''The Floating Dutchman'' is a 1952 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

Vernon Sewell Vernon Campbell Sewell (4 July 1903 – 21 June 2001) was a British film director, writer, producer and, briefly, an actor. Sewell was born in London, England, and was educated at Marlborough College. He directed more than 30 films during his c ...

and starring

Dermot Walsh Dermot Walsh (10 September 1924 – 26 June 2002) was an Irish stage, film and television actor, known for portraying King Richard the Lionheart in the 1962 television series '' ''Richard the Lionheart'. Early life Born in Dublin, Walsh was t ...

Sydney Tafler Sydney Tafler (31 July 1916 – 8 November 1979) was an English actor who after having started his career on stage, was best remembered for numerous appearances in films and television from the 1940s to the 1970s. Personal life Tafler was bor ...

and

Mary Germaine Mary Germaine is an English film actress. Filmography References External links * 1933 births English film actresses People from Westcliff-on-Sea Living people Actresses from Essex 20th-century English actresses {{England-a ...

. It was known as ''Clue for a Corpse'' on U.S. TV. The film was an early product of

Merton Park Studios Merton Park Studios, opened in 1929, was a British film production studio located at Long Lodge, 269 Kingston Road in Merton Park, South London. In the 1940s, it was owned by Piprodia Entertainment, Nikhanj Films and Film Producers Guild. Peter Morl ...

, a British company best known for its

Edgar Wallace Mysteries The ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' is a British second-feature film series mainly produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 48 films in the series, which were released between 1960 and 1965. The series was screened as ''The E ...

of the 1960s. Its plot involves Dermot Walsh as a Scotland Yard detective who goes undercover amongst jewel thieves after a dead Dutchman is found floating in the river. It is based on a 1950 novel of the same title by Nicholas Bentley. The title is a pun on the famous ship, the ''

Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' ( nl, De Vliegende Hollander) is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the seven seas forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dut ...

''.

Plot

A dead Dutchman is found floating in the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. The police know he has been missing for a week and was connected to a notorious

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 ...

fence. Philip Reid, a musician, is ejected from a club owned by Mr Skinner for being drunk on the job, and put in a taxi. Mr James who had been talking to Skinner follows him out and joins him in the taxi with his sister Rose, who is a hostess at the club. At his flat he informs Philip that he was flashing a stolen cigarette case in the club. Back in the club Skinner opens his wall safe and removes the items stolen a week before: but one item, the gold cigarette case, is missing - the item Philip had. He tries to deal with Otto, a Jewish fence, who ultimately offers £1000 for the jewels. Later Mr Skinner gets Philip to give the cigarette case back. James gradually gains the confidence of Skinner, playing the role of a jewel thief. Skinner's sidekick "Snow" White still doesn't trust him. It is revealed that Skinner has a contact, Rufo, in a posh restaurant nearby, and Skinner gets told when they are in that restaurant so Skinner can rob them. They get a name and Skinner asks James to help them rob the exclusive apartment. The maid disturbs them and they tie her up. James has informed the police and Skinner is arrested, but Snow White is somewhere in the building. Snow White works out that they were betrayed and goes back to the club. He takes Rose to his flat, where she manages to call James and tells him to hurry there. Meanwhile Skinner escapes from jail. When Snow White hears someone coming in he presumes it is James and turns off the light. He throws a knife at the figure entering - but it is Skinner.

Cast

as Alexander James *

as Victor Skinner *

as Rose Reid * Guy Verney as "Snow" White * Hugh Morton as Inspector Cathie *

James Raglan James Raglan (6 January 1901 – 15 November 1961) was a British stage, film and television actor. In Australia Early in 1935 he was brought out to Australia with the Gabriel Toyne company by J. C. Williamson, playing ''Laburnum Grove'' and ...

as Mr. Wynn * Nicholas Bentley as Collis *

Arnold Marlé Arnold Marlé (15 September 1887 – 21 February 1970) was a German actor who appeared largely in British films and television programmes. Stage work His theatre work included appearances on the London stage, and a year-and-a-half-long run on Br ...

as Otto *

Derek Blomfield Derek Blomfield (31 August 1920 – 23 July 1964) was a British actor who appeared in a number of stage, film and television productions between 1935 and his death in 1964. Career He trained at LAMDA and made his first stage appearance at ...

as Philip Reid *

Howard Lang Howard Lang (born Donald Yarranton; 20 March 1911 – 11 December 1989) was an English actor known for playing Captain William Baines in the BBC nautical drama ''The Onedin Line''. Early life Lang was born in Marylebone, London, the son of Edw ...

as Police Gaoler

Critical reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

called the film a "below average crime drama." *BFI

Screenonline Screenonline is a website about the history of British film, television and social history as documented by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute and funded by a £1.2 million grant from the National Lot ...

noted the film began, "with an opening sequence that anticipates Hitchcock's

Frenzy ''Frenzy'' is a 1972 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is the penultimate feature film of his extensive career. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer was based on the 1966 novel ''Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Squar ...

(1972)."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Floating Dutchman, The 1952 films 1952 crime films Films directed by Vernon Sewell Films based on British novels British crime films British black-and-white films Films scored by Eric Spear Films set in London 1950s English-language films 1950s British films