''Countdown to Danger'' is a 1967

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 ...

children's adventure film directed and written by Peter Seabourne and starring David Macalister, Paul Martin, Angela Lee and

Penny Spencer Penny Spencer is a British actress, remembered for her performance as coquettish schoolgirl Sharon Eversleigh in the LWT television comedy series ''Please Sir!'' (1968–1970). Early life She attended Coombe Girls School in New Malden, Surrey. ...

. It was produced by A. Frank Bundy for the

Children's Film Foundation The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) is a non-profit organisation which makes films and other media for children in the United Kingdom. Originally it made films to be shown as part of children's Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. Th ...

Plot

While on holiday in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

, young Tony falls into a cave through the roof of an old store of German wartime mines and accidentally activates one of them, which starts its countdown, ticking towards detonation. Knowing he is trapped, his friends Sue, Mike and Sandie enlist the help of Bomb Disposal Officer Captain Wright, also on holiday on the islands. Wright is unable to enter the store so talks Tony through deactivating the mine, racing against time.

Cast

* David Macalister as Mike * Paul Martin as Tony * Angela Lee as Sandie *

as Sue *

Richard Coleman Richard Coleman (20 January 1930 – 16 December 2008) was a British film, television and stage actor. Early life Richard Coleman was born Ronald Coleman in Peckham, London in 1930. He was educated at Wilson's Grammar School, Peckham. Af ...

as Captain Wright *

Lane Meddick Leonard John Meddick (18 March 1924 – 1 January 2017), known professionally as Lane Meddick, was a British actor, journalist and writer. Early life and career Meddick was born on 18 March 1924 in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales. He died on 1 January ...

as Sergeant Thompson * Frank Williams as Harry

Release

As well as being shown theatrically, it was also broadcast as part of the American TV series ''

CBS Children's Film Festival ''CBS Children's Film Festival'' (also known as ''CBS Children's Hour'') is a 1967–1984 television series of live action films from several countries that were made for children (several of them dubbed into English). Originally a sporadi ...

'' (1967–1984).

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: "Junior league version of the bomb disposal suspense set-up, authentically filmed on Channel Island locations. After setting the scene with some brief instruction on the mechanism of mines, the film develops into a simple exercise in tension, dramatic enough to keep most children on the edge of their seats." ''

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 ...

'' wrote: "This is a rather more adult story than some made for the CFF and it has quite a gripping line in suspense. ... Except for certain obvious simplifications of the plot, this could pass as a supporting feature in most situations. The dangerous situation that the lad Tony gets into is quite plausible and the subsequent rescue operations (with the mine ticking away ominously) mount a sufficiently holding degree of tension. There is s light relief in the form of an amiable but inefficient local inhabitant and the colour photography of the island has a quietly pleasant charm. ... The explosions are impressive." ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' wrote: "Just for the kids".

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title , id=0294020 , title=CBS Children's Film Festival 1967 films British black-and-white films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films Children's Film Foundation British children's adventure films