The Facts of Life

Summary The adult children of the Ashton Family are preparing a surprise party for their parents, Edwin and Jean. The atmosphere is cheerful, but some underlying tensions within the family pop up now and then, and then there is the threat of a war that seems to be coming. Through his marriage 30 years ago Edwin shifted from working-class to middle-class, but at the cost of losing his self-respect. All these years he has been in the hands of his brother-in-law, Sefton Briggs, who rules the printing works where Edwin is employed, and even owns the house where Edwin and Jean live. The post as manager of the works is now vacant. Edwin is the obvious candidate for this position, but instead Sefton places his own son, Tony, there. This also dashes the hope of Edwin's eldest son, David, of getting a job at the works. David is tormented by not being able to earn enough money to maintain his wife Sheila and their two children without financial support by his parents. When all other possibilities have failed, he finally finds one solution: to join the RAF.

S1.E1 ∙ The Facts of Life

Directed : Unknown

Written : Unknown

Stars : Colin Douglas Barbara Flynn Lesley Nunnerley Coral Atkins

7.3

Details

Genres : Drama History War

Release date : Apr 13, 1970

Countries of origin : United Kingdom

Language : English

Production companies : Granada Television

Summary The adult children of the Ashton Family are preparing a surprise party for their parents, Edwin and Jean. The atmosphere is cheerful, but some underlying tensions within the family pop up now and then, and then there is the threat of a war that seems to be coming. Through his marriage 30 years ago Edwin shifted from working-class to middle-class, but at the cost of losing his self-respect. All these years he has been in the hands of his brother-in-law, Sefton Briggs, who rules the printing works where Edwin is employed, and even owns the house where Edwin and Jean live. The post as manager of the works is now vacant. Edwin is the obvious candidate for this position, but instead Sefton places his own son, Tony, there. This also dashes the hope of Edwin's eldest son, David, of getting a job at the works. David is tormented by not being able to earn enough money to maintain his wife Sheila and their two children without financial support by his parents. When all other possibilities have failed, he finally finds one solution: to join the RAF.

Details

Genres : Drama History War

Release date : Apr 13, 1970

Countries of origin : United Kingdom

Language : English

Production companies : Granada Television

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The Spreading Evil

The Spreading Evil

Dr. John Carey, a noted blood specialist, convinces philanthropist Jules Le Moyne to finance Berlin chemist Emil Hartsell's search for a cure for syphilis. Hartsell's research proves successful, but following Le Moyne's death, the chemist breaks his pledge to give the formula to society and contracts with New York profiteer Adolph Keller to sell the drug at a price prohibitive to the poor. Representing his father in New York, Karl Hartsell becomes engaged to Keller's daughter, Alice. Meanwhile, Lennon Morrett, an artist's model, contracts syphilis from roué M. Saccard, but can't afford the drug. When Dr. Carey is about to intercede and obtain the drug for her, Keller instead sells it to Saccard. Believing that society is responsible for her fate, Lennon sleeps with a lot of men. She blames Karl because his father has made the drug too expensive, and during his bachelor's fling before the wedding, she gives him the disease. Dr. Carey meets the elder Hartsell in Holland and pleads for the drug to be distributed cheaply in America, but Hartsell says America means nothing to him. Although Dr. Carey finally persuades the greedy scientist of his son's illness, Hartsell refuses to give Carey the formula and arranges to treat Karl himself in New York. Because the United States and Germany are at war, Hartsell's submarine is torpedoed off the New York coast, whereupon Karl walks into the waves to join his drowned father. Later, U.S. scientists discover a cure superior to the German formula.

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