The Danzigger Collector’s Edition DVD – Anton Rodgers, Ronald Howard 

Collection of films made in the 1960s by Danziger Studios, run by brothers Edward and Harry Lee. Horror ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ (1960), adapted from Edgar Allan Poe’s short story of the same name, follows Edgar Marsh (Laurence Payne), a quiet librarian with an obsessive nature. When he falls for his neighbour, Betty Clare (Adrienne Corri), who is having an affair with his friend, Carl Loomis (Dermot Walsh), Edgar becomes increasingly jealous. Driven into a mad rage, he brutally murders Carl, but, unable to bear the guilt, Edgar is haunted by the sound of his victim’s beating heart. Comedy ‘Part-Time Wife’ (1961) stars Anton Rogers as Tom, a failing businessman, who has just married the light of his life, Jenny (Nyree Dawn Porter). Desperate to make a success of his career, Tom enlists the help of his old friend from the army, Drew (Kenneth J Warren), by trying to sell him car insurance for the company fleet. Drew, a womanising charlatan, has an agenda of his own and agrees to a deal. But in exchange he wants Jenny to pretend to be his wife to help him persuade his uncle that he is happily married. While Drew and Jenny keep up the pretence of their relationship, poor Tom has to do everything in his power to guarantee all goes according to plan to protect the most important deal of his life and safeguard his new bride’s innocence. Comedy ‘The Battleaxe’ (1962) stars Francis Matthews and Jill Ireland as newly engaged couple Tony Evers and Audrey Page. The young lovers’ happiness is short lived, however, when Audrey’s mother (Joan Haythorne) makes it her life’s mission to make sure the marriage does not go ahead. In drama ‘Fate Takes a Hand’ (1962) a postman and a reporter discover a mail bag of post taken during a robbery 15 years prior. They make it their mission to deliver the letters consequently changing the lives of five individuals forever. Comedy ‘Two Wives at One Wedding’ (1961) stars Gordon Jackson and Christina Gregg as Tom and Janet, a couple about to be married. Their wedding day, however, is disrupted by the arrival of a French woman called Annette (Lisa Daniely) claiming to be Tom’s wife. It emerges that, while injured near Normandy during the Second World War, Annette nursed Tom back to health. A romance blossomed between them and they were married. Tom, though, has no recollection of this ever taking place. Annette claims she has come for a divorce and wants a settlement of 10,000 pounds to leave without a fuss. With the prospect of his medical career on the line should the papers get hold of the story, and the threat of blackmail hanging over his head, Tom decides to takes matters into his own hands and investigate what really happened in order to find out if what Annette says really is the truth. Also included in the collection is the documentary ‘Danziger Studios – the Untold Elstree Story’ which features interviews with those who worked at the studio and archive footage capturing all the activity from behind the scenes.

The Tell-Tale Heart A dark and dramatic adaption of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic story, Laurence Payne stars as Edgar Marsh, a shy and awkward librarianwho becomes obsessed with his new neighbour Betty Clare. Despite Marsh’s infatuation and determination to win her affections, Betty Clare falls for Marsh’s close friend Carl Loomis, a charismatic man of the world. Discovering their affair, Marsh’s obsession turns to murderous rage and he kills Loomis. Consumed with guilt Marsh’s mind begins to crumble as the sound of Loomis’s stillbeating heart haunts his every waking hour. Part-Time Wife Tom is an unsuccessful insurance salesman with only one ray of sunshine in his life, his beautiful new bride Jenny. When Tom looks up his old army buddy Drew in an attempt to sell him some car insurance for the company fleet, Drew hatches a plan to convince his uncle and owner of the company that far from being a playboy crook, he is a happily married man. The only problem is he’s chosen Jenny to be his pretend wife. Drew and Jenny must play the perfect husband and wife until Drew’s uncle returns to America, while Tom must do everything hecan to ensure the plan goes without a hitch in order to secure the biggest insurance deal of his life…and to guarantee the innocence of his wife! The Battleaxe Francis Matthews and Jill Ireland star as Tony Evers and Audrey Page, an engaged couple whose pre-marital bliss is shattered by thefuture bride’s domineering mother. Unable to withstand this wicked witch of the Northlands, Matthews tries to weasel out of the marriage by suing for breach of promise: the broken promise being that mother would stop meddling. Joan Haythorne plays the domineering mother in-law Mrs Page who has made it her business to keep the two apart and ensure her daughter doesn’t marrysuch a crooked character. Fate Takes a Hand When a mail bag full of post that was taken in a robbery is discovered fifteen years later, a Post Office employee and local reporterdecide to deliver the letters to their original intended addressees. This solitary incident has profound ramifications on several of therecipients and this film tells the story of how just five of those letters changed peoples lives forever. Two Wives at One Wedding Tom Murray and his new bride’s wedding day takes a turn for the worse when a mysterious woman arrives uninvited with a startling revelation – she claims to be Tom’s wife. Annette is a French woman who Tom had a wartime romance with at the end ofthe Second World War after he was injured near Normandy and she nursed him back to health. It is then that Annette claims themarriage took place, something Tom has no memory of. She is willing to divorce Tom but only with a 10,000 settlement. Blackmailed and with his promising medical career in the balance should the story reach the papers, Tom must hunt down the facts to determine if Annette is really telling the truth.