''The Embezzler'' is a 1954 British

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 Gilling John Gilling (29 May 1912 – 22 November 1984) was an English film director and screenwriter, born in London. He was known for his horror film, horror movies, especially those he made for Hammer Films, for whom he directed ''The Shadow of the ...

, and starring

Charles Victor Charles Victor (10 February 1896 – 23 December 1965) was a British actor who appeared in many film and television roles between 1931 and 1965. He was born Charles Victor Harvey. Born in Southport, Lancashire, England, Victor was a fourth ...

Zena Marshall Zena Moyra Marshall (1 January 1926 – 10 July 2009) was a British actress of film and television, who was born in Kenya. Early years Marshall was of English, Irish and (on her mother's side) French descent. Though born in Kenya, after her ...

and

Cyril Chamberlain Cyril Chamberlain (8 March 1909 – 5 December 1974) was an English film and television actor. He appeared in a number of the early ''Carry On'', ''Doctor'' and ''St. Trinian's'' films. Chamberlain was born on 8 March 1909 in London and died ...

. It was made as a

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 ...

shot at

Twickenham Studios Twickenham Studios (formerly known as Twickenham Film Studios) is a film studio in St Margarets, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, that is used by various motion picture and television companies. It was established in 1913 by Ralph ...

and on location around

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 ...

. The film's sets were 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 ...

C. Wilfred Arnold. The story concerns a bank cashier who steals cash from the bank where he is employed.

Plot

Henry Paulson, a quiet, respectable, henpecked, elderly bank cashier learns that he has only a couple of years left to live. He decides to embezzle money from the bank where he works and enjoy the rest of his days in South America. He books a train ticket at the travel agent and checks the itinerary of a ship and takes his suitcase to work on a quiet Friday afternoon hoping not to be discovered until Monday. Caught in the act by his boss returning unexpectedly, the embezzler locks his boss in his office and flees to a seaside hotel in

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

run by Mrs Larkin booking in under the name of Mr Laughton. There, he joins a group of residents including Mrs Forrest, who has problems of her own as she is being blackmailed by a former lover, Mr Johnson, recently released from prison. Johnson has tracked her down and booked into the same hotel. He thinks, as her husband is a GP, she will wish to hide her past. Johnson also tries to take advantage of fellow resident Miss Ackroyd, tricking her into giving him her string of pearls after deliberately snapping their thread. Paulson hears Johnson threaten Mrs Forrest and follows her to investigate. He gives her the money she needs to give to Johnson in exchange for her love letters. After passing him the money Johnson demands a further £100 for the photostat copies he has made. Johnson returns Miss Ackroyd her pearls but then tricks her out of a valuable ring and into withdrawing her savings from the bank. He says they are engaged. Meanwhile the serial numbers of the missing notes start to appear in town. Johnson works out who Paulson is and blackmails him too, demanding half his stolen money. They chat in Paulson's room and Johnson helps himself to whisky. Paulson poisons the whisky for Johnson's next visit. Johnson works out what has happened and runs off. He meets Dr Foster on the stairs and they fight just as the police arrive downstairs. The fight with Johnson brings on Paulson's heart condition, and he dies. Dr Forrest tells his wife that he already knew about Johnson before they married.

Cast

as Henry Paulson/Mr Laughton *

as Mrs Forrest *

as Alec Johnson *

Leslie Weston Leslie Weston (24 July 1896 – 13 October 1975) was a British actor who was also a radio and variety comedian. Selected filmography * ''Glamour Girl'' (1938) * '' They Drive by Night'' (1938) * ''Two for Danger'' (1940) * ''We Dive at Dawn' ...

as Piggott *

Avice Landone Avice Landone (1 September 191012 June 1976) was an English actress who appeared in British television and film. She was born in Quetta, British India, and made her screen debut in the 1948 film '' My Brother Jonathon''. From 1961 she co-starre ...

as Miss Ackroyd *

Peggy Mount Margaret Rose Mount OBE (2 May 1915 – 13 November 2001) was an English actress. As a child, she found acting an escape from an unhappy home life. After playing in amateur productions, she was taken on by a repertory company and spent nine yea ...

as Mrs Larkin * Michael Craig as Doctor Forrest *

Frank Forsyth Frank Forsyth (19 December 1905 – 2 May 1984), sometimes credited as Frank Forsythe, was an English actor, active from the 1930s. He was born on 19 December 1905 in London, England. He appeared in several TV programmes, including '' Department ...

(credited as Frank Forsythe) as Inspector Gale * Christopher Banks as Vicar (uncredited) *

Dennis Chinnery Dennis Chinnery (14 May 1927 – 29 February 2012) was a British actor, noted for his performances in television. Following National service in the navy, he studied acting at RADA, graduating in 1949. His theatre work included appearances at t ...

as Bank Clerk (uncredited) *

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

as Doctor (uncredited) * Alastair Hunter as Bank Manager (uncredited) *

Patrick Jordan Albert Patrick Jordan (10 October 1923 – 10 January 2020) was a British stage, film and television actor. Biography He was born and raised in Harrow, Middlesex, the son of Margaret, a cook, and Albert Jordan, a regimental sergeant major. An ...

as Police Sergeant (uncredited) *

Carole Lesley Carole Lesley (27 May 1935 – 28 February 1974), was a British actress who had a short but significant career as a "blonde bombshell". She was born Maureen Rippingale in Chelmsford, Essex, but ran away from home at the age of 16, "aiming to ...

as Tea Shop Waitress (uncredited) *

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British-Irish actor. His best-known roles were in two major British television series of the 1960s, as the smuggler Orlando O'Connor in '' Crane'' and its sequel ''Orlando''. He als ...

as Railway Inspector (uncredited) * Phyllis Morris as Mrs. Paulson (uncredited) * Ronnie Stevens as Travel Agent (uncredited) *

Martin Wyldeck Martin Wyldeck (11 January 1914 – 29 April 1988) was an English actor who played a wide range of parts over many years on stage, screen and TV. He also appeared in the first episode of the TV series '' Fawlty Towers'', as Sir Richard Morri ...

as 2nd Police Sergeant (uncredited)

Critical reception

Sky Movies Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema ...

calls the film a "fascinating British co-feature which supplied the elderly but excellent

(also a perfect Inspector Teal in ''

The Saint's Return ''The Saint's Return'' (released in the US as ''The Saint's Girl Friday'') is a British crime thriller film from 1953, produced by Hammer Film Productions in London. It premiered in London under the original title on 12 October 1953

'') with his only leading role, as an embezzler".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Embezzler, The 1954 films British crime films 1954 crime films Films directed by John Gilling Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios Films set in London Films shot in London 1950s English-language films British black-and-white films 1950s British films