Talking Pictures TV might be the best-kept secret on terrestrial television, and they even have their own streaming option. Here’s our rundown of the films arriving (and leaving) its Encore service this week.
For anyone looking for some vintage screening options this season, Talking Pictures TV (Virgin 445, Freesat 306, Freeview 82) has you covered. With classic TV episodes mixed in with golden-age cinema (Hartnell-era Doctor Who followed by The Cat Girl, anyone?), with a bit of a rummage there’s plenty of gems to sink your teeth into.
Talking Pictures TV’s streaming option, Encore, takes a lot of what streams on the channel and throws in some golden oldies for good measure, all for the low-low price of absolutely free! There’s a healthy archive of classics kept there over the long-term, but there’s new films arriving and old films taking their bows every week. Helpfully, we’ve gathered them all in one place for you to peruse at your pleasure, so curl up with a cup of something comforting and enjoy!
What’s New?
Snowball
1960. Crime. Directed by Pat Jackson. Stars Gordon Jackson, Kenneth Griffith, Zena Walker and Dennis Waterman. After forgetting his ticket a devious young boy causes trouble for the conductor.
The Cariboo Trail
1950. Western. Director: Edwin L. Marin. Stars Randolph Scott, George Hayes & Bill Williams. Jim & Mike head to Canada via the Cariboo Trail to raise cattle and dig for gold but find trouble.
Three Steps To the Gallows
1953. Drama. Directed by John Gilling. American cargo ship Officer Stevens (Scott Brady) finds out that his brother is the frame-up victim of a smuggling gang and is due to be executed for murder.
A String of Beads
1954. Drama. Directed by William Cameron Menzies. Stars Ronald Colman, Angela Lansbury & Brenda Forbes. A woman’s life changes when a gem expert declares the string of beads she wears is valuable.
Award
1955. Drama. Directed by Roy Kellino. Stars Ida Lupino & Franchot Tone. After failing her first Broadway attempt, a famous movie actress must complete a challenge before she is granted help.
House of Blackmail
1953. Crime. Directed by Maurice Elvey. An Army officer (William Sylvester) and Carol (Mary Germaine) must solve the murder of a blackmailer or be charged themselves.
Escape Route
1952. Crime Drama. Directed by Seymour Friedman & Peter Graham Scott. Stars George Raft. Nuclear scientists are kidnapped. An FBI man and a British agent must find the culprit. Sally Gray’s last film.
Our Girl Friday
1953. Comedy. Directed by Noel Langley. Stars Joan Collins, George Cole, Kenneth More, Hattie Jacques & Walter Fitzgerald. A British cast lead this story about a shipwrecked group on a tropical island.
Prisoners of the Tower
1946. Documentary. Directed by Cecil H. Williamson. Narrated by Valantine Dyall. A newly discovered film covering the fascinating story of The Tower of London.
A Tale of Five Cities
1951. Drama. Stars Bonar Colleano, Barbara Kelly, Eva Bartok & Gina Lollobrigida. When an Englishman leaves America to enlist in the RAF his gruelling combat experiences result in a loss of memory.
Three Silent Men
1940. Crime. An inventor of a deadly weapon to be used against the allies is injured in a crash. Surgeon, Sir James (Sebastian Shaw) saves his life but learns of his plot. Stars Derrick De Marney.
Devil’s Bait
1959. Drama. Director: Peter Graham Scott. Stars Geoffey Keen, Jane Hylton & Gordon Jackson. An incompetent rat-catcher leaves behind the poison he has used to eradicate rats from a small bakery.
Kid With A Gun
Directed by Aaron Spelling and starring Don Durant. Johnny investigates Josie Wilkins’ report that her father was murdered, but can’t find a body to support her claim.
Juggernaut
1936. Mystery. Director: Henry Edwards. Stars Boris Karloff, Joan Wyndham & Mona Goya. An evil doctor and the greedy wife of a rich man plot to poison him so they can get their hands on his money.
Impulse
1955. Drama. Directed by Charles De la Tour & Cy Endfield. Stars Arthur Kennedy, Constance Smith & Joy Shelton. A Night club singer tricks an estate agent into thinking he killed a jewel thief.
Bluebeard
1944. Crime. Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. Stars John Carradine, Jean Parker & Nils Asther. A dressmaker falls in love with a puppeteer, but little does she know he is a serial killer.
The Great Flamarion
1945. Drama. Directed by Anthony Mann. Stars Erich von Stroheim, Mary Beth Hughes & Dan Duryea. A beautiful female performer manipulates all the men in her life in order to achieve her ambitions.
Hour of Decision
1957. Crime. Stars Lionel Jeffries & Hazel Court. Reporter Joe (Jeff Morrow) finds his wife is the prime suspect in a murder investigation.
While I Live (AKA: The Dream of Olwen)
1947. Drama. (aka The Dream of Olwen) 25 years later a spinster still obsesses over the death of her sister, who was a composer.
The Scarlet Web
1954. Crime drama directed by Charles Saunders. An insurance investigator is framed for murder after a client is found dead. Starring Griffith Jones and Hazel Court.
The Breaking Point
1961. The nephew of a printer gets involved with foreign spies intent on making counterfeit money. Stars Peter Reynolds & Dermot Walsh.
The Secret Tunnel
1948. Family. Directed by William C. Hammond. Stars: Tony Wager, Ivor Bowyer, Murray Matheson. Two boys set out to bring justice to the thieves of a Rembrandt painting.
Child in the House
1956. Drama. Director: Cy Endfield. Stars Phyllis Calvert, Eric Portman & Stanley Baker. A young girl is left with her relatives while her mother is in hospital. Her father, a crook, pays her a visit.
That Woman
1956. Drama. Directed by Richard Kinon. Stars Ida Lupino, Peter Leeds & Dorothy Neumann. A young widow from the city, in denial her husband has died, moves to the farm of her brother in law’s family.
Cover Girl Killer
1959. Crime. Someone is murdering cover girl models, leaving them in the same pose and place as featured in ‘Wow’ magazine. Stars: Harry H. Corbett, Felicity Young.
Calling Paul Temple
1948. Crime Drama starring John Bentley & Dinah Sheridan. Scotland Yard is unable to unravel the ‘Rex’ murders and cannot manage without the help of Paul Temple and his sidekick ‘Steve’.
Home and Away
1956. Drama directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Jack Warner, Thora Hird, Harry Fowler and Kathleen Harrison. Based on ‘The Huggetts’ family rivalry when two sons win the football pools.
Mystery of the Wentworth Castle
1940. Crime drama. Directed by William Nigh and starring Boris Karloff, Marjorie Reynolds and Grant Withers. Mr. Wong and a reporter investigate a shipping magnate’s murder.
A Touch Of The Sun
1956. Comedy. In London’s swanky hotel the Royal Connaught, if you need anything ask for Mr. Darling (Frankie Howerd) the ‘Mr. Fix-it’. Stars: Ruby Murray, Alfie Bass & Dennis Price.
Sing As You Swing
1937. Musical. Directed by Redd Davis. Starring Evelyn Dall, Claude Dampier & Lu Ann Meredith. Top British radio stars perform in this musical revue.
Zontar – Thing From Venus
1967. Sci-fi. Directed by Larry Buchanan. Stars John Agar, Susan Bjurman & Tony Huston. A young scientist believes an alien from Venus can help Earth but soon discovers it has a malevolent plan.
1940s Paper & Wire Animals
Made in the 1940s. A charming instructional guide on how to make paper and wire wild and exotic creatures, with excellent 1940s narration.
San Ferry Ann
1965. Comedy. Director: Jeremy Summers. Stars Wilfred Brambell, David Lodge, Joan Sims & Barbara Windsor. Sound effect comedy about the misadventures of a group of tourists on a trip to France.
Fire Maidens From Outer Space
1956. Sci-Fi. Directed by Cy Roth and starring Harry Fowler, Paul Carpenter & Sydney Tafler. Spacemen land on the 13th Moon of Jupiter and find man-hungry space girls waiting for them.
Saints & Sinners: Ten Days For A Shirt-Tail
1965. Ten Days For A Shirt-Tail. Human stories uncovered by the reporters of the New York City ‘Record’ newspaper.
Beyond The Universe
1981 Sci-fi. A 21st century scientist tries to save the world after two atomic wars.
Bindle
1966. Comedy. Directed by Peter Saunders. Stars Alfie Bass, Johnny Wade & Carmel McSharry. A brilliant comedy about an accident prone furniture remover and his friend.
Your Money Or Your Wife
1960. Comedy. Newly-weds Gay (Peggy Cummins) and Pel (Donald Sinden) must divorce to claim an inheritance. Starring Peter Reynolds.
The Marked One
1963. Crime. Directed by Francis Searle. Stars William Lucas, Zena Walker & Patrick Jordan. Criminals kidnap a man’s daughter in order to obtain forgery plates which they believe to be in his possession.
Serena
1962. Drama. Directed by Peter Maxwell. Starring Patrick Holt, Emrys Jones & Honor Blackman. An inspector strives to solve the mystery of an artist’s dead wife. The artist becomes the main suspect.
Cavalcade of Variety
1941. Musical directed by Thomas Bentley. Featuring Peter Brough, Archie Andrews, Billy Cotton and his band, The Sherman Fisher Girls and many more.
Second Woman
1950. Drama. Directed by James V Kern. Stars Betsy Drake, Robert Young, John Sutton & Florence Bates. An architect’s fiancee is killed in a mysterious car accident on the night before their wedding.
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapons
1942. Mystery. Directed by Roy William Neill. Stars Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce & Lionel Atwill. Sherlock Holmes must protect a scientist’s invention from falling into the wrong hands.
Love Affair
Directed by Aaron Spelling and starring Don Durant. A middle-aged saloon singer determined to leave her abusive boyfriend, shoots him in her hotel room then flees to Velardi
Road To Happiness
1941. Musical Drama. Directed by Phil Rosen. Starring John Boles & Mona Barrie. A heart-warming story of a singer down on his luck, who turns to radio acting as a means of supporting his young son.
It Could Be You
The film follows two London models on their journey through Germany as their prize for winning a newspaper competition. Starring Adrienne Scot, Jackie Collins & Phillip Baird.
Little Shop of Horrors
1960. Horror. Director: Roger Corman. Stars Jack Nicholson, Dick Miller, Jackie Joseph & Meri Welles. After Seymour creates a new plant species the plant begins to speak and demands human flesh.
20 Questions Murder Mystery
1950. Crime. Director: Paul L. Stein. Stars Robert Beatty, Rona Anderson & Clifford Evans. Prior to committing a crime, someone sends in a question to the B.B.C.’s ’20 Questions’ programme.
Stock Car
1955. Drama. After the death of her father while motor racing the daughter (Rona Anderson) is dissuaded from selling his garage by fellow racer Larry (Paul Carpenter) who helps her run it.
The Black Abbot
1934. Crime Comedy. Director: George A. Cooper. Stars John Stuart, Judy Kelly & Edgar Norfolk. A gang of crooks use the legend of a ghost haunting an old dark mansion to help kidnap a rich man.
Leaving
Sailor Beware!
Available until 1st December.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1956. Comedy. Director: Gordon Parry. Stars Gordon Jackson, Peggy Mount, Ronald Lewis & Shirley Eaton. A seaman gets cold feet about his wedding when his mother-in-law to be takes control.
Night Mail
Available until 30th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1936. Directors: Harry Watt & Basil Wright. Narrated by Pat Jackson. A critically acclaimed British documentary film about the operation of the 30s Royal Mail train delivery service.
Hands Of The Ripper
Available until 30th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1971. Horror. Directed by Peter Sasdy. Stars Eric Porter, Jane Merrow, Angharad Rees & Dora Bryan. Jack the Ripper’s daughter seems possessed by her father’s spirit 15 years after her mother’s murder.
Malice
Available until 29th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1993. Thriller. Director: Harold Becker. Stars Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman & Bill Pullman. The life of a married couple is severely disrupted after an enigmatic surgeon is invited into their home.
Look At Life – Horse-Power Riders
Available until 29th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1960. A study of all aspects of motorcycling, with a look at both amateurs professionals and a glimpse at experts demonstrating motorcycle safety techniques and their training programmes.
Cannon for Cordoba
Available until 29th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1970. Western. Director: Paul Wendkos. Stars George Peppard, Giovanna Ralli & Raf Vallone. A band of misfits is led into Mexican territory to destroy six cannons stolen by savage revolutionaries.
It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow: The Story of the 1943 Bethnal Green Tube Disaster
Available until 29th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
When London is bombed, people move to the underground. It’s a great documentary, following one family who lives under the London’s streets.
The Hitch-Hiker
1953. Thriller. Director Ida Lupino. Stars Edmond O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy & William Talman. Ray & Gilbert’s fishing trip takes a turn when they pick up a hitch-hiker who turns out to be on the run.
Look At Life – Glamour Girls
Available until 28th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1960. Dive into the glamorous world of the fashion model from all angles, see them at work and some of them at play. Includes a look at the model school, model agent and different types of models.
Race For The Yankee Zephyr
Available until 28th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1981. Action. Director: David Hemmings. Stars Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren & Donald Pleasence. Local hunters compete with a gang of mercenaries to find a missing plane with a cargo of $50 million.
Cast a Dark Shadow
Available until 28th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1955. Thriller. Directed by Lewis Gilbert. Starring Dirk Bogarde, Margaret Lockwood, Kay Walsh & Kathleen Harrison. A clever fortune-hunter with a penchant for murder kills his elderly, rich wife.
Look At Life – Garden of Tomorrow
Available until 28th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1960. For everyone who loves a garden and a gadget, and for those who have never experienced the Chelsea Flower Show in all its glory, this film is for you.
Look At Life – Four Men Down
Available until 28th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1959. A look at the British Olympic bobsleigh team as they practice at St Moritz for the World Championships at Cortina in Italy.
The Falcon and the Snowman
Available until 28th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1985. Drama. Directed by John Schlesinger. Stars Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn & Joyce Van Patten. The true story of two childhood friends who decide to sell government secrets to the Soviet Union.
Look at Life – Down on the Farm
Available until 27th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1961. An in depth and intriguing look at the newest developments in farming of every kind.
The People That Time Forgot
Available until 27th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1977. Adventure. Directed by Kevin Connor. Stars Patrick Wayne, Doug McClure & Sarah Douglas. An expedition in search of a lost colleague stumbles upon a prehistoric world hidden in the Arctic.
Vote for Huggett
Available until 27th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1949. Comedy. Director Ken Annakin. Stars Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Susan Shaw, Petula Clark, Diana Dors. The Huggetts decide to enter the world of politics, causing uproar in the household.
Look At Life – Crowning Glory
Available until 27th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1963. We delve into the world of hair and look at training hairdressers, creating new styles and the creation of wigs.
Family Life
Available until 27th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1972. Drama. Directed by Ken Loach. Stars Sandy Ratcliff, Bill Dean & Grace Cave. A daughter rebels against her strict family and ends up getting pregnant leading to a devastating chain of events.
Look At Life – The Price Of Valour
Available until 26th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1964. A look at an auction of a Victoria Cross, with a glimpse at what VC holders are currently doing.
Green For Danger
Available until 26th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1947. Thriller. Director. Sidney Gilliat. Stars Trevor Howard, Sally Gray, Rosamund John & Alastair Sim. Against a background of bombing raids, a series of murders take place in a hospital during WW2.
The Fast Lady
Available until 26th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1963. Comedy. Director: Ken Annakin. Stars Stanley Baxter, James Robertson Justice & Leslie Phillips. Mr. Troon invests in a vintage Bentley to impress the daughter of a wealthy tycoon.
Runaway Train
Available until 26th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1985. Action. Directed by Andrey Konchalovskiy. Stars Jon Voight, Eric Roberts & Rebecca De Mornay. Two escaped convicts and a railway worker find themselves trapped on an out of control train.
Look At Life – Market Day
Available until 25th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1960. A look at the British country market, including cattle markets and the problems they face.
The Day The Earth Caught Fire
Available until 25th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1961. Sci-Fi Drama. Director: Val Guest. Stars Janet Munro, Leo McKern, Edward Judd & Michael Goodliffe. U.S and Russia test atomic bombs at the same time, which alters the nutation of the Earth.
Look At Life – Malta Milestone
Available until 25th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1964. A look at how Malta has sought new methods of generating income after the demise of the great naval dockyard. Also, a look at the future of the island before its independence day in 1965.
Look At Life – Women with Leisure
Available until 25th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1960. A look into the popularity of ten-pin bowling, especially among women.
Look At Life – Clean Sweep
Available until 25th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1960. Exploring the effect of soot on our lives, especially on the erosion of buildings.
Deathsport
Available until 25th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1978. Sci-fi. Directed by Allan Arkush & Nicholas Niciphor. Stars David Carradine & Claudia Jennings. In the distant future, a ranger is forced to compete in a savage game called Deathsport.
The Ninth Configuration
Available until 25th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1980. Drama. Directed by William Peter Blatty. Stars Stacy Keach, Scott Wilson & Jason Miller. A military psychiatrist arrives at a remote asylum and attempts to rehabilitate the patients within.
Ben
Available until 24th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1972. Horror. Directed by Phil Karlson. Stars Lee Montgomery, Joseph Campanella & Arthur O’Connell. A lonely boy befriends Ben a rat who is the leader of a violent rodent army.
No Time For Tears
Available until 24th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1957. Drama. Directed by Cyril Frankel. Stars Anna Neagle, Anthony Quayle & Sylvia Syms. Interwoven dramas focusing on the challenging lives of the doctors and nurses of a children’s hospital.
Look At Life – At the End of a Rope
Available until 24th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1963. A detailed look at the story of the rope and its many uses in the world of today.
The Woman In Question
Available until 24th November.
Only available in United Kingdom.
1950. Mystery. Directed by Anthony Asquith. Starring Dirk Bogarde and Jean Kent. Police interview the five principle suspects in the murder of Astra (Jean Kent), an enigmatic fortune teller.
Tomorrow
Available until 24th November.
Only available in United Kingdom.
1972. Drama. Directed by Joseph Anthony. Stars Robert Duvall, Olga Bellin & Sudie Bond. A lonely farmer takes in a pregnant drifter, but things take an unexpected turn after she gives birth.
A Kiss Before Dying
Available until 24th November.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
1956. Drama. Directed by Gerd Oswald. Stars Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter & Virginia Leith. A college boy obsessed with wealth will stop at nothing to gain the inheritance of a young heiress.
House of the Gorgon
Available until 31st August 2024.
Only available in United Kingdom and Ireland.
2019. Horror. Directed by Josh Kennedy. Stars Caroline Munro, Martine Beswick & Veronica Carlson. A young couple are terrorised after an ancient horror is unleashed upon them.
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