Behind the Footlights

Paris, the middle of the XIX century. Young Marius Petipa is going on a long journey to St. Petersburg, where he is invited to become the first dancer. He doesn't know that his life will develop both happily and dramatically, and his work will be the glory and pride of Russian ballet.

Change comes slowly to a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century. We see birth, life and death in this small community.

Julie Cavendish comes from a family of great Broadway actors. Her mother Fanny staunchly continues acting. Her boisterous brother Tony is fleeing a breach of promise suit in Hollywood. Her daughter Gwen must decide between going on stage, or settling down in a conventional marriage. Julie is just thinking that it would be nice to retire and get married, when who should turn up but her old beau, Gilmore Marshal, the platinum magnate from South America.

Presenting the tale of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, this filmed version of the original Broadway smash hit is the story of America then, told by America now.

Archie Rice, an old-time British vaudeville performer sinking into final defeat, schemes to stay in show business.

Sisters Ruth and Eileen Sherwood move from Ohio to New York in the hopes of building their careers. Ruth wants to get a job as a writer, while Eileen hopes to succeed on the stage. The two end up living in a dismal basement apartment in Greenwich Village, where a parade of odd characters are constantly breezing in and out. The women also meet up with magazine editor Bob Baker, who takes a personal interest in helping both with their career plans.

The story of British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli and the purchase by England of the Suez Canal.

A young boy begins to have fantasies when he learns his parents are planning to divorce. Director Peter Godfrey's 1948 drama stars Ted Donaldson, Alexis Smith, Robert Douglas, Cecil Kellaway, John Hoyt, Mary Wickes and Harry Davenport.

Insulted when his screenwriter wife writes a leading role for a younger man, aging Broadway idol Fitz Wynn disguises himself as a handsome young Italian.

Based on the trilogy of Aleksandr Ostrovsky. Moscow, XIX century. A small official Misha Balzaminov lives in a small house. He, like his mother, sees his happiness in marrying a rich bride. Misha images in dreams and fantasies that he is a general or even a king — rich and domineering. And in reality, poor Balzaminov is haunted by setbacks...

Varvara Aksenkova - the great Russian actress of the first half of the XIX century. Her tragic creative fate and early death served as the basis for this film.

As he prepares to embark on an overseas tour, star actor Garry Essendine’s colourful life is in danger of spiralling out of control. Engulfed by an escalating identity crisis as his many and various relationships compete for his attention, Garry’s few remaining days at home are a chaotic whirlwind of love, sex, panic and soul-searching.

The film ballet based on the play by Bernard Shaw "Pygmalion" to the music of Timur Kogan. For the first time, an attempt was made to translate the play into the language of choreography. And although the musical “F. My Fair Lady” was taken as the basis, the choreographer D. Bryantsev and director A. Belinsky offered a completely original interpretation of the famous work - classical ballet dancers act as real dramatic actors.

Abridged version of the classic Cole Porter musical as broadcast live on the Hallmark Hall of Fame series on NBC

The old actor dreams of a leading role for his young talented daughter. However, she is opposed by a powerful diva of the troupe with a terrible character and great connections. After a series of efforts of the characters and hilarious misunderstandings, the old man's dream come true.

A relevant, timely and distinctive coming-of-age story following a half dozen interrelated characters in the South Side of Chicago. The story centers on Brandon, an ambitious and confident young man who dreams about opening a restaurant of his own someday, but is conflicted between the promise of a new life and his responsibility to his mother and teenage brother back in the South Side.

Lindsay Lohan returns to New York City and reunites with friends and family. As Lindsay works to stay on track amid the demands (and pitfalls) of fame, she opens up as never before.

The Bradley family are proud owners of the Shady Rest Hotel. Kate and her three young daughters do the job of running the hotel.

Allison "Sonny" Munroe makes the leap from the Midwest to Los Angeles to join the cast of "So Random!," the most popular sketch comedy TV show for kids and tweens. Her fellow young actors are resident teen queen Tawni, super suave Nico, gregarious funnyman Grady and quirky Zora. Now Sonny must somehow balance these new friendships while adjusting to her family's decidedly different way of life in Hollywood. Meanwhile, Sonny must also contend with heartthrob Chad Dylan Cooper, star of the rival show "MacKenzie Falls," who makes it known that he thinks his dramatic work is better than her comedy career.

Leo is the ex-boyfriend of businessman Roman Pretty's middle daughter Nikki, who still works and lives with the family. Nikki's new boyfriend, Seb, has a shady past, which Leo tries to reveal to the Pretty family. His best mate Jase is married to the eldest sister, Jenny, and is constantly attempting to get away from her and their new-born daughter. Meanwhile, Japanese chef Mr. Hokkasawa loses his job at a restaurant after a complaint from Roman, and takes the job of the Pretty family's gardener in a plot to kill him as revenge. However, he falls for Roman's youngest daughter, Kelly.

The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two African American boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman named Phillip Drummond and his daughter Kimberly, for whom their deceased mother previously worked. During the first season and first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred as the Drummonds' housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett.

Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife. Instead she tries constantly to perform at the Tropicana where he works, and make life comically frantic in the apartment building they share with landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz, who also happen to be their best friends.

An aspiring actress with a larger than life personality and her science geek best friend try to make headway in New York City.

It's all about turning piles of rusting junk into a money making machine. To make this happen, Andy Cohen has to be a scrappy, ambitious leader who balances his own pie-in-the-sky drive with his father's down-to-earth perspective. For the day-to-day work, he's backed up by a group of talented, but not exactly mainstream, characters. And to succeed as a team, they all have to find the proverbial diamonds in the rough, chase down deals, and add value to what others throw away--it's not work, it's the hustle.

Vienna was the capital of the Habsburg dynasty and home to the Holy Roman Emperors. From here, they dominated middle Europe for nearly 1,000 years. In this series, historian Simon Sebag Montefiore describes how the Habsburgs transformed Vienna into a multi-national city of music, culture and ideas. Napoleon, Hitler, Mozart, Strauss, Freud, Stalin and Klimt all played their part.

English football's famous 'fallen giant' Leeds United is at the start of a journey: to win promotion back to the Premier League. New owner Andrea Radrizzani has recruited a world-class head coach, Marcelo Bielsa, to lead the team back to the promised land. This will be one of the most dramatic seasons in the club's history as fans, players and a city start to dream of a return to the top flight.

Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II wages an epic campaign to take the Byzantine capital of Constantinople and shapes the course of history for centuries.

David Tennant and Michael Sheen (playing themselves) were due to star in a production of 'Six Characters in Search of an Author' in the West End. The pandemic has put an end to that, but their director (Simon Evans) is determined not to let the opportunity pass them by.

The story of one Hollywood's most notorious and public scandals: the accusation of sexual abuse against Woody Allen involving Dylan, his then 7-year-old daughter with Mia Farrow; their subsequent custody trial, the revelation of Allen’s relationship with Farrow’s daughter, Soon-Yi; and the controversial aftermath in the years that followed.