The Switch

A breezy quickie in which Conrad Phillips and the always glamorous Zena Marshall make a charming couple as they cross the path of the usual bunch of mean-looking crooks.

John Curry gets mixed up with Carolyn Markham, who's targeted by a gang who have smuggled in a stash of watches.

A very enjoyable mystery, it put me in mind of The Edgar Wallace mysteries and The Frances Durbridge shows, it's along the same lines. It's a clever mystery, that moves along at a decent pace, and has several moments of intrigue.

What starts off as a seemingly ordinary crime, car theft, soon turns into something a whole lot more interesting, kidnap, assault, violence and murder.

That Alpine Sunbeam was one exquisite looking car, a time when Great Britain truly did manufacture the most exquisite cars.

I loved the visuals, the cars, the fashions, people and streets, you can't argue with the style of the 1960's.

Quality acting from a very reliable cast, Conrad Phillips, Bill Craddock and the excellent Zena Marshall.

Two amusing moments, Peter Butterworth's scene was very funny, I also chuckled seeing Jerry Desmonde, hard to take him seriously, buy a good actor Northerner.

7/10.

A typical British supporting feature of its day, with the classy Zena Marshall as the victim of a watch-smuggling racket. With the heroic figures of Anthony Steel, Dermot Walsh, and Conrad 'William Tell' Phillips on the case though, it's clear that the villains don't have much of a chance. Not as complicated as some of the contemporary Edgar Wallace movies but not lacking in some dry humour and very watchable. Steel was no longer a major star by now and Fifties leading lady, at least in 'B' pictures, Susan Shaw, has only a minor role as the Search Officer.

Customs man Anthony Steel is looking for smuggled watches with the aid of inspector Dermot Walsh. Also Magazine model Zena Marshall is vacationing in France, when charming Arnold Diamond inveigles her to lunch and a drive. Returning home to London, she finds Conrad Phillips has sublet her apartment. His red Sunbeam, identical to the loaner from her service station has been stolen from her garage. Sparks fly, and the next night, her red Sunbeam is also stolen from her garage. The following night, she is dining with Phillips. After he drops her off, she finds herself confronted with a couple of nasty men who want the watches.

It's a nicely set up melodrama, with gallant cops, threatening goons, secret passages, and Dawn Beret playing as annoying a specimen of Muta Flava as you'd never hope to meet. Susan Shaw and Jimmy Hanley have small roles.

The Switch is a standard B feature but on the surface looks as if it should have so much more - a cast led by the trio of Anthony Steel (by now on the downslope of his briefly stellar career), Dermot Walsh (minus famous badger quiff) and Zena Marshall (fresh from cavorting with then spitting at Sean Connery in 'Dr No') - never really takes off.

Nevertheless, there are some nice touches- a 5 minute cameo from Jerry Desmonde, a 10 second cameo by Jimmy Hanley, a few minutes for Susan Shaw in (sadly), her last role, and a hilariously camp Peter Butterworth for a preciously short appearance, and at least two very nice Sunbeam Alpines (the first Bond car and one of several nods to 007). It also has to be mentioned in dispatches that Arnold Diamond is the least convincing Frenchman since 'Allo Allo'.