78RPM - Key Persons
Ann Temple (Ann Sears) is at loggerheads with her father over her intended, Michael Ross, whom Mr Temple unpleasantly brands "a fortune hunting parasite."
It's a weekend house party, others of the "mixed bag" of guests being Payne, who has just discovered a rich uranium mine in Honduras, and Temple's nephew, Harry Carr, Payne's assistant. Temple undertakes to purchase Payne's share in the mine and donate it to Harry.
To the assembled group, which also includes Charlie Chan and No1 Son, Michael Ross announces his engagement to Ann. Temple's grim response is that he will be consulting his lawyer in the morning to cut her out of his will. We are hardly surprised therefore when Temple is found with a fractured skull next morn.
Murder "with the usual blunt instrument," declares the police inspector (Trevor Reid, on top form). It's "an open and shut case," he confidently declares, as Bartou had been "pushed too far." Barry concurs, "the inspector has got the case sewn up." And indeed he must have, for Bartou himself confesses, "My magic killed him."
But so many changes of mind by the bewildered inspector are a joy to behold, as Charlie explains that this Bartou has voodoo death fetishes in his room, and that's what he means by his words. So the "dejected" inspector has to admit his "bubble" has burst.
No1 Son however has his own theory. He had heard Michael Ross argung with Temple the previous night, though Michael claims, "the man was alive when I left him."
The solution lies in a cablegram that Temple had recently received, "the mine faked." "Notes Barry, "there's your motive, pop." And the inspector eagerly snatches at this latest idea, "he's our man all right."
But Charlie also wants to question "wildcat" Ann, who clearly never liked her father. The inspector follows this new tack happily, "could be the type to hit you over the head as soon as look at you."
So many suspects, they're all guilty! Charlie summons them all at midnight in a dramatic finale. Bartou's "art of finding the guilty one by voodoo" is Charlie's method for flushing out the killer. Lights are switched off. Drums roll. Bartou enters, in a costume enough to frighten anyone. This forces the confession, "he always despised me." Concludes our hapless policeman, not for the first time, "yes he's our man all right."
Archibald Meaker is in Rome, but how unfortunate that he's forgotten that today, Friday the 13th, is his 25th wedding anniversary. How fortunate that he has bumped into a salesman who offers him an "exquisite" silver bowl! After haggling ("mio molto broko"), a price of 20,000 lire is agreed.
It's disappointment for downtrodden Archibald, when his "rather dictatorial" wife Martha tells him it "belongs in a junkyard," and insists he gets his money back. Since he can't find the salesman, he takes it to a jeweller and is shocked when he's offered 800,000 lire for it.
It just happens that Charlie is in the shop at the same time, and offers to help Archibald trace the original seller. After a tour of Rome, they do find where the man came from, but the house is actually owned by wealthy Roberto Ricci (Martin Benson), who doesn't know, he says, about this salesman. However we learn that Archibald has accidentally been sold a genuine silver bowl instead of one of the numerous reproductions Ricci keeps in his home, to sell to unsuspecting tourists.
At the National Museum, it is confirmed to Charlie that the bowl is a genuine one by Cellini. But the innocent Archibald is then duped by one Count Veschi, who admires the bowl, "you are a very fortunate man," he tells Archibald. He switches the bowl for a fake.
Police are able, from the description of this so-called count, to identify him. He's another swindler, and when they catch up wth him, he has been strangled. Of course the genuine bowl is nowhere to be seen.
Charlie Chan is in San Pedro. "Something big" is destined to happen on the Honolulu Star, reports an informer, who is shot dead.
Charlie investigates the murder of this man, a steward on the ship. Thus we find Charlie bound for a "calm, uneventful voyage," at least that's what Captain Paul Carnovan promises him. But there are plenty of suspicious characters of course, the clumsy steward who has replaced the dead man, Ed Barker radio signaller, as well as the incompetent chief engineer Johnny Flynn. One of the other rare passengers is Doris, wife of the captain, and much younger than him. Oddly she wears high heels on board.
When the engine seizes up 200 miles out to sea, and the crew cannot find the cause, it's Chan who points out the source of the trouble, "loaded with dirt." Flynn is sent for to get a piece of the captain's mind but he's found "extremely dead." The captain has no choice but radio for help, which is soon forthcoming from a ship out of Acapulco commanded by Arturo Ramirez. It's an expensive operation, with the salvage bill coming to $150,000.
So has Carnovan colluded with Ramirez to share this absurdly large fee? Maybe not, as Lt Kovacs and Chan arrive in the nick of time to prevent Carnovan from shooting Ramirez! Their dispute is over the attractive Doris, has she been two-timing? "He didn't do anything," Doris promises her husband as he bursts into tears. Asks Ramirez, "tell me what's going on. I don't get any of this." That goes for me too.
Charlie "straightens" him, though not me, out, expounding his theory of collusion between Ramirez and someone on the Honolulu Star. But if it wasn't Cpt Carnovan, who was it?
Charlie Chan is asked by the priest as a matter of urgency, to find out the truth. Cancelling his flight to America- he never does return there in this series- he commences his inquiries with old friend Inspector Marlowe (Hugh Williams), who refuses to countenance any error by the police. The case is quite simple: night of March 3rd- Dr Roy Beech's body found in a burning car on Hampstead Heath. Previously, he been clubbed to death. Next morning, Donald, Beech's chauffeur and handyman had been arrested outside nearby Chalk Farm underground, carrying a stack of cash. In Donald's East End room was found the murder weapon and clothing with the doctor's bloodstains.
The doctor's widow Marilyn (Mary Laura Wood) explains that her wonderful husband had picked Donald up from an East End Mission Hall and this man had worked very satisfactorily for Dr Beech for the past six months. "I could believe Arthur would have done it," she adds, because he had been attracted to her.
At the mission hall, the vicar there believes "Donald isn't a killer." Charlie concurs, having endured the difficulties of "subway" (ie underground) travel. Why would Donald travel all the way to the East End with the murder weapon, leave it in his room, and then return all the way to Chalk Farm?
When Charlie tackles Donald about this, as he languishes in jail, he starts by being antagonistic. He says he hadn't seen a lot of the "extravagant" Mrs Beech, "she's old enough to be my mother." So why is she lying?
The solution Charlie discovers in the doctor's blood group. Donald is certain he was group AB, but O was the victim's group. So the corpse is an imposter. Karl Bonner was Mrs Beech's half-brother. He's allegedly away on holiday abroad in Spain. Or is he?
Charlie goes to Highgate Cemetry to examine the mausoleum where Dr Beech is supposed to have been interred. However he is interrupted in his exploration by Mrs Beech, accompanied by her very-much-alive husband. It's Karl who lies there dead. It was all an insurance swindle. Inspector Marlowe appears by magic and laps it all up, and makes his arrest.
"You're a marvel," he tells Charlie, as he phones through Arthur Donald's reprieve
Directors included George and Alfred Black, Sydney Box, EG Fairburn, Lord Layton, Peter Cadbury, Viscount Ridley, Col EG Angus, CC Darling, DA Pease, and Prof EJR Eaglesham.
Dr Paul Liggat (Peter Dyneley) was convicted in 1947 in Canada for a mercy killing. Ten years later under the name of Michael Winstead he is working as a surgeon at the Mercy Hospital London where No1 Son is enjoying being treated by Nurse Elizabeth Vernon (Honor Blackman). Charlie is there too, to see Chief Surgeon George Morley and Sir Edward Pomeroy, Chairman of the Board of Directors (Raymond Francis). Morley has received an anonymous letter about Winstead's past, plus a press cutting of the trial in Ottawa of a Dr Liggat. "It does look like Dr Winstead," gasps Barry.
Charlie promises to do "humble best" and find if Liggat and Winstead are one and the same. His starting point is the accusing letter, which however is stolen from Barry's room that night. A concussed Barry ends up in hospital again, happily treated by Nurse Elizabeth. Recovered, Barry is sent by dad to Ottawa to get the dope on the case first hand. When he returns, he brings with him Anne Gerald, the victim's private nurse.
"I've never seen him before," is her response. But though he is vindicated, Winstead admits the truth. "I shall leave at once," he adds, even though he claims he never killed his Canadian patient.
Privately afterwards, Charlie is curious why Miss Gerald had failed to identify him. Charlie believes it was she who performed the mercy killing, even though she doesn't admit as much.
She then talks to Liggat, "I'd do anything to undo it," she tells him. She agrees to confess to the truth, but inevitably before Charlie can talk to her she is silenced, a knife in her back. However she is still breathing, and Dr Winstead tends her.
Frank Smith (Maxwell Reed) is a belligerent patient of Dr Roberts, Allen's estranged wife (Elizabeth Allan). She notices Smith's brain scan has an e e g pattern very similar to Jarrett's. But trouble follows as John Horsley, foreshadowing his later role as the incompetent Doc Morrisey, is daft enough to allow Smith to walk out of the hospital. So the police are alerted, in the shape of Merton Park's resident cop on the spot, Russell Napier. He's Inspector Durham, but what can he do: "if the police spent their time tracking down would-be murderers....." Preventitive policing is not for this copper!
The next scene is fairly predictable. As he believes Dr Roberts may now know too much of his criminal activities, Smith kidnaps her. At least that gives Inspector Durham a "sense of urgency." Dr Allen however also joins in the search off his own bat. His questions stir the shadowy rival crook Simon, whom Smith is afraid of, to arrange for Mrs Smith to be bumped off. Her death almost gets our policeman cross: "did you take us for complete imbeciles?" he asks Dr Allen. Don't answer that one!
Allen has at least seen Mrs Smith's killer- and he identifies Ryan (Edwin Richfield) from the Yard's Book of Villains. Ryan is a stooge of Simon. Next victim- Smith himself. In the showdown both get shot. Fortunately for Smith, he still has the kidnapped Dr Roberts with him. In the most memorable scene in a noisy dance joint, in some pain, Smith consents for her to get medical help. She phones her husband, but with the warning from Smith: "if you bring the law with you, you'll have to fish your wife out of the river."
Husband and wife are reunited. Remarks Smith sneeringly: "if I had a violin, I'd play it." He's treated but learning his wife is dead he finally gets unhinged. He heads for Simon and revenge, as the police plod into the final denouement.
Glen Mason is the pop star introduced at the start of the film, with jazzed up titles, in a beat not quite with it. At the Stardust Club, owner Harry Drayson (John le Mesurier) is worried, as his Mimosa Club has burned down. Inusrance investigator Mike Davies (Lee Patterson) investigates, suspicious. Harry was with his niece at the time of the fire. The story checks out, when Mike encounters the niece Stella (Rona Anderson), and falls for her, of course.
His solicitor Henry Winslow (Cyril Chamberlain) is the sole beneficiary of Benson's new will, which had been drawn up the previous evening, under Benson's conviction that his wife and her lover were planning to kill him.
Jack Hart is identified as the attacker by the child, and he's one of Randolph's "boys." His lawyer is urging his release and the perceptive Charlie proposes that Hart choose between leaving the police station with Randolph, or stay in custody. Hart chooses bail.
James Coslow is sentenced to life in 1942, "I'm innocent," he cries.
Fifteen years later, his daughter Linda (Lisa Daniely) wins £375 in a tv quiz, which she wants to use to pay Charlie Chan for his services. She wants the conviction overturned.
"The evidence is pretty conclusive," The Duffer informs Charlie. He was found guilty of passing coded messages to the enemy, using his own typewriter. Charlie visits Bleinheim Huouse where Coslow worked during the war, with a secret unit run by Sir Aubrey, others in the group who go there are Maxwell Duggan, he had found the typewritten code, Miss Murdoch, secretary, in love with Coslow, and Cecil Barnes, perennial drunk. This last nearly causes a large painting to fall on top of Charlie.
McDowall, Hathaway's publisher takes Charlie to the India Docks to meet this servant, but it's too late, for from Mrs Dawkins the landlady they learn he "kicked the bucket" six months ago. Later however, the wily Charlie obtains a notebook belonging to this Chinese and uses it as a bluff. Disguised as the Chinaman's uncle, he tells Hathaway this notebook is a quite different account of events on that raft. (That's certainly no lie, for it's actually a cookery book written in Chinese.) Hathaway produces £100 for the book. Charlie declines.
Then Norma Ramsden has a surprising request to Charlie, "I want you to drop the case." She's very uncommunicative only warning "the truth might be as great a shock for Ronnie as that book of Hathaway's."
At the India Docks, after being attacked unsuccessfully en route, the 'uncle' waits results with Mrs Dawkins his witness, "very difficult to know how many flies this fly paper will catch." The "first gent" offers £200- it's Hathaway, improving his earlier price. Then it's Norma, it's clear she used to be a little too friendly with our author! They start arguing over how Captain Ramsden was killed on that raft as McDowall enters, to "stop my client making a fool of himself." The last to come is Sir Arthur Ruggles, Norma's new fiance (Ernest Clark), who also offers cash.
"Great heavens- it's Charlie Chan!" For Chan has now removed his disguise and is able to force Hathaway to sign a prepared statement that Memory Of Terror is not fact at all, but pure fiction. Charlie then reveals the feared volume is but a cook book, "but like empty gun, brought out the truth."
Michael Cornforth has been perusing his third draft of 'A Life of Shelley' before he retires to bed, in a room that looks to me with its tiling more like a bathroom. When he awakes he has a gun in his hand, and he's in an isolated country house. Personally I'd have phoned the police, but instead he looks round and discovers a corpse. Two hikers call, seeking shelter from the rain, and he allows them inside. One of them spots the body and he explains his improbable tale. He doesn't think he killed the man, even though he knows who he is- his cousin Martin whom he's not seen for years. Jean (Patricia Laffan) does believe him, though her friend Marian is more doubtful.
Back home neighbour Mungo Perry tells Michael he had had a visitor at a quarter to one last night. Then this morning a blonde had exited his home. Michael phones Bill of the Evening Post, an old friend. He's played by Bruce Seton, and with all his old authority of Fabian of the Yard, he solves how it was done in one sentence. "It's got to be someone who knows you pretty well," is his most perceptive observation. He takes away a fingerprint from Michael's and it turns out to be identical to one found on a weapon used two years previously in a murder in Australia!
The police finally leap into action, in the form of Robert Raglan. Hiker Marian has blurted out her story. But when they pay a visit to Martin Cornforth's house, there he is alive and well! End of case? No, says the wily inspector, "I've lived with trouble so long, I can smell it." He's right of course. Michael had been impersonating Martin.
Bill reckons the key to the mystery must be Martin's will. Things move fast now. Jean has taken a shine to Michael, and follows a suspicious man (James Kenney) she sees leaving Michael's home. She trails him, all the while carrying her heavy suitcase, on a 77A bus.* Michael learns his brother had married an American cowgirl, Colorado Kate eight years ago. However the police swoop to arrest Michael, who makes a run for it. Mungo has been murdered, Michael's own iron being the weapon.And Jean is inveigled on to a barge by the new boyfriend of Martin's ex wife, Kate. Bill has discovered Kate is performing at a theatre and manages to pick up Michael and together they watch her cowgirl act. But the police are trailing Michael too. A car chase follows, but she loses them, and they lose the police. They learn where she lives- the barge, where they find Jean. Kate is rounded up and the surprising truth is revealed.
Teacher Miss Helen Cooper is found dead by Julie, a pupil, in break time. Golly! On the case is the cynical Inspector Campbell (Gordon Jackson), "he's very nice, not a bit like a policeman." His silent assistant is Sgt Harvey (Sam Kydd). When Campbell learns that this school is all girls, he concludes, "it shouldn't be difficult to find a motive!" From the headmistress he soon discovers that Miss Cooper was disliked by one and all. Clues are: 1) A size five shoe print, 2) Miss Shepherd's scarf used as the murder weapon, 3) a matchbox with the label Jones, Tobacconist, Victoria.
Job Titles:
- Sales Director
- TTT Sales Director
Peter Paine, TTT sales director, stated, "there is a great market in the north east, and the content, programme location and filming of Hi There! will achieve the tremendously valuable factor of a selective audience of teenagers."
Rich Joseph Temple is receiving his morning shave from servant Bartou. Branding him "a sullen brute" while he wields a cut throat razor is asking for trouble! But why is Bartou collecting his master's hair clippings? Voodoo- "filthy nonsense!"
Sandy Hastings runs radio operations from the ground, her brother Bill has also unfortunately been sucked into the racket. Like Tom, he's a worried man.
With his sister they visit 224 Belgrave Square where a Mr Fraser runs an illegal gambling den. As Fraser is played by Anton Diffring, we need look no further for the leader of the baddies! He struts round his den, rich and smartly dressed. It must be him! As confirmation, the two killers also lurk in the house!
Another death! "Half of Scotland Yard" are at the house of a "Mr Smith," who has committed suicide. He has left a helpful clue, for twenty five forged pound notes are found in his pocket. We know, though poor Inspector Macaulay doesn't yet, that Smith had been gambling at Fraser's and had lost heavily. The £25 had come from Fraser.
With all these killings, Bill really is getting cold feet. Fraser reassures him what will happen if Conlin gets too near the truth. "If I find he's too efficient, you'll find when you return he's quite efficiently taken care of." Emphasis on Efficiently.
Now Mike is snooping around 224. He finds evidence of gambling. And then some counterfeit notes. But Fraser and his henchmen are ready for him. "Take him away." He's transported to those woods but instead of being finished off he puts up a fight and gets away. Fraser is not amused by their inefficiency, "all you had to do was rub him out, and make it look like a straightforward suicide." Clearly Fraser must do this one "personally."
The case against Fraser is complete when he argues with his floosie, who borrows £1,500 in forged oncers from his safe to pay for a desirable necklace.
Director: Stephen Clarkson. The direction and script are plodding, so no wonder the actors exhibit little enthusiasm for their parts.
Van Doren is sure it's she who must have killed Mrs Martin, for Dirk's sweaters are indeed unique and desirable. Charlie sees Dirk creating a new sweater similar to the missing one. "Where would first sweater be now?" is Charlie's pertinent question.
The answer is with the Contessa. Charlie finds her packing to sail to America, but she claims Mrs Martin had sold her the sweater providing she agreed to pay Dirk to make a second one.
Another mail train robbery, with one difference, the thief is a woman. She's Maria (Lisa Gastoni), her boss the suave Dr Pole (Peter Elliott).
Her boy friend Angelo (Peter Reynolds) is to do the next job, which she wants to be the last, as she hopes to run off with him.
It's a robbery of a Royal Mail van, Angelo and Max cleverly hide in the van, and hold up the driver. But the guard nearly coshes Angelo. "Look out Angelo," cries Max. Angelo stuns the guard, who later dies. Back at Dr Pole's, Maria waits anxiously for the tip off from Angelo that they have got away safely. She is occupied fending off Pole's attentions.
Elderly Miss Crystal (Olive Sloane) phones her friend, but gets confused, and by mistake phones MILL 6451, Dr Pole's number. Maria answers, relieved to be hearing from Angelo. She mentions his name before realising it is a wrong number.
Wingate, Malcolm's friend and lawyer (Ian Fleming), gives Charlie the lowdown on the elderly Malcolm's marriage to young Lady Gregg, which is on the rocks. His son, 'Master Donald,' Lady Gregg's stepson is the cause of the rift. But it's clear Wingate does not like her, "she's as welcome as the plague."
So there are no dry eyes, och aye, when news is received of her death on the Perth road. But this is no road accident, she's been shot in her sports car.
After three days away in Perth, Donald drives home again. On the way he stops off to see his sweetheart Betsy, daughter of convicted poacher Duncan, but had he also stopped off for anything else? A rifle in his car looks exceptionally suspicious. Runnals, the butler (Ballard Berkeley) takes it out of the car.
Barry examines it and notes enthusiastically, "this gun was fired a short time ago." Now he has his suspect, at least until Charlie points out that Donald would hardly have left a murder weapon lying around, if he were the killer.
So Barry latches on to another suspect. Duncan has just escaped from prison. He'd been put there thanks to Lady Gregg's testimony, and he'd sworn to get even with her. But Sir Malcolm doesn't believe this, explaining that Duncan is very short sighted.
Wingate is Barry's new suspect. In his room are travel brochures for far away places like Honduras, even though it appears he may be in financial difficulties. So No1 Son goes off sleuthing, but ends up in a secret passage attacking honourable dad in error. To make amends, Barry promises, "I'll bring you the murderer on a plate!"
He nearly does, when he grabs a gun and orders his latest suspect Runnals to put up his hands. The well trained butler replies in the best butlery tradition,"as you wish sir." Barry reveals the result of his searches. He has found the murder weapon in the butler's room. And this butler is in fact the brother of Lady Gregg. But Charlie calms his excited son and produces "plenty of proof" of the real murderer.
"Didn't I tell you he did it, pop!" shouts No1 Son in triumph. "Right suspect," agrees Charlie, "but for wrong reason."
I like this little mini-film, set in fresh Highland air.