The Six Men ** (1951, Harold Warrender, Olga Edwardes, Peter Bull, Michael Evans) – Classic Movie Review 13,410

Vandyke Productions’ 1951 British second feature crime film The Six Men stars Harold Warrender and Michael Evans as Scotland Yard detectives baffled by a gang’s daring crimes.

Director Michael Law’s 1951 British second feature crime film The Six Men stars Harold Warrender, Olga Edwardes, Peter Bull, and Michael Evans. The screenplay is written by Reed De Rouen (who also has an acting role a as Lewis), Richard Eastham and the film’s director Michael Law, based on a story by E Radford and M A Radford.

Posh-speaking, nicely suited Scotland Yard detectives Superintendent Holroyd (Harold Warrender) and his daft eager assistant Hunter (Michael Evans) are baffled by The Six Men’s daring and mystifying crimes in this busy, involvingly plotted but weakly scripted little British support thriller. The story is better than the screenplay, with some lame and silly dialogue. A blind informant (Louis Wiechert as the Mole), an actress (Olga Edwardes as Christina Frazer) and a nightclub lead to the vital the clues detectives need to try to bring the gang to justice.

The Six Men is perhaps not by any means great – it is a very low budget B-film after all – but it is surprisingly watchable and entertaining in its funny peculiar kind of way, and helped by some pleasant enough performances. There is a quirky, overwrought score by the mysterious Hans Gunther Stumpf, aka Günther Stümpf, to distract attention from some weaker moments in the film. The production is very B-movie, but it doesn’t look too bad for all that, with attempts at noir cinematography by by S D Onions to try to cover the cheap sets.

It is made by the independent Vandyke Productions at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, with location shooting around London.

Release date: August 1951.

Peter Bull says in his memoirs the film was shot in 10 days.

Avril Angers, who appears as herself, has ‘A Guest Appearance of Avril Angers’ credit.

The British film production company Vandyke Productions was founded by the brothers Nigel and Roger Proudlock in 1947 and operated till 1956, making B films for the bottom half of double bills.

The cast

The cast are Harold Warrender as Superintendent Holroyd, Olga Edwardes as Christina Frazer, Peter Bull as Walkeley, Avril Angers as herself, Desmond Jeans as Colonel, Michael Evans as Hunter, Ivan Craig as Wainwright, Reed De Rouen as Lewis, Christopher Page as Johnny the Kid, Louis Wiechert as the Mole, Judith Furse as Captain Emsley, Michael O’Halloran as Assistant Commissioner, and Macdonald Parke as McGraw.

The Six Men is directed by Michael Law, runs 65 minutes, is made by Vandyke Productions and Planet Film Productions, is released by Eros Films (UK), is written by Michael Law, Reed De Rouen and Richard Eastham, is shot in black and white by S D Onions, is produced by Roger Proudlock, and is scored by Hans Gunther Stumpf [billed as Günther Stümpf].

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,410

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