Radio Cab Murder
Radio Cab Murder is a 1954 British crime film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Jimmy Hanley, Lana Morris and Sonia Holm.[1]
| Radio Cab Murder | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Original Australian poster | |
| Directed by | Vernon Sewell |
| Produced by | George Maynard executive (uncredited): Nat Cohen Stuart Levy |
| Written by | Vernon Sewell |
| Starring | Jimmy Hanley Lana Morris Sonia Holm Jack Allen |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Faithfull |
| Edited by | Peter Graham Scott |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Eros Films |
Release date | October 1954 |
Running time | 70 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
After serving a term in prison for safe-cracking, World War Two veteran and ex-con Fred Martin finds work as a taxi cab driver. He is engaged to be married to Myra, the cab company's dispatcher, a former member of the Women's Royal Naval Service. While picking up a fare, Martin witnesses a bank robbery and tails the criminals, but his cab is wrecked during the chase. The police find a well-known safe-cracker dead of apparent natural causes and ask Martin to go undercover, join the bank-robbery gang, and expose its leader. His boss arranges a sham firing based on his having wrecked his cab, but this causes a revolt among the cabbies, who plan to go on strike to support his reinstatement. The robbery is carried off, but the gang discovers Martin's identity and tries to kill him by locking him in a deep freezer at an ice cream factory. He is saved by his cabby comrades, his boss, and Myra, who ride to the rescue and corner the crooks with the aid of the police.[2]
Cast
- Jimmy Hanley as Fred Martin
- Lana Morris as Myra
- Sonia Holm as Jean
- Jack Allen as Parker
- Sam Kydd as Spencer
- Pat McGrath as Henry
- Michael Mellinger as Tim
- Charles Morgan as Maclaren
- Bruce Beeby as Inspector Rawlings
- Rupert Evans as Williams
- Elizabeth Seal as Gwen
- Jack Stewart as Gregson
- Frank Thornton as Inspector Finch
- Trevor Reid as Commissioner
- Edwin Richfield as Nat
- Jane Harwood as Cashier
- Madge Brindley as Mrs Evans
- Joan Carol as Scientific Officer
- Leonard Sharp as Evans, the first Watchman (uncredited)
- Ian Wilson as Second Watchman (uncredited)
- Vernon Greeves as Radio Operator (uncredited)
Critical reception
- The Radio Times gave the film two out of five stars.[3]
- TV Guide also gave two out of five stars, and wrote, "a good cast is all that saves this weakly scripted effort."[2]
- Sky Movies also rated the film two out of five stars, and noted, "Vernon Sewell was both a competent and prolific director in the genre and brings a professional crispness that many of his contemporaries lacked."[4]
References
- "BFI | Film & TV Database | RADIO CAB MURDER (1954)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- "Radio Cab Murder Trailer, Reviews and Schedule for Radio Cab Murder | TVGuide.com". Movies.tvguide.com. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- "Radio Cab Murder | Film review and movie reviews". Radio Times. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- "Radio Cab Murder - Sky Movies HD". Skymovies.sky.com. 18 November 2006. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
Bibliography
- Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. The British 'B' Film. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.