Top Secret [Mr Potts Goes to Moscow] *** (1952, George Cole, Oscar Homolka, Nadia Gray, Frederick Valk, Wilfrid Hyde White, Ronald Adams) – Classic Movie Review 6004

Producer-director Mario Zampi ensures that madcap satirical comedy ensues when double-dealing Russian Communists seize English government research plant plumber/ sanitary engineer Mr Potts (George Cole) who has gone on holiday to Moscow with vital secret plans for a revolutionary atomic weapon instead of his new toilet plumbing invention. He lands a a job in the Kremlin doing research and falls in love with beautiful secret agent Tania (Nadia Gray).

Nadia Gray plays secret agent Tania.

This tasty 1952 British little gem is a surprisingly hilarious satire of Cold War politics combined with heavy doses of broader Carry On-style farcical humour.

There is a great cast and, in particular, the enchanting comic performances by George Cole, Oscar Homolka as Russian secret agent Zekov and Wilfrid Hyde White as Sir Hubert Wells help to make this a memorable movie.

Both the original story and screenplay are amusingly, quite wittily written by Jack Davies and Michael Pertwee. The film is shot by Stan Pavey and scored by Stanley Black.

Also in the cast are Frederick Valk, Ronald Adams, Geoffrey Sumner, Frederick Leister (as Prime Minister), Irene Handl (as Mrs Tidmarsh), Henry Hewitt (as Minister of Health), Walter Horsbrugh (as First Cabinet Minister), Ernest Jay, Victor Maddern, Gibb McLaughlin, Michael Medwin, Kynaston Reeves, Edwin Styles, Richard Wattis, Terence Alexander, Michael Balfour, Martin Boddey, Ina De La Haye, Reed De Rouen, Charles Goldner, Willoughby Gray, David Hurst, Richard Marner, Phyllis Morris, Hal Osmond, Olaf Pooley, Bernard Rebel, Myrtle Reed, Anthony Shaw, Ronnie Stevens, Eleanor Summerfield and Tim Turner.

Also in the cast are Christopher Lee in an uncredited role as a Russian Agent and Anton Diffring in an uncredited role as an East German policeman, plus Stanislaus Zienciakiewicz as Joseph Stalin.

It is also known as Mr Potts goes to Moscow, the US title.

Many of the personnel reconvened for Too Many Crooks.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6004

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