On the Run *** (1963, Emrys Jones, Sarah Lawson, Patrick Barr, Delphi Lawrence, Kevin Stoney) – Classic Movie Review 13,339

The 1963 British Edgar Wallace Mystery crime thriller film On the Run stars Emrys Jones as a model prisoner who escapes from jail, with outside help from a criminal bookie who is trying to get his hands on hidden bonds.

Director Robert Tronson’s 1963 British Edgar Wallace Mystery crime thriller film On the Run stars Emrys Jones, Sarah Lawson, Patrick Barr, Kevin Stoney, and Delphi Lawrence. There’s a good, solid screenplay by Richard Harris, based on a story by Edgar Wallace, though he’s having trouble cramming a quart into a pint pot.

It is of course part of the 48 film series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios, South London.

Emrys Jones stars as model prisoner Frank Stewart, convicted for burglary, who escapes from jail with outside help from Jock Mackay (William Abney), an associate of his criminal bookie boss Wally Lucas (Kevin Stoney), who plans to track down Stewart to know the location of some hidden stolen bonds. Stewart goes into hiding, but is helped by model agency owner Helen Carr (Sarah Lawson). Wally Lucas has taken up with Stewart’s greedy, unfaithful wife Yvonne (Delphi Lawrence). Stewart has lost contact with his grown-up daughter Jean (Katy Wild) but seeks her out.

On the Run is a straight thriller film with no mystery, but an elaborate, satisfying low-life dishonour among thieves plot. It starts well with the robbery that lands the crooks inside in the first place, three years earlier. Philip Locke is quite chilling as Frank Stewart’s fellow criminal Dave Hughes, and it is very disappointing that he doesn’t reappear in the story.

The long middle section maintains interest and tension, with a lot of incident carefully packed in and well delivered.

It ends abruptly, with too much plot in just 57 minutes of running time, and leaves the rest of the story to the audience’s imagination. It is like they tore off and threw away the last few pages of the script, but it still works anyway.

The coppers on the case are a double act this time, and an unusual one: Patrick Barr as older, wiser and nicer Sergeant Brent and Garfield Morgan as his younger, mean boss Inspector Meredith. This is quite entertaining but doesn’t really get anywhere. The police are marginalised and always several steps behind the story, so they don’t even need to be there. The prison bosses are a double act too, and a promising one: Richard Warner as the Prison Governor and Brian Wilde as Chief Warder. But they get forgotten about quite quickly and don’t even need to be there either.

Emrys Jones is very sympathetic as the main ‘hero’, and so is Sarah Lawson as the gracious woman who helps him, giving the rather dark film a bit of heart and soul. Kevin Stoney, who usually played establishment types, is very effective as the stony main villain. Ken Wayne is tough as nails as Stoney’s violent henchman Bryce. There’s a bit of violence and action in the film! William Abney and Delphi Lawrence are both good actors, and welcome here, but struggle with their ‘Scottish; and ‘French’ accents, neither of which are actually needed.

Anyway, it’s an excellent cast, rather well employed.

The exterior filming is sparing, but used to considerable advantage.

The cast are Emrys Jones as Frank Stewart, Sarah Lawson as Helen Carr, Patrick Barr as Brent, Delphi Lawrence as Yvonne, Kevin Stoney as Wally Lucas, William Abney as Jock Mackay, Katy Wild as Jean Stewart, Philip Locke as Dave Hughes, Richard Warner as Prison Governor, Brian Haines as Vance, Garfield Morgan as Meredith, Brian Wilde as Chief Warder, Ken Wayne as Bryce, and Bee Duffell as nosy neighbour Mrs Thomas.

Sarah Lawson (6 August 1928 – 18 August 2023)

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,339

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)