They Can't Hang Me
| They Can't Hang Me | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Original British quad poster | |
| Directed by | Val Guest |
| Produced by | Roger Proudlock |
| Written by |
Val Guest Val Valentine |
| Based on | novel by Leonard Mosley |
| Starring |
Terence Morgan Yolande Donlan André Morell Ursula Howells |
| Music by | Stanley Black |
| Cinematography | Stanley Pavey |
| Edited by | Douglas Myers |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Independent Film Distributors (IFD) (UK) |
Release dates | October 1955 (UK) |
Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
They Can't Hang Me is a 1955 British drama film directed by Val Guest and starring Terence Morgan, Yolande Donlan and Anthony Oliver.[1] It was based on a novel by Leonard Mosley.[2]
Plot
A senior civil servant, Pitt (Morell) has been convicted of a murder and sentenced to death. Days before his execution, Pitt reveals that he has been passing on top secret information to an agent of a foreign power and offers to reveal the identity of his handler in exchange for a reprieve. With only five days before Pitt's execution, debonair Special Branch Inspector Ralph Brown (Morgan) takes on the task of identifying the spy before he flees the country.
The starring role of Brown was an unusual part for Morgan, who was better known in British film for playing villains and criminals.
Cast
- Terence Morgan - Inspector Ralph Brown
- Yolande Donlan - Jill Wilson
- Anthony Oliver - Inspector Newcombe
- André Morell - Robert Isaac Pitt
- Reginald Beckwith - Harold
- Ursula Howells - Antonia Pitt
- Guido Lorraine - Pietr Revski
- Basil Dignam - Wing Commander Riddle
- John Horsley - Assistant Commissioner
- Mark Dignam - Prison Governor
- Raymond Rollett - Sir Robert Rosper
- Fred Johnson - Professor Robinson-Heston
- Arnold Marlé - Professor Karl Kopek
- Barry Lowe - Private Eric Colter
- Richard Cuthbert - Judge
- Diana Lambert - Young Woman
Critical reception
Radio Times called the film "a minor Cold War thriller", adding, "(Val) Guest puts a neat (if downbeat) spin on events," and concluding, "the back-up cast is as solid as a rock, with Guest's wife Yolande Donlan putting in an effective appearance" ;[3] while TV Guide described it as "slightly more interesting than the normal run of British spy films, thanks to an unusually intelligent script." [4]
References
- ↑ "They Can't Hang Me (1955) - BFI". BFI.
- ↑ The Espionage Filmography.
- ↑ David Parkinson. "They Can't Hang Me". RadioTimes.
- ↑ "They Can't Hang Me". TV Guide.