The Frightened Man **** (1952, Dermot Walsh, Charles Victor, Barbara Murray) – Classic Movie Review 12,309

John Gilling’s exciting and exceptional 1952 British second feature crime thriller film The Frightened Man stars Dermot Walsh, Charles Victor and Barbara Murray. 

Writer/ director John Gilling’s exciting and exceptional 1952 British black and white crime thriller The Frightened Man stars Dermot Walsh, Charles Victor and Barbara Murray. A highspot for British second features of the era, it comes from Robert S Baker and Monty Berman’s Tempean Films, who made TV’s The Saint in the Sixties. 

The Frightened Man is an excellent, extremely capable and memorable 1950s shortish crime filler feature, featuring Dermot Walsh as Julius Roselli, the grown-up son of old Italian antiques dealer Mr Roselli (Charles Victor). Julius has been sent down from Oxford University and soon gets involved with a gang of jewel thieves in London’s inner city, wanting to get rich quick instead of earning his way as dad’s antiques business partner.

Julius buys a car from the dodgy Cockney second-car dealer and crook Maxie (John Blythe), and is persuaded by him to get involved as getaway driver in his gang’s warehouse robbery, but is injured in the getaway.

Back home, Julius is immediately attracted to his father’s lovely paying guest Amanda (Barbara Murray) and they walk out on dad and his business and marry secretly. But later, Mr Roselli helps Amanda to get a secretarial job in Hatton Garden, and the opportunistic Julius immediately concocts a plan to steal diamonds from his new wife’s employer, involving Maxie and his master criminal boss, dodgy antiques trader Alec Stone (Martin Benson) in the scheme.

The acting from the estimable cast is tremendous, particularly by Charles Victor as the old Italian antiques dealer, an honourable, decent man who gives up everything, including honesty, to help his worthless son. It is Charles Victor’s film, but there is also a little treasure trove of character acting to relish. John Blythe as the car dealer crook, Martin Benson as the master criminal, Michael Ward as Mr Roselli’s gay antiques dealer assistant Cornelius Hart, John Horsley as Mr Roselli’s paying guest Harry Armstrong, and Ballard Berkeley as Scotland Yard Inspector Bligh all make their mark, and indelible impressions.

However, the two main stars fare less well. The 28-year-old Irish actor Dermot Walsh isn’t exactly ideal as the ne’er do well Oxford student son of an Italian immigrant, though his performance gets by quite nicely. Barbara Murray makes something of her role as Julius’s easily bewitched and conned new wife Amanda.

Thora Hird as Mr Roselli’s maid Vera and Annette D Simmonds as Alec Stone’s moll Marcella are wasted, welcome but without enough to do.

The production rises way above low budget cheap looking, and there is a complex rush of busy plot to pack into its satisfying 69 minutes. The extremely competent direction and dedicated air of professionalism save it from any accusations of being merely average, and it tells a really good story with quite a few surprises and a satisfying ending. The black and white photography by the film’s co-producer Monty Berman catches the eye and attention, with enough outside filming to make it seem authentic. John Lanchbery’s score helps to race it all along and add excitement.

Also in the cast are John Blythe, Thora Hird, John Horsley, Michael Ward, Annette D Simmonds, and Martin Benson.

It plays on British TV in the wee small hours.

It was shot at Alliance Studios, Twickenham, Middlesex, England.

The cast are Dermot Walsh as Julius Roselli, Barbara Murray as Mr Roselli’s paying guest Amanda, Charles Victor as Mr Roselli, John Blythe as the car dealer and crook Maxie, Michael Ward as Mr Roselli’s gay antiques dealer assistant Cornelius Hart, Thora Hird as Mr Roselli’s maid Vera, John Horsley as Mr Roselli’s paying guest Harry Armstrong, Annette D Simmonds as Marcella, Martin Benson as dodgy antiques trader Alec Stone, Ballard Berkeley as Inspector Bligh, Peter Bayliss as Bilton, and Thomas Gallagher as Matthews.

The Frightened Man is directed by John Gilling, runs 69 minutes, is made by Tempean Films, is released by Eros Films, is written by John Gilling, is shot in black and white by Monty Berman, is produced by Monty Berman and Robert S Baker, and is scored by John Lanchbery.

The British film production company Tempean Films was formed in 1948 by Robert S Baker and Monty Berman, and their first production was Date with a Dream (1948), the screen debut of Norman Wisdom. They later moved into TV, making The Saint (1962 – 1969) with Roger Moore.

Robert S Baker (27 October 1916 – 30 September 2009).

Monty Berman (16 August 1913 – 14 June 2006).

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,309

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