Director Allan Davis’s 1961 British second feature crime film Clue of the New Pin is a well-done B-movie version of the Edgar Wallace thriller about the wealthy reclusive millionaire John Trasmere (David Horne) murdered by his greedy nephew/ secretary Rex Lander (Paul Daneman), who tries to blame the sneery TV journalist as Tab Holland (James Villiers) who’s interviewing him, and then kills again. The screenplay by Philip Mackie is based on the 1923 novel by Edgar Wallace. The body is suspiciously found in Trasmere’s safe place, a cellar room which is a locked sealed vault with its key mysteriously on the table next to it.
A Scotland Yard inspector (Bernard Archard as Superintendent Carver) and the TV personality (James Villiers as Tab Holland) rescue a woman (Katherine Woodville as Jane Ardfern) from the killer in the nick of time.
It is of course very cheaply and quickly made, but it has a good, involving old-style mystery plot, a smooth, literate screenplay by Philip Mackie, and capable handling by Allan Davis, as well as a fine gallery of supercilious-sounding performers to give it some class. Paul Daneman, Bernard Archard, James Villiers, and David Horne give a masterclass in supercilious acting, each trying to outdo the others.
It is one of the 48-film series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios from 1960 to 1965.
It remakes the 1929 film The Clue of the New Pin with Benita Hume, Kim Peacock, Donald Calthrop and John Gielgud, which was Britain’s first all-talking feature film produced entirely in Britain. Directed by Arthur Maude, it was filmed in British Phototone, a sound-on-disc system using 12-inch discs, originally running around 80 minutes. The Clue of the New Pin is considered a lost film as no copies are known to exist today. However a rare 21-minute 9.5mm silent film fragment exists on You Tube:
A Rare 9.5mm Silent Film – The Clue of the New Pin 1929 (youtube.com)
Another version followed. Director Massimo Dallamano’s Italian Giallo thriller film What Have You Done to Solange? (1972) is also loosely based on the novel.
Allan Davis and writer Philip Mackie previously worked together on Clue of the Twisted Candle (1960).
Katherine Woodville is billed as ‘introducing’ under her real name of Catherine Woodville.
Katherine Woodville (born Catherine Woodville; 12 March 1938 – 5 June 2013) was married three times: first to The Avengers star Patrick Macnee (1965-69), then to American film and TV director Jerrold Freedman (1970-75), and finally to actor Edward Albert (1979-2006). She appeared in two episodes of The Avengers: Hot Snow (1961) and Propellant 23 (1962).
The cast are Paul Daneman as Rex Lander, Bernard Archard as Superintendent Carver, James Villiers as Tab Holland, Katherine Woodville as Jane Ardfern, Clive Morton as Ramsey Brown, Leslie Sands as Sergeant Harris, David Horne as John Trasmere, Ruth Kettlewell as Mrs Rushby, Wolfe Morris as Yeh Ling, Maudie Edwards as barmaid.
The Clue of the New Pin is directed by Allan Davis, runs 58 minutes, is made by Merton Park Studios, is distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors (UK), is written by Philip Mackie, based on the novel by Edgar Wallace, is shot in black and white by Bert Mason, is produced by Jack Greenwood, and is scored by Ron Goodwin (uncredited).
Release date: February 1961.
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.
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