Missione pericolosa

Around 60 years ago I remember the title number being played on the radio.Lyrics were added and it was sung by Jimmy Edwards.The film is rather less memorable being a fairly routine spy thriller starring an ageing Richard Conte as the parachuted in fading American star for the benefit of the American distributors.The DVD has some interesting trailers and an alternative beginning.This is far longer and much less puncture than the actual beginning.There is an intrepid reporter trying to ferret out a story,ignoring the fact that the government would quash any story with a D notice.Still this film was very topical at the time with the defection of Burgess and MacLean.

Within minutes, one could be forgiven for thinking that the elusive monkey of the title is the director, making a Hitchcock style cameo appearance and for questioning Hollywood stalwart Richard Conte's integrity for signing up to this clunker. Throw in a low budget, lo-fi, occasionally laughable score, which sounds like it was performed by the same outfit responsible for Ed Wood's 'Jailbait' and it quickly appears that this bargain basement yarn about the bumping off of eminent scientists is headed straight for the buffers. A total train wreck of a movie!

When the brainbox behind guided missiles has a stop over in London en route to the U. S. A., despite embarrassing lapses in security and a dismissal of the monkey's existence, the authorities remain calm and bullishly stiff upper lipped. Most people would have gone ape! Visiting State Department agent Conte is given assurances regarding safety, but soon our hero has a harsh reality check. Exasperated by inert British police, hampered and harangued, by probing, all mouth and trousers reporter, Colin Gordon, kidnapped and beaten to a pulp by Russian agents, he still finds time for several stiff drinks and a spot of romance with Rona Anderson, clearly not put off by his extensive bruising and black eye.

Continued viewing spurs a combination of mirth and macabre fascination, until......wait a minute, the momentum picks up, tension mounts and against all expectations a passably noirish thriller emerges, leading to a finale in which the monkey and a midget martian contrive to (almost) steal the show, endorsing the adage; 'Never work with animals or children'.

THE CASE OF THE RED MONKEY, aka LITTLE RED MONKEY, is a fun little mix of murder mystery and spy thriller of the 1950s. This is very much a film of its era, complete with a title and theme tune taken from a popular tune of the era and a Cold War backdrop. When nuclear scientists are being murdered in London, it takes a US special agent in the form of Richard Conte to track down the killer. The addition of the monkey to the plot is a novel and offbeat twist, and there's enough disparate elements from action to romance to spy shenanigans and the like to keep it bubbling away merrily from beginning to end.

This is a mid-fifties British B picture (aka LITTLE RED MONKEY, the original title, which is on the DVD) for which they brought in the American Richard Conte as a visiting FBI agent, to fetch a Russian scientist defector to America. The script was co-written by Ken Hughes (1922-2001), who also directed it, and whom I knew rather well. Ken was never a highbrow when it came to literature, though his taste in art was good because of his obsession with the paintings of Delvaux, of which he had a gigantic example on his wall above his sofa. (It is now in a national museum somewhere.) I must say, Richard Conte makes just about the least sentimental lover in the history of the cinema. The way he treats the girl who falls in love with him is so rude and inconsiderate that one wonders about his orientation. Never mind. The British police and secret service bungle spectacularly throughout this tale, making mistake after mistake, taking no basic safety or security precautions, and the attempt to look after a major defector is portrayed as an utter farce. A bit too close to real life. It reminds me of the dealings between MI6 and Gaddafi. What is there about the word 'incompetence' that the British security experts do not understand? They presumably have their noses buried too deep in dodgy dossiers, of which there has been a spectacular example recently, something to do with the number 70,000. Hahaha. Well here they go again in this film, letting everybody get killed, with the almost equally hapless Yank finally saving them, more or less by chance. The monkey of the title really exists and climbs up buildings and opens windows for entry by humans to commit dastardly deeds. There are other elements revealed at the end which I shall duly keep top secret, something which no one in the film seems to know the meaning of.

This very British film was a "B" picture given headlines because of the title song which was a massive hit in both the Uk and in the States.

Only read below if you want to know about The little red monkey.

The little red monkey was in fact a very very small/tiny adult russian spy who because of his size could enter small areas thought safe agains five foot plus size humans.

He was only called "The Midget" in the film and he was played by Leonard franks.

This was the basis of the movie.

If you ever get to watch this film, do not expect too much and you will not be disappionted.

The music is freely on line to download from various sites in the UK. Just type in "the little red monkey" into a search engine and up will pop lots of links.