Dial 999 (1955 film)

Last updated

Dial 999
Dial 999 film poster.jpg
US theatrical release poster
Directed by Montgomery Tully
Written byMontgomery Tully
Based onthe novel, The Way Out
by Bruce Graeme
Produced by Alec C. Snowden
Starring Gene Nelson
Mona Freeman
John Bentley
Cinematography Phil Grindrod
Edited byGeoffrey Miller
Music byRichard Taylor
Production
company
Distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated (UK)
RKO Radio Pictures (US)
Release dates
December 1955 (UK)
  • 11 April 1956 (1956-04-11) [1]
(US)
Running time
89 minutes (Dial 999)
78 minutes (The Way Out)
CountryGreat Britain
LanguageEnglish

Dial 999 (U.S title: The Way Out ) is a 1955 British 'B' movie [2] crime drama film directed and written by Montgomery Tully and starring Gene Nelson, Mona Freeman and John Bentley. [3] It was based on the novel of the same name by Bruce Graeme. Produced by Todon Productions, it was shot at the Merton Park Studios in London. RKO Radio Pictures purchased the rights to distribute it in the United States, where it was released in cut form on 11 April 1956.

Contents

Cast

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "An uninspired and novelettish thriller, taken at such a slow pace that not even the final chase develops any real excitement. Mona Freeman cannot do much with the loyal wife, and Gene Nelson is inclined to overplay as the thoroughly unlikable Greg." [4]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "good", writing: "Seat-gripper thriller whose tension increases nicely." [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Interpol</i> (film) 1957 British film by John Gilling

Interpol is a 1957 British-American CinemaScope crime film noir directed by John Gilling and starring Victor Mature, Anita Ekberg, Trevor Howard, Bonar Colleano and Sid James. The screenplay was by John Paxton, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by A.J. Forrest. The film was produced by Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli for Warwick Films.

<i>Stolen Assignment</i> 1955 British film by Terence Fisher

Stolen Assignment is a 1955 British comedy 'B' film directed by Terence Fisher and starring John Bentley and Hy Hazell. It was produced by Francis Searle for Act Films Ltd and was a sequel to Fisher's Final Appointment (1954), featuring sleuthing journalists Mike Billings and Jenny Drew.

<i>The End of the Line</i> (1957 film) 1957 British film by Charles Saunders

The End of the Line is a 1957 British second feature crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Alan Baxter, Barbara Shelley, Ferdy Mayne and Jennifer Jayne. It was released in the United States in 1959.

<i>The Long Haul</i> (1957 film) 1957 British drama film directed by Ken Hughes

The Long Haul is a 1957 British drama film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Victor Mature, Patrick Allen and Diana Dors. It is based on the novel The Long Haul by Mervyn Mills.

<i>Find the Lady</i> (1956 film) 1956 British film by Charles Saunders

Find the Lady is a 1956 British comedy thriller 'B' film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Donald Houston, Beverley Brooks and Mervyn Johns.

<i>The Narrowing Circle</i> 1956 British film by Charles Saunders

The Narrowing Circle is a 1956 British crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Paul Carpenter, Hazel Court and Russell Napier. It is based on the 1954 novel of the same title by Julian Symons. A crime writer finds himself framed for murder.

<i>In the Wake of a Stranger</i> 1959 British film by David Eady

In the Wake of a Stranger is a 1959 British thriller film directed by David Eady and starring Tony Wright, Shirley Eaton and Danny Green. It is based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Ian Stuart Black.

<i>The Heart Within</i> 1957 British film by David Eady

The Heart Within is a 1957 British drama film directed by David Eady and starring James Hayter, Clifford Evans and David Hemmings. A Jamaican dockside worker goes on the run in London suspected of the murder of another Jamaican.

<i>Paul Temples Triumph</i> 1950 British film

Paul Temple's Triumph is a 1950 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley, Dinah Sheridan and Jack Livesey. It was the third in the series of four Paul Temple films made at Nettlefold Studios and was an adaptation of the Francis Durbridge radio serial News of Paul Temple (1939). Temple is on the trail of a gang of international criminals trying to steal atomic secrets.

<i>River Beat</i> 1954 British film by Guy Green

River Beat is a 1954 British second feature noir crime film directed by Guy Green and starring John Bentley, Phyllis Kirk and Leonard White. It was distributed in the United States by Lippert Pictures.

<i>Date with Disaster</i> 1957 film by Charles Saunders

Date with Disaster is a 1957 British crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Tom Drake, William Hartnell and Shirley Eaton. An innocent man becomes a suspect for a crime he did not commit.

<i>Murder at 3am</i> 1953 film by Francis Searle

Murder at 3 a.m. is a 1953 British crime film second feature directed by Francis Searle and starring Dennis Price, Peggy Evans and Rex Garner. A Scotland Yard detective investigates a series of attacks on women.

<i>Keep It Clean</i> 1956 British film by David Paltenghi

Keep It Clean is a 1956 British black-and-white comedy film directed by David Paltenghi and starring Ronald Shiner and Joan Sims.

<i>The Gilded Cage</i> (1955 film) 1955 British film

The Gilded Cage is a 1955 second feature British crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Alex Nicol, Veronica Hurst and Clifford Evans.

<i>Kill Her Gently</i> 1957 British film by Charles Saunders

Kill Her Gently is a 1957 British second feature thriller film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Griffith Jones, Maureen Connell and Marc Lawrence.

<i>The Diplomatic Corpse</i> 1958 British film

The Diplomatic Corpse is a 1958 British second feature comedy thriller film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Robin Bailey, Susan Shaw and Liam Redmond. It was produced by ACT Films.

<i>Loves a Luxury</i> 1952 British film

Love's a Luxury, also known as The Caretaker's Daughter, is a 1952 British second feature comedy film directed by Francis Searle and starring Hugh Wakefield, Derek Bond and Michael Medwin. It is version of the stage play of the same name by Edward Hole and Guy Paxton, and was made by the Manchester-based Mancunian Films.

<i>Profile</i> (1954 film) 1954 film

Profile is a 1954 British second feature thriller film directed by Francis Searle and starring John Bentley, Kathleen Byron and Thea Gregory. A murder mystery set in a magazine publishers.

<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.

<i>Flight from Vienna</i> 1955 British film by Denis Kavanagh

Flight from Vienna, also known as Escape from the Iron Curtain, is a 1955 second feature British film directed by Denis Kavanagh and starring Theodore Bikel and John Bentley.

References

  1. "The Way Out: Detail View". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  2. Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 145. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  3. "Dial 999". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  4. "Dial 999". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 23 (264): 7. 1 January 1956 via ProQuest.
  5. Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 301. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.