''The Hornet's Nest'' is a 1955 British second feature ('B') crime comedy film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Paul Carpenter,

June Thorburn Patricia June Thorburn-Smith (8 June 1931 – 4 November 1967) was a popular English actress whose career was cut short by her death in an air crash. Early life Thorburn was born in Karachi, then part of British India. She was the eldest ...

, and

Marla Landi Marla Landi, Lady Dashwood (born Marcella Teresa Scarafia in 1933, Turin, Italy) is an Italian-born British film actress and television presenter. Career Landi's major roles included '' Across the Bridge'' (1957), '' Dublin Nightmare'' (1958), ...

. It was written by

Allan MacKinnon Allan MacKinnon (1912–1980) was a British screenwriter and also a writer of mystery novels from 1945 to 1965. Novels * Nine Days' Murder (1945) * Money on the Black (1946) * House of Darkness (1947; reprinted in paperback: 1948, 1982) * Map of ...

Plot

Thief Posh Peterson hides his loot of £20,000 worth of jewels under the floor boards of an abandoned

scow A scow is a smaller type of barge. Some scows are rigged as sailboat, sailing scows. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scows carried cargo in coastal waters and inland waterways, having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small ha ...

(named ''The Hornet's Nest'') moored in London's

Chelsea Embankment Chelsea Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and walkway along the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. The western end of Chelsea Embankment, including a stretch of Cheyne Walk, is in the Royal Borough of ...

, but he is captured and thrown in jail after assaulting someone. Two young models, Pat and Terry, rent the vessel as a

houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily for regular dwelling. Most houseboats are not motorized, as they are usually moored or kept stationary, fixed at a Berth (moorings), berth, and often tethered to ...

through Bob Bartlett, a friendly local salvage dealer acting as an intermediary for the rental agency. Upon his release, Posh and his accomplices, headed by Mr Arnold, attempt to recover the loot, but it is no longer under the floor boards. After several plot twists, Bartlett eventually brings the crooks to justice. Having observed all these events from their vantage point, two neighbouring elderly sisters, Becky and Rachael Crumb, end up with the goods, which they gift to the two models to help them claim the £2,000 reward money.

Cast

* Paul Carpenter as Bob Bartlett *

as Pat *

as Terry Savarese *

Alexander Gauge Alexander Gauge (29 July 1914 – 28 August 1960) was a British character actor best known for playing Friar Tuck in ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' from 1955 to 1959. Biography Gauge was born in a Methodist Mission station in Wenzhou, China ...

as Mr. Arnold *

Charles Farrell Charles David Farrell (August 9, 1900 – May 6, 1990) was an American film actor whose height was in the 1920s and 1930s and the Mayor of Palm Springs from 1947 to 1955. Farrell was known for his onscreen romances with actress Janet Gaynor ...

as Posh Peterson * Larry Burns as Alfie *

Christine Silver Christine Isie Silver (17 December 1883 – 23 November 1960) was a British stage, film and television actress, and a playwright. Early life Christine Isie Silver was born in 1883 (some sources give 1884) in Fulham, London, the daughter of Art ...

as Becky Crumb *

Nora Nicholson Nora Nicholson (7 December 1886 – 18 September 1973) was an English actress. Known for her portrayal of character roles, she achieved her greatest success in the later years of her career. She played in classics by Shakespeare and Chekhov and ...

as Rachael Crumb * Christopher Steele as vicar *

Jan Holden Valerie Jeanne Wilkinson (9 May 1931 – 11 October 2005) was an English actress known as Jan Holden, using her mother's maiden name as a stage name. In theatre she was known for her performances in light comedy and appeared in several tele ...

as Miss Wentworth * Ronnie Stevens as Bill, the photographer *

Max Brimmell Max Brimmell (25 June 1920 in London – 17 February 1997 in Sussex) was a British actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in t ...

as Staines * Colin Douglas as Martin * Wilfred Fletcher as Woolgar *

Trevor Reid Trevor Reid (25 January 190816 April 1965) was an English actor. He was born in Liverpool, the son of David Reid and Grace Adelaide (née Thomas) at 25 Cheltenham Avenue near to Sefton Park. After leaving school he worked for four years at the L ...

as Detective Sergeant Filson * Gaylord Cavallaro as Humphrey Holder *

Anita Bolster Anita Sharp-Bolster (28 August 1895 – 1 June 1985) was an Irish actress who appeared in 88 films and 12 TV series from 1928 to 1978. She was sometimes billed as Anita Bolster. Early life She was born 28 August 1895 in Glenlohane, Kanturk ...

as Miss Anderson * Stuart Nichol as publican (uncredited)

Critical reception

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

'' wrote: "Comedy thriller of a modest and unsophisticated type, with a pleasant performance from Paul Carpenter and amusing '' Arsenic and Old Lace'' style playing by Christine Silver and Nora Nicholson as the Misses Crumb." ''

Kine Weekly ''Kinematograph Weekly'', popularly known as ''Kine Weekly'', was a trade paper catering to the British film industry between 1889 and 1971. Etymology The word Kinematograph was derived from the Greek ' Kinumai ', (to move, to be in motion, to ...

'' wrote: "The picture, typically English in design and execution, seldom hurries, but, nevertheless, mixes popular romance, artless humour and wholesome rough stuff effectively and culminates on a showmanlike note." In ''British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959'' David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Weak comedy-thriller on ''Arsenic and Old Lace'' lines."

References

External links

*
''The Hornet's Nest''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hornet's Nest, The 1955 films 1950s crime comedy films British black-and-white films British comedy films British detective films British police films British thriller films Films directed by Charles Saunders Films set in London Films shot in London Films shot at Riverside Studios 1950s English-language films 1950s British films Films scored by Edwin Astley English-language crime comedy films