Booby Trap ** (1957, Sydney Tafler, Patti Morgan, Harry Fowler, Tony Quinn) – Classic Movie Review 12,909

Anyone for a British black and white comedy thriller about an absent-minded professor who invents an exploding fountain pen and leaves it in a taxi? The 1957 film Booby Trap is a bit daft but still fairly tense and amusing. The great Sydney Tafler stars!

Director Henry Cass’s 1957 British black and white comedy thriller film Booby Trap stars Sydney Tafler, Patti Morgan, Harry Fowler and Tony Quinn in a tale about a clever but absent-minded professor who invents an explosive fountain pen that will explode when it detects the sound of bells, but then leaves it in his briefcase in a taxi.

Booby Trap is a bit daft but still fairly tense and entertaining, an enjoyable if incredibly far-fetched little Fifties British thriller that sees a Cockney lowlife, Sammy the spiv, (Harry Fowler), stealing inventor Professor Hasdane (Tony Quinn)’s explosive fountain pen with a bomb set off by the sound of bells in London: the first chime of Big Ben; the Greenwich time signal.

After Professor Hasdane leaves the exploding fountain pen in the taxi, Sammy the spiv is the taxi’s next customer, who naturally takes the case he finds there, and pawns the pen.

Eventually, it comes into possession of a drug supplier, gangster Hunter (Sydney Tafler), whose narcotics just happen to be stashed in – wait for it – fountain pens! He distributes his drugs in mock fountain pens, but Hunter mixes up Professor Hasdane’s pen with his own pens.

Sammy and Hasdane trace the pen to Hunter’s seedy club, and they are chasing after Hunter and so are the police.

Despite the extremely odd, not to mention ridiculous, premise, it is an effective comedy thriller tale that builds up its suspense quite nicely and leads to a satisfyingly explosive conclusion. With esteemed, much-loved character actors Sydney Tafler and Harry Fowler starring, you know that it is minor but decent stuff.

It is based on an original story Peter Bryan, who also co-wrote the screenplay with producer Bill Luckwell.

The cast are Tony Quinn as Professor Hasdane, Harry Fowler as Sammy, Sydney Tafler as Mr Hunter, Patti Morgan as Jackie, Jacques Cey as Bentley, Richard Shaw as Paul Richards, John Watson as Major Cunliffe, Michael Moore as Curate, George Roderick as Police Sergeant, and Fred McNaughton as Syd.

Booby Trap is directed by Henry Cass, runs 72 minutes, is made by Jaywell Productions, is released by Eros Films, is written by Peter Bryan (original story and screenplay) and Bill Luckwell (screenplay), is shot by James Wilson, is produced by Bill Luckwell and D E A Winn [Derek Winn], and is scored by Wilfred Burns (director of music), with Art Direction by John Stoll.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 12,909

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