Dangerous Afternoon

With the heavy emphasis on strong female characters, this hour long oddity is an example of just how much has been buried and forgotten in British cinema... and that's a shame.

Although most of the drama is filmed in one claustrophobic room, there'are enough moments of eye candy outside, too, especially in the opening scene where dotty Mrs. Sprule (Nora Nicholson) goes thieving down the local chemists.

Typhoo Tea, Golden Shred, a massive sign reminding us top 'keep regular' with Ex-Lax and the YZ' chewing gum machine nailed to the wall, Lyons Maid, and even the Platignum writing sets in the book shop, too. It's all awesome nostalgia for us oldies!

But most of the 'action' is filmed in Primrose Lodge, a 'boarding establishment for ladies'! Elizabeth Begley shines as the wheel-chair bound home owner and is able to do an 'about face' of character with some scary facial agility.

For the men, there's the awesome, doll-faced Joanna Dunham, who plays Freda. to feast your eyes on.

Anyway, this 'B movie' on a budget is a briskly paced yarn about blackmail and murder. The first half is slow enough to introduce us to all the well-crafted characters and the second half zips along nicely as the plot gets underway. The ending is a bit of a let down in my opinion... maybe they ran out of 'reel'!

Ruth Dunning was a desperate criminal who escaped from prison, breaking her back as she did so. Now she runs a boarding house for old ladies: former criminal associates of hers. One afternoon, in walks a woman whom she left in prison, who now proposes to blackmail her.

This short quota quickie directed by Charles Saunders is a bang-up affair, with many a funny bit, deliciously delayed by taking time to make the point clear. There are some nice swerves in the plot, and it is a fine way to spend an hour with older, cannier actresses. Long-time director of photography Geoffrey Faithful -- his credits ranged back to before the First World War, with Hepworth -- does a solid job.

Dangerous Afternoon doesn't really provide a tremendous amount of suspense, intrigue, or plot twists, and yet i found it to be thoroughly enjoyable. Ruth Dunning plays the wheelbound lead and much of the credit for the success of the film really must go to her. She gives an interesting, intriguing, and thoroughly engaging performance. The remainder of the cast are also solid and deliver distinct and memorable characters. Not really much 'action' taking place here but nevertheless it all manages to pull the viewer in. Of course, everything is glazed with a distinctly British veneer which I'll admit to being a fan of. Check out Dangerous Afternoon and see what you think.

This is definitely one of my favourite British B-movies of the 1960's. A subtle crime film and definitely not in the Edgar Wallace/Butcher's mould-i.e. nobody gets hit over the head. Made by the Theatrecraft production company, it was shown in 1961 on the Odeon Cinema circuit to accompany "A Taste of Honey." The film barely steps out of the studio but at the beginning of the film the action takes place in an actual parade of shops which is fascinating to see. There is a hardware shop, a jewellers, a grocery store (Lyons Maid advert on the door), a chemist and a sweet shop (Platignum pens advert on the door) with a YZ chewing gum machine attached to the wall (I remember these because with every fourth turn of the handle you got a free packet). It would be interesting to find out where this was filmed and to see how much it has changed 49 years on. There is a reference to Bushey in the film but I doubt that this was where the outdoor locations were actually filmed as the film studios were in Twickenham.

Most of the action takes place in an old people's home for gentle lady folk who are not all that they seem. The relationship between the old ladies is very well portrayed as you can just imagine the bickering going on in real life. Early on in the film there are some good scenes set in the kitchen which are slightly reminiscent of those in "Small Hotel" and a great line about it being "ten years since poor old Dan took a 9 o'clock walk" (i.e. he was hanged). There are some top class performances from Nora Nicolson who has some marvellous comic moments and Ruth Dunning as the owner of the establishment is totally believable in her role. Nice to see the strikingly beautiful Joanna Dunham in her first featured role.

I won't spoil the film by giving away any of the plot. It is a hard film to find and has not been shown on television to my knowledge since 2002. There are some inconsistencies in the film but this is to be expected bearing in mind that it probably cost only about £20k to make and was probably wrapped up in about 3 weeks as studio time cost money. I would recommend this film as an addition to anyone's collection of 59 minute British B-movies. An unusual story which is beautifully acted and directed.

Another nifty crime programmer from the team of director Charles Saunders and producer Guido Coen, the makers of JUNGLE STREET GIRLS only the girls here are women... really old ones in a boarding house and all are ex-crooks, run by a crippled Ruth Denning with crafty expressions like she knows and has seen everything...

Contrasting to her naive artistic niece (actually daughter) played by quirky cute-as-a-button Joanna Dunham with equally attractive businessman husband Howard Pays (who co-starred in JUNGLE STREET with cameo Brian Weske)...

But they do little but worry about what's off-screen at the boarding house; harboring the the primary plot-line too quickly set up through stagey (noticeably based on a play) exposition when Dunning's Miss Lefty Frost, which isn't her real name, is being blackmailed by a former partner-in-crime (Gwenda Wilson) who knows her real one...

Yet the scene-stealers are all the really old tenants, in particular Nora Nicholson, still an active pickpocket and shoplifter... yet there's hardly anything DANGEROUS while taking place in more than one AFTERNOON... but here's a potential platform for a progressed remake, especially with all the aged actresses out there now... and most of them, like the long gone gals here, very British.