The Switch *** (1963, Anthony Steel, Zena Marshall, Conrad Phillips, Dermot Walsh, Susan Shaw, Jerry Desmonde) – Classic Movie Review 12,125

The 1963 British crime thriller film Switch stars Zena Marshall as a woman abducted by a wrist watch smuggling gang who believe she knows too much. It is the last film of Susan Shaw, who died alone and broke in Soho.

Anthony Steel, Zena Marshall, Conrad Phillips, Dermot Walsh, Jerry Desmonde and Susan Shaw star in the lively and flavourful 1963 British support feature crime thriller film The Switch, directed by Peter Maxwell. The screenplay is written by Colin Fraser and the producer Philip Ridgeway, based on an original story by Philip Ridgeway.

It runs 66 minutes, is made by Philip Ridgeway Productions on a budget of just £24,000, and was released by J Arthur Rank Film Distributors in May 1963. It went on general release as support for Hot Enough for June [Agent 8 3/4] (1964) in March 1964.

Caroline Markham (Zena Marshall) returns from holiday and is abducted by a wrist watch smuggling criminal gang who believe that she has stolen their watches and knows too much. The gang smuggle the watches into the country hidden in the petrol tank of the woman’s car. Conrad Phillips as friend-of-a-friend John Curry turns up unexpectedly at Caroline’s flat and tries to help her. Luckily Caroline likes the look of John, whom she first encounters naked in her bath, and conveniently, and obviously, he likes her too. She’s a model, for heaven’s sake, oh and she’s Zena Marshall!  There is much confusion about Caroline’s Sunbeam car, which is stolen and returned, then stolen again, so she borrows another Sunbeam from her friendly garage, and the watch thieves nick John Curry’s Sunbeam car from her garage.

Customs official Bill Craddock (Anthony Steel), who is investigating the smuggling ring and a murder, and police Inspector Tomlinson (Dermot Walsh), who is in charge of the criminal case, both set out to try to rescue Caroline from the clutches of the gang, who are threatening dire things if she doesn’t tell them the whereabouts of the watches.

Zena Marshall and Conrad Phillips are both sparky and excellent value in this busy and entertaining if highly improbable crime thriller that has its high points along with some wobbles. The three Sunbeam cars idea and watches hidden in the petrol tank of one of them works a treat. Talking improbable, Conrad Phillips has brought into the UK (ie smuggled) two valuable cigarette cases combined with James Bond-style mini radio transmitters. Very high tech! Zena Marshall sets her sights on one of them. Conrad Phillips eventually gives it to her. They have a range of only three miles or so, but that is going to save her life. It’s a tribute to the script that we didn’t really see this coming. We thought Zena was just after some flash stuff. because, well, she is a flashy lady.

It is a pity that chilly main star Anthony Steel is a bit weak and unengaged as the Customs official, and that Dermot Walsh and Jerry Desmonde are sidelined as Inspector Tomlinson and the Customs Chief (though they are both effective), and that poor Susan Shaw has so little to do as Search Officer. However, Arnold Diamond as the head villain Jean Lecraze and Dawn Beret as Janice Lampton easily make up for this in engagingly extravagant support performances. Arnold Diamond is a tremendously good bad guy, smooth, silky and sinister.

At the end of the day, there is never a dull moment, you can’t say fairer than that, and it worn well with plenty of period charm.

It is Steel’s first film back in Britain after moving to Rome for some years.

Susan Shaw was born Patsy Sloots in West Norwood, London.

It is Susan Shaw’s last film. In 1954 she married Bonar Colleano, her co-star in Pool of London (1951). Badly affected when Colleano was killed in a road crash in 1958, Shaw began to drink heavily, She ended up living alone and broke in Soho. She died of cirrhosis of the liver on 27 November 1978, aged 49. Her old studio, the Rank Organisation paid for her funeral. Charlie Stevenson, landlord of the Swiss Tavern in Old Compton Street, said: ‘She came in here every day. They say she died of cirrhosis of the liver and she lived next door to prostitutes in Soho. But this is Soho. We all live next door to prostitutes. We loved her.’

The cast are Anthony Steel as Bill Craddock, Zena Marshall as Caroline Markham, Conrad Phillips as John Curry, Dermot Walsh as Inspector Tomlinson, Susan Shaw as Search Officer, Dawn Beret as Janice Lampton, Jerry Desmonde as Customs Chief, Arnold Diamond as Jean Lecraze, Raymond Smith as Mandreos, Tom Bowman as Polovski, Arthur Ludgrove as Harry Lewis, Gordon Boyd as Jack Knighton, Ken Goodlet as Read, Rose Alba as Bill’s Secretary, Anthony Parker as Police Inspector, Desmond Cullum-Jones as Merrall, Yvonne Marsh as Nurse, Jimmy Hanley as Himself (uncredited cameo), and Peter Butterworth as fashion photographer (uncredited).

Conrad Phillips sits in bed reading the movie tie-in paperback of Ian Fleming’s 007 novel Dr No. The film Dr No was released the previous year with Zena Marshall as Miss Taro.

Zena Marshall died of cancer in 2009, aged 83. Her last film was The Terrornauts in 1967.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,125

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