Penny and the Pownall Case

Peggy Evans is a model for Christopher Lee; he draws a comic strip for a newspaper which seems to specialize in showing Miss Evans in sunsuits, raising her skirts, and so forth. She a fiend for mysteries, and when Detective Inspector Ralph Michael drops by to ask Lee some questions about a kidnapping that has turned into a murder, she's so fascinated she agrees to go with Lee to sunny Spain for modelling. Soon, however, she finds herself involved with much more dangerous people, smuggling Nazis out of Europe.

The racy comic strip is based on Norman Pett's strip about Jane, a young woman who found herself on the pages of the Mirror in states of undress. Pett's wife was the original model, but she developed an interest in golf and was replaced by Chrystabel Leighton-Porter. Pett gave up the strip in 1948, and it continued for another eleven years.

This is the only directorial effort of Slim Hand. Far less revealing than the comic strip, and utterly conventional, it's a fairly wan second feature at 47 minutes.

Highbury Studios,where this film was made,was the home of the Rank Charm School for budding screen actors.In this case the soon to be famous Diana Dors,still sporting dark hair,and Christopher Lee.Films such as these had the joint benefit of providing second features and showcasing new talent.This is no better or worse than similar features of this type.

A curiosity rather than a must see. A mousy Diana Dors, a jittery Christopher Lee and a not very engaging Olaf Pooley. It's the director's one and only, and has the feel of early work. Not much else to say.

Although 'The Blue Lamp' was a much better film, Peggy Evans has the title role and is far more glamorous in this jolly shoestring trifle as Penny - obviously based on The Daily Mirror's Jane - wearing (when dressed) a succession of knock-'em-dead forties outfits and hairstyles and giving an energetic and engaging performance while tangling with a gaggle of Nazi war criminals.

Both Christopher Lee and a brunette Diana Dors further add to the fun in substantial supporting roles (while the square chin of Shaun Noble as Pownall may be familiar from his role in flashback as Deborah Kerr's lover in 'Black Narcissus').

The Story concerns catching escaped German WWII prisoners in early post war Britain.Christopher Lee plays a General Kressman a Nazi who is posing as an artist who draws a comic strip in the style of the 1940s Daily Mirror "Jane". This requires the services of the statuesque model Penny Justin who for once steals the glamour thunder from the soon to be peroxided Diana Dors.Clues are embedded by Lee into the succeeding comic strips which can then be read by his foreign agents.Penny has ambitions herself to become a detective being a voracious reader of crime novels which have gone to her head.Meanwhile DD is the secretary, Molly James, to Ralph Michael (Inspector Michael Carson) of Scotland Yard.His job is to track down the war criminals and investigate the murder of Detective Henry Pownall.

Part of the investigation means travelling to Spain and here we briefly meet Sam Costa more famous for appearing in the 1940s radio comedy "Much Binding in the Marsh".A rare comic sequence involves a road sign painter who nearly gets run over by the baddies car then the police car and who then gives up painting "Thank You" onto the sign.Lee in his first role on screen has that far away look of a fanatical Nazi in his eyes which sold him as a "baddy" thereafter to future casting directors.

I have never seen Penny Justin in other roles, perhaps she was a real life full time model when not filming.Michael Carson successfully completes his investigation with the not inconsiderable help of Penny while falling for her charms.IMDb.com rated this film 5.8 while my rating was 6.0