Kill Her Gently * (1957, Griffith Jones, Maureen Connell, Marc Lawrence, George Mikell) – Classic Movie Review 13,158

Kill Her Gently (1957, Griffith Jones, Maureen Connell).

‘She’s the only wife I have, so… KILL HER Gently!’ The 1957 British black and white second feature crime thriller film Kill Her Gently stars Griffith Jones, Maureen Connell, Marc Lawrence, and George Mikell.

‘She’s the only wife I have, so… KILL HER Gently!’

Director Charles Saunders’s unconvincing 1957 British black and white second feature crime thriller film Kill Her Gently stars Griffith Jones, Maureen Connell, Marc Lawrence, and George Mikell.

Marc Lawrence and George Mikell play two on-the-run criminals (William Connors, Lars Svenson) who are sent by deranged husband Jeff Martin (Griffith Jones) to kill his wealthy younger wife Kay Martin (Maureen Connell) because she placed him in a mental asylum.

Jeff Martin is driving along when he picks up the two hitchhiking escaped convicts, knowing who they are from descriptions on the radio news, and gets the idea of hiring them to murder his wife in return for helping them to flee the country. But of course this ridiculous plan goes wrong. He takes them back to his house, but then he can’t find the money to pay them.

There are few thrills or surprises in this bland, over-familiar and rather tasteless suspense thriller, rather weakly and unconvincingly written by Paul Erickson, and it is not strongly enough cast or sufficiently well handled.

Release dates: December 1957 (UK) and October 1958 (US).

But it was passed by the BBFC on 15 April 1958, so the December 1957 date may be incorrect.

Running time: 75 minutes.

A troubled film, with its final general release in a much truncated 63-minute version delayed till 1960. In the UK it was released on the ABC circuit in January 1960 supporting The Stranglers of Bombay.

The cast are Griffith Jones as Jeff Martin, Maureen Connell as Kay Martin, Marc Lawrence as William Connors, George Mikell as Lars Svenson, Shay Gorman as Doctor Jimmy Landers, Marianne Brauns as Raina, Frank Hawkins as Inspector Raglan, John Gayford as truck driver, Roger Avon as Constable Brown, Patrick Connor as Detective Sgt. Thompson, Jonathan Meddings as bank clerk, Peter Stephens as bank manager, Susan Neill as barmaid, David Lawton as Slade, and Elaine Wells as Mrs Douglas.

Kill Her Gently is directed by Charles Saunders, runs 75 minutes, is made by Fortress Film Productions, is released by Columbia Pictures UK, is written by Paul Erickson, is shot in black and white by Walter J Harvey, is produced by Guido Coen, and is scored by Edwin Astley.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,158

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