a.lampert 'B' picture mainly interesting to me as I saw Tommy Steele's name listed first and I have tickets to see him in 2016!! Rock on. However, back to the picture. Directed by Terence Fisher and starring American gangster actor Pat O'Brien, near the end of his illustrious supporting career to stars like James Cagney. Quite how Terence Fisher went from this dud to the wonderful The Curse of Frankenstein with Peter Cushing in a matter of months is beyond me. Anyway, O'Brien plays a booze riddled newspaper man who needs a £1000 to get his son cured of an eye tumour that will almost certainly kill him if it's not fixed pronto. He gets involved with gangsters led by George Coulouris and the whole thing becomes a bit convoluted but O'Brien still somehow ends up getting the girl, played by Lois Maxwell (Moneypenny from the early Bond films) who looks young enough to be his granddaughter. Ug! gross, particularly when he tries to kiss her in the final scene and Lois appears to turn her head away. Still, it was funny seeing Tommy Steele rocking away like an idiot which is how these young stars were presented in this type of picture back then. Another reason I love watching these old films is to see the character actors and actresses, most of them long dead. Boxer Freddie Mills, Al Mulock, Robert Brown, Richard Pasco, Ronald Adam, Wensley Pithey, all familiar faces to me. Always worth a look.

JohnHowardReid Somewhat over-weighted with talk and ending rather abruptly, this amounts to no more than a fair British quota quickie. True, heroine Lois Maxwell, is definitely attractive, but our hero, Pat O'Brien, is certainly showing his years. Although the movie has an "A" running time of 80 minutes, production values hover around the British "B" average. Terence Fisher's direction is competent, but disappointingly dull. However, the film does mark the first movie appearance of Tommy Steele. He has two songs: "Rebel Rock" and "Rock with the Caveman". In addition to Pat O'Brien, who at this stage of his career was not in great demand by Hollywood, the blacklisted U.S.A. exile, George Coulouris, was also on hand. But frankly neither O'Brien nor Coulouris are likely to induce many of the movie's DVD purchasers. Rather, it's keen Tommy Steele fans who will rush to buy the Video Beat DVD. (My cousin actually worked with Tommy in one of his stage appearances, and she told me that he was "a nice kid", absolutely over-awed by his almost instant success).

Raymond Russell This UK, homegrown, studio based movie, was not one of the best films of the period. The great American star Pat O'Brien, who often played a priest or a good guy in his roles, many opposite his real life friend James Cagney, was in life, the nice man he betrayed. On the set of Kill Me Tomorrow, he gave me his dedicated photo and wrote to my mother when he returned to the states. I doubt if movie stars of today would have the time or thought to be so nice to child actors. Lois Maxwell of Miss Moneypenny fame, was also wonderful in her role. However, the film was rather disjointed and Tommy Steel's introduction was marred by his over-long performance. The film can be rented from Amazon and the poster is now available on the Internet. Good fun if you like to see black and white London in the 1950's. Raymond Russell, boy in hospital bed.

naseby Another habitual cheapie with another American actor who'd seen better days just to give our American friends the impression they were going to see an American film.Okay-ish plot, Bart Crosby (Pat O'Brien) plays it pretty well as the sardonic journo with problems, washed up after leaving his 'kid' motherless, due to him being drunk at the wheel one day.Plenty of support from Lois Maxwell and Robert Brown as those on his former Editorial who think he's lost the plot, but are in belief of his better nature. He's caught by Lois at the scene of Crosby's dead former Editor (Her uncle) who sacked him (Not looking good for him, having picked up the gun and having it in his hand). He's the intention of trading with George Coulouris' gang who ACTUALLY killed the Editor as he was going to do a criminal expose on them. His price is £1,000 to take the rap. This is because his son, Jimmy, needs treatment in Switzerland to the tune of the £1,000 the very next morning to get him over there for the op asap. George Coulouris' gang, are okay about him owning up, reluctantly handing over the money for the favour but insisting they watch and witness him giving himself up to the police. All for little Jimmy's eye op! Ahhh! The police though, aren't in the frame of mind to let him confess to something they don't believe he did - stating the evidence isn't enough! (I still find this unbelievable! I mean, since when!) He gets the money in a pretty abrupt ending seeing Jimmy off on a 'plane with Miss Maxwell which doesn't look much to me like it'd make it to Switzerland, not without in-flight refuelling. Oh and of course, they don't actually see the REAL villains, Coulouris and Co. being arrested for the killing, it's left, if you'll pardon the pun, in the air! An all right film, for one of those wet Sundays. Look out for a cameo from Al Mulock, as one of Coulouris' heavies, a rather enigmatic actor from Canada appearing in international films when not universally famous - a doctor in Dr. Terror's House of Horror (On a train!) and as one of the gunslingers who gets shot up in the opening minutes of 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly', by Tuco (Eli Wallach), only to survive and have him being shot dead by Tuco later after the latter delivers the famous line: "When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk!". Good to see Freddie Mills, the ex-boxer cum actor in there as well. Mills and Mulock apparently both committed suicide (Not in a suicide pact around the same time or anything!) with Mills in more suspicious circumstances. Tommy Steele makes a small appearance, though I'm sure with the music he was playing/singing to, he'd rather forget about it in this film - not one of his better moments!