Hide and Seek ** (1964, Ian Carmichael, Janet Munro, Curt Jurgens, George Pravda, Kieron Moore, Hugh Griffith) – Classic Movie Review 11,408

Comedy star Ian Carmichael varied the pace with the 1964 spy thriller film Hide and Seek about a British astronomy research scientist embroiled with international espionage behind the Iron Curtain. 

Director Cy Endfield’s 1964 British black and white thriller film Hide and Seek is based on the novel by Harold Greene, and stars Ian Carmichael, Janet Munro, Curt Jurgens [Curd Jürgens] George Pravda, Kieron Moore, and Hugh Griffith.

After a run of hit farces, Carmichael commendably tried to vary the pace with this comedy spy-thriller about a British astronomy research scientist, David Garrett (Carmichael), who meets a friend from Communist overseas, gets embroiled with femme fatale Maggie (Munro), and is then plunged deep in involvement with a defection scam and international espionage behind the Iron Curtain.

Hide and Seek is lit up with energetic work from the director and his actors (with Jurgens excellent as the bad guy Hubert Marek and Griffith fun as a boozy bargeman), but the muddled script tends to spoil the fun. Poor Lance Percival appears as Idiot!

Also in the cast are Edward Chapman, Tony Quinn, John Boxer, Esma Cannon (as Tea Lady), Bill Cartwright, Tommy Godfrey, James Houlihan, Charles Lamb, Robert Moore, Judy Parfitt, Lance Percival, Kynaston Reeves, Cardew Robinson, Barbara Roscoe, George Spence, Derek Tansley, Sydney Vivian, Monty Warren, Frank Williams, Frederick Peisley, Julian Orchard, Michael Segal, Una Venning and Monty Warren.

It is written by David Stone (screenplay) and Robert Foshko (screen adaptation).

It runs 90 minutes.

It was released on 11 March 1964.

The cast are Ian Carmichael as David Garrett, Curt Jurgens as Hubert Marek, Janet Munro as Maggie, George Pravda as Frank Melnicker, Kieron Moore as Paul Rickter, Hugh Griffith as Wilkins, Derek Tansley as Chambers, Esma Cannon as Tea Lady, Cardew Robinson as Constable Pottle, Kynaston Reeves as Hunter, Edward Chapman as McPherson, Frederick Peisley as Cottrell, John Boxer as Secretary at Ministry, Frank Williams as Committee Man, Judy Parfitt as Chauffeur, Bill Cartwright, Tommy Godfrey, James Houlihan, Charles Lamb, Robert Moore, Lance Percival as Idiot, Barbara Roscoe, George Spence, Sydney Vivian, Monty Warren, Julian Orchard, Michael Segal, Una Venning and Monty Warren.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,408

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