A Question of Suspense

The basic plot of this 1961 movie seems to be borrowed for Danger By My Side (1962). In that crime film, Maureen Connell is out to trap the killer of her brother by cozying up to the murderer after glamming herself up. In A Question of Suspense, Noelle Middleton glams up to get the murderer of her man. It's an okay programmer if entirely predictable and done a hundred times. Yvonne Buckingham is the killer's secretary and is wasted in that minor role. I never understood the producers and casting directors who underappreciated this beauty, always giving her nothing parts. She should have gotten the lead in this picture.

Norman Rodway comes in to see his old friend and employer Peter Reynolds. He knows that Reynolds has been backing his operations with forged bonds, and threatens him with exposure and jail unless they go into partnership. Reynolds agrees, and when Rodway tells him they must destroy the forged bonds, agrees again. They go to Reynolds' beach house, talking of their adolescent love, Noelle Middleton. There, Reynolds kills Rodway and buries him in the sand. Now, with Rodway gone, when the police discover the forgery, it looks like Rodway did the forgeries and a bunk. Things are looking well for Reynolds, when Miss Middleton turns up; she had been living with Rodway for seven years after the disappearance of her husband, and doesn't think he did the things he is accused of. All Reynolds can think of is a chance to have his teen-age fantasies come true.

There's little suspense in how the story goes, but there is a good deal in if and when Miss Middleton figures things out and whether she can convince the police. For such an inherently slight -- albeit bloody -- story, it's well acted and shot under the direction of Max Varnel.

Another forgotten, if anyone knew it ever existed, 'B' movie shown on Talking Pictures. They seem to have a never ending stream of these old British films from the 50's & 60's. This one is just an hour long and was actually shot in Ireland and is certainly worth watching. The story revolves around a crooked business man, Peter Reynolds, his less successful school friend,Norman Rodway, who becomes his downtrodden employee and their mutual schoolboy crush, played by Yvonne Buckingham. Norman finds out about Peter Reynolds bond forging scam and attempts blackmail. Big mistake.

One quibble I would have about this film is the title. It is not at all suspenseful as we always see what is going on with no major shocks or even mild surprises, but as an entertaining hour with decent acting, it fits the bill.

It's a likeable thriller with a brisk tempo and fluent dialog all the way, the intrigue being transparent though as soon as Frank is gone missing. Peter Reynolds makes a perfectly credible performance as a double dealer in every way, while he is taken aback by the appearance of Noelle Middleton, the love of his youth and of his colleague Frank's, when she takes him by surprise by demonstrating herself as Frank's wife. Peter never thought he had one and least of all the one they both adored as youngsters. Well, she isn't really Frank's wife, but they did find each other again in mature days and started being together, so she has reasons enough to worry about him like a wife. You really start to worry already when he and Frank go out together to the sea with a pickaxe and a shovel and start digging like for a hidden treasure of their youth, and your darkest misgivings will gradually materialise. It's a sinister drama dressed in elegance, Peter Reynolds is a rich man who can afford being generous, and it takes some time before he starts to suspect any threat to his illusions. It's a great pastime, like any Agatha Christie thriller, and you will find all the pieces fitting into the jigsaw puzzle with a few shocks for a solution.

The less you know about the story, the more you are likely to enjoy it. At little more than an hour long, this is a brisk little thriller powered by a decent story. The acting is variable, with the lead doing most of the heavy lifting, but with some decent sets, location shooting (in Ireland) and a plot that rattles along like a clockwork toy this passes the time agreeably enough.