The Floating Dutchman

Last updated

The Floating Dutchman
"The Floating Dutchman" (1952).jpg
Directed by Vernon Sewell
Written byVernon Sewell
Based on The Floating Dutchman by Nicolas Bentley
Produced byWilliam H. Williams
Starring
Cinematography Josef Ambor
Edited by Geoffrey Muller
Music by Eric Spear
Production
company
Distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors
Release date
1 February 1952
Running time
76 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Floating Dutchman is a 1952 British crime film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Dermot Walsh, Sydney Tafler and Mary Germaine. [1] It was known as Clue for a Corpse on U.S. TV. The film was an early product of Merton Park Studios, a British company best known for its Edgar Wallace Mysteries of the 1960s. [2] [3] Its plot involves Dermot Walsh as a Scotland Yard detective who goes undercover amongst jewel thieves after a dead Dutchman is found floating in the river. It is based on a 1950 novel of the same title by Nicholas Bentley. [4]

Contents

The title is a pun on the famous ship, the Flying Dutchman .

Plot

A dead Dutchman is found floating in the Thames. The police know he has been missing for a week and was connected to a notorious London fence.

Philip Reid, a musician, is ejected from a club owned by Mr Skinner for being drunk on the job, and put in a taxi. Mr James who had been talking to Skinner follows him out and joins him in the taxi with his sister Rose, who is a hostess at the club. At his flat he informs Philip that he was flashing a stolen cigarette case in the club.

Back in the club Skinner opens his wall safe and removes the items stolen a week before: but one item, the gold cigarette case, is missing - the item Philip had. He tries to deal with Otto, a Jewish fence, who ultimately offers £1000 for the jewels. Later Mr Skinner gets Philip to give the cigarette case back.

James gradually gains the confidence of Skinner, playing the role of a jewel thief. Skinner's sidekick "Snow" White still doesn't trust him.

It is revealed that Skinner has a contact, Rufo, in a posh restaurant nearby, and Skinner gets told when they are in that restaurant so Skinner can rob them. They get a name and Skinner asks James to help them rob the exclusive apartment. The maid disturbs them and they tie her up. James has informed the police and Skinner is arrested, but Snow White is somewhere in the building. Snow White works out that they were betrayed and goes back to the club. He takes Rose to his flat, where she manages to call James and tells him to hurry there.

Meanwhile Skinner escapes from jail.

When Snow White hears someone coming in he presumes it is James and turns off the light. He throws a knife at the figure entering - but it is Skinner.

Cast

Critical reception

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Sewell</span> English actor

George Sewell was an English actor, best known for his television roles, but also active on stage and in films.

<i>The Happiest Days of Your Life</i> (film) 1950 British comedy film by Frank Launder

The Happiest Days of Your Life is a 1950 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder, based on the 1947 play of the same name by John Dighton. The two men also wrote the screenplay. It is one of a stable of classic British film comedies produced by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat for British Lion Film Corporation. The film was made on location in Liss and at Riverside Studios, London. In several respects, including some common casting, it was a precursor of the St. Trinian's films of the 1950s and 1960s.

George Garnett Dunning (1920–1979) was a Canadian filmmaker and animator. He is best known for producing and directing the 1968 film Yellow Submarine.

<i>Dance Hall</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by Charles Crichton

Dance Hall is a 1950 British drama film directed by Charles Crichton. The film was an unusual departure for Ealing Studios at the time, as it tells the story about four women and their romantic encounters from a female perspective.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Tafler</span> British actor (1916-1979)

Sydney Tafler was an English actor who after having started his career on stage, was best remembered for numerous appearances in films and television from the 1940s to the 1970s.

<i>Ghost Ship</i> (1952 film) 1952 British film by Vernon Sewell

Ghost Ship is a 1952 British second feature thriller film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Dermot Walsh and Hazel Court. It was written by Vernon Sewell and Philip Thornton. This was one of four attempts by Vernon Sewell to adapt and film the Pierre Mills and Celia de Vilyars Grand Guignol stage playL'Angoisse.

<i>Follow a Star</i> 1959 British film

Follow a Star is a 1959 British black and white comedy musical film directed by Robert Asher and starring Norman Wisdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dermot Walsh</span> Irish actor

Dermot Walsh was an Irish stage, film and television actor, known for portraying King Richard the Lionheart in the 1962 television series Richard the Lionheart.

<i>Strongroom</i> (film) 1962 British film

Strongroom is a 1962 British crime drama film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Derren Nesbitt, Colin Gordon and Ann Lynn. The screenplay concerns a group of criminals who lock two bank employees in a safe during a robbery.

<i>The Crowning Touch</i> 1959 British film

The Crowning Touch is a 1959 British comedy film directed by David Eady and starring Ted Ray, Irene Handl and Greta Gynt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vernon Sewell</span> British actor and film director (1903–2001)

Vernon Campbell Sewell was a British film director, writer, producer and, briefly, an actor.

<i>Torment</i> (1950 British film) 1950 British film

Torment, is a 1950 British thriller film directed by John Guillermin and starring Dermot Walsh, Rona Anderson and John Bentley.

<i>Where Theres a Will</i> (1955 film) 1955 British film

Where There's a Will is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Kathleen Harrison, George Cole and Leslie Dwyer. A family from east London take over a farm in the Devon countryside. The screenplay was written by R. F. Delderfield who adapted one of his own plays. Sewell called it "a charming movie" which "made a lot of money'.

<i>The Wind of Change</i> (film) 1961 British film

The Wind of Change is a 1961 British drama film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Donald Pleasence, Johnny Briggs and Ann Lynn. Taking its title from the famous "Wind of Change" speech given by British prime minister Harold Macmillan in South Africa in February 1960, it is one of the earliest British films to tackle race as an issue, focussing on disenchanted working-class white youth finding an outlet for their frustrations in racial hatred. The film is set around the coffee bars and homes of the Notting Hill district of West London, scene of the notorious 1958 Notting Hill race riots.

<i>The Frightened Man</i> 1952 British film

The Frightened Man is a 1952 British crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Dermot Walsh, Barbara Murray and Charles Victor. It is also known by the alternative title of Rosselli and Son and was shot at Twickenham and Riverside Studios. Its plot concerns a son of an antiques dealer who suffers a dramatic fall from grace.

<i>Uneasy Terms</i> 1948 British film

Uneasy Terms is a 1948 British crime thriller film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Michael Rennie, Moira Lister and Faith Brook. It is based on the 1946 novel of the same name by Peter Cheyney.

<i>The Jack of Diamonds</i> 1949 British adventure film

The Jack of Diamonds is a 1949 British adventure film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Nigel Patrick, Cyril Raymond and Joan Carroll. Its plot follows an ex-soldier who persuades some yacht owners to help recover a treasure chest of jewels he hid off the Belgian coast in 1940 during the Second World War.

<i>Crash Drive</i> 1959 British film

Crash Drive is a 1959 British racing car film starring Dermot Walsh, which was produced by the Danziger Brothers.

<i>Spooners Patch</i> British TV series or programme

Spooners Patch is a British television sitcom, written by Ray Galton and Johnny Speight. It ran for 3 series and 19 episodes and was made and broadcast from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network, by ATV.

<i>The Floating Dutchman</i> (novel) 1950 novel

The Floating Dutchman is a 1950 crime novel by the British writer Nicolas Bentley.

References

  1. ↑ Fowler, Roy (8 July 1994). "Vernon Sewell". British Entertainment History Project.
  2. ↑ "The Floating Dutchman (1953) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  3. ↑ "BFI | Film & TV Database | The FLOATING DUTCHMAN (1953)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  4. ↑ Goble, Alan (8 September 2011). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film - Google Books. ISBN   9783110951943 . Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "The Floating Dutchman Review". Movies.tvguide.com. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Sewell, Vernon (1903-2001) Biography". Screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
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.