Don't Talk to Strange Men

Christina Gregg is waiting for the bus to pick her up at the stop, when the phone rings in the telephone booth. That's all there is, besides her and the road and a few empty fields, so she picks up the phone and tells the cultured sound man on the other end that he has the wrong number. He thanks her, and admires her voice. They chat for a bit, and he asks if she will answer the phone if he calls the number at the same time tomorrow. She says she will. When she goes home, she high-hats her old, worn-out parents with her sophisticated secret admirer.

It's one of those middle-class "Your daughters are in danger!" thrillers that nowadays the Lifetime cable channel turns out by the score. This is very early in the evolution of the form, so there's lots to admire in early examples of what will become standard tropes while they are new and fresh. Miss Gregg is quite good. The overwhelming normality of everything and everyone about her, from her parents, who don't know what she is going on about, to bus conductress Dandy Nichols, to kid sister Janina Faye, who just wants her sister to go the movies with her, make this an early and effective example of the genre.

I do not remember if I first saw this at the local cinema or on TV,however I have always remembered this because of the isolated phone box.I have just seen this on TV and I have to say that it manages to sustain a genuinely creepy atmosphere throughout.It never puts a foot wrong.For one thing we never get to see the face of the murderer which helps make him see even more sinister.Conrad Phillips,who recently died,was the only well known face in this,apart of course from Dandy Nicholls,just a few years away from fame on TV.Difficult to believe that such a giant of the cinema,Jack Cardiff was Director of Photography on what was essentially a B film.

With a small cast of unknowns, black and white film when colour was becoming the normal, only a couple of sets, and really just the one exterior, the outside of a call box in a quite country lane, shot just out of London i would guess, and all probably filmed in a matter of a few days i should think? This is a film that shows what can be done with a good basic story, decent writing and sound acting. It is a kind of public notice almost a public service in it's clear warning, well most teenage girls even in 1962 would of known better, but then it is all about how cleaver, attractive, and plausible a Psychopath may be. Soundly entertaining throughout, if just a dash dated but in a very good way i found the film very entertaining, just a programme filler of it's day maybe, but it impresses and makes you long for those good old days when the B film might just be better than the A picture.

I have always liked this film and had the chance recently to see it again as a friend taped it. It is a tale about a young girl who falls for a man she has talked to only by telephone at a remote call box. Lots of period footage of the girl and her young sister with their parents at home in their middle-class English country home. When you view the "over the call box courtship" of the nice fellow who wants to meet the young Christina Gregg you can identify with what you hear in the media today, about the way certain people court youngsters in Internet chat rooms with youngsters of today. Very thought provoking and at times charming little movie.....

I wonder why they never broadcast these movies nowadays - it is still not available on DVD. I sometimes wonder what other little gems like this I am not aware of.

Don't Talk to Strange Men is just what a thriller should be; simple and effective. The film is very short, running at only just over an hour; but this time is put to very good use as director Pat Jackson wastes no time in getting straight to the point. The film would appear to be a cautionary tale for kids and the subject at hand is the idea of a minor being 'groomed' by an adult who plans to take advantage of them. However, the director doesn't preach anything to the audience; instead the story is just allowed to play out. We focus on a small town that has been upset by the murders of some young kids. Jean Painter is the naive daughter of an overprotective father. She works at a local bar and catches the bus home. One day while waiting for the bus, she hears the phone in the booth near the bus stop ringing; and innocently answers the phone. She begins a dialogue with the stranger on the other end, and becomes obsessed with his voice. Eventually, the stranger suggests they meet...and it becomes clear he has sinister motives.

A major reason why this film works so well is down to the fact that all the major characters are easy to get along with. Christina Gregg's character does require the audience to suspend their disbelief somewhat as she is so easily infatuated with the stranger on the phone; but she plays the role well and is easy to root for. Gwen Cherrell's script is serviceable; but at times the dialogue can be a little strange, and it feels unnatural. The story itself also seems a bit hard to believe at first glance; but inadvertently falling for a voice on the phone is no more unbelievable than falling for someone in an internet chat room; and that is a story we hear often today, meaning the film still has meaning almost fifty years since it was made. The film flows well throughout and is always interesting; but the final third is the best of all. The director really cranks up the tension until it becomes nail-biting, and the final conclusion is well worth the effort invested in the film. The actual ending itself is a bit abrupt and too light-hearted for my liking...but this is still an excellent thriller that more than makes up for any flaws. Highly recommended viewing...if you can find a copy.