''Flannelfoot'' is a 1953 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 combin ...

directed by

Maclean Rogers Maclean Rogers (13 July 1899 – 4 January 1962) was a British film director and screenwriter. Selected filmography Director * '' The Third Eye'' (1929) * '' The Mayor's Nest'' (1932) * '' Up for the Derby'' (1933) * ''The Crime at Blossoms'' ...

and starring Ronald Howard,

Mary Germaine Mary Germaine is an English film actress 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, radio, and telev ...

and

Jack Watling Jack Stanley Watling (13 January 1923 – 22 May 2001) was an English actor. Life and career The son of a travelling scrap metal dealer, Watling trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts as a child; and made his stage debut in ''Where ...

.Chibnall & MacFarlane p.119 It was made at Walton Studios. The film's sets were designed by

John Stoll John Stoll (13 December 1913 – 25 June 1990) was a British art director. He won an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film ''Lawrence of Arabia''. During the 1950s, he worked largely on low-budget British feature fi ...

. The film reflects the media interest in the notorious and elusive

cat burglar Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murde ...

of the 1930s Harry Edward Vickers who was nicknamed Flannelfoot because he would cover his boots with cloth to silence his footsteps. The title and the burglar's use of cloth on his boots are the only two resemblances between the actual case and the film's plot, with the latter instead mainly set in the early 1950s.

Plot

New Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London' ...

Inspector Duggan returns to duty, still suffering from memory loss after having a wall toppled on him in the American sector of post-war Berlin many years previously whilst trailing a jewel thief. He is assigned to the 'Flannelfoot' jewel-thief case, which bears many similarities to the thief in Berlin. Offering information on 'Flannelfoot' to the police, the ex-con informer 'Ginger' Watkins is turned away and instead takes it to Mitchell, a newspaper crime writer specialising in 'Flannelfoot', who advises him to take a job with Dr. Milligan, the owner of the car Watkins had seen 'Flannelfoot' driving. There Watkins tells Milligan about prison rumours of "Yank Peterson", the thief who had toppled the wall on Duggan, rumoured to be an American deserter with a talent for accents. Mitchell's employer Lord Wexford seeks advice from crime novelist Tyrone Fraser, father of Andy and Kathleen. Watkins informs both Mitchell and the police of a meeting Milligan has planned, but both their surveillance operations fail, with Milligan tipped off and Watkins murdered by 'Flannelfoot'. Wexford invites alcoholic Bill Neilson and his wife Angela to a house-party, asking him to bring his jewel collection as bait for 'Flannelfoot'. Wexford's daughter Renee reprimands her boyfriend Andy for getting too close to Angela - he excuses it as an attempt to get Angela's business for his car firm, but in fact he hopes to uncover evidence of the Neilsons being involved in the 'Flannelfoot' affair. 'Flannelfoot' steals jewels from the Wexford residence and murders a servant during his escape, hiding the body in Andy's car, where is found when Andy is pulled over by the police for speeding. Duggan arrests Andy, hoping this will cause the real 'Flannelfoot' to break cover. 'Flannelfoot' meets Milligan to fence Kathleen's jewels and recognises 'Miss Armitage', in fact Kathleen working undercover as Milligan's personal assistant. That night, Fraser disguises himself as 'Flannelfoot', steals some of Neilson's jewels and plants one beside Kathleen's car before hiding in it. Renee and Wexford discover the planted jewel and call in Duggan and his DS Fitzgerald, thinking the real 'Flannelfoot' has struck again and intends to murder Kathleen. Fraser reveals the ruse and the police arrest Milligan, who mentions that 'Flannelfoot' had an American accent. Among the jewels Milligan was planning to fence for 'Flannelfoot' Duggan sees one stolen in Berlin, restoring his memory of 'Yank Peterson'. The Neilsons plan to flee to France, but 'Flannelfoot' arrives and kills Bill, who had been employing him in Berlin and England to expand his collection of jewels and was the only man who could give him away. The police arrive and Fitzgerald manages to push 'Flannelfoot' from the roof, fatally injuring him and revealing him as Mitchell.

Cast

* Ronald Howard as Det. Sgt. Fitzgerald *

as Kathleen Fraser, Tyrone's daughter and Fitzgerald's love interest *

as Frank Mitchell, crime writer on The Comet *

Ronald Adam General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam, 2nd Baronet, (30 October 1885 – 26 December 1982) was a senior British Army officer. He had an important influence on the conduct of the British Army during the Second World War as a result of his long tenure ...

as Insp. Duggan * Stuart Lindsell as Lord Wexford, editor of The Comet * Gene Anderson as Renee Wexford, Lord Wexford's daughter *

Kim Peacock Kim Peacock (1901–1966) was born on 24 March 1901 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. He was an actor and writer, known for ''Midnight at the Wax Museum'' (1936), ''BBC Sunday-Night Theatre'' (1950) and ''Hit Parade'' (1952). He died on 26 Decem ...

as Tyrone Fraser, ex-writer on The Comet and crime novelist * Peter Hammond as Andy Fraser, Tyrone's son and Renee's boyfriend * Ronald Leigh-Hunt as Dr. Milligan, fence for 'Flannelfoot' *

Graham Stark Graham William Stark (20 January 1922 – 29 October 2013) was an English comedian, actor, writer and director. Early life The son of a purser on transatlantic liners,

as Ginger, ex-con and informer * Edwin Richfield as Bill Neilson, jewel collector * Alastair Hunter as Superintendent Carter *

Vanda Godsell Vanda Godsell (17 November 1922 – 2 April 1990) was an English actress. Hal Erickson writes in Allmovie, "Vanda Godsell specialised in playing disheveled housewives, busybody landladies and blowsy domestics." She appeared as Mrs Weaver in ...

as Angela Neilson, Bill's wife * Adrienne Fancey as Cynthia Leyland * Michael McCarthy as Hawkins * Diana Coupland as The Singer

References

Bibliography

* Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. ''The British 'B' Film''. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.

External links

* {{Maclean Rogers 1953 films British crime films 1953 crime films Films directed by Maclean Rogers Films shot at Nettlefold Studios Films set in Berlin Films set in London British black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films