Man at the Carlton Tower *** (1961, Maxine Audley, Lee Montague, Alfred Burke, Allan Cuthbertson) – Classic Movie Review 13,324

Scotland Yard superintendent Allan Cuthbertson calls in retired detective Lee Montague after safecracker Nigel Green robs a jewellery shop safe and kills a policeman during his escape.

Director Robert Tronson’s 1961 British second feature Edgar Wallace Mystery B crime drama film Man at the Carlton Tower features Maxine Audley, Lee Montague, Alfred Burke, and Allan Cuthbertson.

The screenplay by Philip Mackie is based on the 1931 Edgar Wallace novel The Man at the Carlton. It is part of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios from 1960 to 1965.

The London police are investigating the murder of a police officer, killed by Rhodesian criminal Lew Daney (Nigel Green) in his getaway after carrying out a jewel robbery on a jewellery shop safe.

The murderous jewellery heist attracts an ex-partner of the killer, Harry Stone (Alfred Burke), a master criminal who has never been caught. His nemesis Tim Jordan (Lee Montague), a retired policeman detective, joins Detective Superintendent Cowley (Allan Cuthbertson) and Sgt Pepper (Geoffrey Frederick) of Scotland Yard to crack the case, recruiting the help of the thief’s glamorous estranged wife Lydia Daney (Maxine Audley) and his current love Mary Greer (Nyree Dawn Porter).

Maybe the mystery is better than the resolution, but it’s all fairly intriguing and gripping, with another effective plot by the amazingly prolific and inventive Edgar Wallace. Menacing Burke, dangerous Green, enigmatic Audley and supercilious Cuthbertson are all very good, Terence Alexander is fun as the nervy, cheeky forger Johnny Time, and it’s great to see the lovely young Nyree Dawn Porter. It’s a real shame that Nigel Green and Nyree Dawn Porter don’t have more to do. It’s also frustrating that there’s not more outside filming because what there is adds atmosphere and nostalgia value.

There’s efficient writing by Philip Mackie and tidy direction by Robert Tronson, with some good well-planned scenes and well-written dialogue.

It’s also nice to see the then new Carlton Tower Hotel, with one excellent long scene at the restaurant there, with Montague and Cuthbertson plotting in an extended dialogue take. The hotel and it manager are thanked profusely at the start of the end credits, though this low-life murder thriller is hardly a good advert for it. On the other hand, it is a good advert for Jaguars, Lee Montague’s dazzling looking sports cars 1600 RW and 77 RW are two of the earliest E-Type Jaguars.

Maxine Audley also stars in the Edgar Wallace Mystery films Ricochet and Never Mention Murder.

The cast are Maxine Audley as Lydia Daney, Lee Montague as Tim Jordan, Allan Cuthbertson as Detective Superintendent Cowley, Terence Alexander as Johnny Time, Alfred Burke as Harry Stone, Nigel Green as Lew Daney, Nyree Dawn Porter as Mary Greer, Geoffrey Frederick as Detective Sgt Pepper, Geoffrey Lumsden as Stocker, Frank Forsyth as commissionaire, Steven Scott as Gallo, Keith Ashley as junior clerk, Howard Taylor as reception clerk, Nancy Roberts as barmaid, and Adrian Oker as waiter.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,324

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

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.

Crossroads to Crime (1960) and Seven Keys (1961) were not shot as part of the series but were later included. Urge to Kill (1960) may not originally have been intended as part of the series.

1. Urge to Kill (March 1960)
2. Clue of the Twisted Candle (September 1960)
3. The Malpas Mystery (October 1960)
4. Marriage of Convenience (November 1960)
5. The Man Who Was Nobody (December 1960)
6. Partners in Crime (February 1961)
7. The Clue of the New Pin (February 1961)
8. The Fourth Square (June 1961)
9. Man at the Carlton Tower (July 1961)
10. Clue of the Silver Key (August 1961)
11. Attempt to Kill (September 1961)
12. Man Detained (October 1961)
13. Never Back Losers (December 1961)
14. The Sinister Man (December 1961)
15. Backfire! (February 1962)
16. Candidate for Murder (February 1962)
17. Flat Two (February 1962)
18. The Share Out (February 1962)
19. Number Six (April 1962)
20. Time to Remember (July 1962)
21. Solo for Sparrow (September 1962)
22. Playback (September 1962)
23. Locker Sixty-Nine (September 1962)
24. Death Trap (October 1962)
25. The Set Up (January 1963)
26. Incident at Midnight (January 1963)
27. The £20,000 Kiss (January 1963)
28. On the Run (February 1963)
29. Return to Sender (March 1963)
30. Ricochet (March 1963)
31. The Double (April 1963)
32. To Have and to Hold (July 1963)
33. The Partner (September 1963)
34. Accidental Death (November 1963)
35. Five to One (December 1963)
36. Downfall (January 1964)
37. The Verdict (February 1964)
38. We Shall See (April 1964)
39. The Rivals (May 1964)
40. Who Was Maddox? (June 1964)
41. Face of a Stranger (September 1964)
42. Act of Murder (September 1964)
43. Never Mention Murder (November 1964)
44. The Main Chance (November 1964)
45. Game for Three Losers (April 1965)
46. Change Partners (July 1965)
47. Strangler’s Web (August 1965)
48. Dead Man’s Chest (October 1965)