The Shop at Sly Corner

I expected this movie to be oldfashioned in acting style with an easy plot. Instead it surprised me with a fairly complex plot and some actions by the characters I did not foresee. Most important, I thought the acting style of Homulka was extremely "real," and he did not sound like he was speaking lines. Take yourself back to the 30s --which is what it looked like, even if it is 1947, and enjoy.

Oskar Homolka (Mr Heiss) owns an antique shop and is very proud of his violin-playing daughter Muriel Pavlow (Margaret) who is just breaking into the big time. Kenneth Griffith (Archie) is a slimy weasel who works in the shop and is attracted to Muriel. God knows why. She has a boyfriend in the Navy - Derek Farr (Robert) - and they are the rather bland goody-two-shoes couple. It is the other actors who give this film colour and the desire to see things through to the end. Griffith has a weasely plan to get one over Homolka.

One strange thing about the film was making Homolka a French citizen. No, he's not. What's the point in trying to pull that one off? Anyway, I'm not surprised at what he's up to with his antiques and when you have a character like the slimy Griffith as an assistant, then you are asking for trouble. Diana Dors (Mildred) has a memorable small role as a cheap girlfriend for Griffith. As does Katie Johnson as a customer in the shop - you'll recognize her from her pivotal role in "The Ladykillers" (1955).

The shop at sly corner, on tubi streaming, is called code of scotland yard on imdb. When a shop assistant overhears a conversation by the shop owner, it sets off a chain of events. Heiss (homolka) has been using his shop to fence and sell stolen goods. Archie, his employee (griffith) tries to blackmail him. But it doesn't go as planned. Good intrigue. Some twists and turns. The sound and picture quality are excellent. Good suspense as the coppers track down the killer. Directed by george king, right at the end of his working years. He only directed one more after this. Based on the play by edward percy. Homolka will be nominated for best supporting actor for "I remember mama". It's pretty good. Made in post war britain. Muriel pavlow (plays margaret) married co-star derek farr... he plays robert graham!

I finally caught this film on an ebay DVD copy which was OK quality but not top notch. I'd read Muriel Pavlow's interview by Brian McFarlane which mentioned this film and her role in it and so i was interested to see it. This is the film on which she met her future husband actor Derek Farr and admits she was upstaged by Oscar Homolka every which way. Homolka is the heart and guts of this film and he is superb. Kenneth Griffith( he played the same role in the stage production) also shines and once he disappears from the action the film is not so gripping. There is an effective twist in the tale/tail and it is a surprisingly downbeat story overall with its insights into the less savoury side of human character.

This film has an excellent cast.Kenneth Griffiths being very nasty as the blackmailing Archie.Gary Marsh being his usual jovial policeman.Bits from Kathleen Harrison and Irene Handel.However towering over them all is Oscar Hamolka and his expressive eyebrows.He steals every scene he is in,not just in this film but every film he appeared in.His is an excellent performance which keeps the film going after the murder of Archie.However the film does rely on an unlikely contrivance to bring the film to its slightly tame ending.What on earth was Irene Handel doing wandering around in the woods late at night?Due to her presence the murder eventually unravels.