Highly watchable courtroom drama set in London .

Taxi driver, Tom Manning (Richard Attenborough), is led to an abandoned bomb-site by an eight-year-old girl as an April fool prank. The girl is later found murdered and Manning is picked up by Scotland Yard for questioning and is arrested and charged with murder.

The trial is scheduled for London’s Old Bailey. Manning’s wife, Jill (Cathy O’Donnell) , convinced he is innocent, fights for and wins the sympathy of Defence Solicitor, Peter Tanner (Derek Farr), and he is opposed at the trial by his father, prosecuting attorney Geoffrey Tanner (Ian Hunter).

The trial is presided over by Justice Harrington, whose wife is in hospital undergoing an operation. It soon becomes evident, following the testimony of prosecution witness Horace Clifford, that the evidence points to Manning’s guilt.

During a recess, Peter Tanner sees Clifford outside the courthouse, giving candy to a young girl.

Derek Farr identifies the candy as being the same brand as that found on the murdered girl. The judge’s wife has died, but the trial resumes with Tanner recalling Clifford for cross-examination.

This is a classic Black and White movie, that has been colorized.

It was filmed while Richard Attenborough was starring in the first run of Agatha Christie’s London West End play The Mousetrap, in which he appeared for two years.

The screenplay by Katherine Strueby and Guy Morgan is based on an original story by Gordon Harboard and Jack Roffey, in turn based on a true story.

It is shot at Shepperton Studios and on location in London.

It did well. On a budget of £49,216, the UK box office was £94,602, but it was the final film of the independent producer George King.

It was released by British Lion (UK) and Associated Artists (US).

ABOVE Richard Attenborough in the Colorised version

Solicitor Derek Farr meets Richard Attenborough.

ABOVE :Solicitor Derek Farr chats with Cathy O Donnell

ABOVE :Solicitor Derek Farr in action in the court room

 Eight O’Clock Walk (1954) Richard Attenborough in the dock


Eight O’Clock Walk (1954) 

They are not in the leading roles but two actors I like are in this one – Bruce Seton and Kynatson Reeves

Bruce Seton I will always think os as Fabian of the Yard in that classic fifties TV Series. He was great and just seemed t fit the part.

Kynaston Reeves will always be ‘Quelch’ to me in the role he took in the Billy Bunter series. Also much later he was in ‘Fiend Without a Face’ – great British Horror Film. Bit unfair really because he was an actor who was around a long time and was in so many TV and film productions as well as many Theatre roles

This Picture  ABOVE is one showing the BBC Studio for a ‘live’production of Billy Bunter. Just look how tight the whole thing is – to the right we have the boys in their room then behind that could be one of he school corridors – then on to the school room with a view through the window. To the left there looks to be the school garden or outside area even with small trees  and shrubs.  All seems to be done with two cameras.

The ABOVE  photograph was taken in Studio H of the Lime Grove Studios

The ABOVE Picture shows a scene which you can see was done at the Studio On the set above towards the left of the picture in the ‘outside’ area.

It shows Headmaster Quelch played by Kynaston Reeves on the floor with Billy Bunter Gerald Campion looking on.