Undercover Girl * (1957, Paul Carpenter, Kay Callard, Monica Grey, Bruce Seton, Jackie Collins) – Classic Movie Review 13,669

Paul Carpenter discovers that his crime reporter brother-in-law was murdered by a club owner (Bruce Seton) who runs a blackmail racket and has turned his girlfriend’s sister (Jackie Collins) into a drug addict.

Director Francis Searle’s cheap-looking 1957 British noir filler thriller film Undercover Girl is based on an original story by Bernard Lewis, and stars Paul Carpenter, Kay Callard, Monica Grey, Bruce Seton, and Jackie Collins.

With the able assistance of his alluring girlfriend Joan (Kay Callard) working undercover as a nightclub girl, magazine photographer Johnny Carter (Paul Carpenter) investigates his crime reporter brother’s killer and exposes a drugs ring.

The plot all leads back to the club’s blackmailing and drug-running boss, criminal kingpin Ted Austin (Bruce Seton). Joan (Kay Callard) is understandably worried sick about her actress sister Peggy (Jackie Collins), riskily involved with the club owner, who has turned her into a drug addict.

The sets, production and action in this weakly done old British thriller relic are all very, very B-movie (it was apparently made for just £15,000). And it is unable to overcome its desperately low budget, though Geoffrey Faithfull’s photography and Bill Trytel’s score help a bit. But there is some interest here still in the story and characters, and most of the decent players do their darndest for it, with always dependable B-movie king Paul Carpenter engaged and engaging, fellow Canadian actress Kay Callard appealing, Bruce Seton a good creepy villain, and Jackie Collins very watchable. Maya Koumani is featured as a beautiful model named Miss Brazil in a gratuitous photo shoot to spice things up.

Cast: Paul Carpenter, Kay Callard, Monica Grey, Bruce Seton, Jackie Collins, Maya Koumani, Kim Parker, Tony Quinn, John Boxer, Alexander Field, Paddy Ryan, Milton Reid, Eleanor Leigh, Robert Raglan, George Roderick, Michael Moore, Totti Truman Taylor, Mark Hashfield, Gerry Collins.

Undercover Girl is directed by Francis Searle, runs 68 minutes, is made by Luckwell Productions [Bill and Michael Luckwell Ltd], is released by Butcher’s Film Distributors (UK) and United Artists (US), is written by Bernard Lewis (screenplay) and Bill Luckwell (screenplay), based on an original story by Bernard Lewis, is shot in black and white by Geoffrey Faithfull, is produced by Bill Luckwell (executive producer), Kay Luckwell (producer) and D E A Winn, and scored by W L Trytel [Bill Trytel] (director of music), with art direction by Denys Pavitt [Dennis Pavitt].

It is made at Twickenham Film Studios.

Release: January 1958.

Undercover Girl is on a 2013 Renown Pictures DVD with Undercover Agent [Counterspy] (1953).

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,669

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