jamesraeburn2003
A young woman called Susan Martin owes £10,000 to gambling club owner Louba (David Bauer). She has no chance of paying him back on her meager salary as a model so he tries to blackmail her into marrying him. Susan is engaged to be married to the architect Frank Leamington who is furious and says "I could kill him" and "You don't need a licence to kill vermin." Louba asks the eminent defence lawyer Warden (John Le Mesurier) for advice about death threats he has been receiving and invites him over to his flat to see the letters. Meanwhile, Charles Berry, a former business partner of Louba's, has arrived back in Britain from Malta and calls at his flat to see him, but he is out. Berry knows the porter, Miller (Charles Lloyd Pack), and the two of them sneak off for a beer and he offers to help him break into Louba's flat and steal money from his safe. Later, Warden arrives at the flat to keep his date with Louba and it seems that he is still out. Warden leaves and Miller phones Berry at the pub telling him that now is the ideal opportunity to do the deed. Miller gives him his pass key and he enters the flat and opens the safe, but is interrupted by Leamington who has broken in via the fire escape. He hides behind the kitchen door and observes Leamington going into the bathroom and hears what sounds like a struggle, a cry and a blow as though somebody has been struck down. He then sees Leamington replace an ornamental cannon on a shelf - the murder weapon? - before stealing some papers from the safe and making his getaway through the fire escape. Meanwhile, Warden has returned accompanied by the police assistant commissioner and Miller phones Berry telling him to get out quick. But, he is caught by the two men leaving and is forced to explain how he came by the pass key and why the safe has been opened. They find Louba's body, murdered, as a result of a blow to the head by a blunt instrument. Inspector Trainer (Bernard Archard) does not believe that Berry is guilty since his fingerprints cannot be found on the cannon, but Leamington's are and Miller can testify that he was at the flat and would have known about the fire escape since he is an architect. Leamington is duly arrested and admits to stealing his girlfriend's IOU's from the safe, but denies murder. Warden defends him and successfully acquits him. But, the astute Trainer notices a discrepancy in the evidence that points to the real killer and it is quite alarming...A neat little murder mystery programmer that makes a worthy addition to the Edgar Wallace series. Directed at a fair lick by Alan Cooke, it is well acted by a number of familiar British faces including Bernard Archard as the sharp police inspector, Charles Lloyd Pack as the dodgy porter who listens at key holes, reads through blotting paper and rummages through the remains of burnt letters to find out information about his tenants that may be of use to him. However, the film is very much John Le Mesurier's who convinces as an eminent defence lawyer playing his part with an easy going authority. There is a cracking courtroom scene in which he rips apart a witness's testimony with a trick that could have come straight out of Perry Mason. He talks about a letter that he has a strong hunch existed - and, it is only a hunch - and starts quoting from it. Alarmed, the guy on the witness stand asks "How did you know?, I burnt it!" It has the desired effect and he succeeds in getting his client acquitted, but it has damaging consequences for somebody else later on. Le Mesurier also gives his character a real depth of feeling since he has a strong connection to the murdered man because somebody very close to him got hurt really badly by Louba. You will probably find it isn't the hardest whodunit to crack, but it holds one's interest throughout and just watching the cast go through their paces is fun.
malcolmgsw
This film was recently shown at the NFT as part of the British B Movie season.Although the heading of the films entry gives the impression that it was made for TV in fact many of them were shown as the second feature on double bills on the ABC circuit in the early 1960s.The thing that really made the films stand out was the haunting tune "Man of Mystery" played as the title music on all of the films and the revolving bust of Edgar Wallace which is partly spotlit and shrouded in fog.So very evocative.It is also interesting to see established actors and stars in the making.John Le Mesurier was already an established actor when he appeared in this film but i am sure that he could not have imagined that he would be offered a part,Sgt Wilson in Dads Army,which would make him a household name Even this Christmas he can be seen in this role.Wallace seemed to like to make his plots as involved as he could.The trouble is that as in this film you have the last 10 minutes where everything has to be explained.Having said that it is not difficult to spot whodunnit.If you are a fan of this type of film the it is worth a view.
