Dancing with Crime

Compo from "Last of the Summer Wine" obviously loved the East End and probably made friends with Chas 'n' Dave. That's why I saw them play at Holmfirth. It was where Summer Wine was filmed – the friendship link is complete. Compo is an East end gangster in this film. He's short in stature and makes an unconvincing tough guy. He would have been flattened in his fight scene at the beginning of the film. The same goes for his ex-army buddy, Richard Attenborough (Ted), Again, this short person would have been flattened in both his fight scenes. The fights are badly staged and very fake.

There's a criminal gang running a dancehall and carrying out robberies and Dickie short-arse meddles in their affairs so he can get to the truth behind his pal Compo's demise. Guess what – he succeeds. Standard good guy v bad guy stuff. The most interesting moments of the film for me occur in the dancehall where Diana Dors hangs out. Singer and dancehall girl Judy Kelly (Toni) is the best of the cast. What is it with people cutting in on other men dancing with a girl by tapping them on the shoulder and stealing their girl away? No way! This would be disastrous and cause non-stop scuffling. I hear this was an American custom introduced in films. I can't believe this actually happened! Any info on this ludicrous concept would be greatly appreciated.

Not much mystery here as the crime and perpetrator is known from the start so more of a how-will-they-catch-him than a who-dunnit. Still, there is charm in the setting: a dancehall where girls work to dance with patrons serves as a cover for the HQ of the local kingpin: an aristocratic yet particularly wily chap, who seems to smuggle gin and trade in 'surplus' goods, among other things. Innocents get swept up in the milieu and, though painted as too goody-goody, have a close brush with both the criminal and police world which toughens them up a bit. Barry K. Barnes plays the kingpin's chief henchman and delivers a subtle psychopathic gentleman killer vibe. There is some nice framing here and there, plus you get 1947 London, and its various pubs and characters , which helps sustain the film through its lulls (here and there), and the ending has its own minor twists. Other little highlights are scenes with Richard Attenborough and Diana Dors. I can't say it held my full attention 100% throughout but I am not regretful about having seen it - just 83 mins long! It's an alright movie if you are looking for a quite gentle noir in an unusual setting and a little but not too much excitement.

Brisk, efficient British post-War crime melodrama set in London - part of the 'Spiv' movie cycle(films with roots in 30s American Gangster movies, featuring characters profiting from wartime rationing in a similar fashion to 30s bootleggers, but not so clearly glamorised as their Stateside equivalents - see also the superior NOOSE). Richard Attenborough stars as former soldier, Ted Peters, now making a living as a London cab-driver who becomes involved with a criminal gang headed by dance hall owner and criminal mastermind Mr Gregory (the seriously undervalued Barry Jones), whose henchman and M.C. Paul Baker (Barry K. Barnes) has offed Ted's childhood friend and former army buddy Dave Robinson (Bill Rowbotham, better known to U.K. audiences as Bill Owen, star of long-running U.K. T.V comedy series LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE). At Ted's behest, his girlfriend Joy (Sheila Sim) gets a job as a dancehall hostess in Gregory's dance hall as part of Ted's attempts to expose the criminal gang and the true nature of the crime lord's enterprise is gradually exposed. Punchily directed by John Paddy Carstairs, and redolent with post-War atmosphere, this is another example of the type of popular genre fare which entertained U.K. audiences in the 40s at the same time as the now revered 'noir' movies similarly engaged their U.S. contemporaries. Deserving wider acclaim, the movies from this post-War U.K. genre are valid, and diverting, social documents which often gave early exposure to burgeoning talents (in this instance, an uncredited brunette Diana Dors and a 'blink and you'll miss him' Dirk Bogarde) and should, by rights, be as revered in their country of origin as the more celebrated and documented U.S. post-War crime movies. Worth checking out, if you get the chance.

Not really the best title for this ordinary British crime-noir, but Richard Attenborough ("Ted") and Shiela Sim ("Joy") put in a decent effort. He is a London taxi driver who finds himself embroiled in some criminal activities when his wartime friend is found murdered. The trail leads both him and the police to a nightclub run by "Gregory" (Barry Jones) and his MC "Baker" (Barry K. Barnes). The pair decide that "Joy" may be able to help their investigation by taking a job as an hostess at the club, but is she putting herself and him in even more danger as the gang soon realise that they are onto them? This packs quite a bit into eighty minutes and both at the top of the bill do their jobs efficiently - as does the under-stated Jones. The ending is a bit weakly predictable and it rather dialogue heavy, but it's still quite a watchable afternoon feature with a bit of menace, a little humour and a fine collection of hats!

Ted (Richard Attenborough) and Joy grew up with Dave and have remained friends with him....not close friends, but friends. Dave invites them to come to his club and later asks Ted to work with him. Ted assumes Dave is involved in some shady work and politely declines. A short time after this, one of Ted's 'associates' leaves him for dead in the back of Dave's taxi! Now the police do not suspect Ted...but the mobsters who killed Dave think perhaps Dave might have said SOMETHING to Ted before he died. So, they are now looking for Ted...and Ted is trying to find them because the police can't always be there.

This is a GENERALLY good movie, though one part irritated me because it didn't seem realistic and defied common sense. In this scene, two goons are going to kill Ted...and at gunpoint they tell Ted this. Ted is a scrappy guy and manages to beat up BOTH the thugs. BUT, and this annoyed me, he didn't pick up the gun, he didn't tie up the thugs (or shoot their kneecaps to keep them from running away) and proceeds to the police station. Why not call the police and have them meet him at this hideout? Why not give the police the attempted murderers?! If someone was going to murder me and I was able to subdue them, I certainly wouldn't leave to go look for the coppers! It's sad, as otherwise this is a nice little drama. Tense and very interesting to see a nice 'every man' pulled into this messy business. But I must deduct at least a point because of this one sloppily handled scene.