The Crooked Sky

Like many of his contemporaries Wayne Morris found himself reduced to playing the lead in low budget British B films of the fifties.Unfortunately all that he proves is that he is better on his horse than off it.It has to be said that it does appear that he does rather have a weight problem and he rather lumbers around the screen as a mini version of Frankenstein.The plot is very familiar stuff with the villain played by that old smoothie Anton Differing.Although not dressed up in Nazi uniform one feels he is ready to say "We have ways of making you talk".There is also Bruce Seton playing a Detective.Talk about typecasting!Shown on Movies4Men it is worth a look at for the actors rather than the story.

There's counterfeit money, and that means there's the US Secret Service, even if it is in British pounds. A death is involved, so they send Wayne Morris to investigate, pretending to be an efficiency expert to deal with the air line that the dead man worked with. Soon enough, there's another, as well as pretty Karin Booth, and a gambling joint.

In fact, there isn't much of a reason to place this one in Britain, except that director Henry Cass and company are working for a British outfit, and Rank is distributing. It clearly is intended as a second feature, since any mystery involved is quickly disposed of by things the audience sees on the screen. It simply becomes a matter of waiting until Morris has assembled the clues to figure out what we already know. Decent performances all around.

This modest B pic centred around a counterfeit currency smuggling ring never really ignites into life. Most of the characters are uninteresting and underdeveloped; although the latter cannot be said for the leading man, Wayne Morris, who appears so physically massive that he should be accompanied by a 'Caution- Wide Load' sign.

Bruce Seton is a steadying and reassuring presence as Inspector Mac, and Richard Shaw again shows a menacing screen presence which would later be the trademark of his much better-known namesake, Robert. An entirely quirky twist having one half of the film's double act heavies (Shaw and Bill Brandon, both good) suddenly revealed as a concert-grade Cellist giving a rather splendid and sadly interrupted recital.

Anton Diffring as the chief wrong-un (rather improbably named Fraser), steals the show with another masterclass in smooth urbane Germanic villainy. Shame he keeps calling his girlfriend Colette (the actress's real name) instead of Penny as listed in the cast. No wonder she swiped the dough for those gems in the end.

Obviously counterfeiting was sorely vexing the authorities during the fifties since it crops up yet again in this nonchalant little quickie kept fresh with location work on and around an actual air base through which the money is being sneaked into the country.

Both leads are Hollywood imports (husky Wayne Morris playing a US treasury official, and husky-voiced Karin Booth, who works in a lab in trousers and a blouse and on whom the camera considerately lingers as she changes to go out).

Richard Shaw (who also moonlights as a cellist) and Bill Brandon make mean-looking heavies but are no match for Morris. People get killed, but it's all very laid back and has an incongruously jaunty score by Wilfrid Burns; while the cast smoke and drink like there's no tomorrow...

Enjoyable enough "B movie" with the American detective having the widest shoulders ever seen on screen due to the exaggerated cut of his jacket. He made Roger Moore in The Saint look narrow shouldered. A huge amount of smoking in this film which must have proved fatal for some of the cast.