The Ringer.

All directors have to start somewhere and many honed their skills on British B-movies. This included Guy Hamilton who eventually became best known for helming four James Bond movies. He also directed the British cult movie The Party’s Over in 1962 and Len Deighton’s spy drama Funeral in Berlin (1966). Hamilton previously worked as an assistant director to Carol Reed on two films 1948’s Fallen Idol and 1949’s award winning The Third Man. It was Reed that got Hamilton his first directorial position on The Ringer (1952) a B-movie that did nothing to hide Reeds influence! 

 

Herbert Lom, Denholm Elliott and Mei Zetterling.

This classy adaptation of one of Edgar Wallace’s best-known stories is about an elusive international criminal known as the Ringer. Originally reported to have died in Australia he is now believed to be alive in London. Because of the mysterious drowning of his sister Gwenda, who was left in the care of the unscrupulous criminal lawyer Maurice Meister, Scotland Yard warn Meister that his life is in danger and mount a guard around his house. An alarm system is set up and steel bars fixed to all the downstairs windows. It is suspected that the Ringer, whose beautiful wife has turned up, must be one of the close circle around Meister as no one can get into the house. Or can they? 

 

The beautiful Greta Gynt with Donald Wolfit  

This excellent new transfer from Network does credit to both the look of the film and the great cast that appears in this B-movie. Herbert Lom as always plays the slimy villain in the guise of Maurice Meister with the style we have come to expect from this great actor, Lisa a houseguest of the lawyer is played by the Swedish born Mai Zetterling who appeared in Desperate Moments opposite Dirk Bogarde in 1953, the Ringer’s wife is Oslo born Greta Gynt, another international actress that made many British movies including Three Steps in the Dark (1953). Also on screen are other well known names including Donald Wolfit as a police doctor, William Hartnall as a small time crook, and Denholm Elliott and a 29 year old Dora Bryan. A unique example of the British B-movie at its best, and with its gradual build up of tension and its surprise ending would certainly pass muster as the main feature. 

Trailer.

Three Steps in the Dark.

How nice a wee family get together.

The usual suspects were involved in the making this Corsair Productions B-movie from 1953. Helmed by Daniel Birt (The Night Won’t Talk 1952, Meet Mr Malcolm 1954) adapted by Brook William from story by Roger East with quality black and white photography from the reliable Hone Glendining.

 

Surely the elderly housekeeper is not going to murder Uncle?

A drawing room whodunit where a rich, but intensely disliked uncle (Nicholas Hannen) calls a family reunion to tell his baying relations that he’s about to change his will. But low and behold he’s shot dead before he can complete the task. Of course there’s plenty off suspects even if we ignore the Butler and the elderly housekeeper played by Katie Johnson, who you will recognise from Ealing’s 1955 black comedy The Ladykillers. There’s the cousin Sophie Burgoyne (Oslo born Greta Gynt) the amateur sleuth and crime writer who knows a lot about murder, stables owner Philip Burgoyne (Hugh Sinclair) who has money problems and his wife the hateful Dorothy (this blogger’s favourite B actress Sarah Lawson). Then there’s the relation who expects to inherit the old mans estate, Henry Burgoyne (John Van Eyssen) whose last hope of riches rests with Uncle’s money, not forgetting his fiancé Esme (Helen Cordet the French television actress in her debut feature film role) who has one too many secrets.  And if any B-movie has Elwyn Brook-Jones in the cast then you automatically have a suspect, he plays the murder victims lawyer, Wilbraham.

 

'Perhaps Uncle shoot himself?'

Not according to the police he didn't.

Some well above average acting from this ensemble B-movie cast and certainly one of Birt’s better examples from this genre. Up until recently we would not have had the chance to see it.  There is no indication that the film was ever shown publicly again in cinemas after its initial release or on television. The British Film Institute included the film on its "75 Most Wanted" list of missing British feature films, due in large part to interest from film historians in Birt's relatively brief directorial career, which as I have said previously was cut short by his death at the age of 47 in 1955. The National Film and Sound Archive in Australia subsequently informed the BFI it has the film[1]. So thanks to Odeon Entertainment for painstakingly restoring this ‘missing believed lost’ movie to life for us to all to enjoy.

Esme is not about to divulge her secrets!

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[1] The BFI November 2013.