Dangerous Afternoon

Ruth Dunning was a desperate criminal who escaped from prison, breaking her back as she did so. Now she runs a boarding house for old ladies: former criminal associates of hers. One afternoon, in walks a woman whom she left in prison, who now proposes to blackmail her.

This short quota quickie directed by Charles Saunders is a bang-up affair, with many a funny bit, deliciously delayed by taking time to make the point clear. There are some nice swerves in the plot, and it is a fine way to spend an hour with older, cannier actresses. Long-time director of photography Geoffrey Faithful -- his credits ranged back to before the First World War, with Hepworth -- does a solid job.

With the heavy emphasis on strong female characters, this hour long oddity is an example of just how much has been buried and forgotten in British cinema... and that's a shame.

Although most of the drama is filmed in one claustrophobic room, there'are enough moments of eye candy outside, too, especially in the opening scene where dotty Mrs. Sprule (Nora Nicholson) goes thieving down the local chemists.

Typhoo Tea, Golden Shred, a massive sign reminding us top 'keep regular' with Ex-Lax and the YZ' chewing gum machine nailed to the wall, Lyons Maid, and even the Platignum writing sets in the book shop, too. It's all awesome nostalgia for us oldies!

But most of the 'action' is filmed in Primrose Lodge, a 'boarding establishment for ladies'! Elizabeth Begley shines as the wheel-chair bound home owner and is able to do an 'about face' of character with some scary facial agility.

For the men, there's the awesome, doll-faced Joanna Dunham, who plays Freda. to feast your eyes on.

Anyway, this 'B movie' on a budget is a briskly paced yarn about blackmail and murder. The first half is slow enough to introduce us to all the well-crafted characters and the second half zips along nicely as the plot gets underway. The ending is a bit of a let down in my opinion... maybe they ran out of 'reel'!

Wheelchair-bound Letty Frost (Ruth Dunning) runs a boarding house for elderly women. But these aren't the sweet old things they at first appear. Each has a criminal past to hide (and some hide it better than others). It's a quiet house, until a woman with a score to settle from Miss Frost's past pays a visit. How much can Miss Frost take until she snaps and her genteel facade crumbles?

Overall, Dangerous Afternoon is a nice little British crime/drama. You can find far better, more exciting films, but it's a decent enough way to spend an hour. The acting is really strong. Though I can't say I'm overly familiar with any of them, Dunning and the rest of the old ladies obviously knew their way around a movie set. The way they play against type (as in the opening shoplifting scene) is often quite funny. The plot is interesting enough. It does take some time to get going and much of the story can be fairly predictable, but at about an hour, it doesn't overstay its welcome. At first, I didn't understand how the subplot featuring the niece fit in, but by the end, that plot thread becomes crucial to the whole story. However, I did not care for the final scene at all. But I suppose that in 1961, a murderer couldn't go unpunished.

Finally, I can't end this without mentioning the music playing over the opening credits. It was eerily reminiscent of the bombastic, overwrought, melodramatic music featured in the soap operas my grandmother watched when I was a child. It just about put me off the film before it even began.

5/10

This is definitely one of my favourite British B-movies of the 1960's. A subtle crime film and definitely not in the Edgar Wallace/Butcher's mould-i.e. nobody gets hit over the head. Made by the Theatrecraft production company, it was shown in 1961 on the Odeon Cinema circuit to accompany "A Taste of Honey." The film barely steps out of the studio but at the beginning of the film the action takes place in an actual parade of shops which is fascinating to see. There is a hardware shop, a jewellers, a grocery store (Lyons Maid advert on the door), a chemist and a sweet shop (Platignum pens advert on the door) with a YZ chewing gum machine attached to the wall (I remember these because with every fourth turn of the handle you got a free packet). It would be interesting to find out where this was filmed and to see how much it has changed 49 years on. There is a reference to Bushey in the film but I doubt that this was where the outdoor locations were actually filmed as the film studios were in Twickenham.

Most of the action takes place in an old people's home for gentle lady folk who are not all that they seem. The relationship between the old ladies is very well portrayed as you can just imagine the bickering going on in real life. Early on in the film there are some good scenes set in the kitchen which are slightly reminiscent of those in "Small Hotel" and a great line about it being "ten years since poor old Dan took a 9 o'clock walk" (i.e. he was hanged). There are some top class performances from Nora Nicolson who has some marvellous comic moments and Ruth Dunning as the owner of the establishment is totally believable in her role. Nice to see the strikingly beautiful Joanna Dunham in her first featured role.

I won't spoil the film by giving away any of the plot. It is a hard film to find and has not been shown on television to my knowledge since 2002. There are some inconsistencies in the film but this is to be expected bearing in mind that it probably cost only about £20k to make and was probably wrapped up in about 3 weeks as studio time cost money. I would recommend this film as an addition to anyone's collection of 59 minute British B-movies. An unusual story which is beautifully acted and directed.

"Miss Frost" (Ruth Dunning), confined to wheelchair, runs a guest house for ladies who - like her - have a bit of a criminal past. They all rub along well enough, pilfering from each other and generally goading and provoking until their landlady learns that one of her erstwhile associates has been released from Her Majesty's pleasure and is likely to want to come visit! The outwardly vulnerable "Frost" is no pushover and lays a trap... It's quite a disarmingly effective little crime drama this. The supporting cast provide just enough of an amiable smokescreen to facilitate a decent performance from Dunning as the quite ruthless and calculating woman. The ending is a wee bit contrived but there is quite a confessional with the vicar at the denouement. The production is all pretty basic and it's maybe not got the most alluring of titles for a film, but at just over the hour, I found it quite watchable.