Death Trap *** (1962, Albert Lieven, Barbara Shelley, John Meillon, Mercy Haystead, Kenneth Cope, Leslie Sands, Barbara Windsor) – Classic Movie Review 13,334

The lively, fast moving and satisfying 1962 British Edgar Wallace Mystery crime film Death Trap stars Albert Lieven, Barbara Shelley, John Meillon, and Mercy Haystead. Leslie Sands plays the inspector who investigates blackmail and murder.

Director John Moxey’s very lively, fast moving and satisfying 1962 British Edgar Wallace Mystery crime film Death Trap stars Albert Lieven, Barbara Shelley, John Meillon, Mercy Haystead, Kenneth Cope and Barbara Windsor. Leslie Sands plays Detective Inspector Simons, who investigates blackmail and murder. It is part of the long-running 48 film series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios.

Mercy Haystead plays fashion model Carol Halston, whose sister recently has supposedly committed suicide five weeks ago, the day after withdrawing what was then a large sum of £7,000 in cash from her bank. Carol is suspicious and decides to investigate, visiting the smoothly, smugly dodgy financier Paul Heindrik (Albert Lieven), the owner of a shady London investment firm, prompting a trail of blackmail and murder.

Death Trap is an excellent, well constructed, slickly handled episode with a strong cast. Albert Lieven makes a fine silky villain; the classy and alluring Barbara Shelley oozes the kind of film star sensuality that is unusual in a villain’s secretary; Kenneth Cope enjoys himself as Heindrik’s cheeky and demanding stepson Derek Maitland, a sinister presence tip-toeing around the place, overhearing crucial conversations; John Meillon plays just-out-of-jail Ross Williams, a petty thief but not actually a villain, who has paid the price for cheating Heindrik; and Leslie Sands is a powerful, commanding presence as the severe investigating copper. All this and Barbara Windsor too, vamping outrageously and coming onto Kenneth Cope, fresh out of the Psycho-style shower, as Carol’s flatmate Babs, albeit terribly briefly. Gladys Henson amuses in her tiny scene as the housekeeper.

All the pieces of the puzzle fall neatly into place by the end of John Roddick’s commendable, smoothly efficient screenplay. With everyone working hard to please, Death Trap is thoroughly agreeable and entertaining.

The cast

The cast Albert Lieven as Paul Heindrik, Barbara Shelley as Jean Anscomb, John Meillon as Ross Williams, Mercy Haystead as Carol Halston, Kenneth Cope as Derek Maitland, Leslie Sands as Detective Inspector Simons, Barry Linehan as Detective Sgt. Rigby, Richard Bird as Ted Cupps, Gladys Henson as Housekeeper, Murray Hayne as Ramsey, and Barbara Windsor as Babs Newton.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,334

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

The Edgar Wallace Mysteries 

There were 48 films in the British second-feature film series The Edgar Wallace Mysteries, produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated and released in cinemas between 1960 and 1965.

Crossroads to Crime (1960) and Seven Keys (1961) were not shot as part of the series but were later included. Urge to Kill (1960) may not originally have been intended as part of the series.

1. Urge to Kill (March 1960)
2. Clue of the Twisted Candle (September 1960)
3. The Malpas Mystery (October 1960)
4. Marriage of Convenience (November 1960)
5. The Man Who Was Nobody (December 1960)
6. Partners in Crime (February 1961)
7. The Clue of the New Pin (February 1961)
8. The Fourth Square (June 1961)
9. Man at the Carlton Tower (July 1961)
10. Clue of the Silver Key (August 1961)
11. Attempt to Kill (September 1961)
12. Man Detained (October 1961)
13. Never Back Losers (December 1961)
14. The Sinister Man (December 1961)
15. Backfire! (February 1962)
16. Candidate for Murder (February 1962)
17. Flat Two (February 1962)
18. The Share Out (February 1962)
19. Number Six (April 1962)
20. Time to Remember (July 1962)
21. Solo for Sparrow (September 1962)
22. Playback (September 1962)
23. Locker Sixty Nine (September 1962)
24. Death Trap (October 1962)
25. The Set Up (January 1963)
26. Incident at Midnight (January 1963)
27. The £20,000 Kiss (January 1963)
28. On the Run (February 1963)
29. Return to Sender (March 1963)
30. Ricochet (March 1963)
31. The Double (April 1963)
32. To Have and to Hold (July 1963)
33. The Partner (September 1963)
34. Accidental Death (November 1963)
35. Five to One (December 1963)
36. Downfall (January 1964)
37. The Verdict (February 1964)
38. We Shall See (April 1964)
39. The Rivals (May 1964)
40. Who Was Maddox? (June 1964)
41. Face of a Stranger (September 1964)
42. Act of Murder (September 1964)
43. Never Mention Murder (November 1964)
44. The Main Chance (November 1964)
45. Game for Three Losers (April 1965)
46. Change Partners (July 1965)
47. Strangler’s Web (August 1965)
48. Dead Man’s Chest (October 1965)