Gideon's Day

JOHN FORD seems a strange choice to be directing a British film starring JACK HAWKINS in the role of a very busy Scotland Yard inspector who has no time for anyone else in his domestic life as long as he's on the trail of various culprits. ANNA LEE is his patient wife at home who's more concerned with raising two children and cooking meals to pay much attention to her husband's urgent calls of duty.

It's a very fragmented kind of story-telling, more a series of vignettes featuring Hawkins in his role as detective, getting able assistance from JOHN LODER (Hedy Lamarr's ex-hubby during the '40s). He covers cases involving a psychotic killer, a hit and run murder and a bank robbery--with some wit and sardonic humor injected into all the proceedings by director Ford. DEREK BOND, ANDREW RAY and ANNA MASSEY (her film debut) round out the supporting cast.

Summing up: Above average thanks to some interesting, very flawed characters involved in crime and a brisk pace and brief running time that deserves praise in this day of films that go on and on forever, although the film was not a critical or commercial success.

This film is unique historically for more than one reason. It is the first - I believe only - cops and robbers film directed by John Ford. It is also unique because it is an Irish production. The 'Rising of the Moon' was an Irish production directed by John Ford. He made it clear that he would like to do another. The Irish Lord who had produced the 'Rising' read a book called Gideon's Day by an unknown writer called J.J.Merric. He loved the book, rang John Ford, and sent him a copy. When he negotiated buying the book it was discovered that J.J.Merric was in fact the famous John Creasey. Ford was captivated by the book, the deal was struck, and the wheels set in motion. In the film itself there is no indication that it is Irish other than Cyril Cusack being in it. It is the only Irish film made so far that does not have an Irish factor in its content. The world premier was in the Savoy Cinema in Dublin.

The novel 'Gideon's Day' was the first in the Gideon series by John Creasey (written under the pseudonym of J J Marric) and was published in 1955. Each book in the series followed 'G G' (George Gideon) through a period of time. Cases that came up during that time were not necessarily solved by the end of the novel: they were kind of a "slice of life" of (Creasey's image of) 50s Scotland Yard.

There are 21 novels in the Gideon series, as written by John Creasey, with the last one published in 1976 (2 years after his death). I did, however, once came across another Gideon novel, written after Creasey's death by another author using the name J J Marric. If you like the Gideon TV series and movie and are interested in the books, make SURE they are by Creasey as anything else is a very poor substitute.

The film has some great sayings, such as which you're unlikely to hear in any cops and robbers film again!

Gideon has a gun pointed at him by the artist-turned-payroll robber. He calmly smokes his pipe and speculates the outcome for the artist, if he were to shoot, at which the artist/robber says "I don't see why you're using the subjunctive!".

Have seen this film several times and always enjoy it. Very typical John Ford: easy-going, some high drama, some great on-location color photography, wonderful performances (with quite a bit of Fordian over-acting).

There have been some frankly negative reviews of this picture (Leonard Maltin's book gives it just 1 and a half stars!) but don't let that deter you if you just want to be entertained for 90 minutes and transported to London 1958.

It's not a thriller, not a who-done-it. It's just John Ford's treatment of a colorful day in the life of a Scotland Yard inspector and his family. If that's something that appeals to you, then by all means sit back and enjoy.