[2][3][5], Fox also acted in and wrote radio dramas. He was 88. (1996), The Old Curiosity Shop Johnny seems a bit odd, no wonder, because so do his parents. But it works and the money is raised. As a fan of Hue and Cry, I was expecting something similar, which it is, but even better. Select from premium William Fox (Actor) of the highest quality. 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. (2000), Sexy Beast They are looking for him to give it back, thinking he's a poor waif, and he ends up on the run across the river in Liverpool, protected by a bunch of tough street kids, while his parents, Stephen Murray and Kay Walsh, search for him. I must go against the grain of most reviewers here and despite the waste of the good actress Kay Walsh this film is in my opinion utterly boring. He was born as the middle son in the family of three children and grew up alongside two brothers in their London mansion. James Fox plays a boy who comes into possession of a rare magnet on the beach, before finding himself engaging in various escapades with oddball people. 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. (2002), The Lost World Uneven, but for the most part entertaining. Well, it's definitely been restored as far as the image goes. 11 year old Johnny Brent (Fox) is home from school during a scarlet fever outbreak, but not making much attempt to stay isolated. THE MAGNET is an unusual Ealing Studios comedy, seemingly aimed at children but with plenty of satirical elements for the adults. His innocence and politeness (addressing his parents as "Mummy" and "Daddy") are heartbreaking - indeed, when we encounter a group of Scouse "toughs" later in the movie, they all politely say "goodnight" to each other too! Lanky blond British lead of the 1960s who began as a child actor in the early 50s. Birth Place: Manila, Metro Manila. 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. 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. The 1960s saw him in fewer theatrical roles; he did however perform in film, television and radio, for which he also wrote. This review may contain spoilers. He enjoyed early success on the stage playing juvenile roles. [9] The British Film Institute's reviewer criticised it as "somewhat burdened by cumbersome moralising and too many credibility-stretching coincidences and misunderstandings" and described it as "an attempt to revisit the success of Clarke's earlier Hue and Cry". writer. Although The Magnet is deemed to be a comedy, it relies more on the amusing aspect and if someone is not invested in that amusement he/she will find this movie uninteresting. An Ealing Studios film, The Magnet is a lesser known Ealing comedy. WATCHED. The star in this case (a very young William/James Fox) is a lonely schoolboy, recovering from scarlet fever and wandering the streets of what is now Merseyside, as well as the streets of his imagination, bowling an imaginary cricket bowl as he goes. William Fox. (2004), The Mystic Masseur He's left to himself, apparently he has no friends, and wanders around on his own. Collect, curate and comment on your files. The swimming baths where the Miss New Brighton Competition takes place has gone as well. Entitled De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure ("On the Magnet, Magnetic Bodies, and the Great Magnet of the Earth"), the work . They leave him a tin of soup and some dry macaroni. (1965), The Servant Totally charming Ealing classic from 1950. 2023 TV GUIDE, A FANDOM COMPANY. Please try again. (1968), Duffy (2004), The Prince & Me 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 (1992), The 18th Annual American Film Institute Life Achievement Award: A Salute to Sir David Lean The Magnet (1950) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Charles Frend Writing Credits T.E.B. (1989), High Season I mostly remember it because it scared me. , Is Discontinued By Manufacturer , Media Format Substandard "boys will be boys" tale, even more substandard Ealing comedy. Available for both RF and RM licensing. As a territorial soldier Fox was amongst the first to be called up in 1939 upon the declaration of war with Germany. When I went to Liverpool I didn't understand a thing, wish I had met these people. (1998), Anna Karenina This Liverpool set Ealing Comedy is oddly devoid of Scousers until the back end of the film when the boy central to the plot crosses paths with a group of street urchins. His imagination - coupled with his stricken conscience - takes over, as the boy with the magnet becomes of interest to the local authorities. Find where to watch James Fox's latest movies and tv shows . His attempts to dispose of the magnet are humorously futile, until he unloads the stolen object onto a kindly engineer, who interprets the gift as a noble gesture of Dickensian kindness. 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Films rated under 7 that just deserve better! He offers the boy everything he has in return for the magnet but the boy won't swop it for anything. 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. 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. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 May 2012. 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. Scouse accents are notable by their absence, but post-war Liverpool (and New Brighton, across the Mersey) provides a beautiful setting. With his distinguished middle-aged bearing, Fox has usually incarnated a series of old guard authority figures: David Lean specifically asked for him for "A Passage to India" (1984), and Fox was also effective as a British statesman who misguidedly gives in to his own prejudices and weaknesses while placating the Nazis in the name of peace in "The Remains of the Day" (1993). : Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. (1988), Here are a few different size Movie Posters for. , Package Dimensions This was so fun and charming, painting a vivid and strange picture of Johnny's interior life. One of his roles involved helping to administer the meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin in Tehran in 1943. He did not return to acting until a decade later, but quickly enjoyed success in the role of a haughty but ultimately malleable aristocrat Effie Gray (1992), Afraid Of The Dark [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. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. Successfully venturing to Hollywood, Fox essayed similar characterizations in "King Rat" (1965), as a POW under the influence of a schemer (George Segal), and in "The Chase" (1966), as Jane Fonda's wealthy but spineless Texas husband. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 January 2021. 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. The actor William Fox joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in 1951, not the Royal Shakespeare Company, as we reported in his obituary above. Gentle Ealing 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. However, Johnny eventually manages to con it out of him by swopping it for an "invisible watch". The father, a trained psychiatrist, attempts to apply Jungian psychoanalysis to his son, and smugly reaches an entirely erroneous conclusion. Charles Frend. After several successful productions Fox handed over the chairmanship of the Reunion Theatre to Laurence Olivier. : He wins them over by convincing them he is a fugitive from the police. (1952), The Miniver Story The Magnet is a 1950 British comedy film featuring Stephen Murray, Kay Walsh and in his first starring role James Fox (then billed as William Fox). He staged the thriller Rope and following a glowing review from actor Cyril Maude, the play had an eight-week sold-out run. Looking forward to watching this film to see how Liverpool was in those days. A classic Ealing comedy in which a young boy steals a magnet and becomes a hero. Sign Up now to stay up to date with all of the latest news from TCM. Fox was a member of the Garrick Club, and often spent time there in the company of Kenneth More and Kingsley Amis.[2][3]. Seeing as The Magnet was released in 1950, this suggests that Kaye's waxwork was only on display for, at most, a couple of years the poor chap! If you wish a change and want to compare the scum and low standard fare served up today, with a truly great ENGLISH film then buy this and treasure it as a shining example of how great a country was before the scum and riff raff took over. A fugitive from the waxworks. (2001), The Golden Bowl 1947, with Lord Mountbatten (James Fox), representing the United Kingdom, in the bio-pic, King Rat (1965) -- (Movie Clip) The British Are Impressed, American Corporal King (George Segal, title character), the leading hustler at the Japanese P.O.W. Unable to add item to List. External Reviews He later learned that in 1945, a few days before the liberation of Manila, his parents had been shot by the Japanese. Below the table, you can find all the information about his birthday. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. I can handle the truth. 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). He often wrote under a pseudonym, for he did not wish his fellow actors to know he was the writer and sometimes made casting decisions. Profession Actor. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos A collection of location stills and corresponding contemporary photographs is hosted at reelstreets.com. It very much reminded me of a proto Children's Film Foundation movie and, indeed, director Charles Frend would go on to shoot such pictures. : [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. 216726). Starring Stephen Murray, Kay Walsh, James Fox and Thora Hird. Metacritic Reviews. [2] [3] Contents 1 Early life 2 Pre-war career William Hubert Fox TD (26 January 1911 - 20 September 2008) was a British character actor and writer. He saves the life of one boy who had fallen through a disused pier. (1990), The Mighty Quinn CF. One was Precipice, a play about a ballet, which co-starred dancer Anton Dolin. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. The Magnet is a 1950 British comedy film featuring Stephen Murray, Kay Walsh and in his first starring role James Fox (then billed as William Fox). 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