Perchance to Dream (1959)

1959 | USA | Charles Beaumont | ★★★★★

Horror and science-fiction author Charles Beaumont's beautifully crafted, brilliantly conceived Perchance to Dream is a nightmarishly unsettling Twilight Zone episode, featuring an unforgettable central performance from Richard Conte.

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"Edward Hall has a bad heart—and a [terrible] problem. Desperate, he barges into the office of Dr. Rathmann, a psychiatrist, and explains that each night, he’s been dreaming in chapters, as in a movie serial. The setting is always the same: an amusement park, in which Maya, an alluring carnival dancer, entices him into a funhouse and onto a rollercoaster…with the intention of scaring him to death. He knows if he goes to sleep again, he’ll suffer a fatal heart attack—and yet, if he stays awake much longer, he feels sure his heart won’t stand the strain. Whatever choice Hall makes…he’s brought a one-way ticket into the Twilight Zone." CBS


See also:
Stotty's 1950s Favourites
The Twilight Zone

The Phil Silvers Show (1955-59)

Sergeant Bilko

1955-59 | USA | Nat Hiken | ★★★★★

Nat Hiken's wonderful, consistently hilarious The Phil Silvers Show is an army base-set sitcom about a loveable rogue, featuring great gags, irreverent plotting, and (particularly from its brilliant, eponymous star) memorable performances.

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"Sgt. Ernie Bilko is the ultimate con man. He runs the motor pool at a small Kansas US Army Camp. Colonel Hall, nominally in charge of the base tries to keep Bilko's plans in check. Bilko runs every money making scheme that he thinks he can pull off. Midnight cruises on Landing Craft, Tank Rides, Poker games, and an interesting deal with local service stations for spare parts for jeep tires." IMDb

See also:

Stotty's 1950s Favourites

Carry On Nurse (1959)

1959 | UK | Gerald Thomas | ★★★

Gerald Thomas's Carry On Nurse, the second of the Carry On series, is a sporadically entertaining hospital-set comedy of the nascently bawdy variety, buoyed by the excellent performances of, amongst others, Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey.

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"The patients in a men's hospital ward decide to revolt against the staff, as led by the indomitable Matron (Hattie Jacques). Troublesome patients include Kenneth Williams, Leslie Phillips, Kenneth Connor and Charles Hawtrey. Producer Peter Rogers was offered a five-movie deal on the strength of this film's success." Studiocanal


See also:
The Carry On Films (1958-92)