Michael Bryant

Michael Bryant

Born: April 5, 1928
Died: April 25, 2002
in London, England, UK
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Michael Dennis Bryant (5 April 1928 – 25 April 2002) was a British stage and television actor.

Bryant attended Battersea Grammar School and after service in the Merchant Navy and Army, he attended drama school and appeared in many productions on the London stage. He made his film debut in 1955. His greatest role was Mathieu in BBC2's 1970 adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre's Roads to Freedom trilogy. His guest star appearance as Wing Commander Marsh, who feigns insanity in the 'Tweedledum' episode of the BBC drama series, Colditz (1972), is still widely remembered.

Bryant was chosen by Orson Welles to play the lead role in The Deep, Welles's adaptation of the Charles Williams novel Dead Calm. The production frequently ran out of money, and following the death of actor Laurence Harvey in 1973, Welles stopped production and announced the movie - which had been completed except for one special effects shot of a ship exploding - would not be released. (The novel was finally adapted to film in 1989.)

In 1969 Bryant took his love of the stage on a strange trip into the realm of cult films, playing a clever male prostitute who outwits a delusional family of killers in the dark comedy Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly, an adaptation of a play by Maisie Mosco. Due to poor marketing and a lack of faith in the film by the distributor, the film quickly sank into obscurity even before it could develop a cult following.

One of Bryant's most memorable performances was in the classic BBC television play The Stone Tape (1972), in which he plays the leader of a team of scientists who investigate ghost sightings in a brooding gothic mansion.

Bryant also had a supporting role as a sadistic psychiatrist in the cult classic black comedy The Ruling Class, with Peter O'Toole and Alastair Sim. He also appeared in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982) as a British diplomat.

Having played Lenin in the film Nicholas and Alexandria, Bryant would later reprise the role in Robert Bolt's play State of Revolution (1977). He had previously co-starred in Bolt's unsuccessful Gentle Jack. The 1977 production of a Bolt play though was significant for featuring the first role he performed at the National Theatre where he was a constant presence for a quarter of a century. Bryant, described by Michael Billington as "rock-solid company man", had earlier performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1964, including the premiere production of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming (1965), in which he played Teddy, the returning academic.

In 1980, Michael Bryant won the London Drama Critics Circle Theatre Award for Best Actor, and his other theatrical performances were equally well thought of. Bryant won Laurence Olivier Awards in 1988 and 1990 and was nominated twice more.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Bryant (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Movies for Michael Bryant...

The Curse Of Denton Rose
Title: The Curse Of Denton Rose
Character: Self
Released: December 17, 2020
Type: Movie
A computer analyst suddenly finds himself the focus of Hollywood elites after creating a character that goes viral online in the early days of internet video. After reaching the top he finds himself where he started and contemplates the meaning of success and the value of his own art. Securing a top Hollywood agent, promise of starring in a DreamWorks Film and his own TV show a true story.
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The Deep
Title: The Deep
Character: as John Ingram
Released: July 8, 2007
Type: Movie
A couple's honeymoon trip aboard a yacht leads to a claustrophobic drama when another vessel runs into their voyage, apparently drifting. Shot in a piecemeal fashion between 1966 and 1969 and plagued with production problems, this film never completed principal photography and never entered post-production. The original negatives are now considered to be lost, and the film only exists in two incomplete workprint versions (one color and one black-and-white), which have received isolated public screenings since 2007.
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The Miracle Maker
Title: The Miracle Maker
Character: God/ The Doctor (voice)
Released: March 31, 2000
Type: Movie
A mother and father in search of help for their sick daughter cross paths with an extraordinary carpenter named Jesus, who has devoted his life to spreading God's word. An amazing miracle brings to light the true meaning of Christ, and the sacrifices he endured for the deliverance of mankind. A compelling story of faith, trust, and devotion.
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King Lear
Title: King Lear
Character: Fool
Released: March 21, 1998
Type: Movie
Adaptation of Shakespeare's play.
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Hamlet
Title: Hamlet
Character: Priest
Released: December 25, 1996
Type: Movie
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother now marrying the murderer... his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.
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Orson Welles: The One-Man Band
Title: Orson Welles: The One-Man Band
Character: Self (segment "The deep") (archive footage)
Released: October 8, 1995
Type: Movie
Orson Welles' archives of unfinished/never released movies and the last years of his life from the perspective of Oja Kodar (life and artistic partner of Orson Welles in his last years).
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Anna Lee: Headcase
Title: Anna Lee: Headcase
Character: Commander Martin Brierly
Released: January 10, 1993
Type: Movie
A bright, pretty and determined young girl named Anna Lee quits the police department in search of adventure, and joins a small and somewhat stuffy detective agency, whose members don't look particularly kindly on her short skirts, somewhat cavalier attitude toward agency rules--like showing up for work on time--and her overall demeanor. However, the agency's owner takes a shine to her and assigns her to what seems to be a relatively straightforward case: finding a young girl who's gone missing and whose family is worried about her. As it turns out, the case involves quite a bit more than just a missing girl
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Franz Kafka's 'The Trial'
Title: Franz Kafka's 'The Trial'
Character: Advocate
Released: October 1, 1988
Type: Movie
BBC documentary about Franz Kafka played by GREEK TV in 1990.This documentary is one of the ten films of "The Modern World: Ten Great Writers (1988)".
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Sakharov
Title: Sakharov
Character: Syshchikov
Released: June 20, 1984
Type: Movie
Biography of Russian physicist & dissident Andrei Sakharov focuses on his first acts in his civil rights.
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Title: Reilly: Ace of Spies
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: September 5, 1983
Type: TV
Reilly, Ace of Spies is a 1983 television miniseries dramatizing the life of Sidney Reilly, a Russian Jew who became one of the greatest spies ever to work for the British. Among his exploits, in the early 20th century, were the infiltration of the German General Staff in 1917 and a near-overthrow of the Bolsheviks in 1918. His reputation with women was as legendary as his genius for espionage.
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The Merry Wives of Windsor
Title: The Merry Wives of Windsor
Character: Doctor Caius
Released: December 28, 1982
Type: Movie
When Sir John Falstaff decides that he wants to have a little fun he writes two letters to a pair of Window wives: Mistress Ford and Mistress Page. When they put their heads together and compare missives, they plan a practical joke or two to teach the knight a lesson. But Mistress Ford's husband is a very jealous man and is pumping Falstaff for information of the affair. Meanwhile the Pages' daughter Anne is beseiged by suitors.
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Gandhi
Title: Gandhi
Character: Principal Secretary
Released: December 1, 1982
Type: Movie
In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.
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A Genius Like Us: A Portrait of Joe Orton
Title: A Genius Like Us: A Portrait of Joe Orton
Character: Mike
Released: November 9, 1982
Type: Movie
Documentary portrait of the life of playwright Joe Orton, who was murdered by his lover Kenneth Halliwell in April 1967.
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Title: BBC Television Shakespeare
Released: December 3, 1978
Type: TV
The BBC Television Shakespeare is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and produced by BBC Television. It was transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985 and spanned seven series. Development of the series began in 1975 when Messina saw that Glamis Castle would make a perfect location for an adaptation of Shakespeare's play As You Like It. On returning to London, he envisioned an entire series devoted exclusively to the dramatic works of Shakespeare. After encountering numerous problems trying to produce the series, Messina eventually pitched the idea to the BBC’s departmental heads and the series was greenlighted. The series as a whole received generally negative reviews from critics.
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Short Back and Sides
Title: Short Back and Sides
Character: John Hardy
Released: May 3, 1977
Type: Movie
A city planner puts his breinchild into operation without considering the heartbreak it causes to the people affected.
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My Homeland
Title: My Homeland
Character: Reader
Released: November 3, 1976
Type: Movie
Perhaps this is Robert Vas' most personal film; a portrait of his country - Hungary - as seen through the eyes of an exile. Robert Vas escaped from his homeland after the brutal crushing of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising by the Russians and he was never able to return. He portrays his country through the writings of Hungary's national poets and illustrates the film with images of the Revolution and of the society it would become in the years immediately following 1956. The film was transmitted on the 20th anniversary of the crushing of the uprising.
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The Daedalus Equations
Title: The Daedalus Equations
Character: Sam McInstrey
Released: October 20, 1976
Type: Movie
Hans Daedalus has defected from East Germany to the West. Is it possible that his opacity equations live on after his death?
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Title: Late Call
Character: Howard Calvert
Released: March 1, 1975
Type: TV
Elderly couple Sylvia and Arthur Calvert are forced to move in with their widowed son and his children in Carshall New Town.
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The Treasure of Abbot Thomas
Title: The Treasure of Abbot Thomas
Character: The Rev. Justin Somerton
Released: December 23, 1974
Type: Movie
The Reverend Justin Somerton, a scholar of medieval history, and his protégé Lord Peter Dattering are visiting an abbey library. While studying a stained glass window, they uncover clues leading to a treasure hidden by a disgraced abbot.
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Caravan to Vaccarès
Title: Caravan to Vaccarès
Character: Zuger
Released: August 8, 1974
Type: Movie
American Neil Bowman is traveling through France when he meets British photographer Lila. They are hired by French land owner Duc de Croyter to escort a Hungarian scientist to New York. But they soon realize that the job is not a cushy number, and have to deal with a gang of kidnappers who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the scientist
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Is It Something I Said?
Title: Is It Something I Said?
Character: Arthur
Released: July 22, 1974
Type: Movie
A businessman having a nervous breakdown checks in for one last night at a shabby hotel where he composes a suicide note. The hotel owner intervenes and the two men debate and argue the matter.
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Mr. Axelford's Angel
Title: Mr. Axelford's Angel
Character: Mr Axelford
Released: June 5, 1974
Type: Movie
A romantic tale of a scatty secretary and a stuffy boss.
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Title: Fall of Eagles
Character: Ratchkowsky
Released: March 15, 1974
Type: TV
"Fall of Eagles" is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series portrays historical events from 1848 to 1918, dealing with the collapse of the ruling dynasties of Austria-Hungary (the Habsburgs), Germany (the Hohenzollerns) and Russia (the Romanovs).
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If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them
Title: If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them
Released: March 3, 1974
Type: Movie
Set in a cemetery, the film tells the story of a young man whom a blind man wrongly imagines to be black, and explores the nature of human prejudice.
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The Professional
Title: The Professional
Character: Duckworth
Released: March 3, 1973
Type: Movie
An insignificant little middle-aged man strikes a heinous bargain with an underworld expert. The man has a problem: his wife. A professional killer would seem to be the answer.
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The Stone Tape
Title: The Stone Tape
Character: Peter Brock
Released: December 25, 1972
Type: Movie
A research team from an electronics company move into an old Victorian house to start work on finding a new recording medium. When team member Jill Greeley witnesses a ghost, team director Peter Brock decides not only to analyse the apparition, which he believes is a psychic impression trapped in a stone wall (dubbed a "stone tape"), but to exorcise it too - with terrifying results...
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Title: Colditz
Character: W / Cdr George Marsh
Released: October 19, 1972
Type: TV
Colditz is a British television series co-produced by the BBC and Universal Studios and screened between 1972 and 1974. The series deals with Allied prisoners of war imprisoned at the supposedly escape-proof Colditz Castle when designated Oflag IV-C during World War II, and their many attempts to escape captivity, as well as the relationships formed between the various nationalities and their German captors.
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The Duchess of Malfi
Title: The Duchess of Malfi
Character: Bosola
Released: October 10, 1972
Type: Movie
The Duchess of Malfi is recently widowed and her greedy brothers are determined she will not marry again, so they employ Daniel De Bosola, a murderer in their pay to spy on her.
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The Ruling Class
Title: The Ruling Class
Character: Dr. Herder
Released: September 13, 1972
Type: Movie
When the Earl of Gurney dies in a cross-dressing accident, his schizophrenic son, Jack, inherits the Gurney estate. Jack is not the average nobleman; he sings and dances across the estate and thinks he is Jesus reincarnated. Believing that Jack is mentally unfit to own the estate, the Gurney family plots to steal Jack's inheritance. As their outrageous schemes fail, the family strives to cure Jack of his bizarre behavior, with disastrous results.
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The Greeks and Their Gifts
Title: The Greeks and Their Gifts
Character: Stuart Lindsay
Released: June 20, 1972
Type: Movie
A man makes an unexpected appearance at his younger brother's house in the middle of the night. He needs somewhere to stay and convinces his brother and his wife that he is trouble. Or is he?
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Nicholas and Alexandra
Title: Nicholas and Alexandra
Character: Lenin
Released: November 29, 1971
Type: Movie
Tsar Nicholas II, the inept last monarch of Russia, insensitive to the needs of his people, is overthrown and exiled to Siberia with his family.
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The Switch
Title: The Switch
Character: Henry Martin
Released: June 8, 1971
Type: Movie
South Vietnam. Working as the head of voluntary relief team Henry Martin objects to the use of torture on prisoners. Martin's principles are tested when his young son is kidnapped and a prisoner may have information on his whereabouts.
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Title: The Roads to Freedom
Character: Mathieu Delarue
Released: October 4, 1970
Type: TV
Taboo-busting adaptation for television of Jean-Paul Sartre's trilogy.
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Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly
Title: Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly
Character: New Friend
Released: February 12, 1970
Type: Movie
A wealthy, fatherless British clan kidnaps bums and hippies and forces them to participate in an elaborate role-playing game in which they are the perfect family; those who refuse or attempt escape are ritualistically murdered.
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The Three Sisters
Title: The Three Sisters
Character: Vershinin
Released: January 18, 1970
Type: Movie
In a small Russian town at the turn of the century, three sisters (Olga, Irina, and Masha) and their brother Andrei live but dream daily of their return to their former home in Moscow, where life is charming and stimulating meaningful. But for now they exist in a malaise of dissatisfaction. Soldiers from the local military post provide them some companionship and society, but nothing can suffice to replace Moscow in their hopes. Andrei marries a provincial girl, Natasha, and begins to settle into a life of much less meaning than he had hoped. Natasha begins to run the family her way. Masha, though married, yearns for the sophisticated life and begins a dalliance with Vershinin, an army officer with a sick and suicidal wife. Even Irina, the freshest, most optimistic of the sisters, begins to waver in her dreams until, finally, tragedy strikes.
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Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Title: Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Character: Max Staefel
Released: November 5, 1969
Type: Movie
Academy Award-honoree Peter O'Toole stars in this musical classic about a prim English schoolmaster who learns to show his compassion through the help of an outgoing showgirl. O'Toole, who received his fourth Oscar-nomination for this performance, is joined by '60s pop star Petula Clark and fellow Oscar-nominee Michael Redgrave.
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The Explorer
Title: The Explorer
Character: Erik Petterson
Released: October 14, 1968
Type: Movie
Drama about the emotional problems left behind by a young explorer murdered in the Matto Grosso jungle in South America. (Shotlist)Work historyTV play. Second part of writer Kenneth Jupp's "Chelsea Trilogy"; see also The PHOTOGRAPHER (tx 29/1/1968) and The TYCOON (tx 30/12/1968).
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Mille Miglia
Title: Mille Miglia
Character: Stirling Moss
Released: August 5, 1968
Type: Movie
In 1955 Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson won the Mille Miglia, one of the toughest races in the calendar.This play is about the two men, and the qualities and preparation that went into that victory.
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Torture Garden
Title: Torture Garden
Character: Colin Williams (segment 1 "Enoch")
Released: November 1, 1967
Type: Movie
Five people visit a fairground sideshow run by the sinister Dr. Diabolo. Having shown them a handful of haunted-house-style attractions, he promises them a genuinely scary experience if they will pay extra.
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Title: The Big M
Character: Johnny Treherne
Released: August 29, 1967
Type: TV
A private detective investigates a protection racket and becomes involved in a murder case.
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Easier in the Dark
Title: Easier in the Dark
Character: The Man
Released: February 25, 1967
Type: Movie
Two people start to live together and raise children and a double pattern is set. You're a couple and one day you realise who or what you were before. But Frances must find herself again and runs to where the ships sail.
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The Deadly Affair
Title: The Deadly Affair
Character: Gaveston (in Edward II)
Released: January 2, 1967
Type: Movie
Charles Dobbs is a British secret agent investigating the apparent suicide of Foreign Office official Samuel Fennan. Dobbs suspects that Fennan's wife, Elsa, a survivor of a Nazi Germany extermination camp, might have some clues, but other officials want Dobbs to drop the case. So Dobbs hires a retiring inspector, Mendel, to quietly make inquiries. Dobbs isn't at all sure as there are a number of anomalies that simply can't be explained away. Dobbs is also having trouble at home with his errant wife, whom he very much loves, having frequent affairs. He's also pleased to see an old friend, Dieter Frey, who he recruited after the war. With the assistance of a colleague and a retired policeman, Dobbs tries to piece together just who is the spy and who in fact assassinated Fennan.
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Title: Talking to a Stranger
Released: October 2, 1966
Type: TV
A grown-up brother and sister's visit to their parents home culminates in a shocking tragedy. The events of the weekend are told over four episodes, each focusing on the point of view of one family member: the daughter Terry; the father, Ted; the son, Alan and finally the mother, Sarah. The full story of the dysfunctional family plays out through the use of repeating scenes, flashback, and monologue.
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Title: BBC Play of the Month
Character: Vershinin
Released: October 19, 1965
Type: TV
Play of the Month is a BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays which were usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983; the producer most associated with the Play of the Month was Cedric Messina. Some of the 121 episodes are missing from the archives, having been junked in the 1960s and 1970s. Unless stated otherwise, the indication that the play is "lost" is taken from the lostshows.com website page as of 25 May 2013.
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The Mind Benders
Title: The Mind Benders
Character: Dr. Danny Tate
Released: February 1, 1963
Type: Movie
A British scientist is discovered to have been passing information to the Communists, then kills himself. Another scientist decides that they might have brainwashed him by a sensory deprivation technique, but he doesn’t know if someone really can be convinced to act against their strongest feelings. So he agrees to be the subject in an experiment in which others will try to make him stop loving his wife.
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Life for Ruth
Title: Life for Ruth
Character: John's Counsel
Released: September 6, 1962
Type: Movie
John Harris finds himself ostracized and placed on trial for allowing his daughter Ruth to die. His religious beliefs forbade him to give consent for a blood transfusion that would have saved her life. Doctor Brown is determined to seek justice for what he sees as the needless death of a young girl.
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A Night to Remember
Title: A Night to Remember
Character: Sixth Officer James Moody
Released: July 3, 1958
Type: Movie
The sinking of the Titanic is presented in a highly realistic fashion in this tense British drama. The disaster is portrayed largely from the perspective of the ocean liner's second officer, Charles Lightoller. Despite numerous warnings about ice, the ship sails on, with Capt. Edward John Smith keeping it going at a steady clip. When the doomed vessel finally hits an iceberg, the crew and passengers discover that they lack enough lifeboats, and tragedy follows.
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Title: Harbor Command
Released: October 11, 1957
Type: TV
Harbor Command is an American action series that aired in syndicated from October 11, 1957, to July 4, 1958. The series stars Wendell Corey as Captain Ralph Baxter, an officer of the United States Coast Guard. The series was produced by Ziv Television Programs.
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Title: Telephone Time
Released: April 8, 1956
Type: TV
Telephone Time is an American anthology drama series that aired on CBS in 1956, and on ABC from 1957 to 1958. The series features plays by John Nesbitt who hosted the first season. Frank C. Baxter hosted the 1957 and 1958 seasons. The program was directed by Arthur Hiller.
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Uranium Boom
Title: Uranium Boom
Character: Peterson
Released: March 2, 1956
Type: Movie
Ex-lumberjack Brad Collins (Dennis Morgan) and mining engineer Grady Mathews (William Talman) find uranium in the Colorado badlands. While Grady guards the claim, Brad goes to register it in town, where he meets and marries Jean Williams (Patricia Medina.) Returning to the claim, Brad learns that Jean was once Grady's fiancee. Grady, as one would expect, is somewhat put out and leaves the mine in Brad's hands, while he hooks up with a confidence man and engineers a scheme to break the back of Brad's somewhat rapidly-created mining empire.
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Title: ITV Play of the Week
Character: Walter Luke
Released: September 27, 1955
Type: TV
A UK anthology series of single plays from major playwrights old and new. It ran from 1955 to 1974, producing about five hundred ninety-minute episodes from Granada Television. Season 1 also incorporates the Plays from the 'H.M. Tennant Globe Theatre' series, some of which were incorporated and labelled in listings as official Play of the Week episodes and some of which were played in place of Play of the Week episodes in alternative ITV regions. All 8 plays have been incorporated into this entry for convenience.
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Title: The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
Released: September 6, 1955
Type: TV
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is a television western series loosely based on the life of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp. The half-hour black-and-white program aired for 229 episodes on ABC from 1955 to 1961 and featured Hugh O'Brian in the title role.
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Passage Home
Title: Passage Home
Character: Stebbings
Released: March 17, 1955
Type: Movie
Set in 1931, the film takes place aboard a merchant ship, briefly harboured in South America. A young woman (Diane Cilento) boards the ship as a passenger, resulting in disharmony among the superstitious crew members. Virtuous seaman Anthony Steel protects the girl from the lecherous advances of captain Peter Finch.
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Title: Buffalo Bill Jr.
Released: March 1, 1955
Type: TV
Buffalo Bill, Jr. is an American Western television series starring Dickie Jones that aired in syndication from March 1, 1955, until September 21, 1956.
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Title: The Millionaire
Character: McGinnis
Released: January 19, 1955
Type: TV
An anthology series that explored the ways sudden and unexpected wealth changed life for better or for worse. It told the stories of people who were given one million dollars from a benefactor who insisted they never know him, with one exception.
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Title: Hallmark Hall of Fame
Character: Britannus
Released: December 24, 1951
Type: TV
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The longest-running primetime series in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning during 1951 and continuing into 2013. From 1954 onward, all of its productions have been shown in color, although color television video productions were extremely rare in 1954. Many television movies have been shown on the program since its debut, though the program began with live telecasts of dramas and then changed to videotaped productions before finally changing to filmed ones. The series has received eighty Emmy Awards, twenty-four Christopher Awards, eleven Peabody Awards, nine Golden Globes, and four Humanitas Prizes. Once a common practice in American television, it is the last remaining television program such that the title includes the name of the sponsor. Unlike other long-running TV series still on the air, it differs in that it broadcasts only occasionally and not on a weekly broadcast programming schedule.
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Title: The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
Released: April 15, 1951
Type: TV
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok is an American Western television series which ran for eight seasons from 1951 through 1958. The Screen Gems series began in syndication, but ran on CBS from 1955 through 1958, and, at the same time, on ABC from 1957 through 1958.