Meet Mr. Callaghan is a 1954 British crime drama film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Derrick De Marney and Adrienne Corri.[1][2] The screenplay was by Brock Williams, based on the 1952 play of the same name, adapted for the stage by Gerald Verner from Peter Cheyney's 1938 novel The Urgent Hangman.
| Meet Mr. Callaghan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) British quad poster | |
| Directed by | Charles Saunders |
| Screenplay by | Brock Williams |
| Based on | The Urgent Hangman by Peter Cheyney Meet Mr. Callaghan by Gerald Verner |
| Produced by | Guido Coen Derrick De Marney W.A. Smith |
| Starring | Derrick De Marney Adrienne Corri Delphi Lawrence Belinda Lee |
| Cinematography | Harry Waxman |
| Edited by | Jack Slade |
| Music by | Eric Spear |
Production company | Pinnacle Productions |
| Distributed by | Eros Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Co-producer and star De Marney had directed the stage version at the Garrick Theatre in 1952, which starred his brother Terence as private eye Slim Callaghan. Derrick played this role in the film.[3][4]
Plot
editDown at heel private detective Slim Callaghan is hired by young socialite Cynthis Meraulton to investigate other family members after her rich stepfather changes his will in her favour. She suspects he will be killed and the new will destroyed. When her stepfather is subsequently murdered, suspicion falls on Cynthis.
Cast
edit- Derrick De Marney as Slim Callaghan
- Harriette Johns as Cynthis Meraulton
- Adrienne Corri as Mayola
- Delphi Lawrence as Effie
- Trevor Reid as Inspector Gringall
- Belinda Lee as Jenny Appleby
- Larry Burns as Darky
- Peter Neil as William Meraulton
- John Longden as Jeremy Meraulton
- Roger Williams as Bellamy Meraulton
- Frank Henderson as Paul Meraulton
- Frank Sieman as Sergeant Fields
- Michael Partridge as Jengel
- Howard Douglas as Tweest
- John Ainsworth as P.C. Masters
- Michael Balfour as coffee stallkeeper
- Robert Adair as August Meraulton
Production
editFilming took place at Nettleford Studios in September 1953.[5][6]
It was the second film from Belinda Lee.[7]
Critical reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin said the "transference" from stage to screen "has been made without much imagination. The involved plot is helped along by a few barbed lines but Derrick de Marney fails to make a sympathetic hero out of a private detective who stoops to robbery, blackmail and bribery in his investigations."[8]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Sort of street-level Thin Man is effective thick ear, short on charm."[9]
TV Guide wrote, "Mystery programmer has a couple of good moments, but little else."[10]
References
edit- ^ "Meet Mr. Callaghan". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Meet Mr. Callaghan (1954)". Archived from the original on 13 January 2009.
- ^ "Meet Mr Callaghan".
- ^ Hesse, Beatrix (2 August 2015). The English Crime Play in the Twentieth Century. Springer. ISBN 9781137463043 – via Google Books.
- ^ "GLAMOR PLUS!". Truth. No. 2789. Brisbane. 6 September 1953. p. 5. Retrieved 8 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Nepean, Edith (28 November 1953). "Round the British Studios". Picture Show. Vol. 61, no. 1600. London. p. 11.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (7 September 2020). "A Tale of Two Blondes: Diana Dors and Belinda Lee". Filmink.
- ^ "MEET MR. CALLAGHAN". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 21, no. 240. London. 1 January 1954. p. 122.
- ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 346. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
- ^ "Meet Mr. Callaghan".
External links
edit- Meet Mr. Callaghan at IMDb
- Meet Mr Callaghan at BFI
- Meet Mr Callaghan at Letterbox DVD
- Meet Mr. Callaghan at the TCM Movie Database
- Complete film at Internet Archive
- Complete novel of The Urgent Hangman at Free Red
- Review at MysteryFile.com
