Kill Me Tomorrow ** (1957, Pat O’Brien, Lois Maxwell, George Coulouris, Tommy Steele) – Classic Movie Review 11,137

Director Terence Fisher’s 1957 black and white thriller Kill Me Tomorrow stars Pat O’Brien as hard-drinking old reporter Bart Crosbie, who desperately needs money to finance an operation for his son, so falsely he owns up to the murder of his former editor in the hope that he can make some cash from the notoriety. Then the real killer tries to abduct his sick kid.

Kill Me Tomorrow is a rather dull, dreary, contrived and musty crime drama that doesn’t really convince and is all talk and little action. But the actors work hard and deserve a better script, and Fisher directs competently as always. Tommy Steele sings his own song ‘Rebel Rock’ and ‘Rock With The Caveman’ (written by Lionel Bart, Mike Pratt and Tommy Steele) and boxing champ Freddie Mills appears, so there is a tasty 1950s flavour.

Also in the cast are Lois Maxwell, George Coulouris, Wensley Pithey, Tommy Steele (with an ‘introducing’ credit), Freddie Mills, Robert Brown, Ronald Adam, Richard Pasco, April Olrich, Peter Swanwick, George Eugeniou, Al Mulock, Stuart Nichol, Vic Wise, Kenneth J. Warren, Sylvia Kay, Larry Taylor, Ian Wilson, and Don McCorkindale.

Plus Raymond Russell as boy in hospital bed, who writes: ‘Pat O’Brien was in life the nice man he portrayed. On the set of Kill Me Tomorrow, he gave me his dedicated photo and wrote to my mother when he returned to the states. I doubt if movie stars of today would have the time or thought to be so nice to child actors. Lois Maxwell, of Miss Moneypenny fame, was also wonderful in her role. However, the film was rather disjointed and Tommy Steele’s introduction was marred by his over-long performance. The film can be rented from Amazon and the poster is now available on the Internet. Good fun if you like to see black and white London in the 1950s.’

Kill Me Tomorrow runs 80 minutes, is made by Francis Searle Productions [Delta Film Production], is released by Renown Pictures Corporation (1957) (UK) and Tudor Pictures (1960) (US), is written by Robert Falconer (screenplay and original story) and Paddy Manning O’Brine (screenplay), is shot in black and white by Geoffrey Faithfull, produced by Francis Searle, scored by Temple Abady, and designed by Bernard Robinson.

It is shot at  Southall Studios, Southall, Middlesex, England.

The music is played by The London Mozart Players.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,137

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