Colonel March Investigates *** (1953, Boris Karloff, Sheila Burrell, Anthony Forwood, Ewan Roberts, Richard Wattis, John Hewer, Patricia Owens, Joan Sims, Ronald Leigh-Hunt) – Classic Movie Review 4,596

Boris Karloff sailed to England in July 1952 to film three pilot episodes of the TV series Colonel March of Scotland Yard, which were then compiled into the 1953 feature film Colonel March Investigates.

Director Cy [Cyril] Endfield’s complex 1953 cinema feature film Colonel March Investigates is stitched together out of the three pilot episodes of Boris Karloff’s then forthcoming British TV series Colonel March of Scotland Yard (1954-56).

The episodes, Hot Money, Death in the Dressing Room and The New Invisible Man, were all filmed in autumn 1952 at Nettlefold Studios. In 1953, the Colonel March series was green lit and Boris Karloff returned to England to film 23 more episodes at Southall Studios. The three pilots were then compiled into the portmanteau movie Colonel March Investigates to be shown in cinemas and Karloff filmed some on-screen narration to help in linking the three stories.

As Colonel March, head of Scotland Yard’s Department D3, the Department of Queer Complaints, the perennially dignified Karloff keeps his dignity even in a black eye patch and a cloak, as he effortlessly solves the cases of a bank robbery for which an innocent man was framed and two murders involving tricks and disguises.

Karloff is a real attraction, in a determinedly eccentric performance, fussy but effective. But the rudimentary scripts and Criterion Films’ cheap production combine to undermine Carter Dickson (aka John Dickson Carr)’s intriguing stories from the Department of Queer Complaints.

In a good cast, look out for comedy star Joan Sims in her film debut as Marjorie Dawson, the solicitor’s secretary, and a fairly rare appearance by Dirk Bogarde’s friend, long-time partner and manager, Anthony Forwood (credited as Anthony Forward) as Jim Hartley in the episode The New Invisible Man. Dana Wynter, who plays Francine Rapport, is credited as Dagmar Wynter.

Sims recalls: ‘I was very nervous before the filming and I went over my lines again and again. Not that I had many lines to learn.’

Nevertheless, Joan Sims makes a good, amusing impression in the opening episode Hot Money, along with Ronald Leigh-Hunt as her smooth murdering bank robbing solicitor boss Mr Bowlder, and Ewan Roberts as the keen but dim regular Scotland Yard police Inspector Ames, perennially upstaged and defeated by Karloff.

It is sweet to see Sims and Karloff in a scene together, exchanging simple dialogue, two players from seemingly different worlds and of course generations.

The second episode, Death in the Dressing Room, is a battle of wits between Karloff and Richard Wattis as his friend, nightclub owner Cabot, an expert on things Javanese, especially the dancing. Karloff knows a bit about this too, apparently, and of course how to uncover the Dressing Room murderer. Karloff and Wattis are very good together, seemingly existing in similar worlds, smooth and sarcastic, so urbane and old-school charming. They sip a Martini together at the club bar. Suddenly, the world seems to make sense. But a murder is about to take place, disrupting the purring pleasure. It goes without saying, but I will, that murder after Martini is not the right route to go. Ewan Roberts reappears as Scotland Yard police Inspector Ames, and is amusing in this episode.

The third episode The New Invisible Man has Anthony Forwood as the murderous, thieving villain Jim Hartley in a glum and downbeat performance that contrasts effectively with Karloff’s exuberant one. Forwood’s character is a nasty piece of work and the actor is suitably slimy. Roger Maxwell is amusing as retired Major Rodman, who spends his retirement peeping through his Boer War binoculars at the attractive young female neighbours across the mews. He sees a murder, apparently by disembodied gloves that fire two shots, and reports it to Scotland Yard. Karloff relishes his final case here, and the entertainment value is there on screen. No wonder they commissioned a series. Ewan Roberts is relaxed as Inspector Ames, while Bernard Rebel over-eggs the pudding as The Count, a fussy neighbour.

Overall the film works smoothly and well as a portmanteau movie, a pleasant, quirky, civilised mystery entertainment from another era. Everyone seems to know what they are doing, and therefore doing it ideally. There is even some wit and sparkle in the dialogue, and the cases are sufficiently bizarre and exotic, and of course puzzling, to maintain interest. The stories are short, but they pull off a good trick of being quite clever and having substance.

Also in the cast are Richard Wattis, John Hewer, Sheila Burrell, Sonya Hana, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, Roger Maxwell, Patricia Owens and Bernard Rebel.

It runs 70 minutes.

Release date: 1 July 1953.

The screenplay is credited to Leo Davis as a front for blacklisted screenwriters Abraham Polonsky and Walter Bernstein.

Colonel March Investigates is directed by Cy Endfield, runs 70 minutes, is made by Criterion Films, is released by Eros Films (UK), is written by Leo Davis [Abraham Polonsky and Walter Bernstein], is shot in black and white by Jonah Jones, is produced by Donald Ginsberg, is scored by John Lanchbery and Eric Robinson, is designed by George Paterson, and is edited by Stanley Willis.

It was Forwood’s last role apart from a walk-on in Bogarde’s 1975 film Permission to Kill, aka The Executioner (1975).

The blacklisted Cy Endfield is credited as director, but the TV episodes list film editor/ documentary maker Donald Ginsberg as director so they could be shown in the US.

It screens on Talking Pictures TV in the UK.

The cast

The cast are Boris Karloff as Colonel March, Ewan Roberts as Inspector Ames, Richard Wattis as Cabot, John Hewer as John Parrish, Sheila Burrell as Joan Forsythe, as Jim Hartley, Sonya Hana as Paula, Ronald Leigh-Hunt as Mr Bowlder, Joan Sims as Marjorie Dawson, Roger Maxwell as Major Rodman, Patricia Owens as Betty Hartley, Dana Wynter [Dagmar Wynter] as Francine Rapport, and Bernard Rebel as The Count.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4,596

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