The Adventures of PC 49

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The Adventures of PC 49
The Adventures of PC 49 film Opening titles (1949).png
Directed by Godfrey Grayson
Written by
Produced by Anthony Hinds
Starring
Cinematography Cedric Williams
Edited byClifford Turner
Music by Frank Spencer
Production
company
Distributed by Exclusive Films
Release date
  • 23 July 1949 (1949-07-23) [1]
Running time
67 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Adventures of PC 49 (also known as The Case of the Guardian Angel [2] ) is a 1949 British second feature ('B') [3] crime film directed by Godfrey Grayson, starring Hugh Latimer, John Penrose and Annette D. Simmonds. [4] It was written by Vernon Harris and Alan Stranks based on the popular BBC radio series by Stranks. [5] It was followed by a sequel, A Case for PC 49 , in 1951.

Contents

There were six children's annuals containing stories of PC 49 published in England, as well as an annual reprinting of his strips in the Eagle comic.[ citation needed ]

Plot

P.C. 49 – Police Constable Archibald Berkeley-Willoughby – infiltrates a gang specializing in stealing loads of whisky from lorries. He adopts the alias Vince Kelly, but one of the gang members (Skinny Ellis) recognizes him as a cop. With his girlfriend Joan's help, he brings the ringleader Ma Brady and her henchmen to justice.

Cast

Reception

Kine Weekly wrote: "Its sense of humour is keen and its romantic asides lively. There is no danger of it being taken too seriously. Jolly and exciting crime fiction, it is particularly well-equipped to meet general second-feature needs. But we're blowed if we know why the Censor has given it an 'A' certificate." [6]

Picturegoer wrote: "His first excursion into films, though a little too conventional in treatment, follows a much-enjoyed, much-traced pattern." [7]

Picture Show wrote: "Based on the B.B.C. series, this is a hearty, fast-moving melodrama in which the University graduate policeman rounds up a gang of warehouse robbers. Lively direction, vigorous acting." [8]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Unconventional radio character somewhat straitjacketed in conventional plot." [9]

References

  1. ↑ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 38. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
  2. ↑ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 38. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
  3. ↑ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 241. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  4. ↑ "The Adventures of PC 49". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  5. ↑ "The Adventures of PC 49". BBC Programme Index. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  6. ↑ "The Adventures of PC 49" . Kine Weekly . 392 (2214): 16. 6 October 1949. ProQuest   2732599370.
  7. ↑ "The Adventures of PC 49". Picturegoer . 19: 14. February 1950. ProQuest   1705072356.
  8. ↑ "The Adventures of PC 49". Picture Show . 54 (1399): 10. 21 January 1950. ProQuest   1879655311.
  9. ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 190. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.
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