Smokescreen **** (1964, Peter Vaughan, John Carson, Yvonne Romain, Gerald Flood) – Classic Movie Review 12,930

Smokescreen lobby card autographed by Deryck Guyler.

The attractive 1964 British crime thriller Smokescreen stars Peter Vaughan as a dogged insurance investigator trying to prove a car accident victim was actually murdered. It is rightly hailed as one of the last, and best, of the old-style British B-movies.

Writer/ director Jim O’Connolly’s attractive 1964 Butcher’s Film Service British black and white B-movie Smokescreen stars Peter Vaughan, John Carson, Yvonne Romain, Gerald Flood, and Glynn Edwards. It is rightly hailed as one of the last, and best, of the old-style British B-movies.

Smokescreen is a bright and lively crime mystery thriller, set in Brighton, about dogged insurance investigator Mr ‘Ropey’ Roper (Peter Vaughan)’s quest to prove that an apparent car accident victim was actually murdered. Or was it really an accident, or an insurance fraud?

Mr Roper’s insurance company is suspicious about the apparent death of a businessman, whose burning car was seen crashing over a cliff into the sea, because he had recently taken out a large life insurance policy. After his car is recovered, his body is nowhere to be found. Mmm, suspicious, that.

A strong cast of British B-film actors does its stalwart best to raise the level of what looks like mere filler material, and does so triumphantly. Peter Vaughan, totally relishing a very rare star role, and Glynn Edwards as calm and collected police Inspector Wright are tremendous. But the script is not just mere filler material. Jim O’Connolly gets the mood and tone just right, balancing the mystery with some gentle comedy and neat dialogue so the actors can shine. John Glyn-Jones as insurance company boss Player, Sam Kydd as the Grand Hotel hotel waiter, Deryck Guyler as the Station Master, Penny Morrell as company secretary Helen, and Barbara Hicks as insurance company secretary Miss Breen all light up their relatively brief scenes. The characters and plot are good enough to make this story seem brand new. It runs just 70 minutes.

Ah, and then, location, location! Much of the film was shot on location in West Sussex and East Sussex, including Brighton (West Pier, Grand Hotel), Seaford, Hellingly station, and the Michelham Priory Moat, with the brief opening scenes shot in London. This location shooting, shot in black and white by Jack Mills, does the film enormous favours, especially in retrospect. There is also studio shooting at Brighton Film Studios, though it all feels like it’s made on location.

The cast are Peter Vaughan as Mr ‘Ropey’ Roper, John Carson as Trevor Bayliss, Yvonne Romain as Janet Dexter, Gerald Flood as Graham Turner, Glynn Edwards as Inspector Wright, John Glyn-Jones as Player, Sam Kydd as hotel waiter, Deryck Guyler [billed as Derek Guyler] as Station Master, Penny Morrell as Turner’s secretary Helen, David Gregory as the Smudger, Jill Curzon as June, Barbara Hicks as insurance company secretary Miss Breen, Bert Palmer as barman, Tom Gill as reception clerk, Edward Ogden as Police Sergeant, Anthony Dawes as John Dexter, Romo Gorrara as Taxi Driver, Maja Hafernik as Mrs Dexter’s maid, Derek Francis as Dexter’s doctor, and Damaris Hayman as Mrs Roper’s nurse.

Jim O’Connolly went on to direct the trash classics Berserk (1967) and The Valley of Gwangi 1969).

Peter Vaughan [Peter Ewart Ohm] (4 April 1923 – 6 December 2016), made his film debut in 1959 in an uncredited role as a police officer in the 1959 remake of The 39 Steps. He continued to play small parts, including more policemen in Village of the Damned and The Victors, before his first starring role in Smokescreen.

Penny Morrell (4 February 1938 – 3 January 2020), who plays Turner’s secretary Helen, was married to George Cole from 1967 till his death in 2015.

Smokescreen is directed by Jim O’Connolly, runs 70 minutes, is made by Butcher’s Film Service, is released by Butcher’s Film Productions, is written by Jim O’Connolly, is shot in black and white by Jack Mills, is produced by John I Phillips and Ronald Liles, is scored by Johnny Gregory, and is designed by Peter Mullins.

Digitally remastered in a beautiful print in mint condition in 2009, it is on a double bill DVD with Jim O’Connolly’s flavourful 1963 Butcher’s Film Service British black and white B-movie crime thriller The Hi-Jackers.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 12,930

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