''Dangerous Cargo'' is a 1954 British

second feature A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by John Harlow starring

Jack Watling Jack Stanley Watling (13 January 1923 – 22 May 2001) was an English actor. Life and career The son of a travelling scrap metal dealer, Watling trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts as a child; and made his stage debut in ''Where ...

, Susan Stephen and

Karel Stepanek Karel may refer to: People * Karel (given name) * Karel (surname) * Charles Karel Bouley, talk radio personality known on air as Karel * Christiaan Karel Appel, Dutch painter Business * Karel Electronics, a Turkish electronics manufacturer * Gr ...

. The film was produced by Stanley Haynes for

ACT Films The Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians (ACTT) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1933 and 1991. History The union was founded by technicians at the Gaumont British Studios in 1933 as th ...

. ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' crime reporter

Percy Hoskins Percy Kellick Hoskins (28 December 1904 – 5 February 1989) was the chief crime reporter for the British newspaper the ''Daily Express'' in the 1950s. He also provided stories for radio and television crime shows, such as ''Whitehall 1212''. Ho ...

provided the story.

Plot

Security man Tim Matthews works at London Airport. His wartime friend Harry, now a criminal working for master crook Pliny, forces him to reveal the details of the next gold shipment through the airport. Matthews' wife tells the police, who let the robbery plan unfold. When the gang get to the airport to steal the gold, the police are waiting.

Cast

as Tim Matthews * Susan Stephen as Janie Matthews *

as Pliny * Richard Pearson as Noel *

Terence Alexander Terence Joseph Alexander (11 March 1923 – 28 May 2009) was an English film and television actor, best known for his role as Charlie Hungerford in the British TV drama '' Bergerac'', which ran for nine series on BBC One between 1981 and 1991. ...

as Harry *

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation co ...

as Luigi *

Ballard Berkeley Ballard Blascheck (6 August 1904 – 16 January 1988), known professionally as Ballard Berkeley, was an English actor of stage and screen. He is best remembered for playing Major Gowen in the British television sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''. Life an ...

as Findley *

Genine Graham Genine Graham (9 December 1926, London – 11 May 1997, London) was an English actress. She trained at LAMDA, and played the title role of the mermaid ''Miranda'' in the original West End production of Peter Blackmore's play, later filmed with G ...

as Diana *

John Longden John Longden (11 November 1900 – 26 May 1971) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1926 and 1964, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Biography Longden was born in the West Indies, the son o ...

as Worthington *

Trevor Reid Trevor Reid (25 January 190816 April 1965) was an English actor. Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, UK. He acted in 47 films from 1938 to 1965. He died at age 57 in London. Selected filmography * ''Dangerous Cargo'' (1954) - Watson * ''M ...

as Watson * Arthur Rigby as Feathers * John H. Watson as Tomkins *

Arthur Mullard Arthur Ernest Mullard (né Mullord; 19 September 1910His obituary in ''The Times'' gives his date of birth as 10 November 1910 but conflicts with the birthdate given in his death registration. His year of birth appears as 1908, 1910, 1912 and 1 ...

as thug

Production

The film was shot at

Walton Studios Walton Studios, previously named Hepworth Studios and Nettlefold Studios, was a film production studio in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, England.London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

with sets designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Don Russell Dr Donald Russell is a former senior Australian public servant and administrator. He is currently the Chairman of AustralianSuper, Australia's largest superannuation fund. Education Don Russell has a PhD from the London School of Economics, a ...

Critical reception

Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...

'' wrote: "A rather pedestrian "crook " story of a familiar type. Susan Stephen, as Janie Matthews, engagingly makes the most of a flimsy part." ''

Kine Weekly ''Kinematograph Weekly'', popularly known as ''Kine Weekly'', was a trade paper catering to the British film industry between 1889 and 1971. History ''Kinematograph Weekly'' was founded in 1889 as the monthly publication ''Optical Magic Lantern a ...

'' wrote: "Compact, skilfully carpentered romantic crime melodrama. ... Warm domestic byplay neatly balances the rough stuff and, together with authentic detail, contributes to a happy, thrill-packed climax. Women, as well as men, should find the lively capsule easy to swallow and digest ... Jack Watling thoroughly convinces as the true-blue, though completely ingenuous Tim, Susan Stephen makes an engaging Jane, and Karel Stcpanck is in his clement as the evil Pliny. Supporting players, too, are natural, Colourful dog racing and nightclub sequences effectively punctuate tender fireside scenes, and contrast subtly underlines the moral of the salutary closely knit tale." In ''British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959'' David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Bright performances lift ordinary melodrama."

References

External links

*
''Dangerous Cargo''
a
ReelStreets
{{John Harlow 1954 films 1954 crime films British crime films Films directed by John Harlow Films set in London Films shot at Nettlefold Studios 1950s English-language films British black-and-white films 1950s British films