''The Flanagan Boy'' (released in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as ''Bad Blonde'') is a 1953 British second feature ('B')

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

directed by

Reginald Le Borg Reginald LeBorg (born Harry Gröbel; 11 December 1902 – 25 March 1989) was an Austrian-American film director. He directed 68 films between 1936 and 1974. Film career In 1934, he moved to Hollywood, California to seek employment as a scre ...

. It was made by

Hammer Film Productions Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve classi ...

and stars

Barbara Payton Barbara Lee Payton (née Redfield; November 16, 1927 – May 8, 1967) was an American film actress best known for her stormy social life and battles with alcohol abuse and drug addiction. Her life has been the subject of several books, includi ...

, Tony Wright,

Frederick Valk Frederick Valk (10 June 1895 – 23 July 1956) was a German-born stage and screen actor of Czech Jewish descent who fled to the United Kingdom in the late 1930s to escape Nazi persecution, and subsequently became a naturalised British citizen. ...

and

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a South African–British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. Noted for his distinctive laugh, he was best known for numerou ...

. The sceenplay was by

Guy Elmes Guy Elmes (22 July 1920 – December 1998) was a British screenwriter. He served in the navy during World War Two with Louis Mountbatten and broke into films through his script ''The Planter's Wife'' which was filmed by Ken Annakin, who used Elm ...

and Richard H. Landau based on the 1949 novel of the same name by

Max Catto Maxwell Jeffrey Catto (29 July 1907 – 12 March 1992) was born Mark Finkell in Manchester, England and was an English playwright and novelist. Writing career Catto wrote adventure novels and dramas for more than four decades and also wrote under ...

. Jimmy Sangster was assistant director. Robert Lippert supplied Hammer with both an American director (Reginald LeBorg) and an American star (Barbara Payton). Filming began on Sept. 25, 1952 and finished on Oct. 19th, and the film was trade shown in the UK on June 20, 1953. It was released first in the US on April 10, 1953 (as ''Bad Blonde'') and later in the UK in July, 1953.

Plot

Shady promoter Sharkey spots young boxer Johnny Flanagan in a fairground booth fight and takes him under his wing, in an attempt to launch a comeback into prizefighting. He secures the backing of wealthy Italian Giuseppe Vecchi, but problems arise when Flanagan becomes romantically involved with Vecchi's wife Lorna. Falsely claiming to be pregnant with his child, Lorna persuades Flanagan to drown Vecchi and make it look like an accident. Vecchi's family arrives from Italy for the funeral, and his old mother acts as if she knows her son was murdered. Lorna later admits that the pregnancy was faked, and a guilt-ridden Johnny tells Lorna he's going to confess what they did to the police. Johnny is poisoned by Lorna, who makes it appear a suicide. Sharkey knows Lorna murdered Johnny and takes revenge on her, turning her over to the police.

Cast

* Tony Wright as Johnny Flanagan *

as Lorna Vecchi *

as Giuseppe Vecchi * John Slater as Charlie Sullivan *

as Sharkey *

Marie Burke Marie Burke (born Marie Rosa Altfuldisch, later Holt, 18 October 189421 March 1988) was an English actress of stage, cinema and television. She appeared in over 40 films between 1917 and 1971, and appeared in TV series between 1953 and 1969. ...

as Mother Vecchi * Selma Vaz Dias as Mrs. Corelli, Vecchi's sister * Enzo Coticchia as Mr. Corelli Barbara payton from 1953 Bad Blonde

Production

It was the first film of note for Tony Wright. He was convincing as a fighter having been an amateur boxer in the British Navy and receiving coaching from Len Harvey, a former British heavyweight.

Reception

In a contemporary reviews, ''

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 ...

'' said "Exuberant murder melodrama, containing prominent sex overtones and a fight racket fringe. ... Elegant and apposite settings appropriately complete the rugged mixture of fisticuffs, romance and crime. A meaty dish, it's bound to go down with the crowd." ''

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 "A lurid little melodrama, with toughly realistic portraits of boxing world characters, a solid performance by Frederick Valk as Vecchi, and Barbara Payton as a flashy sex-menace. Made in England by an American director, the film copies American 'B' models quite competently and unpleasantly." ''Variety'' wrote: "Lower-grade dualler toplining Barbara Payton. ... Footage is a hodge-podge of trite melodrama, unbelievable dialog and poor thesping." In ''British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959'' David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Lurid stuff, quite strongly made."

Leslie Halliwell Robert James Leslie Halliwell (23 February 1929 – 21 January 1989) was a British film critic, encyclopaedist and television rights buyer for ITV, the British commercial network, and Channel 4. He is best known for his reference guides, '' Fi ...

called the film: "Competent British imitation of an American B movie."

Retrospective appraisal

The ''Bad Blonde''/''Flanagan Boys low-budget pedigree is evident, and attributable to Hammer studio's "draconian cost-consciousness," according film historian Wheeler W. Dixon. Terming the film "a routine tale of murder and romantic betrayal" he adds: Dixon merits

, famous for his ''

Carry On Carry On may refer to: Film * ''Carry On'' (film), a 1927 British silent film * ''Carry On'' (franchise), a British comedy media franchise *''Carry-On'', a 2024 American action thriller film Music Albums * ''Carry On'' (Chris Cornell album) * '' ...

'' material, as "easily the best thing about the film."Dixon, 1992 p. 32

Notes

References

* Dixon, Wheeler Winston. 1992. ''The Films of Reginald LeBorg: Interviews, Essays, and Filmography.'' Filmmakers No. 31 ''

The Scarecrow Press Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an American independent academic publishing company founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns t ...

'', Metuchen, New Jersey.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flanagan Boy 1953 films 1953 crime drama films Films about adultery in the United Kingdom British black-and-white films British crime drama films Films based on British novels Films directed by Reginald Le Borg Film noir Films shot in Berkshire Hammer Film Productions films Lippert Pictures films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films Films scored by Ivor Slaney English-language crime drama films