Bomb in the High Street

Last updated

Bomb in the High Street
"Bomb in the High Street" (1961).jpg
British quad poster
Directed by Peter Bezencenet
Terry Bishop
Written byBen Simcoe
Produced by Theodore Zichy
Starring Ronald Howard
Terry Palmer
Suzanna Leigh
Jack Allen
Cinematography Gordon Dines
Edited byJohn Trumper
Music by Wilfred Josephs
Release date
  • 1963 (1963)
Running time
60 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Bomb in the High Street is a 1963 British second feature ('B') [1] drama film directed by Peter Bezencenet and Terry Bishop starring Ronald Howard, Terry Palmer and Suzanna Leigh. [2] It was written by Ben Simcoe.

Contents

Plot

An unexploded bomb is reported in a village street. Superintendent Halsey evacuates the village and Captain Manning's bomb disposal starts work. But there is no bomb. Manning's men are criminals robbing the bank while the police cordon keeps everyone away.

Runaway teenagers Mike and Jackie, who have been sleeping rough nearby, are captured by the criminals, but they escape and alert the police.

Cast

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Uneven scripting and production throw away the film's three useful thriller gimmicks – the bomb hoax, the couple waking in a deserted village, the device for speeding-up the bank's time lock. Little tension is created, the final chase is got under way but concluded off-screen, and efforts to be with-it or saucy on-screen merely embarrass. Terry Palmer's pleasantly sympathetic manner of acting, as the young eloper, suggests that he deserves a better part." [3]

Kine Weekly wrote: "Out-of-the-rut bank robbery thriller, with a strong flavour of youthful romance. Story well told with economy, acting fresh, thrills well sustained. Above-average support." [4]

Boxoffice wrote: "An exciting and suspenseful little programmer ... has thrills for the action devotees and a pleasing teenage romance to attract the younger set." [5]

In The British 'B' Film, Chibnall and McFarlane write that film: "begins well and creates an atmosphere promising strangeness. If it doesn't quite fulfil this promise, it's still offers a more interesting critique of prevailing social attitudes and values that many films of the period." [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Cloudburst</i> (1951 film) 1951 British film by Francis Searle

Cloudburst is a 1951 British crime drama film produced by Hammer Films, directed by Francis Searle, starring Robert Preston and featuring Elizabeth Sellars, Harold Lang, Colin Tapley and Sheila Burrell. The script, by Searle and Leo Marks, is based on the play of the same name by Marks, a wartime cryptographer for the Special Operations Executive, and later the author of a memoir about his wartime work, Between Silk and Cyanide (1998).

<i>Stranger in Town</i> (1957 film) 1957 British film by George Pollock

Stranger in Town is a 1957 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by George Pollock and starring Alex Nicol and Anne Paige. The screenplay was by Edward Dryhurst and Norman Hudis, based on the 1954 novel The Uninivited by Frank Chittenden.

<i>The Broken Horseshoe</i> (film) 1953 British film by Martyn C. Webster

The Broken Horseshoe is a 1953 British "B" crime film directed by Martyn C. Webster and starring Robert Beatty, Elizabeth Sellars, Peter Coke, and Hugh Kelly. It was written by A. R. Rawlinson based on the BBC television series of the same title from the previous year. A surgeon is drawn into a murder case.

<i>Tread Softly</i> (1952 film) 1952 British film

Tread Softly is a 1952 British second feature ('B') crime film with musical overtones, directed by David MacDonald and starring Frances Day, Patricia Dainton and John Bentley. It was written by Gerald Verner based on his novel The Show Must Go On. A chorus girl investigates a series of mysterious happenings at a derelict theatre.

<i>The Steel Key</i> 1953 British film by Robert S. Baker

The Steel Key is a 1953 British second feature thriller film directed by Robert S. Baker and starring Terence Morgan, Joan Rice and Raymond Lovell.

<i>Offbeat</i> (film) 1961 British film by Cliff Owen

Offbeat is a 1961 black-and-white British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Cliff Owen and starring William Sylvester, Mai Zetterling, John Meillon and Anthony Dawson. The screenplay was by Peter Barnes.

Three Steps to the Gallows is a 1953 British second feature crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Scott Brady, Mary Castle and Gabrielle Brune. It was written by Paul Erickson and Gilling, and released in the US by Lippert Pictures as White Fire.

Chelsea Story is a 1951 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Henry Mollison, Sydney Tafler and Ingeborg von Kusserow. It was written by John Gilling.

<i>The Flying Scot</i> (film) 1957 British film by Compton Bennett

The Flying Scot is a 1957 British 'B' crime film produced and directed by Compton Bennett and starring Lee Patterson, Kay Callard and Alan Gifford. The screenplay was by Norman Hudis based on a story by Jan Read and Ralph Smart.

<i>Ambush in Leopard Street</i> 1962 British film by J. Henry Piperno

Ambush in Leopard Street is a low budget 1962 British 'B' black and white crime film directed by J. Henry Piperno and starring James Kenney, Michael Brennan and Bruce Seton. It was written by Ahmed Faroughy and Bernard Spicer.

<i>Danger by My Side</i> 1963 British film by Charles Saunders

Danger by My Side is a 1963 black and white British second feature crime thriller directed by Charles Saunders and starring Anthony Oliver, Maureen Connell and Alan Tilvern. It was written by Ronald Liles and Aubrey Cash.

<i>The Great Van Robbery</i> 1959 British film by Max Varnel

The Great Van Robbery is a 1959 black-and-white British crime film starring Denis Shaw and Kay Callard, directed by Max Varnel. It was written by Brian Clemens and Eldon Howard and produced by The Danzigers.

<i>Blackout</i> (1950 film) 1950 British film by Robert S. Baker

Blackout is a 1950 British second feature ('B') crime drama film directed by Robert S. Baker and starring Maxwell Reed and Dinah Sheridan. The screenplay was by John Gilling from a story by Carl Nystrom.

<i>Flannelfoot</i> 1953 film directed by Maclean Rogers

Flannelfoot is a 1953 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Ronald Howard, Mary Germaine and Jack Watling. It was written by Carl Heck and Jack Henry, and made at Walton Studios. The film's sets were designed by John Stoll.

<i>Bond of Fear</i> 1956 British film by Henry Cass

Bond of Fear is a 1956 British 'B' crime drama film directed by Henry Cass and starring Dermot Walsh, Jane Barrett, and John Colicos. The screenplay was by John Gilling and Norman Hudis.

<i>Johnny on the Spot</i> 1954 British film by Maclean Rogers

Johnny on the Spot is a 1954 British 'B' crime drama film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Hugh McDermott, Elspet Gray and Paul Carpenter. It was written by Rogers based on the 1953 novel Paid in Full by Michael Cronin.

<i>Mrs. Pym of Scotland Yard</i> 1939 British film

Mrs. Pym of Scotland Yard is a 1939 British comedy-drama film directed by Fred Elles starring Mary Clare in her only title role and Nigel Patrick in his film debut. It is based on the Mrs Pym novels by Nigel Morland, and written by Morland, who re-used the title for a 1946 book.

<i>Booby Trap</i> (film) 1957 film by Henry Cass

Booby Trap is a 1957 black and white British comedy drama 'B' film, directed by Henry Cass and starring Tony Quinn, Harry Fowler and Sidney Tafler. It was written by Peter Bryan.

<i>The Hornets Nest</i> (1955 film) 1955 film directed by Charles Saunders

The Hornet's Nest is a 1955 British second feature ('B') crime comedy film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Paul Carpenter, June Thorburn, and Marla Landi. It was written by Allan MacKinnon.

<i>The Hideout</i> (1956 film) 1956 film by Peter Graham Scott

The Hideout is a 1956 British crime film directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring Dermot Walsh, Rona Anderson and Ronald Howard. It was produced as a second feature by John Temple-Smith. The screenplay was by Kenneth Hayles.

References

  1. 1 2 Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 156. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. ↑ "Bomb in the High Street". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Bomb in the High Street". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 30 (348): 129. 1 January 1963 – via ProQuest.
  4. ↑ "Bomb in the High Street" . Kine Weekly . Vol. 555, no. 2914. 8 August 1963. p. 10 – via ProQuest.
  5. ↑ "Bomb in the High Street" . Boxoffice . Vol. 85, no. 13. 20 July 1964. pp. a11, a12. – via ProQuest.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.