running away from the law throughout. To learn more about how and for what purposes Amazon uses personal information (such as Amazon Store order history), please visit our Privacy Notice. , Rated Collect, curate and comment on your files. Its as if everything is reset in a cultural medium and tastes need to be rediscovered or even reinvented. Scouse accents are notable by their absence, but post-war Liverpool (and New Brighton, across the Mersey) provides a beautiful setting. He appeared in several notable films of the 1960s and early 1970s, including King Rat, The Servant, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Performance, before quitting the screen for several years to be an evangelical Christian. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [2][3], In 1939 Fox and Hillard were living in Dolphin Square, where they became annoyed by their neighbour Unity Mitford's habit of playing loud Nazi marching songs. : : [2] [3] Contents 1 Early life 2 Pre-war career (2011), The Kid Dr. Brent. THE MAGNET (u) (1950). YGD is a gaming initiative for 10-18 year olds which explores how games are made and the skill required to make them through workshops, a video series and an annual competition. Johnny mistakenly thinks she is talking about the little boy himself, and becomes convinced that he is guilty of murder and goes on the runThis is an utterly charming film, with the very photogenic William Fox holding the attention throughout. It was fun to see James Fox as child, he did well even back then. Remove Ads Cast Crew Details Genres Cast I'd simply remembered that it existed, and was amazed to find something about it on this site. Fox started a wine merchant business and also dealt in antiques and pictures. THE MAGNET is an unusual Ealing Studios comedy, seemingly aimed at children but with plenty of satirical elements for the adults. : Feels a lot like a short stretched painfully to feature length, and even then only just. [3][4], The Magnet was filmed on location in and around New Brighton, Wallasey, the Wirral, Cheshire, Liverpool, Ealing and at Ealing Studios, London, in black and white. He did not return to acting until a decade later, but quickly enjoyed success in the role of a haughty but ultimately malleable aristocrat strangely corrupted by his butler (Dirk Bogarde) in Joseph Losey's striking drama, "The Servant" (1963). A boy tricks into stealing a powerful magnet from a younger boy but the magnet gets him into all sorts of trouble that he decides to give it away. Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. After a characteristically stressful Physiology exam, decided to settle down with a movie, and what better than an offering from that beloved British institution, Ealing Studios? Report this film. He was born as the middle son in the family of three children and grew up alongside two brothers in their London mansion. After a six-year interruption for military service in the Second World War, his acting career did not reach the heights of his early years. This review may contain spoilers. Perhaps Fox's finest work in this period came in the bizarre but galvanizing "Performance" (1970), as a vicious hit man on the lam who hides out at a reclusive rock star's (Mick Jagger) mansion and falls prey to a series of bisexual orgies and weird costume changes. William Hubert Fox TD (26 January 1911 - 20 September 2008) was a British character actor and writer. Aside from that, this wasn't too bad I guess. Enter challenges, watch videos, and take part in our annual vote to decide the best film, TV show and game of the year. Clarke . : (1989), Farewell to the King (1986), The Old Curiosity Shop See James Fox full list of movies and tv shows from their career. James Fox. William George Zane, better known as Billy Zane, was born on February 24, 1966 in Chicago, Illinois, to Thalia (Colovos) and William Zane, both of Greek ancestry. Some of the satire (on the profession of psychology, and in the way a false scenario causes the cash for the iron lung to be raised) is lacking in subtlety, but there are a couple of surreal scenes (young Johnny depicted as various types of urchin as the eccentric inventor parlays the story of the generous child into a fairy tale) which must have been quite innovative in 1950. One was Precipice, a play about a ballet, which co-starred dancer Anton Dolin. I remember seeing this film on the children's' matine in the 1950's - I enjoyed it then, and it has lost none of its charm now. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. The comparison of the affluent, comfortable, public school lifestyle of the main character to that of the boys he meets when he crosses the river to Liverpool, is very well drawn and brings an excellent sense of realism to the film. Written by T.E.B. Awards [4] He won a scholarship, but since he was from a wealthy family, the scholarship was only given on the condition that the money be passed on to the next person on the list. I bought this black & white video recently from a street vendor in St Albans market, Hertfordshire as part of a job lot of three Ealing comedies he was selling for 15.The others were "Whisky Galore" and "Passport to Pimlico".The other comments written below adequately deal with the basic plot, so I shall not elaborate further on that.What is interesting is to see the young William Fox play the juvenile lead small boy and whose later stage name was changed to James Fox (brother of Edward Fox) who later became well known in the film "The Servant" and "Performance".I was born in 1946 and this film was produced in 1950 so those scenes shown of early post war Britain have a reminiscence for me, when I remember those bomb sites, school dinners, food rationing which extended up to 1955, and an altogether more simple life.In those days children went "out to play" with their friends much more than todays TV/computer bound generation. William Fox was born on January 26, 1911 (died on September 20, 2008, he was 97 years old) in Manila, Metro Manila as William Hubert Fox. (1994), Shadow on the Sun Alright kids adventure, fleeing from the law and getting into a decent amount of trouble along the way. He was 88. : Starring Stephen Murray, Kay Walsh, James Fox and Thora Hird. (2014), A Long Way from Home The grey jacket and short trousers he wears in "THE MAGNET . There's one or two chuckles to be had in some of the more satirical jabs, and there's sometimes a bit of ambition to the directing, but it's a very tame and bland film that isn't captivating or energetic enough to carry off its far fetched narrative. Johnny is awarded the Civic Gold Medal. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. (2009). This article was amended on Wednesday October 1 2008. Charles Frend. (1991), The Russia House (2010), Sherlock Holmes Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 April 2013. i was bought up in the area this film was made and this was made 25 years before i was. Produced by Michael Balcon. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 August 2007. Looking forward to watching this film to see how Liverpool was in those days. The story involves a young Wallasey boy, Johnny Brent (Fox), who obtains the eponymous magnet by deception, leading to much confusion. Lanky blond British lead of the 1960s who began as a child actor in the early 50s. He is again startled by a policeman and hides in the back of a Jacob's cream crackers van, which takes him to the Liverpool slums, where he comes into conflict with the local boys. The bike shop was Longworths in Rowson St. You went and chose your bike and Mr Longworth told you to come and collect it next week so he had time to put the seat at the right height, check the brakes,oil it for you and check the tyres. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Johnny Brent (a young James Fox - billed as William Fox), a 10 year old wanderer, cons a younger boy into giving him his magnet. (1964), Tamahine Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. living now in New Brighton,where the film is set and mostly filmed,and being at an age the be able to remember the 50's well,I was actually born the year this film was made,but it was a total delight to watch,seeing the overhead railway again,the beach,the Perch rock,the indoor fairground,I spent half my youth in there,and spotting all the locations around was wonderful,every person over 50 living on the Wirral should see this little film,not many real "scouse" accents though !did anybody spot the businessman on the Overhead railwaysurely that was Arthur Lowe but not mentioned in the credits,wonderful wonderful film. He has since appeared in a wide range of film and TV . The modern RSC was formed in 1960. He rejected an offer to join the Broadway cast of the play, opting to join a company led by John Gielgud at the Old Vic Theatre. Smith's wife, Joanne Cervelli Smith, said the star of. writer. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. They leave him a tin of soup and some dry macaroni. The swimming baths where the Miss New Brighton Competition takes place has gone as well. Mighty Quinn, The (1989) -- (Movie Clip) Are You Being Police Polite? A fugitive from the waxworks. Fox was married twice; first when aged 21, to the actress Carol Rees, with whom he had a daughter. i'll watch this with my sister who still lives there and she will point out the roads. This film is one of the main reasons why I have loved films all my life. After feeling guilt (and particularly the fear of being caught out) he hands the powerful magnet to a charity organiser, feeling that he would be rid of his culpability. He was initially trained to join a ski battalion which was to be sent to Finland to aid that country in the Winter War against the Soviet Union. WATCHED. He was related to the Hanbury and Neilson acting dynasty, through his mother, whose sister was the stage actress Lily Hanbury.Their first cousin Julia Neilson was married to the actor Fred Terry . As the boy continues to feel guilty for stealing the magnet, the magnet comes back to him in an unexpected way. After an older boy uses the magnet to cheat at pinball and Johnny is implicated, Johnny continues to try to get rid of the magnet. As Johnny carries on to feel bad for taking the boy's magnet, he goes off to Liverpool, where the magnet comes back to him in a surprising way. What a refreshing sight this film was to be enjoyed with my ten year old son, who by coincidence, was the same age as the protagonist in this film. (2001), Gulliver's Travels Fox read an advertisement in The Times inviting people to audition for the Central School of Speech and Drama, which had been founded by Elsie Fogerty and was at that time based at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. She sends him to the local Maypole Dairy on an errand. (1987), New World He staged the thriller Rope and following a . : William Fox Actor 26 January 1911to 19 September 2008 A character actor familiar for playing authority figures, Fox appeared in popular series such as When The Boat Comes In (1976-77), Crown Court (1975-84), Yes Minister (1981) and All Creatures Great & Small (1988). - Read William Fox's Guardian Obituary , Media Format Mobilesite. (1999), Circle of Passion I shuddered to think that Joseph might be able to act in a similar fashion on several occasions when I was not present, but I trust he will not. A collection of location stills and corresponding contemporary photographs is hosted at reelstreets.com. Profession Actor. Music by William Alwyn. The film moves at a solid pace and, although it's not always successful, it's certainly never dull. Ealing often sent their crews to exotic locations and the claim in the opening credits that this fanciful whimsy was filmed at Ealing Studios - unusually without Alec Guinness - is ironically promptly contradicted by its's vivid rendering by cameraman Lionel Banes of the Merseyside locations around which a young 'William' Fox (as he was then called) is pursued; although Banes does also do an atmospheric job on the interiors. Stephen Murray is a psychiatrist who uses jargon that is nonsense most of the time and the mention of Jung had me in fits of unwanted laughter. , Number of discs (1992), The 18th Annual American Film Institute Life Achievement Award: A Salute to Sir David Lean (1952), The Lavender Hill Mob Toby Miniver The Magnet (Oct-1950), Do you know something we don't? Performance (1970) -- (Movie Clip) Cog In An Organ, Performance (1970) -- (Movie Clip) Opening, Bachelor, Remains Of The Day, The (1993) -- (Movie Clip) One Doesn't Do That, Mister Lonely : 25-Mar-1952) The film is funny, sharp-witted, and intelligent in its satire. Following this success Fox co-founded an acting troupe, based in the West Country, where they converted a former swimming baths in Teignmouth into a theatre. (1986), Absolute Beginners the old pier, the baths the indoor fairground. Third parties use cookies for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalised ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. And be careful buying your son or daughter a large magnet. (2004), The Prince & Me Unconfirmed13724 Woolner: One Wild Oat Hooper, the Porter: 1951: Lavender Hill Mob Gregory: 1951: No Place for Jennifer Paula's Counsel: 1951: Queen's Guards Mr. Walters: 1960: Ransom Ferris: 1974: Omen 3: The Final Conflict Diplomat: 1981: It's main theme of "cheats not prospering" was a fine ideal then, and still applies today. The Daniels handpicked the 61-year-old actress to appear in the cover spread - dubbed 'Coolidge vs. Haute Squad 5: Attack on Neo Runway City - and coincidentally all three attended Emerson College 'The Magnet' (1950) is a gentle comedy about childhood, guilt and half-truths starring a young James Fox (then known by his real name, William Fox) as Johnny Brent, a mischievous boy who tricks a younger boy (Keith Robinson) into giving him his magnet in return for an 'invisible' clock. A lovely film giving us all a taste of nostalgia. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness. Pre-war career. Show more Show more Try YouTube Kids Learn more Little Big. Need to be rediscovered or even reinvented about a ballet, which co-starred dancer Anton Dolin sister who lives... Smith & # x27 ; s wife, Joanne Cervelli smith, said the of! Watch this with my sister who still lives there and she will point out the roads character actor writer... 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