''Code of Scotland Yard'' is a 1947 British crime film directed by

George King George King may refer to: Politics * George King (Australian politician) (1814–1894), New South Wales and Queensland politician * George King, 3rd Earl of Kingston (1771–1839), Irish nobleman and MP for County Roscommon * George Clift King (184 ...

and starring

Oskar Homolka Oskar Homolka (August 12, 1898 – January 27, 1978) was an Austrian film and theatre actor, who went on to work in Germany, Britain and America. Both his voice and his appearance fitted him for roles as communist spies or Soviet officials, for w ...

Muriel Pavlow Muriel Lilian Pavlow (27 June 1921 – 19 January 2019) was an English actress. Her mother was French and her father Russian. Film and television career Muriel was born in Lewisham, south-east London, to Boris Pavlov, a Russian émigré and ...

and Derek Farr. It was originally released as ''The Shop at Sly Corner'', being based on the popular stage play of that title by

Edward Percy Edward Percy Smith (5 January 1891 – 25 May 1968) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom and a playwright under the name Edward Percy. Biography Born in Wandsworth, London, he was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) fo ...

Synopsis

A French antique dealer (Homolka) lives a comfortable life in London. He cares only for his daughter (Pavlow), who is trying to become a professional concert violinist. When his shop assistant (Griffith) discovers that much of his money comes from fencing stolen goods he attempts to

blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

the Frenchman.

Cast

as Descius Heiss * Derek Farr as Robert Graham *

as Margaret Heiss * Manning Whiley as Corder Morris *

Kathleen Harrison Kathleen Harrison (23 February 1892 – 7 December 1995) was a prolific English character actress best remembered for her role as Mrs. Huggett (opposite Jack Warner and Petula Clark) in a trio of British post-war comedies about a worki ...

as Mrs Catt *

Garry Marsh Garry Marsh (21 June 1902 – 6 March 1981) was an English stage and film actor. Born Leslie Marsh Gerahty in St Margarets, Surrey, his parents were George and Laura. His elder brothers were the author Digby George Gerahty and the journalist ...

as Major Elliot *

Kenneth Griffith Kenneth Griffith (born Kenneth Reginald Griffiths, 12 October 1921 – 25 June 2006) was a Welsh actor and documentary filmmaker. His outspoken views made him a controversial figure, especially when presenting documentaries which have been ca ...

as Archie Fellowes * Jan Van Loewen as Professor Vanetti *

Irene Handl Irene Handl (27 December 1901 – 29 November 1987) was a British author and character actress who appeared in more than 100 British films. Life Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the younger of two daughters of an Austria-born father ...

as Ruby Towser *

Johnnie Schofield Johnnie William Schofield (10 March 1889 – 9 September 1955) was a British actor, known for '' The Middle Watch'' (1948), ''Tawny Pipit'' (1944) and '' Melody of My Heart'' (1936). Early life John William Schofield was born on 10 March 1889 i ...

as Inspector Robson *

Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was p ...

as Mildred * Katie Johnson as Woman in Shop *

Vi Kaley Vi Kaley, (19 November 1878, Lambeth - 1967, Marylebone), was a British actress. She was married to Alfred Artois. Partial filmography * '' Lloyd of the C.I.D.'' (1932) * ''A Royal Demand'' (1933) * ''Gay Old Dog'' (1935) * '' The Man Without a F ...

as Flower Seller *

David Keir David Keir (1884–1971) was a British film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, rad ...

as Gentleman Customer * James Knight as Publican *

Eliot Makeham Harold Elliott Makeham (22 December 1882 – 8 February 1956) was an English film and television actor. Career Makeham was born in London, England. Between 1931 and 1956, Makeham appeared, primarily in character roles, in 115 films and in 1 ...

as Theatre Usher

Original play

The film was based on a play by Edward Percy, a Conservative MP. It debuted in London in May 1945. ''Variety'' called it "good theatre". It ran for over two years. The London production only cost $12,000 and made a sizeable profit for its investors. The play was produced on Broadway with

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...

in 1949 but only ran seven performances.

BBC TV version

The play was adapted for BBC TV in 1946.

Production

Film rights were bought by British Lion in May 1945. It would be one of the first three movies made by Alex Korda under his new deal with British Lion, the others being ''A Man about the House'' and ''Nightbeat''. Oscar Homolka was imported from the US to star. George King was to make ''A Lady was to Die'' but delayed that to make this movie. Filming started at 6 August 1946. It was shot at

Isleworth Studios Isleworth Studios is the common name of two former film studios in Great Britain. __TOC__ Worton Hall Studios 1913–1952 Worton Hall Studios were based on Worton Hall, in Isleworth. This house was built in 1783 and rebuilt and extended in the ea ...

. 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 and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

Bernard Robinson. It was the film debut of

. According to film reviewer Stephen Vagg, "The part was an ideal way to start out – the girlfriend of a slimy blackmailer – and Diana had 'it' from the start: looks, warmth, appeal." Muriel Pavlow and Derek Farr, who played lovers in the movie, were married shortly after filming.

Critical reception

''Variety'' reported that the "film gathers pace and is truly cinematic in the second half, but the first part is deadly slow and too explanatory without explaining much. More, too, should have been made of the romance between the two young lovers." ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporat ...

'' described it as an "interesting melodrama rich with character, thanks to the excellent performance by Homolka and a uniformly fine British cast."

References

External links

*
The Shop at Sly Corner
at Letterbox DVD
The Shop at Sly Corner
at BFI
Complete film
at Internet Archive {{George King 1947 films 1947 crime films British crime films Films directed by George King Films set in London Films shot at Isleworth Studios British black-and-white films Fiction about retailing 1940s English-language films 1940s British films