Dr. Morelle: The Case of the Missing Heiress

Julia Lang discovers that her friend, heiress Jean Lodge has gone missing. She goes to investigate at the charmingly named Barren Tor in Devonshire, disguising herself as the new housemaid. There she finds Miss Lodge's wheelchair-bound stepfather, a creepy butler, and a stalwart young fiance. Finding herself out of her depth, she calls her regular employer, psychiatrist Valentine Dyall for aid.

It's another of the movie adaptations of BBC radio programs that Hammer tried in the late 1940s. This one is based on a series written by Ernest Dudley. It was a long-running series, initially starring Dennis Arundell. In the 1950s, the role was taken by Cecil Parker. There were also short stories, and even a stage play.

THe movie itself is a stereotyped potboiler, distinguished only by Dyall's characterization as the annoyingly perceptive Morelle.

As a point of interest, the character of "Dr Morelle" was created for the popular Monday night BBC radio series "Monday Night At 8" that replaced the earlier prewar "Monday Night At 7" (which introduced us to Inspector Hornleigh) that comprised a miscellany of brief lighthearted

items aimed to put listeners into a relaxed state before hearing the latest (censored) grim war front events on the 9 o'clock news - de regeur for the whole nation. The programme usually included a short spoof spy tale and,of course,breezy Ronnie Waldman's "Puzzle Corner" and that deliberate mistake... The film,itself,was another B support of the late 40s that cashed in on popular

earlier radio shows of the time,usually of moderately.if unexciting quality with acceptable production values. Others included Dick Barton,The Man In Black & Hi Gang!

This slim little movie was based on a British radio mystery series, with the main character of Dr. Morelle depicted as an all-knowing Sherlock Holmes-type detective.

This film is a pretty routine mystery, no better or worse than many. But it was spoiled for me by its "comedy relief", which consists of Dr. Morelle browbeating his female secretary with all sorts of very caustic epithets and comments about how stupid and useless she is. This is a running gag and goes on for the entire film. I'm sure male viewers chuckled and laughed at this abuse of a woman back in its day, but seeing it today, it is very uncomfortable to watch.

Times do indeed change in what constitutes entertainment.

This is quite a decent little conspiracy mystery. "Cynthia" (Jean Lodge) is the eponymous heiress who has been living in the care of her controlling, wheelchair-bound, step-father "Kimber" (Philip Leaver - reminded me a little of Francis L. Sullivan). When she announces that she wishes to marry; he has to act and she promptly disappears. Her friend "Miss. Frayne" (Julia Lang) goes to investigate and puzzled by all of this, summons her employer - the hypnotist "Dr. Morelle" (Valentine Dyall) to get to the bottom of everything... It's a fairly routine mystery, and as it is told via retrospective we have little jeopardy - but it is still quite enjoyable to watch Lyall in full pomp and there are, as usual, some lovely scenes from Hugh Griffiths as the amiable, but scatty butler "Bensall". It's very much of it's time, this film - there is a condescension from Lyall to Lang that's over-egged a bit, but it doesn't spoil it too much - it's just a quickly paced, sometimes humorous, crime thriller that easily kills an hour - without killing anything else!

Although this is a rather threadbare effort it does have a fairly entertaining and well thought out ending.The voice of Valentine Dyall permeates the whole film giving the clue to the film's origins.At that time many BBC radio programmes were being turned into films,often with unlikely titles such as The 20 Questions Murder Mystery.I have to say that I cannot remember a similar climax when the tables were so neatly turned on the murderer with no less than two further twists giving a very neat and ingenious ending>Too often endings seemed contrived and unsatisfactory ,but such concerns definitely do not apply to this thriller.