… Mr. Guest directed … "Mister Drake's Duck" (1951), starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and [Yolande] Donlan as owners of a duck that lays uranium eggs; and "Penny Princess" (1952), in which Dirk Bogarde plays the love interest of a young woman (Ms. Donlan) who inherits a tiny European principality.

There was worse to come, notably the beatnik drama "Expresso Bongo" (1960), which starred Cliff Richard as Bongo Herbert; and "Toomorrow" (1970), starring Olivia Newton-John. Mr. Guest was also one of a great many directors who worked on the poorly received James Bond spoof "Casino Royale" (1967).

Most disastrous of all, many critics thought, was "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth" (1970), which Mr. Guest wrote and directed. Based on a story by J. G. Ballard, it starred Victoria Vetri, a former Playboy centerfold, and was, The Daily Telegraph of London wrote last week, "one of the worst films ever made."

Valmond Maurice Guest …made his directorial debut with "The Nose Has It," a wartime instructional film about the perils of sneezing.