The Safecracker

Last updated

The Safecracker
"The Safecracker" (1958).jpeg
Directed by Ray Milland
Written by Lt Col. Reginald Danbury 'Rhys' Davies
Bruce Thomas
Paul Monash
Produced byDavid E. Rose
John R. Sloan
StarringRay Milland
Barry Jones
Jeanette Sterke
Victor Maddern
Cinematography Gerald Gibbs
Edited byErnest Walter
Music by Richard Rodney Bennett
Production
company
Coronado Productions
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • 5 March 1958 (1958-03-05)(London)
  • March 5, 1958 (1958-03-05)(NYC)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$471,000 [1]
Box office$855,000 [1]

The Safecracker is a 1958 British crime film noir directed by Ray Milland and starring Milland, Barry Jones and Victor Maddern. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

Colley Dawson lives a quiet life at home with his mother, but he is an expert safecracker at weekends, breaking into wealthy homes and stealing valuable art. When he is eventually arrested and convicted, Colley is approached in prison by Major Adbury, who offers him a deal in exchange for helping with the war effort. Colley will be given his freedom if he uses his safecracking expertise to perform a mission behind enemy lines. The dangerous mission is to breach a difficult safe in a Nazi chateau and steal a list of German spies operating in England. Colley agrees and is trained as a commando and parachuted into Belgium for the mission.

Cast

Production

The film was originally known as The Tale of Willie Gordon. Ray Milland left for England in June 1957. [6]

In December 1957, producer David E. Rose announced that he and Milland would produce a second film together, but the project did not materialise. [7]

Reception

Critical

In The New York Times , Bosley Crowther called the film "a good, not great, suspense thriller," adding, "The film is full of those tense situations in which the hero slips into a room and opens a safe in terrifying silence. Mr. Milland is good in it. So is Barry Jones." [8]

Box office

According to MGM records, the film earned $280,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $675,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $59,000. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gail Russell</span> American actress (1924–1961)

Gail Russell was an American film and television actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Schallert</span> American actor (1922-2016)

William Joseph Schallert was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957–1959), Death Valley Days (1955–1962), and The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendell Corey</span> American actor and politician (1914–1968)

Wendell Reid Corey was an American stage, film, and television actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Sullivan (American actor)</span> American actor (1912–1994)

Patrick Barry Sullivan was a prolific film and television actor who received an Emmy nomination for his performance in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. In a career that spanned over 40 years, Sullivan appeared in over 100 movies from the 1930s to the 1980s, primarily as a leading actor after establishing himself in the industry. He was a featured guest performer in the top television series of his day, starring in two series, Harbormaster and The Tall Man.

<i>Tom Thumb</i> (film) 1958 film by George Pal

Tom Thumb is a 1958 British fantasy-musical film produced and directed by George Pal and released by MGM. The film, based on the fairy tale "Thumbling" by the Brothers Grimm, is about a tiny youth who manages to outwit two thieves determined to make a fortune from him.

<i>Rhubarb</i> (1951 film) 1951 film by Arthur Lubin

Rhubarb is a 1951 film adapted from the 1946 novel Rhubarb by humorist H. Allen Smith. Directed by Arthur Lubin, the screwball noir comedy stars the cat Orangey along with Jan Sterling and Ray Milland. Cinematography was by Lionel Lindon. The supporting cast features William Frawley and Gene Lockhart.

<i>Footsteps in the Fog</i> 1955 film

Footsteps in the Fog is a 1955 British Technicolor film noir crime film starring Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons, with a screenplay co-written by Lenore Coffee and Dorothy Davenport, and released by Columbia Pictures. The film is based on the short story "The Interruption" by W. W. Jacobs.

<i>Wicked as They Come</i> 1956 British film

Wicked as They Come is a 1956 British film noir directed by Ken Hughes and starring Arlene Dahl, Philip Carey and Herbert Marshall.

<i>Captain Carey, U.S.A.</i> 1950 film by Mitchell Leisen

Captain Carey, U.S.A. is a 1949 American crime film noir directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Alan Ladd and Wanda Hendrix. An American returns to post–World War II Italy to bring a traitor to justice.

<i>Ebb Tide</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by James P. Hogan

Ebb Tide is a 1937 American Technicolor adventure film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Oscar Homolka, Frances Farmer and Ray Milland.

<i>The Whole Truth</i> (1958 film) 1958 film by John Guillermin

The Whole Truth is a 1958 British-American thriller film directed by John Guillermin and starring Stewart Granger, George Sanders, Donna Reed, Gianna Maria Canale and Peter Dyneley. It was based on the 1955 play of the same title by Philip Mackie.

<i>Red, Hot and Blue</i> (film) 1949 film by John Farrow

Red, Hot and Blue is a 1949 American musical comedy film starring Betty Hutton as an actress who gets mixed up with gangsters and murder. Frank Loesser wrote the songs and plays a key role.

<i>Suicide Battalion</i> 1958 film by Edward L. Cahn

Suicide Battalion is a 1958 World War II film directed by Edward L. Cahn and starring Mike Connors and John Ashley, who made the film while on leave from the United States Army. In 1968, it was remade for television by Larry Buchanan as Hell Raiders, which was the film's original working title.

<i>A Man Alone</i> (film) 1955 film by Ray Milland

A Man Alone is a 1955 American Western film directed by Ray Milland starring Ray Milland, Mary Murphy and Ward Bond. The story involves a man (Milland) who stumbles onto the aftermath of a stagecoach robbery in the Arizona desert in which there were no survivors.

Everything Happens at Night is a 1939 American drama-comedy film starring Sonja Henie, Ray Milland and Robert Cummings.

<i>No Time to Die</i> (1958 film) 1958 British film

No Time to Die is a 1958 British war film about an American sergeant in the British Army during the Second World War. In the US, the film was renamed Tank Force!.

<i>The Highwayman</i> (1951 film) 1951 film by Lesley Selander

The Highwayman is a 1951 American historical adventure film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Philip Friend, Wanda Hendrix and Cecil Kellaway. The film was shot in Cinecolor and distributed by Allied Artists, the prestige subsidiary of Monogram Pictures. It was based on the poem of the same name by Alfred Noyes.

<i>Jamaica Run</i> 1953 adventure-drama film by Lewis R. Foster

Jamaica Run is a 1953 American adventure drama film concerning ownership of an old estate set on the island in the Caribbean. It was directed by Lewis R. Foster and starred Ray Milland, Arlene Dahl and Wendell Corey. Much of the personnel in this movie worked on the previous year's Caribbean Gold.

<i>Rockabilly Baby</i> 1957 film by William F. Claxton

Rockabilly Baby is a 1957 American musical film directed by William F. Claxton and written by William Driskill and William George. The film stars Virginia Field, Douglas Kennedy, Les Brown, Irene Ryan, Ellen Corby, Marlene Willis and Judy Busch.

Three for Jamie Dawn is a 1956 American film starring Laraine Day and Ricardo Montalbán.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. mamalv (1 October 1958). "The Safecracker (1958)". IMDb.
  3. "The Safecracker (1957)". BFI. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012.
  4. SAFECRACKER, The Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 25, Iss. 288, (Jan 1, 1958): 48.
  5. imdb.con
  6. 'Wine of Youth' Follows 'Written on Wind;' New Zanuck Films Readied Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 19 June 1957: 23.
  7. Pioneer Idea Luring Lana: Clown Kelly in 'Everglades;' Keel Will Star With Martin Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 14 Dec 1957: B3.
  8. "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. 3 September 2021.