Sunday, May 30, 2021

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS! : POLICE WOMAN .. COLUMBIA PICTURES TELEVISION .. USA 1976 ..


 COLUMBIA PICTURES TELEVISION

Presents

POLICE WOMAN

Starring 

ANGIE DICKINSON as Sgt Suzanne PEPPER Anderson
EARL HOLLIMAN as Lt Bill Crowley 
ED BERNARD as Det Joe Styles 
CHARLES DIERKOP as Det Pete Royster 
VAL BISOGLIO as Lt Paul Marsh

'' THE PAWN SHOP ''
( Season 2 - Episode 17 )

Guest Stars..
JOAN COLLINS as Prudence Clark
DIANE BAKER as Cynthia Lambert 
HAL ENGLAND as Ellis 
ALEX COLON as Rafe Pecora 
CHRIS HUBBELL as Bobby Erdman 
TOMMY CASTRONOVA as Tommy Court
PHILIP PINE as George Crossland
JOHN DENNIS JOHNSTON as Bishof
FRANK BONNER as Donny's Father

Directed by Richard Benedict


 
Joan with Diane Baker
With sixteen burglaries in Lambert Hills in one year, it's time to call on the services of Pepper and Bill, causing Pepper to postpone her much looked forwarded to trip to South America! A professional gang of thieves, infiltrating rich houses by offering their services as caterers, are ripping off the houses and passing on the stolen items through various pawnshops... The department decides to set up their own shop and install closed circuit TV, so that they can watch for the gang if they try to pass on any of the
hot goods! Prudence Clark (Joan) an over the hill actress is the latest victim, who just happens to be at home when the burglars call, ends up with a black eye.. But she takes a shine to Bill Crowley and offers to help trap the gang led by hard nosed Cynthia Lambert (Diane).. So if you fancy a spot of fencing, make sure you don't visit this Pawnshop!! 

Joan with Earl Holliman



In "The Pawn Shop", Joan plays a glamorous actress, who has reached the stage where the phone has stopped ringing, but she tries to keep up the appearance that she still is in the game! Joan is in sparkling form in this episode and is good fun, with the always reliable Diane Baker as a bitch of the head of a burglary ring.. Another excellent episode of a an always watchable series...

'' THE TRICK BOOK ''
( Season 3 - Episode 1 )

Guest Stars
JOAN COLLINS as Lorelei Frank
DOROTHY MALONE as Madame Hilary La Salle
JERRY DOUGLAS as Leo Patri 
BROOKE BUNDY as Renee Andrews 
JACK GILFORD as Michael English 
MAIDIE NORMAN as Celia Jackson 
CAROLE WELLES as Danni Summers
NED WILSON as Channing Andrews
DAVID WHITE as Brinker
HAYDEN RORKE as Cromwell
IAN WOLFE as Mr Meservey
MICHAEL SWAN as Chaucer

Directed by Barry Shear

Joan is disctacted by Dorothy Malone

An influential banker informs the police that he is being blackmailed by a high class Madame, who has been keeping a book of all her clients...The Trick Book... But when Hilary is found murdered in her bath and the book goes missing, there are many hands who want to find the book and will resort to even more murder! Never slip between the covers with The Trick Book!


This was Joan's second episode of the series and she plays Lorelei Frank, a cold hearted, alcoholic hooker with a penchant for s&m! Joan has some great scenes with Angie near the end of the story, when Pepper calls Lorelei a "lush hooker", while Lorelei annoys her by pulling on the zipper of her jumpsuit..they both end up in a struggle and end up flying through a glass door!  Joan is excellent as Lorelei and ends the episode by been carted off screaming for booze!




The legendary Angie Dickinson stars in this classic 70's groundbreaking series as the glamorous but tough Suzanne Anderson, or Pepper as she is known to her friends and associates! Not only was Angie the first actress to play a starring role in a cop show , her character was also a Sargent, usually a men only role.. Sgt Anderson worked as an undercover agent for the Criminal Conspiracy Unit of the LAPD.. Her sidekick and boss was the handsome and charismatic Lt Bill Crowley (Holliman).. The series began as a spin-off from the popular "Police Story" series of gritty tv-movies..it quickly became a ratings hit and ran for four seasons from 1974 to 1978.. Joan appeared in two episodes, although her second episode was a two parter.. Both were screened the same year.. "The Pawn Shop" shown in January 1976 as part of the second season, while "The Trick Book" was shown in September 76 as the third season opener. Although it was a two part episode, Joan was not in many scenes, probably the equivalent of a single episode.

Angie's / Pepper's Action Figure Promo

'Police Woman' is currently available on dvd in the form of season box sets.. you can order the sets with Joan's episodes at the following links!








Saturday, May 29, 2021

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS! : THE BAWDY ADVENTURES OF TOM JONES .. UNIVERSAL .. UK 1976 ..


 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

Presents

THE BAWDY ADVENTURES OF TOM JONES

Starring
NICKY HENSON as Tom Jones
JOAN COLLINS as Black Bess
TREVOR HOWARD as Squire Westin
GEORGIA BROWN as Jenny Jones
TERRY THOMAS as MR Square
ARTHUR LOWE as DR Thwackum
WILLIAM MERVYN as Squire Alworthy
MURRAY MELVIN as Blifil
MADELINE SMITH as Sophia
GERALDINE MC EWAN as Lady Bellaston
JEREMY LLOYD as Lord Fellemar
HILDA FENEMORE as MRS Belcher
GLADYS HENSEN as Cook
MICHAEL BATES as Madman
ISABEL DEAN as Bridget
ARNOLD DIAMOND as Noisy Reveller
JAMES HAYTER as Briggs
ARTHUR HOWARD as Old Vicar
FRANK THORNTON as Whitlow
DONALD BISSETT as Gentleman of the Hunt
JUDY BUXTON as Lizzie

Assistant Director - Anthony Waye
Music by Ron Granier
Based on the Stage Play 'Tom Jones' by Don MacPherson
Words and Music by Paul Holden
Adapted from the Novel by Henry Fielding
Screenplay by Jeremy Lloyd
Art Director - Jack Shampan
Costumes by Beatrice Dawson
Edited by Bill Blunden   Produced by Robert Sadoff
                    Directed by Cliff Owen
(c) 1976 Universal  94 Mins  Colour


Follow the exploits of Tom Jones.. as he runs from one bed to another.. in his quest for love! Branded a thief and a scoundrel, Tom must prove his innocence, with the help of an unlikely accomplice, Black Bess! Fun and frolics in The Bawdy Adventures Of Tom Jones!


Back in 1963, 'Tom Jones' starring Albert Finney and Susannah York, won a clutch of Oscar's and Bafta's. This film is based on a stage musical of the novel and was not as successful. Joan has some of the more memorable scenes as she plays the fiesty, scheming highwaywoman Black Bess.
 Joan commented on the film.
" I was delighted when producer Robert Sadoff offered me the role of a gutsy highwaywoman! You could say, I am a kind of female Errol Flynn! It is a light role, with a nice touch of comedy. I have been yearning to do a comedy role. In horror films there is only so many ways you can portray fright! In comedy you have to stretch yourself, to be funny is more difficult!"


Before appearing in this film, Joan made guest appearances in most of the popular TV series of the time including, 'Ellery Queen', 'Switch', 'Space 1999' and 'Baretta'. This film was the last screen appearance of veteran character actress Gladys Hensen, who had appeared in Joan's first film, the 1951 comedy drama 'Lady Godiva Rides Again'. 

Joan with Nicky Henson


Joan's co-star Nicky Henson recalls..
"The movie was so cheap, they decided to do all the bed scenes in one day! So all they did was change the sheets and the bedspread! So in one day I went to bed with Georgia Brown, Geraldine Mc Ewan and Joan Collins!"

Review:  Los Angeles Free Press Oct 1976 ..

Lucie K Scheur..

Any resemblance between soon-to-be-released The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones and Tony Richardson’s witty and boisterously funny 1963 Tom Jones, so faithful to the Henry Fielding classic, appears to be merely accidental. Both period pieces adequately represent the decadence of lifestyles, the carnal desires and the lustiness of the females in pursuit of Tom Jones. The original mixed sophisticated humor with farce, sexual strivings with gourmandizing and fox hunting. It showed the animalistic, emotional and passionate side of human nature. Unfortunately, Bawdy Adventures succumbs to a series of silly innuendos, double entendres and nonsensical sight gags, unimaginative. and trite. Still that’s not to say the film doesn’t have its hilarious moments. From the moment our hero, or rather our reluctant victim Tom, a bastard betrothed to a lady of position, learns he is forbidden to marry her, his antics provide most of the laughter. He spends the remainder of the film trying to reach her via a few bedrooms, a number of trysts, a masked ball, a roll in the hay, of course the old familiar fox hunt and a short stint in a prison cell. Albert Finney’s Tom was a number of characters rolled into one and it was easy to discern the rogue from the well meaning young lad. Nicky Henson, as Tom in the latter version, is able to show us his noble intentions toward his beloved, his surprise in being sought after by a group of sexstarved females and his confusion in dealing with them. For the most part the extent of his acting is either maintaining a reclining position or jumping in and out of bedrooms. Trevor Howard is the marvelously mischievous old codger who has forbidden Tom to marry his daughter. He has a weakness for slapping busty young wenches on the behind and is always in amorous pursuit of virtuous young maids. • Madeline Smith plays Sophia, Tom’s fiancee, a giddy, gay and altogether frivolous female, but arduous in her efforts to marry Tom at any cost. Cliff Owen, director, has captured some clever comic strip scenes; one where Tom finds himself locked in a cell with an ancient prisoner who claims he’s only 26. He leads Tom through a canal he has dug, not to freedom but to a shop with wines and sumptuous foods. Terry-Thomas, who has been a welcome asset to many British comedies is his old spry, incorrigible self as Tom’s teacher who doesn’t believe in sparing the, rod for anything. Although the film is based on the stage musical, the songs are lyrically bland, musically simple. Since they are few and far between they neither add to nor detract from the film. Bawdy Adventures has received its R rating for its occasional flashes of nudity and references to soft-core sex. Those who enjoyed the British Carry On series or the early films of Richard Lester may very well find this film appealing.



Although 'Bawdy Adventures' got a vhs release in the 80's in the USA and europe, it has yet to get a dvd release, so one would hope the film will get a release at some stage.. Watch this space!

UK Video Sleeve 80's


Friday, May 28, 2021

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS! : BARETTA .. UNIVERSAL TELEVISION .. USA 1976 ..


 UNIVERSAL TELEVISION

Presents

BARETTA

Starring 

ROBERT BLAKE as Detective Tony Baretta 
TOM EWELL as Billy Truman 
ED GROVER as Hal Brubaker 
MICHAEL.D.ROBERTS as Rooster


''PAY OR DIE!''

( Season 2 - Episode 16 )

Guest Starring

JOAN COLLINS as Lynn Stiles 
ROGER ROBINSON as El Dorado 
SONDRA BLAKE as Candy 
THEODORE WILSON as Flash
RON THOMPSON as Nopke
TITOS VANDIS as Mr Nicholas
TAFFEE O'CONNELL  as Hooker

Directed by Robert Douglas

When a pimp is found murdered , followed by one of his girls, the finger points to a new pimp in town, the feared El Dorado, who is determined to round up every girl on the street! Baretta enlists the help of his cop girlfriend Lynn to pose as a prostitute to infiltrate El Dorado's stable.. But El Dorado is not a man to mess with and Lynn's life is in danger... Now the time is up, it's a case of Pay or Die!!..




"Baretta" is most famous now for starring the infamous Robert Blake, but it was popular viewing in 1975, where it ran for four seasons.. It began life as a short-lived series called "Toma", starring Tony Musante as a New Jersey police officer, David Toma and was a gritty and controversial hard hitting series for it's time..But Musante decided to leave the series at the end of the first season rather than replace him, it was decided to change the format and character. The series now focused on Detective Anthony Baretta, a plainclothes cop with the 53rd precinct , who shared his apartment with his trusty sidekick Fred, a cockatoo! Baretta lived in the run-down King Edward Hotel, run by elderly hotel manager, cum house detective Billy.. For each case, Baretta enjoyed dressing up and was a master of disguise... .Joan adds her usual touch of glamour to this episode as Baretta's girlfriend who helps him by going undercover as a hooker in some ropey 70's wigs! An always interesting series to watch..More than likely due to Robert Blakes court case and infamy, the series has not been screened for some time and only season 1 was released on dvd, many years ago.. I have a copy of Joan's episode, but hopefully a dvd of season 2 will emerge at some stage.. Watch this space!!

TV ALERT : RTL EXCLUSIV FRAUKE MEETS .. SUNDAY 30TH MAY 2021.. 17:45 PM ..

 

Joan with Marcel Remus

Joan enjoyed two nights in sunny Mallorca as guest of tv personality and celebrity broker Marcel Remus, who launched his first instagram house, Villa Remus. Joan was his first guest and she enjoyed all the luxury of the new property. Whilst there she also took time out to give an exclusive interview to top German tv host Frauke Ludowig for her RTL top tv show Exclusiv.. You can see the full interivew this Sunday, May 30th on RTL at 17:45pm.. 

Joan with Frauke Ludowig


Thursday, May 27, 2021

EVENT ALERT : BONHAMS KNIGHTSBRIDGE JEWELS AUCTION.. JUNE 9TH 2021 LONDON ..

 


As part of their upcoming Knightsbridge Jewels auction, Bonhams will be offering a selection of items of unique jewellry from Joan's personal collection. Each piece has a memory for Joan and she is pleased that now someone else can enjoy the items.. The auction will take place on June 9th.. Here is a look at the items....


LOT 98
FANCY-LINK BRACELET
£ 350 - 450
€ 410 - 520

  • From the Collection of Dame Joan Collins.

    "I bought this for myself in California, when I first got the role of Alexis in Dynasty. I always like to buy myself something when I get a new job. It's like a little reward!"

BID ON JOAN'S FANCY LINK BRACELET..


LOT 99
TORQUE NECKLACE
£ 1,000 - 1,500
€ 1,200 - 1,700


From the Collection of Dame Joan Collins.

"I bought this for myself in California, when I first got the role of Alexis in Dynasty. I always like to buy myself something when I get a new job. It's like a little reward!


LOT 100
JADE AND DIAMOND PENDENT EARCLIPS
£ 2,500 - 3,000
€ 2,900 - 3,500


  • From the Collection of Dame Joan Collins.

    "One of my great friends was the Chanteuse and nightclub owner, Régine. We were in Rio de Janeiro at the time of the carnival, but that didn't stop Régine from visiting jewellery shops. So we wove our way through the singing and dancing crowds to the shop. I was so carried away by the atmosphere, I bought these gorgeous earrings."

LOT 101
RUBY AND DIAMOND LINE BRACELET
£ 1,500 - 2,000
€ 1,700 - 2,300


  • From the Collection of Dame Joan Collins.

    "That was given to me by a very good friend as a birthday present in the South of France about 10 years ago."

LOT 102
CULTURED PEARL AND RUBY BRACELET
£ 1,500 - 2,000
€ 1,700 - 2,300


  • From the Collection of Dame Joan Collins.

    "This pearl and ruby bracelet has a lot of memories. It was given to me on my 21st birthday by my parents. I wore the bracelet for a long time, but now I feel that someone else might like to wear it. It is gorgeous."

LOT 103
RUBY, DIAMOND AND ENAMEL DRESS RING
£ 2,000 - 3,000
€ 2,300 - 3,500


  • From the Collection of Dame Joan Collins.

    "I bought this during Dynasty during the 1980s. I saw it in Beverly Hills Jewellers and thought it very original and unusual. I actually wore it in Dynasty, as it felt like an extension of Alexis's personality."

LOT 104
TURQUOISE AND SAPPHIRE NECKLACE,
CIRCA 1900
£ 2,000 - 3,000
€ 2,300 - 3,500


  • From the Collection of Dame Joan Collins.

    "This was given to me by Warren Beatty, then my fiancé. We were living in New York in the apartment of Paul and Joanne Newman, and Warren had just landed a role in Splendour in the Grass."
  • BID ON JOAN'S TURQUOISE AND SAPPHIRE NECKLACE HERE..
LOT 105Y
VASARI: TOURMALINE, MOTHER-OF-PEARL AND DIAMOND-SET EARCLIPS
£ 1,500 - 2,000
€ 1,700 - 2,300


LOT 106
TIFFANY: ENAMEL BANGLE
£ 1,500 - 2,000
€ 1,700 - 2,300

  • From the Collection of Dame Joan Collins.

    "I bought this in Rome in 1960 while I was in a Biblical spectacle called Esther and the King. I was walking down the Via Condotti near the Spanish steps when I saw it in the window and bought it on impulse."
BID ON JOAN'S TIFFANY ENAMEL BANGLE HERE!

LOT 107
FANCY-LINK BRACELET
£ 1,500 - 2,000
€ 1,700 - 2,300


  • From the Collection of Dame Joan Collins.

    "This was given to me by my husband, Ron Kass, father of my daughter Katyana. He gave me this when I was in hospital having just given birth to Katy."

LOT 108
CHROME DIOPSIDE AND DIAMOND-SET RING
£ 2,000 - 3,000
€ 2,300 - 3,500


  • From the Collection of Dame Joan Collins.

    "I'm a great believer in rewards - for myself. I was passing a jewellers in the South of France and fell in love with this ring."

LOT 109Y
ARTHUR KING: CORAL AND DIAMOND-SET BROOCH,
CIRCA 1970
£ 3,000 - 4,000
€ 3,500 - 4,600


  • From the Collection of Dame Joan Collins.

    "Anthony Newley, the father of my two eldest children Tara and Alexander, was in New York with his show, Stop the World – I Want to Get Off , and, as it was my birthday we went window shopping on Fifth Avenue. We happened to pass Arthur King who was a very popular jeweller at the time, where I saw this fabulous brooch, I just adored it, which I told Tony a number of times. Imagine the thrill when I opened up my birthday presents and there it was."

    Please note, this lot will be subject to US Fish and Wildlife regulations if imported into the USA.
  • BID ON JOAN'S CORAL AND DIAMOND SET BROOCH HERE..