Man on the Run ** (1949, Derek Farr, Joan Hopkins, Edward Chapman, Laurence Harvey, Kenneth More) – Classic Movie Review 11,083

The 1949 black and white film noir Man on the Run is a humdrum British post-war thriller with a familiar plot, but it is given a little bit of a lift with decent acting and just a little flair.

Writer/ producer/ director Lawrence Huntington’s 1949 black and white film noir Man on the Run is a humdrum British post-war thriller with a familiar plot, but it is given a little bit of a lift with decent acting from the usual suspects and just a little flair in the writing and expertise in the direction.

Derek Farr stars as a British army deserter soldier, Sergeant Peter Burdon, who has gone AWOL as a fugitive in post-war Britain, goes into a pawn shop to cash in his army gun just when a robbery is happening, and gets mixed up with the gem thieves. He finds himself mistakenly wanted for murder and robbery but goes on the run from the police, and meets war widow shop assistant Jean Adams (Joan Hopkins), who helps him in his time of trouble and becomes his friend in need to try prove his innocence and find the real criminals.

Farr makes a reasonable central character, the reliable Edward Chapman gives a nice, solid  performance as the police inspector, as Chief Inspector Mitchell, and a couple of notable players on the way up in their careers – Laurence Harvey as the young copper Detective Sergeant Lawson and Kenneth More as the blackmailing soldier Corporal Newman – give neat little support turns. Indeed it is a very good cast worth checking out.

Also in the cast are John Stuart, Alfie Bass, Edward Underdown, Eleanor Summerfield, Howard Marion Crawford, John Bailey, Leslie Perrins, Kenneth More, Martin Miller, Anthony Nicholls, Valentine Dyall, Patrick Barr, Gerald Case, Cameron Hall, Howard Douglas, Lawrence Ray, Bruce Belfrage, Robert Adair, Charles Paton, Basil Cunard, Jack McNaughton, Virginia Winter, Margaret Goodman, Lalage Lewis, John Boxer, Roy Russell, and R Stuart Lindsell.

Man on the Run is directed by Lawrence Huntington, runs 82 minutes, is made by Associated British Picture Corporation, is released by Associated British-Pathe, is written by Lawrence Huntington, is shot in black and white by Wilkie Cooper and Arthur Graham, is produced by Lawrence Huntington, and is scored by Philip Green.

It is made at Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England.

Release dates: 20 May 1949 (London), 5 June 1949 (UK) and August 29, 1951 (US).

Small British films could make small profits back in those days. On a budget of £110,090, the the film earned £64,453 in the UK up to 1 April 1950, and the producer Lawrence Huntington took £35,947 of it. It apparently went on to earn £104,920 in the UK, and then there was the US release and worldwide too.

The cast are Derek Farr as Sergeant Peter Burden, alias Brown, Joan Hopkins as Jean Adams, Edward Chapman as Chief Inspector Mitchell, Laurence Harvey as Detective Sergeant Lawson, Howard Marion-Crawford as 1st paratrooper, Alfie Bass as Bert the barge mate, John Bailey as burglar Dan Underwood, John Stuart as Detective Inspector Jim McBane, Edward Underdown as burglar missing fingers Slim Elfey,  Leslie Perrins as Charlie the fence, Kenneth More as the blackmailer Corporal Newman, Martin Miller as café proprietor Tony, Cameron Hall as Reg Hawkins, Eleanor Summerfield as May Baker, Anthony Nicholls as Wapping station Inspector, Valentine Dyall as Army Judge advocate, Patrick Barr, Gerald Case, Cameron Hall, Howard Douglas, Lawrence Ray, Bruce Belfrage, Robert Adair, Charles Paton, Basil Cunard, Jack McNaughton, Virginia Winter, Margaret Goodman, Lalage Lewis, John Boxer, Roy Russell, and R Stuart Lindsell.

Derrick Capel Farr (7 February 1912 – 21 March 1986).

Derek Farr was of course one of the great Dereks. And yet his real name was Derrick Farr. He appeared regularly in British films and on TV from 1938 until his death on 21 March 1986, aged 74. His more famous films include Noose (1948), Murder Without Crime (1950), Young Wives’ Tale (1951) and The Dam Busters.

His second marriage was in 1947 to actress Muriel Pavlow, and they stayed married until Farr’s death. Muriel Pavlow died on 19 January 2019, aged 97.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,083

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