Hour of Decision

This is a fairly routine though watchable whodunit that is notable mainly for the nearly salacious-for-the-time talk about the womanizing habits of a gossip columnist who gets murdered. Oh yes, the ever enticing Hazel Court is present as a past amour of the now-dead rakish fellow who tries to avoid suspicion for his murder. Her husband investigates so as not to have his honey nabbed by the coppers. London locations make it watchable.

There wasn't much else to do in 1950s England go to a movie or to the pub. The other reviews here have really said it all. But things to watch out for the street scenes, the terrible decor of the 'smart' night club, the mid-Atlantic accents with the hope of endearing the film to American audiences,ditto actual American actor, Arthur Lowe cameo.

This is standard fare for the 1950's British crime/ drama/ mystery B movies that were endlessly churned out in that period. An American newspaper reporter (Jeff Morrow), now domiciled in England is married to the delicious Hazel Court.

Our Hazel has something in her past, and a blackmailing cad has letters she has written that she would rather the husband not be aware of. Things become quite messy when the blackmailer is murdered not long after being seen with a mystery woman (Hazel). Hazel tells all to her husband, the detective investigating the murder enlists the help of the husband who attempts to shield Hazel from being identified, as the detective is convinced the mystery woman is responsible for the death of the blackmailer.

The movie climaxes with an Agatha Christie style of assembling everyone involved in the drama while the detective and husband Jeff play out a charade which reveals the true murderer. This then leaves Jeff and Hazel to live happily ever after, and Scotland Yard to be eternally grateful for newspaper reporters who solve crimes for them.

The movie shifts along at a great pace and the acting is very good. Watch for a couple of wonderful character actors of the period, Lionel Jeffries and a cameo appearance by Arthur Lowe (Dad's Army). Four stars from five.

This 'B' feature murder mystery from Walton Studios would have never have set its sights on cinematic greatness but it really fails to spark into life at any stage. Jeff Morrow plays Joe Sanders, an ex-GI turned reporter, who spends almost the entire 81 minutes of the film trying to disprove the seemingly damning evidence against his wife (played by the lovely Hazel Court, wasted here). The premise is that someone knocked off the odious columnist Gary Bax (Anthony Dawson, enjoying himself as a slimy sophisticate), and of course, the entire cast have plenty of motives.

Morrow rather plods through the motions, most of the time hampered by an oversized raincoat, and a severe case of screen charisma bypass; Carl Bernard as Insp Gower offers some interest as an idiosyncratic detective; the ultimate denouement is a stagey 'crime reconstruction' scene reminiscent of Agatha Christie ( or is it Death in Paradise?) with all the suspects gathered together awaiting judgment.

It's invariably interesting to see who is picking up the smaller parts in these pics - and always great to see Lionel Jefferies, (but why the god awful American accent?) Arthur Lowe (later immortalised as Capt Mainwaring), has a small part as a pompous little man, in this case a Scientist - no one came close to doing it better.

Anthony Dawson is a society columnist at the London night club he has made famous. He gets up to wander the tables, then sits down. When he gets up, he collapses, dead. The police, in the person of Carl Bernard, investigate. Newly wed reporter, Jeff Morrow (playing an alien instead of fighting them in scifi flicks) offers to help, and Bernard is agreeable. Morrow has more motive than a story; his wife, Hazel Court, is a suspect, although no one knows her name; she had been Dawson's lover before her marriage, and was trying to get some letters back.

It's a well constructed mystery, with Morrow wandering around, interviewing suspects, and as is usual, everyone had plenty of motive to kill Dawson. There's also some good outdoor photography by cinematographer Stanley Pavey as Morrow wanders past several landmarks, including the Fire monument, Buckingham Palace -- with the soldiers marching past -- and Picadilly Circus. C. M. Pennington-Richards directs efficiently, with a few tics standing in for character traits. Lionel Jeffries and Michael Balfour have nice little roles.