
Private eye Slim Callaghan is summoned to the country home of a Colonel Stenhurst, but the latter is murdered before he can talk to the detective. Was one of the Colonel's three daughters responsible?
Release Date: 7/6/1948
Runtime: 91 minutes
Languages: English
Director: Vernon Sewell
00Companies: British National Films
Countries: United Kingdom
CinemaSerf
"Slim Callaghan" (Michael Rennie) is a PI with an habit of solving crimes using such unconventional methods as to annoy the police almost as much as he does the criminals. When a young woman drugs his Scotch at a night club, just as a would-be client tries to call him; then that same gent shakes off his mortal coil very shortly afterwards, his interest is well and truly piqued. Despite the protestations of one of the deceased man's three daughters, he heads to their home to investigate. Moira Lister, Faith Brook and Patricia Goddard play the daughters trying to manipulate the old man's will and one (or more) might be in cahoots with the dastardly Nigel Patrick ("Lucien"). The story is just too busy - too many threads that are only superficially developed and Nigel Patrick doesn't really quite fit his billing either. At times the narrative made me think I was listening to a radio play with pictures as there is a great deal of dialogue, and very little action until quite near the end when some of the duplicitous undercurrents come to the surface. The story is sound enough, but the film is just too stodgily delivered to remain engaging.

Michael Rennie
Slim Callaghan

Moira Lister
Corinne Alardyse

Faith Brook
Viola Alardyse

Joy Shelton
Effie
Patricia Goddard
Patricia Alardyse

Nigel Patrick
Lucien Donnelly

Paul Carpenter
Windy Nicholls

Barry Jones
Inspector Gringall

Sydney Tafler
Maysin
Roy Russell
Col. Jarvis Stenhurst
John England
Wilkie

Marie Ney
Honoria Wymering