''Candidate for Murder'' is a 1962

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

second feature A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, s ...

film directed by David Villiers and starring

Michael Gough Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer horror films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthur Holmwoo ...

Erika Remberg Erika Remberg (15 February 1932 – 10 November 2017) was an Austrian film actress. She appeared in 31 films between 1950 and 1970. She was born in Medan, Indonesia. Selected filmography * '' The Violin Maker of Mittenwald'' (1950) * '' Sal ...

Hans von Borsody Hans von Borsody (; 20 September 1929 – 4 November 2013) was a German film actor. Biography He was born in Vienna into an artistic family of Hungarian descent. His father Eduard was a film director, his uncle Julius a set designer.(in German ...

and

John Justin John Justin (24 November 1917 – 29 November 2002) was a British stage and film actor. Early life John Justinian de Ledesma was born in Knightsbridge, London, England, the son of a well-off Argentine rancher. Though he grew up on his father ...

. Part of the long-running series of

Edgar Wallace Mysteries The ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' is a British second-feature film series mainly produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 48 films in the series, which were released between 1960 and 1965. The series was screened as ''Th ...

films made at

Merton Park Studios Merton Park Studios, opened in 1929, was a British film production studio located at Long Lodge, 269 Kingston Road in Merton Park, South London. In the 1940s, it was owned by Piprodia Entertainment, Nikhanj Films and Film Producers Guild. Peter M ...

, it is based on a story by

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer of crime and adventure fiction. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was ...

Plot

Donald Edwards suspects his wife Helene of infidelity with barrister Robert Vaughan. He hires Kersten, a German assassin, to kill her, and delivers him from the airport to a country cottage. In the evening Kersten shows up uninvited at a party hosted by Helene, and arouses the suspicions of Helene and Vaughan. After the guests leave, Kersten surprises Helene, and points his gun at her. When Vaughan returns to Helene and Edwards' house he finds Helene gone, but Edwards there, who is acting suspiciously. The next day Edwards drives to the country to meet Kersten, who demands his payment. Edwards refuses until he has proof that his wife is dead. Kersten tells him he will return in three hours with the body. Meanwhile, Vaughn has tailed Edwards, and then follows Kersten back to the cottage, where Kersten coshes him and throws him into the cellar, where there appears to be a woman's body. Kersten and Edwards meet again and Kersten shows him a fake body, explaining that he suspected that Edwards had planned to kill him as the only witness to his wife's murder. He takes the money from Edwards, and tells him that his wife is safe in the cottage's cellar. Edwards shoots Kersten, and drives to the cottage, where he finds Vaughan and Helene, who have escaped from the cellar. Kersten appears, badly injured, and shoots Edwards just as he is about to shoot Vaughan. Kersten falls dead.

Cast

as Donald Edwards *

as Helene Edwards *

as Kersten *

as Robert Vaughan *

Paul Whitsun-Jones Paul Whitsun-Jones (25 April 1923 – 14 January 1974) was a Welsh character actor. Born in Newport in Monmouthshire, he was educated at Merchant Taylors' School in Northwood in Middlesex. He started his acting career in 1948 with two years a ...

as Phillips *

Vanda Godsell Nancy Evelyn Orchard (Birth name, née Godsell, formally Selway; 17 November 1922 – ), known professionally as Vanda Godsell, was an English actress. With a career that spanned 46 years, she was best known for her role as Katie Heenan in the B ...

as Betty Conlon *

Jerold Wells Jerold Wells (8 August 1908 – 19 July 1999) was an English actor. He was born in Wallington, Hampshire, and died in Bath, Somerset. He appeared primarily in British comedies. Films included ''Adventures of a Plumber's Mate'' and the TV-m ...

as police inspector * Annika Wills as Jacqueline * Victor Charrington as barman * Ray Smith as chauffeur * Norma Parnell as guest at party * Odette Nash as guest at party *

Gabriella Licudi Gabriella Licudi (born Gabrielle Carmen Stuttard, 14 September 1941 – 18 September 2022) was a British actress. Biography Born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, Licudi was the daughter of Northern Ireland-born naval engineer Wilfred James Stutta ...

as guest at party *

Pamela Greer Pamela Greer (born 7 March 1941) is a British actress, who is best known for her roles on television during the 1960s. In 1966, she changed her name to Luanshya Greer (taken from the name of the town where she was born) and became a writer fo ...

as guest at party * Richard Bidlake as guest at party * Mike Hall as guest at party *

Robin Phillips Robin Phillips OC (28 February 1940 – 25 July 2015) was an English actor and film director. Life He was born in Haslemere, Surrey in 1940 to Ellen Anne (née Barfoot) and James William Phillips. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic, where a ...

as guest at party

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: "One of the better Edgar Wallace thrillers, with a sustained and well-paced, if unoriginal, narrative and smooth technical credits."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 1729177, Candidate for Murder 1962 films British black-and-white films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films Merton Park Studios films Films based on British novels Edgar Wallace Mysteries