Googie Withers

An architect, visiting an English country house, realizes the other guests are familiar from his recurring nightmare. When they share their tales of the supernatural, he is filled with a growing dread. Architect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns), seeking the possibility of some work at a country farmhouse, soon finds himself once again stuck in his recurring nightmare. Dreading the end of the dream that he knows is coming, he must first listen to all the assembled guests' own bizarre tales. —Doug Sederberg <vornoff@sonic.net> Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns), an architect, is summoned down to a house called Pilgrim's Farm by a prospective client whom he does not know. On arrival, he experiences strongly the feeling that he has been to the place before. He is taken into the house and introduced by his host to a group of people. These also are familiar, though none of them appear to know him. After somewhat constrained greetings, he tells them that he has met them all, and the house, and the situation is a recurring dream. He explains how this dream always starts quietly and pleasantly, at the present moment, but after a certain small incident invariably begins to darken into a ghastly nightmare, culminating in horror, a horror of his own creation, from which he wakes up sweating with fear. He never remembers his dream for more than a few moments after waking, until the next time it occurs. He then describes the incident which will mark the turning point of his dream, the breaking of a pair of glasses belonging to one of the party, a psychiatrist. Increasingly fascinated, the party one by one reveal that each has at some time undergone an "inexplicable" experience. The narration of these make up the body of the movie. Architect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns) drives to a farmhouse in the countryside of London and he is welcomed by the owner, Eliot Foley (Roland Culver). Foley introduces him to psychiatrist Dr. Van Straaten (Frederick Valk), his friend Joan Cortland (Googie Withers), his young neighbor Sally O'Hara (Sally Ann Howes), and race car driver Hugh Grainger (Anthony Baird). Craig says that he has the sensation of déjà vu since he had had a nightmare with them in that house, but one lady is missing. However, Mrs. Foley (Mary Merrall) arrives, completing the characters of his dream. The skeptical Dr. Van Straaten does not believe in the supernatural, but the guests describe supernatural events that they have lived. Grainger had a car accident and then a premonition that saved his life; Sally had met a ghost during Christmas; Eliot and his wife had lived an evil experience with a haunted mirror; two golfers loved the same woman and decide to win her in a game, but one of them dies and haunts the other; and Dr. Van Straaten tells the story of a ventriloquist with double personality that is dominated by his dummy. But when Dr. Van Straaten accidentally breaks his glasses and the power goes out, the nightmare continues. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Architect Walter Craig has just arrived at Pilgrim's Farm in the Kent countryside for the weekend on the invitation of its owner, Eliot Foley, who, on reputation, wants to hire him for a renovation, Craig never having met Foley until this moment with everything up to this point having been conducted over the telephone. But for Craig, it is all a case of déjà vu as he not only has seen Foley before, but also the farmhouse, and the other guests at the farm: Foley's mother, Hugh Grainger, Sally O'Hara, Joan Cortland, and Dr. Van Straaten. He has seen them all together like they are now in this very living room in a recurring dream, he even aware that there will be a late arrival of a dark-haired young woman, which is indeed the case. But he remembers little beyond this scant outline as the dream is always a fleeting thought after he awakens until he dreams it again. For some understanding of what is happening, Craig turns primarily to Van Straaten, who he is aware from his dream is a psychiatrist before Van Straaten divulges it himself. Because of the supernatural nature of the situation and wanting the doctor's take, Grainger, O'Hara and Cortland go on to tell stories in which they were directly involved which had a similar supernatural element of an evil and/or deathly nature, that death sometimes for they themselves. Even before Foley and Van Straaten proceed to tell similar stories of their own of which they were peripherally involved, Craig believes that danger awaits him if he stays. Van Straaten is able to convince him to face his fears for reality to play out, dream or no dream, instead of running away. Will Craig live to see the answers if they indeed are forthcoming? —Huggo

Two wealthy Victorian widows are courted tentatively by two impoverished British aristocrats. When one of the dowagers suggests that her beau go away with her for a month to see if they are compatible, the fireworks begin. Victorian London. George, the 10th Duke of Bristol, and his equally upper class friend Richard Halton are both broke. To live, George has had to rent out his London castle to visiting young American socialite Helen Hale. So the only way George has access to his own home is when he is invited to a party hosted by Helen. Much to George's surprise, Richard confesses to him that he is in love from afar with and would like to marry wealthy widowed Maria Wislack, Helen's friend who George considers a haggard, controlling, old (forty-one) shrew of a woman. Richard believes he has no chance with Maria due to the difference in their financial situations. Richard is surprised to find that Maria knows he is in love with her, she in turn attracted to him. However, to test if they will be compatible as husband and wife, Maria proposes they spend one month together in her mansion on an otherwise deserted island off the coast of Scotland, Richard who is to row to the mainland every night and row back the next morning so as to be publicly proper in their courtship. George and Helen decide to tag along to support their respective friend, although each has his/her own ulterior motive, George to live off the creature comforts in Maria's mansion and being waited on hand and foot by her servants, and Helen to be close to George who she believes she loves. Out of circumstance, the four end up living in the island mansion together without any servants. As the month progresses, each of the four learns their true feelings, resulting in each hatching plots and subplots to achieve what he/she wants and/or to show up the others toward who ill feelings have developed.

At an RAF base the control tower reports one aircraft is missing as a squadron returns from a nighttime sortie. A title screen takes the viewer back 15 hours earlier. Veteran officer George has volunteered for one last mission, he replaces an American sergeant as tail gunner. The crew have their lunch, the officers in the wardroom and the non-coms in their mess. The Yank is upset and gives his $3 nylon stockings to another airman Wellington medium bomber B for Bertie takes off at 21:40 hrs to bomb the Mercedes-Benz plant in Stuttgart. The crew settles in for the long flight. Gunners load their weapons. They joke about German girls, a few familiar with Stuttgart from before the war. They pass over the Dutch coast. Flak guns rock the plane. They pass over the railroad to Cologne and dump a load of leaflets. They fly into searchlights, the gunners shoot down at the lights. They watch a city in flames being bombed. They open the bomb bay doors and lower altitude, drop the load and turn to home. The starboard engine is hit, the navigator plots a straight route home over Mainz. The pilot tries to evade the constant ack-ack. They make it to Holland. Now the port engine dies, they decide to bail out. They plan to follow the rail-line and join up later. The pilot John gives the jump command one by one, he slips out last. All bail out. The plane recovers and flies on by itself. In the morning the crew gather in a wooded area. They have a smoke, George takes command as Bob is missing, John seems to be in over his head. They check a map and look to the coast. George prepares and strips off his uniform tunic. Some local kids arrive, their dog barks. One flyer knows some Dutch and is able to determine the kids are friendly. The kids show their resistance symbol safety pins, and offer to take them to the school marm who knows English. In the village the crew are left in one room while the locals discuss. Els Meerten comes in and introduces herself. She grills them and says no plane has crashed nearby. She asks for proof they are who they say, suspecting they are a German trick. Frank shows a news clipping of his wife's upcoming broadcast. She leaves and they then note the orange flowers and the hidden picture of their queen, indicating their national loyalty. They are taken in to see the others. It's friendly and a pile of food is on the table, the men tuck in and are given Bols aqavit. Everyone wonders where Bob is, Els is worried if the Germans find him. They are 58 km from the coast. The Dutch offer to take them to their Catholic Church, part of the way there, two Brits are hesitant as they are Protestants. The Dutch will also dig up the parachutes and hide them better. A couple of the men are disguised as Dutch women with clogs. George gets a proper suit. They make fake travel papers. The large group bicycles down a road past windmills. A German armored car tears past with a siren. They arrive at church and sit in the pews. A man comes in and passes the word Bob's parachute has been found. A vehicle approaches, noisy Germans are outside. The priest continues the Latin rites as an Officer enters. A woman has a bit of RAF parachute under her skirt, they manage to hide it. The German looks around then leaves without a word. The organist starts up and all sing loudly. They make up another travel pass to be a wedding party. The Aircrew have a nice meal and drinks at a large house. Their host complains about quislings, upset his son is earning money from the traitors, bringing phonograph records to the Germans. The quisling DeJong comes in talking tough. George pulls his gun and the Dutch man is taken prisoner. Outside they hear their anthem playing from the German barracks. De Jong is worried the Germans will be after him for slipping the Dutch records . The older host is happy now realizing his son pulled a trick on both the quisling and the invaders. Another travel pass is made to attend the football game. The crowd surrounds a pitch but a German patrol car announces only 200 can gather. As the crowd mills about the German loudspeaker retracts and allows the Dutch to watch their game. The Brits see their lost mate Bob there. The six ride in the back of a lorry with a cow, they arrive by the North Sea. The truck drives through a heavy fortified area. Jo de Vries meets them to guide, the Germans trust her as an ally. The men sneak in a warehouse loft above a group of singing and laughing Germans. It is a barracks for 200 soldiers. de Vries takes them to her quarters, they drop in from the attic. They all relax, she has a radio and tells them to only open the door to her special V code knock. The men listen to Frank's wife singing on the BBC. The men get dressed in their uniforms. de Vries returns, Frank kisses her hand in thanks. She asks them to see her husband in London, he is an announcer for Radio Orange. She explains they just need to wait for an air raid so they can escape to a rowboat. They have to wait. The next day de Vries dresses up and toasts the men with drinks. Her family motto is We Can Take It. George graciously thanks her on behalf of the crew and promises they will sweep out the Germans. Suddenly the air raid sirens wail, the Germans run for shelter. Jo heaps scorn on the Germans wishing the rest of Europe could see how they duck and cover. The crew head downstairs for the rowboat. The Dutch woman needs to distract a couple of Germans. The Brits silently take out another enemy officer arriving in the cellar. George goes and takes out the other two Germans. de Vries gives some final guidance and says she will take care of the three bodies, wishing the Bertie crew good luck. In the dark they row down a river and must pass a guardpoint. The Germans open a swing bridge to let out fishing boats. As the bridge starts to close George gives the order to row, the German guard above whistles away his troubles. He then notices the rowboat and fires his rifle. They make it far enough away but George has been hit. They then make it to a rescue buoy out at sea. Two MTB approach. The Brits have two prisoners in the floating container but think the boats are Germans. It's the RN though, and after some inter-service ribbing they take the buoy in tow to Dover as George is too weak to be moved. Three months later PO George Corbett is OK and assigned to a Lancaster, ready to fly a sortie to Berlin.