Dead Man’s Evidence *** (1962, Conrad Phillips, Jane Griffiths, Veronica Hurst, Ryck Rydon, Alex Mackintosh) – Classic Movie Review 13,354

The 1962 British black-and-white second feature crime thriller film Dead Man’s Evidence stars Conrad Phillips as a British spy sent to Ireland to investigate after a defecting ex-colleague’s body is washed up on a beach.

Director Francis Searle’s 1962 British black-and-white second feature crime thriller film Dead Man’s Evidence is written by Arthur La Bern, and stars Conrad Phillips, Jane Griffiths, Veronica Hurst, Ryck Rydon and Alex Mackintosh.

Conrad Phillips stars as a British spy who is sent by his boss (Bruce Seton) from London to Ireland to investigate the death of a former colleague who has defected. He meets Linda Howard (Jane Griffiths), who has found the body washed up on the Irish beach, a sassy press photographer (Veronica Hurst as Gay Clifford) and a canny journalist (Alex Macintosh as Paul Kay), and of course the investigating policeman (Godfrey Quigley as Superintendent O’Brien), among other suspicious-seeming types on the scene.

Dead Man’s Evidence is quirky enough, and interesting enough, and certainly good enough, though, even so, there’s a better film trying to get out of here. Arthur La Bern’s story and screenplay are not at all bad, quite clever actually, full of interesting incident and characters, and bluffs and double bluffs, though it is a very tall story indeed, with a bafflingly twisty ending that is okay, really quite satisfactory, but might have been better without it, or at least this melodramatic handling of it.

One slight problem is the production, with jarring cuts between on-location exteriors and on-set interiors, and terrible studio-shot exterior scenes. But then is a low-budget second feature, so some allowances can be made, and as such it’s pretty good.

The other slight problem is the acting, which this time is only okay too. To be fair, the actors are probably partly defeated by the, er. ‘complexity’ of their characters, though they soldier on confidently and valiantly. Likeable actors Conrad Phillips and Jane Griffiths are fine as the main stars, though bigger stars might have brought more sparkle and allure. Or maybe not. Veronica Hurst and Alex Mackintosh are useful in support as the intrusive newshound team. Bruce Seton has only the one little scene as the main character’s boss. He brings easy authority to the role and you hope he’s going to return to the film, but that’s it, just the one scene. He would have made a good M in James Bond.

The editing is very jumpy, no doubt to cram it all in, in just 67 minutes. Arthur La Bern has written a lot of plot for such a short running time, maybe expecting to be writing for a longer, say 90-minute, movie, so Francis Searle is obliged to keep the film snappy and fast moving, which he does. So good.

The cast

The cast are Conrad Phillips as David Baxter, Jane Griffiths as Linda Howard, Veronica Hurst as Gay Clifford, Ryck Rydon as Mark Fallon, Godfrey Quigley as Superintendent O’Brien, Bruce Seton as Colonel James Somerset, Harry Webster as Andy, Maureen Halligan as Mrs Mac, Laurie Leigh as Pat, Tommy Duggan as Mr Casey, Alex Macintosh as Paul Kay, Frank Sieman as barman, Middleton Woods as Kim, Fergus O’Kelly as night porter, Gordon Waine as hotel waiter, and Sonia Fox as hotel receptionist.

Alex Macintosh (18 November 1925 – 7 September 1997)

Alex Macintosh, who plays Paul Kay, was a BBC presenter and continuity announcer from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. He voiced the first British-broadcast advert, for Gibbs SR Toothpaste on ITV on 22 September 1955: ‘The tingling fresh toothpaste that does your gums good, too. It’s tingling fresh. It’s fresh as ice. It’s Gibbs SR toothpaste.’

Sir Bruce Lovat Seton, 11th Baronet (29 May 1909 – 28 September 1969)

Bruce Seton is best remembered for his lead role in the BBC TV series Fabian of the Yard (1954–1956). There were 36 episodes of 30 minutes.

Seton also stars in Francis Searle’s 1961 film Freedom to Die.

On 7 February 1963, on the death of his brother, Bruce became the 11th Seton baronet.

Credits

Dead Man’s Evidence is directed by Francis Searle, runs 67 minutes, is made by Bayford Films, is distributed by British Lion Film Corporation, is written by Arthur La Bern, is produced by Francis Searle, is shot in black and white by Ken Hodges, and is scored by Ken Thorne.

Release date: 3 September 1962 (UK).

Conrad Phillips (born Conrad Philip Havord (13 April 1925 – 13 January 2016)

Conrad Philip Havord adopted the name Conrad Phillips when he started acting after World War Two. His detective stories writer father had used the name for some of his thrillers and suggested he use it as his stage name.

He is best known as William Tell in the ITV series The Adventures of William Tell, which ran for 39 episodes from 1958 to 1959.

Arthur La Bern (1909–1990)

British novelist Arthur La Bern wrote screenplays for Francis Searle’s Freedom to Die (1961),  also featuring Bruce Seton, Francis Searle’s Dead Man’s Evidence (1962), Time to Remember (1962), Incident at Midnight (1963), Accidental Death (1963) and The Verdict (1964), the last all four part of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries film series made at Merton Park Studios.

Arthur La Bern (1909–1990) had four of his novels adapted into films, including Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square (1966), which was made into Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy (1972).

La Bern wrote a frenzied letter to the editor of The Times complaining about Hitchcock’s Frenzy.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,354

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