The Third Alibi

The British film industry made hundreds of thrillers in the 1950s but very few are memorable,but this is definitely one.I have just seen this again after some years.I consider it the perfect murder mystery for a number of reasons.Firstly every detail of the plot has a crucial impact in the climax,not least the hit and run accident.Every piece of the plot falls neatly into place.Patricia Dainton is able to use the details of the conspiracy to her advantage.The plot itself is uncomplicated and the story very well written.Well worth viewing when contemporary films have faded from view.Can be viewed on TV again for the first time in years.

Its outline may remind you of "sudden fear" starring Joan Crawford,Jack Palance and Gloria Grahame : the victim knows her husband and his mistress are going to kill her for she eavesdropped on their conversation which revealed their ominous plans.Besides ,a tape recorder plays a prominent part in the plot.But it's a good murder mystery on its own :the screenplay (based on a play) is well constructed ,and even the manslaughter on the road has its raison d'être(the final picture packs a real wallop) .Even the title is well chosen .

The sisters ' feud is a little derivative: it's once again the "my kid sister was spoilt , they had only eyes for her " well-known tale ;but the film is short , tense ,and there's never a dull moment .Directing is not very inventive ,but the suspenseful script will keep you glued to your seat till the very end.

For all its obviousness and downright silliness this was great fun to watch.

A perfect little gem. Lively pacing. Never waned.

The downtrodden wife, played brilliantly by Patricia Dainton, is now my hero, a somewhat amoral one as it turns out. Mind you all the main characters easily slipped into dubious behaviour.

It's only 65 minutes long, goes well with a cuppa and a biscuit.

What a clever little mystery this is, it is incredible how many of these forgotten gems are out there. I would have imagined this was made as a low budget b movie, but it is fully deserving of praise. Very good performances all round, Laurence Payne and Jane Griffiths are both very good, but it's the performance of Patricia Dainton that stole the show in her final on screen performance, a truly natural beauty, she plays a very soft, frail and dutiful wife, who possesses more then is shown on the surface. I love how complex the plot is, it is full of knots, twists and turns, it's a film you watch and have no idea which way it's going to go, you are guessing until the very (shock) end. It features a small cameo for Cleo Laine.

The plot is so good it could quite easily be remade into some cosy modern day mystery. It starts fairly slowly, and you could be forgiven for losing interest, but it's one of those that if you stick with you will totally get caught up in, the ending is so good too. I love a good mystery and this ticks all the boxes.

I'm glad I found it, 8/10

Laurence Payne is unhappily married to Patricia Danton. He's also carrying on an affair with her half-sister, Jane Griffiths. Jane coyly tells him she's enceinte. So he asks Miss Danton for a divorce. She refuses.

Well, this is a problem. He works out an elaborate murder scheme with Miss Griffiths, involving a tape recorder and exact timetables. It's a perfect scheme, except that Miss Danton is listening behind a door. As a result, when Miss Griffiths is murdered, all the rest of the evidence points to him.... except for one crucial piece.

It's a sick and twisted and very amusing murder mystery, with John Arnatt as one of those stolid, slow-talking and hardworking police inspectors. More like an expanded episode of THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK SHOW than anything else, it's a beautifully constructed, cheap little thriller.