Set in London it would have been boringly believable but further North it just imposes London snobbery. A false rape charge threatens British-Indian relations in director David Lean's last movie, A glamorous Polynesian raises temperatures at a boy's school when she comes to visit her cousin in, Life in post-war England is the subject of. (1997), Never Ever They had a son and a daughter together. [2][3][5], Fox was an officer in the London Irish Rifles. 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 - Read William Fox's Times Obituary, 2018. i'll watch this with my sister who still lives there and she will point out the roads. 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 [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. (original screenplay) Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Produced by Music by William Alwyn Cinematography by Lionel Banes . Brooke Shields Actress | The Blue Lagoon Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. [2][3][5] Rees petitioned for divorce in 1937. James Fox. Mobilesite. | THE MAGNET (u) (1950). (2000), Mickey Blue Eyes (1964), The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima His parents travelled extensively, and whilst still an infant he had visited Madrid, Paris and London. (2013), Bunny and the Bull Dynastic roots. : William Fox (actor) is Update Soon years old in 2022. (1992), Afraid Of The Dark (1992), Patriot Games It's clear he doesn't know Liverpool, also the parents are professionals and Johnny speaks as his parents do - plus he attends boarding school, not a local one. William Fox (actor) Height and Physical Info 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. Fox enjoyed early success on the stage playing juvenile roles. The Magnet (1950) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Charles Frend Writing Credits T.E.B. Metacritic Reviews. (1989), Boys in the Island 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. : After a six-year interruption for military service in World War II, his acting career did not reach the heights of his early years. I mostly remember it because it scared me. When Johnny visits the boy, he sees the magnet mounted on the iron lung and is reunited with the inventor, who is delighted to have found Johnny again. TC. Scene from the classic movie "The Magnet" (1950) in which William (later James) Fox sets his eyes on a younger boy's favorite toy. 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 old pier, the baths the indoor fairground. The association did this by performing extracts from well-known plays and inviting agents and producers to watch. T.E.B. In 1930 Fox left drama school and won a role in London's West End performing in an eight-month run of W. Somerset Maugham's new play The Breadwinner at the Vaudeville Theatre.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), The Old Curiosity Shop Though The Magnet oozes middle-class wholesome 1950's family values, which can be seen these days as starchy and very straight-laced, this unusual offering from the Ealing Studios works well on many levels. . He would also appear in an opera as Haushofmeister in Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at Glyndebourne.[2][3]. [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. While the storyline of The Magnet can become a bit too unbelievable at times, on the whole, it is a fine morality story with a solid leading performance from a young James Fox (credited as William Fox). [2] [3] Contents 1 Early life 2 Pre-war career To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. (1992), A Question of Attribution Please try again. It was fun to see James Fox as child, he did well even back then. Find the perfect william fox the magnet 1950 stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. 25-Mar-1952) He's left to himself, apparently he has no friends, and wanders around on his own. I remember watching it when I was very young; probably around age 6. [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". Only the small independent filmmakers in America have a chance at making a film like this. Fox was married twice; first when aged 21, to the actress Carol Rees, with whom he had a daughter. (1995), Heart Of Darkness After watching his father board the ferry to his work as a psychologist in Liverpool, he spends the rest of the morning playing on the beach. 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. Mrs. Brent. , ASIN 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: (1994), Shadow on the Sun As an adult actor, William Fox changed his name to James Fox and co-starred in many films, including "The Servant" with Dirk Bogarde. The film is funny, sharp-witted, and intelligent in its satire. 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. Eric Shorter. It wasn't actually stepped, but a vicious prank gone bad that left young James Fox films with a guilty conscience and paranoid over every conversation that he hears. (1967), The Chase William is represented by Regan Management What William said about us - click to read review Enter challenges, watch videos, and take part in our annual vote to decide the best film, TV show and game of the year. 11 year old Johnny Brent (Fox) is home from school during a scarlet fever outbreak, but not making much attempt to stay isolated. Profession Actor. Its as if everything is reset in a cultural medium and tastes need to be rediscovered or even reinvented. It was in the early 1950's, and there was a polio epidemic happening in real life. His guilt sparks a chain of misplaced assumptions that lead to a search being mounted for the boy, who has run away after becoming convinced that he is wanted for murder. THE MAGNET is an unusual Ealing Studios comedy, seemingly aimed at children but with plenty of satirical elements for the adults. (People with polio often needed these machines to breathe.) Johnny Brent (a young James Fox - billed as William Fox), a 10 year old wanderer, cons a younger boy into giving him his magnet. They hide him in a building on the disused pier. An Ealing Studios production released through The J. Arthur Rank Organisation. 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. Select from premium William Fox (Actor) of the highest quality. His imagination - coupled with his stricken conscience - takes over, as the boy with the magnet becomes of interest to the local authorities. The British have an understated way of delivering these kind of gems to the screen; whereas Hollywood always goes for the big production values and star power most of the time. [7] He was awarded the Territorial Efficiency Decoration (TD) in 1967.[8]. , Stephen Murray, Kay Walsh, Meredith Edwards, Thora Hird, Gladys Henson, Studio , Run time 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. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 May 2012. (1998), Jinnah One reviewer mentions the London accents being wrong for a Liverpool setting. Johnny Brent (a young James Fox - billed as William Fox), a 10 year old wanderer, cons a younger boy into giving him his magnet. [2][3][5], Fox also acted in and wrote radio dramas. Though The Magnet oozes middle-class wholesome 1950's family values, which can be seen these days as starchy and very straight-laced, this unusual offering from the Ealing Studios works well on many levels. Billy has an older sister, actress and singer Lisa Zane. It's rather like the sound you used to hear through the ear piece of an old telephone. Music by William Alwyn. William Fox. 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? , Package Dimensions | '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. (1968), Duffy Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 December 2018. One of his roles involved helping to administer the meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin in Tehran in 1943. His film credits included roles in The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Secret Partner (1961), The Queen's Guards (1961), She Always Gets Their Man (1962), Ransom (1974), Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) and Mata Hari (1985). This is a delightful film about a young boy growing up in a small riverside town,just across from Liverpool, in 1950.He experiences guilt after conning a younger boy out of a magnet and wrongly believing that this has lead to the other boy's death.Humour is provided by the boy's father a psychiatrist/psychologist who has a theory and an answer for everything, unfortunately these are usually wrong. He enjoyed early success on the stage playing juvenile roles. He lives in New Brighton on the North West coast. Though active on stage, his film appearances were few and include The Lavender Hill Mob (1951). English films from right after the war particularly those from Ealing or Archers are a pretty interesting pocket to mine. When I went to Liverpool I didn't understand a thing, wish I had met these people. Situated in the heart of London's West End, BAFTA 195 Piccadilly is the home of BAFTA worldwide, as well as an award-winning venue for hire that offers outstanding hospitality and a suite of flexible event spaces, which can be crafted to suit any occasion. Inspired by this, and fortified by "lunch at L'Ecu de France", Fox joined the Territorial Army. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. On stage his charm and . This pleasant, easy-going film has all the hallmarks of an Ealing classic, with a particularly excellent and likable performance from its young star. (1997), Doomsday Gun (1950), The Magnet Born on June 17, 1912; daughter of Lucy Glitters Worthington and Frederick Lonsdale; mother was married to Dr. Henry Worthington but had three daughters by Lonsdale; Noel Coward wrote his famous song "Don't Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington" about her; died on December 1, 1999; had stormy marriage to husband punctuated with separations and infidelities on both sides. (2004), The Mystic Masseur This film is one of the main reasons why I have loved films all my life. William Hubert Fox TD (26 January 1911 20 September 2008) was a British character actor and writer. As far as I know, William / James is still alive and will be 80 years old next year, which gives some idea of just how long ago this film was made. This is likely the case due to none of the studios big name actors appearing in the film, as well as the fact that it doesn't contain too many comedic moments. 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). William Fox, Learn more. BAFTA Guru is BAFTAs content hub for career starters packed full of inspirational videos, podcasts and interviews. (1971), Performance Remove Ads Cast Crew Details Genres Cast 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. User Ratings (2009). (1984), Greystoke: The Legend Of Tarzan, Lord Of The Apes Got this dvd mainly for the nostalgia of the 50s and to show my grandchildren the old Liverpool waterfront with the Overhead Railway. I don't remember much else about the film, so this isn't a very good, or useful, "review". Young Johnny Brent (James Fox) guiles another boy at his school into giving him a influential magnet. The grey jacket and short trousers he wears in THE MAGNET are exactly the same early 1950s style that Andrew Ray wore in The Yellow Balloon, which was made two years later in 1952.THE STUDIOCANAL DIGITALLY RESTORED DVD, OPTD2823. Dr. Brent. 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. This post-war British film from the great Ealing studios, is a charming tale of innocence lost, and particularly the idea of childhood guilt, brought on by a small incident and exacerbated by fear and misconstrued information. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 July 2017. this came promptly and in good packaging. He encounters a medical originator (Meredith Edwards), who is holding sales for the hospital, and resolves to let the man have the magnet namelessly. After six years service Fox was demobbed with the rank of major (and had had a spell as an acting lieutenant-colonel). Try again. He manages to con a younger boy out of a large horseshoe magnet by trading it for an "invisible watch". It doesn't have the imagination or innocence of a child, nor the maturity and voice of an adult, resulting in a generally dull experience that didn't hold my attention for even it's barely 70 minutes of run time. 216726). On a train returning to school, Johnny sees the little boy's nanny and overhears her telling her friend about her budgerigar, which she says has died of a broken heart. However, an armistice was concluded before he reached the area; he then fought in the Battle of France, and was amongst those evacuated from Dunkirk. : The story involves a young Wallasey boy, Johnny Brent (Fox), who obtains the eponymous magnet by deception, leading to much confusion. (1988), Here are a few different size Movie Posters for. (1987), New World EXTRAS ARE: A nine minutes long introduction to the film by film historian Steve Chibnall and an image gallery of around thirty production stills, plus the original British quad poster. Pre-war career. William Hubert Fox TD (26 January 1911 - 20 September 2008) was a British character actor and writer. Its a strange mix of experiments of all types. So much so that I bought the remastered DVD of it.As an adult actor, William Fox changed his name to James Fox and co-starred in many films, including The Servant with Dirk Bogarde. Theatrical impresario. While little Johnny worries that his crime will be the death of him, his anxious parents (Stephen Murray and Kay Walsh) become concerned about his odd behaviour. The modern RSC was formed in 1960. "ObituaryWilliam FoxVersatile actor and connoisseur of the civilised life", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Fox_(actor)&oldid=1084098812, People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College, Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley, Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 April 2022, at 15:02. The film follows a boy (a young James Fox) plagued with guilt after he steals a magnet, while his well meaning parents attempt to armchair diagnose his mysterious behaviour. 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. director of photography Film Editing by Bernard Gribble Casting By In 1949 Ealing Studios release three films that established the Ealing Comedy. 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. 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. (2005), Donald Cammell: The Ultimate Performance 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. 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