Man Detained is a 1961 British second feature ('B')[1] crime film directed by Robert Tronson and starring Bernard Archard, Elvi Hale and Paul Stassino.[2] The screenplay was by Richard Harris, based on the 1916 Edgar Wallace novel A Debt Discharged.[3] It is part of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios from 1960 to 1965.
| Man Detained | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Robert Tronson |
| Written by | Richard Harris |
| Based on | A Debt Discharged by Edgar Wallace |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Bert Mason |
| Edited by | Robert Jordan Hill |
| Music by | Bernard Ebbinghouse |
Production company | Merton Park Studios |
| Distributed by | Anglo-Amalgamated |
Release date |
|
Running time | 59 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editFrank Murray breaks into the office safe of photographer Thomas Maple. Maple hushes up the fact that £10,000 was taken. When Murray is arrested the police find that the stolen money is counterfeit. Maple is murdered by crime boss James Helder, who had been having an affair with Maple's wife Stella, whom he then abandons. Seeking revenge, Stella alerts Detective Inspector Verity. Helder kidnaps Maple's secretary Kay Simpson because she knows too much. Verity arrests Helder and rescues Kay.
Cast
edit- Bernard Archard as Detective Inspector Verity
- Elvi Hale as Kay Simpson
- Paul Stassino as James Helder
- Michael Coles as Frank Murray
- Ann Sears as Stella Maple
- Victor Platt as Thomas Maple
- Patrick Jordan as Brand
- Clifford Earl as Detective Sergeant Wentworth
- Gerald Lawson as old man
- Jean Aubrey as Gillian Murray
- Gareth Davies as police constable
Production
editThe film's sets were designed by the art director Peter Mullins.
Critical reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Taut and vivid addition to the Edgar Wallace series, coolly played by Elvi Hale as the secretary who is a bit too clever for her own good. There are few surprises, but the presentation is quite sound and the thing bowls along at a smart pace."[4]
References
edit- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "Man Detained". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ Goble, Alan (1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. p. 246. ISBN 9783598114922.
- ^ "Man Detained". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 28 (324): 171. 1 January 1961 – via ProQuest.
External links
edit- Man Detained at IMDb
- Man Detained then-and-now location photographs at ReelStreets
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