Escaped convicts hold up a playwright and his wife in their country cottage.
Too dark for too long, all a bit manufactured and Howard Keel seems completely miscast. Throw a couple of kids into the mix and there is a degree of tension. Some lines that were so bizarre, they made me laugh, James Donald played it all on one level, it did have its moments though. 6/10
A knowledgeable switchboard operator helps a financier with his problems.
Incredible to think that this is not far off 100 years old. Cary Grant plays the philanderer whose apartment renovation bill must have been enormous.
I believe this originated from a play and would certainly have worked in the theatre. Not Grant's most memorable work, but he gives a huge amount of energy, is engaging and his comic timing, as ever, was up to scratch. The Two main female leads, bespectacled susie and the lovely Anna, were both excellent and delivered their slapstick flawlessly. The rest of the supporting cast were very good too, this was a tight production that came in at about the hour mark.
So many modern comedies don't even make me smile, this had me laughing out loud on a few occasions and was great fun. 7/10
Ex-convict revenges himself on the former friends who shopped him.
William Hartnell is best known in the UK for playing the first ever Dr Who in the popular, long-running TV series. Here, he plays an unpleasant, small time crook who having been in prisoned, following a botched robbery, sets out to 'get his own back' on those who he considered, let him down, and gets involved in further crime and murder.
At first, I felt Hartnell was a little over the top, but his performance was consistent and became more believable as the movie progressed.
But for me, the supporting cast added an enjoyable and believable extra level. I'm not sure a Canadian detective, working out of Scotland Yard to improve his skills, was entirely necessary, but Robert Beatty played the part well. All actors were good, but Joyce Howard as the lady friend and Alan Wheatley as the art-dealer's bag carrier were my personal favourites, Wheatley particularly had some lovely touches.
Overall, this was a well plotted script, it all made sense, the London locations added atmosphere and the ending actually wrapped things up nicely. 9/10
