Track the Man Down

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Track the Man Down
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Directed by R. G. Springsteen
Written by Paul Erickson
Produced byWilliam N. Boyle
Starring Kent Taylor
Petula Clark
George Rose
Cinematography Basil Emmott
Edited by John Seabourne
Music by Lambert Williamson
Distributed by Republic Pictures
Release dates
  • 6 June 1955 (1955-06-06)(UK)
  • 27 January 1956 (1956-01-27)(US)
Running time
75 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Track the Man Down is a 1955 British black and white "B" [1] crime film directed by R. G. Springsteen, starring Kent Taylor, Petula Clark, and George Rose. [2]

Contents

Plot

A robbery at a greyhound racetrack results in the unintentional murder of a guard. The perpetrator leaves the loot with his girl friend, commandeers a motorcoach bound for Southampton, and holds hostage its diverse array of passengers, including an American newspaper reporter and the girl friend's resourceful sister.

Cast

Production

The film, the second made by Republic Pictures' British production company, was made at Walton Studios with sets designed by the art director John Stoll. Location shooting was at London's Victoria Station and along the banks of the River Thames.

Critical reception

In a contemporary review Monthly Film Bulletin said "The story is not so much complicated as cluttered up by the introduction of too many characters; it is in any event a hackneyed and unexciting affair, having little to recommend it." [3]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "poor", writing: "Fragmented, silly thriller; a few unintentional laughs. Virtually the end of Petula Clark's British screen career." [4]

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References

  1. Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 231. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. "Track the Man Down". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  3. "Track the Man Down". Monthly Film Bulletin . 22 (252): 43. 1 January 1955 via ProQuest.
  4. Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 392. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.