Samantha Eggar in Dr. Crippen

In 1964, Samantha Eggar co-starred alongside Donald Pleasance in Dr. Crippen. Vased on a true story, the film deals with a man with an unpleasant wife who begins to have an affair with his secretary, a much younger woman. He ends up killing his wife to be with her and then attempts to leave Britain with his young lover, but of course all does not go as planned.

Samantha Eggar portrays Ethel Le Neve, the younger woman who engages in an affair with Dr. Crippen (played by Doanld Pleasance). She does not know that he killed his wife to be with her and eventually Dr. Crippen convinces Ethel to dress up as a boy so they can leave the country together without arousing suspicion. Samantha Eggar displays an androgynous side in her performance which I had never expected but now seems obvious.

Dr. Crippen was Samantha Eggar's first movie after abandoning television to focus solely on the cinema. Previosuly, she had appeared in two other feature films (The Wild and the Willing and Doctor in Distress) and had made a handful of UK TV guest appearances, perhaps most notably on Ghost Squad and The Saint. Dr. Crippen was a nice start to her proper film career and indeed her early roles are often considered by many to be her best. Her portrayal as Ethel Le Neve is wonderful and great contrast to the over-the-top performance of Coral Browne as Dr. Crippen's wife.

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Here are some images of Samantha Eggar in Dr. Crippen:

Janet Julian on Swamp Thing

In 1992 and 1993, Janet Julian portrayed the recurring character Dr. Ann Fisk on Swamp Thing. She appeared on the show several times, playing a former student Alec Holland, the man scientist who was transformed into Swamp Thing. Of course, once she discovers that the man she used to know is now Swamp Thing, she accepts his condition and they promptly fall in love. Over the course of several episodes she attempts to help him transform back into his normal state and also helps him battle the evil Dr. Arcane.

Janet Julian's appearances on Swamp Thing were essentially the last substantial work she would do. A couple of smaller TV guest appearances would follow, but she would retire by 1995. Previously, she had taken a few stabs at feature film, but it is appropriate that her swan song would be on television, where she had begun in earnest in 1978 as the new Nancy Drew.

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The following are some images of Janet Julian playing Dr. Ann Fisk on Swamp Thing:

Better Angels (January 31, 1992)

Sonata (March 20, 1992)

Changes (August 14, 1992)

Swamp of Dreams (April 17, 1993)

Actress Jennifer Holmes

Jennifer Holmes and Steven Kampmann from Newhart

If you watched a lot of TV in the 1980s, or are just starting to catch up now, you might have seen actress Jennifer Holmes. She was a regular cast member on two shows, playing Leslie Vanderkellen on the first season of Newhart and later playing Jane Miller on the short-lived series Misfits of Science. Jennifer Holmes also appeared on a wide variety of television series from 1979 to 1989, making numerous guest appearances on half-hour and hour-long programs.

If you haven't seen Jennifer Holmes, you might want to take a look at some of her work. She's really fun to watch!

Check out this follow-up on Jennifer Holmes to see some more pictures of her.

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The following is a chronological pictorial of selected TV appearances by Jennifer Holmes:

Jennifer Holmes on Quincy M.E. in 1980

Jennifer Holmes on The Incredible Hulk in 1981

Jennifer Holmes on Bosom Buddies in 1981

Jennifer Holmes on Simon & Simon in 1982

Jennifer Holmes on Voyagers! in 1982

Jennifer Holmes on Knight Rider in 1984

Jennifer Holmes on Webster in 1985

Jennifer Holmes on Misfits of Science in 1985

Jennifer Holmes on Tales of the Unexpected in 1985

Jennifer Holmes on The Love Boat in 1986

Jennifer Holmes on L.A. Law in 1987

Jennifer Holmes on Murder, She Wrote in 1987

Jennifer Holmes on Who's the Boss in 1988

Jennifer Holmes on Matlock in 1989

Samantha Eggar in Anna and the King

In 1972, Samantha Eggar co-starred with Yul Brynner in the ill-fated Anna and the King, a TV version of the popular 1956 film The King and I. Of course, the whole thing started with the 1944 book 'Anna and the King of Siam', which was followed by a 1946 movie of the same name (starring Rex Harrison, who Samantha Eggar would later co-star with in Doctor Dolittle).

Anna and the King was supposed to be a big deal. It was supposedly the most expensive half hour show ever produced up until that time. Yul Brynner kept a watchful eye over the production and made sure that original sets, props and costumes from the previous film versions were used. When the show premiered, however, it was met with mixed reaction. It came out at the same time as M*A*S*H (Anna and the King executive produced Gene Reynolds also worked on M*A*S*H) and that show went on massive success, while Anna and the King was not given a second season.

So why did Anna and the King fail? One reason may have been the focus of the show. Someone decided to gear Anna and the King towards a younger audience, adding an ill-advised laugh track and diminishing the role of the King and Anna in favor of a focus on their children. The show could have easily been family friendly and entertaining without having canned laughter and still having the primary concentration be on the relationship between Samantha Eggar and Yul Brynner.

In Anna and the King, Samantha Eggar portrays Anna Owens, a role previously played by Irene Dunne and Deborah Kerr. Of course, Yul Brynner had been playing the King of Siam on stage for years and had appeared alongside Deborah Kerr in the 1956 film The King and I. Supposedly, Yul Brynner handpicked Samantha Eggar to be Anna Owens in the television version. Yul Brynner and Samantha Eggar had already worked together in the 1971 movie The Light at the Edge of the World.

I've only seen the pilot of Anna and the King, but Samantha Eggar does a wonderful job. She puts a lot of energy and zeal into her role and seems to enjoy wearing the variety of period costumes. In the TV production of Anna and the King, the character of Anna Owens is supposed to be from America, rather than Britain like in all previous versions of the story. Samantha Eggar does not attempt to do an American accent. However, one overlooked point is that people in mid-19th century America may not necessarily have had traditional American accents the way we think of them now. Many people in the United States in the 19th century may still have had strong European accents, depending on how long they had been in the country.


Here are some promotional materials for Anna and the King:

Here are a few images of Samantha Eggar in the 1972 pilot for Anna and the King: