Barbados Quest

A thriller based around stamp-collecting doesn't sound too promising, though I do remember the Leslie Charteris short-story about a rare stamp, later adapted for a TV episode of The Saint - who had been played earlier on radio by Tom Conway, seen here in one of his few starring roles.

As the all-important stamp in the present film was an early Barbados issue, I would have thought that a sub-plot about a duplicate specimen popping up somewhere on the island would have provided some welcome contrast to the monotonous grey London of this production. But as it is, 'Barbados Quest' is just a silly catchpenny title, sensibly changed to 'Murder on Approval', referencing the stamp-trader's terms of business, known to every schoolboy collector.

If you see Conway as a poor man's George Sanders, that is exactly what he was - the younger brother, whose career would presently disappear down the neck of a bottle. He really does nothing special here, even when complemented by his reasonably comic sidekick Michael Balfour. But of course, this was 1955, when almost anything would do.

In an industry that rests on distinguishing the real from the counterfeit, we may have more reason than usual to question people's motives, and I could name two pillars of respectability who are not quite what they seem, but I prefer to stay away from the spoiler game.

In some ways it's just a product of its era, with that giveaway cliché "And now, if you'll excuse me..." popping up three times. And we can't reveal the climax, except that a couple of good guys burst in at the last moment, as in the standard endings of 'Murder She Wrote'.

BARBADOS QUEST is the first of two outings for Tom Conway's ageing private eye 'Duke' Martin, a guy who can never sit still but must go around solving crimes wherever he sees them. BREAKAWAY was the sequel which followed shortly although it's not as good as this movie. BARBADOS QUEST sounds like an interesting precursor to Bond, promising globetrotting and an exotic location, but unfortunately the Barbados of the title in reality refers to a rare stamp.

Yes, it's a crime film built around stamp collecting, and as genteel and sedate as it sounds despite a handful of fight scenes being shoehorned into the plot. The first half of this film has a genuine sense of mystery about it as the viewer isn't sure what's happened and isn't sure what's going on either. In the second half, the motivations of the entire cast are quite clear and things slow down considerably as a result with the sense of mystery lost.

Conway is an acceptable lead despite being too long in the tooth to successfully convince as the protagonist. Delphi Lawrence does a good job of playing the glamorous woman involved in the case, but the real scene stealer is Michael Balfour who excels in his 'comedy sidekick' role. The final mention goes to Brian Worth, who channels some of the spirit of a youthful Dennis Price as a mysterious figure involved in the proceedings. BARBADOS QUEST is no masterpiece, but for a film about stamp collecting it's surprisingly efficient.

"Murder on Approval" aka "Barbados Quest" from 1955 is evidently the second film about this character, Tom "Duke" Martin, a private investigator. In this one, Martin is hired by an American who believes that while in England, he paid $10,000 for an overprint of a Barbados stamp which he believes is fake. He wants his money back.

Martin flies to London and meets up with his Barney Wilson (Mark Balfour). Soon the two are up to their necks in fraud, murder, and robbery.

"Murder on Approval" doesn't have much of a budget, and Tom Conway in is a familiar Falcon/Saint type role -- a smooth, elegant ladies' man who gets in the way of a police investigation. Nothing new there. The attractive Delphi Lawrence plays the secretary of a wealthy woman who inherited a Barbados stamp.

Michael Balfour adds a little spice to the proceedings.

It's slow-moving and not very exciting.

Just okay.

Special investigator Duke Martin is in London to investigate the authenticity of a rare postage stamp called the Barbados Overplate. Someone is willing to commit murder to get his or her hands on the stamp, which puts a crimp in Duke's efforts to romance every beautiful woman he meets

The smooth Tom Conway stars in this undemanding and easy-going the Saint-type of programmer that has some light fistfights, sleuthing and wooing the ladies- the type of film Conway could do in his sleep. Of course, he has aged a bit from the Falcon days, but he still got the charm. He's great fun to watch, and makes this film quite watchable.

In London, J. D. Everleigh purchases a rare stamp from Geoffrey Blake who claims to represent famous stamp trader Robert Coburn. He does bring along stamp expert Lord Valchrist to verify. Later, he finds the same stamp with his friend even though there should only be one available for sale. He starts to have doubts and hires private eye Tom Martin (Tom Conway) to investigate.

This is a British crime drama. It is very much the old style mystery detective. It may be an attempt to start a franchise. It is more a howcatchem since the bad guys are right there. I like the starting premise. It is all very average and not memorable.