Jess Conrad

Acting

Jess Conrad

Born

1936-02-24 (90)

Place of birth

Brixton, London, England, UK

Known for

Acting

Credits

49 titles

Jess Conrad (born Gerald Arthur James, 24 February 1936, Brixton, London) is an actor and singer from England. He was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s with a number of hits to his credit, "Cherry Pie", "This Pullover", "Mystery Girl" and "Pretty Jenny". He has recorded for Decca, Columbia, Pye President and EMI record labels. During the late 1950s and in to the mid 1960s Conrad appeared in a number of cult films, namely Serious Charge (uncredited), The Boys, Rag Doll, (filmed in 1960, and released in 1961); Kill 1 and Konga. He also featured in a cameo role in the Sex Pistols film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. Odeon recently re-issued one of his 1970s films on to DVD - Cool It C…

Known for

Last of the Summer Wine poster
7.2

Unencumbered by wives, jobs or any other responsibilities, three senior citizens who've never really grown up explore their world in the Yorkshire Dales. They spend their days speculating about their fellow townsfolk and thinking up adventures not usually favored by the elderly. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse in 1973. The show ran for 295 episodes until 2010. It is the longest running comedy Britain has produced and the longest running sitcom in the world.

Last of the Summer Wine

1973

Escape to the Country poster
5.8

The property show that helps prospective buyers find their dream home in the country.

Escape to the Country

2002

Thirty-Minute Theatre poster
4.2

An anthology of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short length, and which therefore attracted many writers who later became well known.

Thirty-Minute Theatre

1965

An Audience with... poster
5.3

An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by London Weekend Television, in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a light hearted revue/tribute style.

An Audience with...

1978

Space: 1999 poster
7.1

The crew of Moonbase Alpha must struggle to survive when a massive explosion throws the Moon from orbit into deep space.

Space: 1999

1975

Are You Being Served? poster
7.3

This comedy series, which follows the exploits of employees at London's fictional "Grace Brothers" department store, is full of sexual innuendo, slapstick, visual gags, and double entendres. Much of the show's humor parodies Britain's class system, and many of the show's characters are based on stereotypes of the period, including the effeminate Mr. Humphries and the rich, but stingy, store owner.

Are You Being Served?

1972

Film credits

2010s · 3 titles

2000s · 6 titles

Telstar: The Joe Meek Story poster
5.6

Set against a backdrop of early '60s London, Telstar is the story of the world's first independent record producer, Joe Meek. A maverick genius who enjoyed phenomenal success with Telstar – the biggest selling record of it's time – before bad luck, depression, heartbreak and paranoia led to his downfall.

Telstar: The Joe Meek Story

2008

Sex, Secrets and Frankie Howerd poster
NR

A frank documentary about the scandalous private life of Frankie Howerd.

Sex, Secrets and Frankie Howerd

2004

No artwork available
NR

A behind the scenes look at the "Mucky" Panto, Sinderella Comes Again, with interviews from the cast and audience this video is a must see for anyone who has seen the show and wondered, just what goes on backstage?

Sinderella Comes Again - Backstage

2004

Kathy Kirby: My Story By The Golden Girl of Pop poster
NR

Kathy Kirby had everything: a remarkable voice, stunning looks, universal popularity and she was a major TV and recording star with her biggest hit Secret Love selling over 500,000 records. She was the highest paid British female singer of the swinging sixties with millions in the bank and demand from all over the world for her talents - but almost overnight it had all gone. She retired from show business in 1983 and now lives a reclusive Garboesque existence, but the interest in her has never dimmed. So what went wrong for Kathy Kirby? Find out the full and frank truth of her meteoric rise to stardom and her heart-rending fall from grace with the FIRST on camera interview with Kathy Kirby in over 25 years. Plus discover who Kathy s Secret Love really was, with contributions from Bruce Forsyth, Jess Conrad, Marc Almond, Vince Hill, Sandie Shaw and many more. .

Kathy Kirby: My Story By The Golden Girl of Pop

2009

The Unforgettable Diana Dors poster
10.0

Short documentary profiling the life of British 'Blonde Bombshell' Diana Dors, who died of cancer in 1984. Movie clips and TV footage are mixed with celebrity interviews, including rare appearances by actor Rod Steiger and veteran director J. Lee Thompson. There is some interesting location work at Dors' lavish Sunningdale mansion and plenty of long-unseen film clips, but the documentary ultimately glosses over her scandalous, and often seedy, life.

The Unforgettable Diana Dors

2000

Sinderella Comes Again poster
7.0

Sinderella Comes Again sees Buttons, Sinderella, Prince Charming and the Ugly Sisters up to all their old tricks and naughty makeovers! It's a hilarious tale for adults that should know better. It'll definitely heat up your stockings!

Sinderella Comes Again

2004

1990s · 5 titles

1980s · 5 titles

Absolute Beginners poster
5.5

A musical adaptation of Colin MacInnes' novel about life in late 1950s London. Nineteen-year-old photographer Colin is hopelessly in love with model Crepe Suzette, but her relationships are strictly connected with her progress in the fashion world. So Colin gets involved with a pop promoter and tries to crack the big time. Meanwhile, racial tension is brewing in Colin's Notting Hill housing estate...

Absolute Beginners

1986

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle poster
6.4

A rather incoherent post-breakup Sex Pistols "documentary", told from the point of view of Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, whose (arguable) position is that the Sex Pistols in particular and punk rock in general were an elaborate scam perpetrated by him in order to make "a million pounds."

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle

1980

Just Like That! poster
NR

Just Like That! is a celebration of the comic genius of Tommy Cooper - just like that! But nobody could do it just like that apart from the unique Mr Cooper himself, and despite his claim never to have used those words. Was Tommy really Henry Coper's brother? Can Tommy's performance as Hamlet, clown prince, compare with the greats? Was Tommy a ventriloquist at heart? Rare and classic routines and contributions from famous fans help solve the mystery. The friends and fans who take part (many of them confirming that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery) include Adrian Edmondson, Lenny Henry, Henry Cooper, former Goons Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan, writer Dick Hills, Tommy's brother David Cooper (who has himself sadly since died), alternative comedian Steve Murray, The Wow Show and magician Paul Scott. A title montage sequence features further impersonations of the great man from Alexei Sayle, Bob Todd, Patricia Hayes, and Jess Conrad.

Just Like That!

1989

Tank Malling poster
3.8

Tank is an investigative reporter and jailbird, framed on scant evidence supplied by the London mob. Helen is the sensuous call-girl who offers Tank ammunition and retribution. But, retaliation is swift and brutal, in the guise of Sir Robert Knights and his equally lethal lawyer, Dunboyne. A series of hideous murders follow as the devil protects his own. Only Malling and Helen can halt the onslaught. But, for how long, and at what price?

Tank Malling

1989

Claudia poster
9.5

Eager to escape her high-society life among the English Elite, a woman falls in love with a young musician. Her husband, however has other plans for her.

Claudia

1985

1960s · 11 titles

The Assassination Bureau poster
6.7

In 1908 London, a women's rights campaigner discovers the Assassination Bureau Limited, an organization that kills for justice. When its motives are called into question, she commissions the assassination of its chairman. Knowing that his colleagues have recently become more motivated by greed than morality, he turns the situation into a challenge for his board members: kill him or be killed.

The Assassination Bureau

1969

Konga poster
4.4

Dr. Decker returns from Africa after a year, presumed dead. In that year, he discovered a way of growing plants and animals to an enormous size. He brings back a baby chimpanzee to test out his theory. As he has many enemies at home, he decides to use his chimp, 'Konga', to 'get rid of them'. Then Konga grows to gigantic proportions and wreaks havoc all over London!

Konga

1961

Hell Is Empty poster
8.0

On the run from the police, a female thief and her band of robbers take refuge on a desert island where they discover a mansion inhabited by a family whom they take hostage. One of the robbers falls for the couple's daughter.

Hell Is Empty

1967

Too Young to Love poster
7.1

A court case ensues when a 47-year old man is caught with a 15-year old girl, and he claims he never knew she was so young.

Too Young to Love

1960

Aliki My Love poster
5.5

Barry, a wretched playboy, expects to get rich from the legacy of an uncle of his, the king of roast meat sauce, but his lawyer informs him that the secret of the sauce recipe has been lost along with his uncle, and there is nothing to inherit except for a small island in the Aegean - called Eftychia - where his uncle came from. A hotel keeper, Richard, is interested in the island and plans to create a tourist resort on it, so the two men come hastily to Greece to arrange the sale. On the island of Eftychia they meet a beautiful young teacher, Aliki, and her mother Anna, who are determined to stop foreigners and tourist development from coming to the island. Aliki's beauty and charm seduce Barry, while Richard is enslaved by the wonderful cooking of Anna. One day while they are tasting her food, Richard discovers that Anna possesses the secret of the famous sauce, by which Barry can really become rich. Thus the island is saved, and everyone celebrates their unexpected good fortune.

Aliki My Love

1963

The Queen's Guards poster
5.2

Captains John Fellows and Henry Wynne-Walton finish their Army training at Sandhurst Military Academy and are sent to the Middle-East. John is to lead a parachute battalion while Henry is put in charge of a platoon of armoured cars of the Household Cavalry. John is constantly being told by his father, an ex-Guards officer that he is not as good as his brother who was killed during the war.

The Queen's Guards

1961

Rag Doll poster
5.5

A British drama about a girl becoming a woman after she relocates to London. She and her young boyfriend become tempted by one of her older admirers money.

Rag Doll

1961

The Boys poster
7.5

A night watchman at a garage is found murdered, and four teddy boys are put on trial for the crime. Witnesses and suspects give differing accounts of the lead-up to the crime, and the truth emerges.

The Boys

1962

The Golden Head poster
6.0

Stevenson, the famous English criminal expert visits Hungary with his family. While he is chairing a conference on criminology, infamous art treasure robbers steal the golden herm of Saint László. Suspicion is cast on the Stevenson children.

The Golden Head

1964

The Skin Game poster
8.0

A scrap dealer is making a profit out of wrecked cars, but trouble starts when one of his men demands more money.

The Skin Game

1962

No artwork available
NR

A troubled actress has conversations with a range of different people.

The Paradise Suite

1963

1950s · 6 titles

Reach for the Sky poster
6.9

The true story of airman Douglas Bader who overcame the loss of both legs in a 1931 flying accident to become a successful fighter pilot and wing leader during World War II.

Reach for the Sky

1956

Follow a Star poster
6.2

Norman Truscott is a store worker who dreams of stardom. Vernon Carew is a singer whose star is fading. Vernon manages to get a recording of Norman singing and passes it off as himself.

Follow a Star

1959

Serious Charge poster
6.2

Howard Phillips, a vicar who's new in the town of Bellington, wants to reach out to youth. The previous vicar's daughter, Hester Peters, who fears being a spinster, wants to be his wife. He tells her he's not interested. When he confronts a tough kid about something the youth has done, the lad sets out to frame the vicar. Hester, who's walked in on the confrontation, backs the youth's story. The town sides with her and the lad, turning against Phillips. He has a crisis of faith. What options does he have; can no one help him, his reputation, or his calling?

Serious Charge

1959

Who Done It? poster
5.5

This movie debut for saucy British TV comic Benny Hill has Benny leaving his job as a sweeper after winning some money. He becomes a private detective and investigates a plot to assassinate British scientists.

Who Done It?

1956

Friends and Neighbours poster
8.0

During the Cold War, a British family struggles to overcome cultural differences as they welcome two Russian social workers into their home for a visit.

Friends and Neighbours

1959

The Ugly Duckling poster
6.0

Henry Jekyll was always the outsider, a bungling and awkward buffoon, relegated to waiting for his invitation to participate in life that never arrived: until he discovers a medical formula developed by a dead uncle, which claimed to turn 'a man of timid disposition into a bold, fearless dragon'. Taking a draught of the elixir Henry is transformed into suave, sophisticated and highly desirable Teddy Hyde. Armed with his new persona, Teddy is ready to face the world; but is Henry ready for the consequences?

The Ugly Duckling

1959

Series credits

Last of the Summer Wine poster
7.2

Unencumbered by wives, jobs or any other responsibilities, three senior citizens who've never really grown up explore their world in the Yorkshire Dales. They spend their days speculating about their fellow townsfolk and thinking up adventures not usually favored by the elderly. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse in 1973. The show ran for 295 episodes until 2010. It is the longest running comedy Britain has produced and the longest running sitcom in the world.

Last of the Summer Wine

1973

Escape to the Country poster
5.8

The property show that helps prospective buyers find their dream home in the country.

Escape to the Country

2002

Thirty-Minute Theatre poster
4.2

An anthology of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short length, and which therefore attracted many writers who later became well known.

Thirty-Minute Theatre

1965

An Audience with... poster
5.3

An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by London Weekend Television, in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a light hearted revue/tribute style.

An Audience with...

1978

Space: 1999 poster
7.1

The crew of Moonbase Alpha must struggle to survive when a massive explosion throws the Moon from orbit into deep space.

Space: 1999

1975

Are You Being Served? poster
7.3

This comedy series, which follows the exploits of employees at London's fictional "Grace Brothers" department store, is full of sexual innuendo, slapstick, visual gags, and double entendres. Much of the show's humor parodies Britain's class system, and many of the show's characters are based on stereotypes of the period, including the effeminate Mr. Humphries and the rich, but stingy, store owner.

Are You Being Served?

1972

The Human Jungle poster
8.2

The Human Jungle is a British TV series about a psychiatrist, made for ABC Television by the small production company Independent Artists for transmission on ITV. Starring Herbert Lom, it ran for two series which were first transmitted during 1963 and 1965.

The Human Jungle

1963

Miss Marple: The Body in the Library poster
7.5

Amateur detective Miss Jane Marple investigates the murder of a young woman whose body is found in the library at Gossington Hall, home of Colonel and Mrs. Arthur Bantry.

Miss Marple: The Body in the Library

1984

The Odd Man poster
8.0

The first of a trilogy of police procedurals produced in the 1960s by Granada TV, linked by the presence of pompous but increasingly genial police Chief Inspector Charles Rose, The Odd Man initially dealt with the investigations of theatrical-agent-cum-detective Steve Gardiner, and his encounters with the police in the form of Chief Inspector Gordon and DS Swift. By season three, Rose takes Gardiner's place.

The Odd Man

1960

Boy Meets Girls poster
8.0

Boy Meets Girls was a UK popular music TV show which was launched in September 1959 replacing the earlier show Oh Boy!. The show was presented and produced by Jack Good. Marty Wilde was the principal resident male artist and The Vernons Girls were the female residents. Joe Brown made regular appearances. Other artists appearing included Terry Dene, Freddy Cannon, Little Tony & His Brothers, Adam Faith and Cliff Richard. The director was Rita Gillespie for ABC Weekend Television part of the ITV network. It closed in 1960; all 26 episodes were subsequently wiped, and none survive in ITV's archive as of 2009.

Boy Meets Girls

1959