Maddyclassicfilms Tomorrow at ten is directed by Lance Comfort. The film stars John Gregson, Robert Shaw,Alec Clunes, William Hartnell, Kenneth Cope, Piers Bishop and Alan Wheatley.A shifty criminal called Marlowe(Robert Shaw)kidnaps young Jonathan Chester(Piers Bishop)the son of a wealthy man. Marlowe takes him to an abandoned house and locks him in.Marlow has put a bomb which is set to go off the following day in a toy left with the boy. Marlowe goes to the boys father (Alec Clunes)and demands fifty thousand pounds, in exchange for the money Marlowe will take Chester to his son. If the police become involved Marlowe won't say where Jonathan is, this will mean he will be killed when the bomb explodes.Jonathan's nanny phones the police when Marlowe comes to speak to Mr. Chester. Tough police Inspector Parnell (John Gregson)is sent to deal with the situation. Parnell tries to intimidate Marlow, he want's to arrest him but is prevented from doing so by his boss (Alan Wheatley). Parnell must try and get Marlowe to reveal some information about where Jonathan is before it's too late.I've never been much of a fan of John Gregson, but he really impressed me in this, playing Parnell as a no nonsense copper who treats criminals exactly how they deserve to be treated. Robert Shaw is very good as the deranged Marlowe, he manages to steal every scene he's in with just a look.The supporting cast all deliver solid performances and there's lots of suspense. Is it believable that Mr. Chester would be allowed to be left alone with Marlowe when time was running out? Probably not, and I think that is a flaw for the film; it doesn't make this any less enjoyable though.Good performances and plenty of suspense help make this well worth a watch.

Leofwine_draca When I watch a film like TOMORROW AT TEN, I'm a bit bemused because I can't understand why it's not better known. This is a cracking little thriller, one of the best of its era, and it really should be talked about today by film fans instead of being forgotten by all but the most dedicated viewers of the era. It's a pity that B-movie thrillers like this one are so little known as this sort of film more than holds its own against modern fare.There's no padding or fat in this story which gets going from the outset. A delightfully mannered Robert Shaw (on the cusp of stardom in FROM Russia WITH LOVE, although TOMORROW AT TEN was made in 1962 and not released until 1965) plays a kidnapper who abducts the son of a rich businessman and locks him in a room with a bomb hidden inside a Golliwog. The boy's father and a local detective inspector must negotiate before the bomb explodes - 'tomorrow at ten'.It's a great concept and the experienced director Lance Comfort makes a fine job of it. There's suspense in spades here, alongside plot twists you won't see coming and a delightfully tense race-against-the-clock (literally!) climax. The supporting cast includes notable roles for Kenneth Cope, Alec Clunes (father of Martin), Harry Fowler, William Hartnell, and Renee Houston. John Gregson's long-suffering detective inspector is one of the most sympathetic of his career.

agreaves-8-151592 Tomorrow at 10 (1962) is a minor masterpiece only let down by a short running time (77 minutes) which does not allow its themes to be more thoroughly explored. But with a stand out performance from a young Robert Shaw (Jaws), and an effective film noir style adopted by underrated British 'B' film director Lance Comfort, it is worth watching.Briefly this is a story of child abduction. A crook kidnaps the child of a wealthy industrialist and locks him in the room of an abandoned house with a time bomb. But woven into the narrative is the issue of class (particularly relevant in 1950s/early 1960s Britain). Robert Shaw is working class, and it is with him that our sympathies lie – not with Alec Clunes' arrogant Anthony Chester who believes that any problem can be solved if enough money is thrown at it.Lines like "they probably met at a hunt ball" and "that's what I like about the police force...the informal relationship that exists between all ranks" delivered by John Gregson's honest detective about the social climbing Commissioner Bewley, highlight a sneering attitude towards class, rank and insignia. And ironically, it is the respectable and bourgeois Chester who commits murder.Tomorrow at 10 works because it does not waste time with police procedure, and the result is taut and fast paced. Sharp and terse dialogue combine with Comfort's fluid camera work and Peter Pitt's economic editing to keep the viewer alert as every action seems to provoke an immediate reaction.Finally, this review would not be complete without mentioning the opprobrious 'Golly' that appears in the film. Unjustly stigmatised by the politically correct, the Golly's origins are relatively innocent, and it is nice to know that there was a time when this harmless toy could be used without fears of reprisal. Here it serves its purpose as a totemic emblem of Robert Shaw's corrupted childhood, appropriate then that it should be stuffed with a time bomb and given to his child victim.

ronevickers The most telling points of this neat little British second feature, are the strong cast of Shaw, Gregson, Clunes, Wheatley and Cope, allied with a lively script and tight direction from Lance Comfort. The plot is tidy and unfussy and proceeds well towards its somewhat novel conclusion. Robert Shaw is excellent as the disturbed kidnapper, Marlow, and sterling support is provided by John Gregson as the police inspector. Some of the scenes are a little over the top, especially the one concerning the dancers in the nightclub, which by today's standards is quite hilarious! Not a classic by any means, but well worth watching in any event.