''Model for Murder'' is a 1959 British second feature ('B')

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by Terry Bishop and starring Keith Andes, Hazel Court and Jean Aubrey. It was written by Bishop and Robert Dunbar from a story by Peter Fraser.

Plot

American sailor David Martens, on shore leave in England, visits his brother Jack's grave. He meets fashion designer Sally Meadows, who by coincidence works with Jack's ex-fiancée, Diana, a model. Successful stylist Kingsley Beauchamp and financial backer and designer Madame Dupont own the company where Sally and Diana are employed. Expensive borrowed diamonds are to be worn by Diana when she models a new dress, but Beauchamp hires two men, Costard and Podd, to break into the safe after hours and steal the gems. Diana stumbles on the robbery, and Costard kills her with a knife. David is passing the studio and sees Diane collapse into the window with a knife in her back. He breaks in to help her, but Costard knocks him unconscious and is about to kill him, but Beauchamp decides to frame David for the theft by placing the murder weapon in his pocket and crashing a car with David inside, having reported it stolen. While the police make David a prime suspect, Beauchamp and Costard dispose of Diana's body and hide the diamonds. When David starts to suspect them, they decide to murder him using gas, but Sally saves him. She, her model sister Annabelle and Annabelle's photographer boyfriend George help David evade the police whilst he investigates. Diana's body is found in a river. David goes to Costard's home and discovers the missing dress worn by Diana; Costard had instructed her to burn it but she couldn't resist trying it on. The dress ties Costard to the murder. The police arrived and David, knowing that Beauchamp is about to fly to Amsterdam, hurries to the airport. Costard is there, being double-crossed while Podd smuggles the jewels on Beauchamp's behalf. The police arrive in time to arrest all three.

Cast

* Keith Andes as David Martens * Hazel Court as Sally Meadows * Jean Aubrey as Annabelle Meadows * Michael Gough as Kingsley Beauchamp *

Julia Arnall Julia Arnall (21 November 1928 – 8 November 2018) was a German-born British-based actress. Personal life Born Julia Ilse Hendrike Irmgard von Stein Liebenstein zu Bachfeld in 1928 in Munich, she spent her childhood in Berlin, where her fath ...

as Diana Leigh *

Patricia Jessel Patricia Helen Mary Jessel (15 October 1920 – 8 June 1968) was an English actress of stage, film and television. Biography Jessel was born in the then British Crown Colony of Hong Kong, only child of army captain Clement Edward Jessel an ...

as Madame Dupont * Peter Hammond as George * Edwin Richfield as Costard, chauffeur * Alfred Burke as Podd * Richard Pearson as Bullock *

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

as Freddie * Diane Bester as Tessa *

Howard Marion-Crawford Howard Marion-Crawford (17 January 1914 – 24 November 1969), was an English People, English character actor, best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes (1954 TV series), 1954 television adaptation of Sherlock Holmes ...

as Inspector Duncan *

Neil Hallett Neil Hallett (born John W. Neil; 30 June 1924 – 5 December 2004) was a Belgian-born English actor. His stage name was taken from a combination of his proper surname, Neil, and his grandmother's maiden name, Hallet. He began his acting care ...

as Sgt. Anderson * Barbara Archer as Betty Costard * Annabel Maule as hospital Sister *

Charles Lamb Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book '' Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764� ...

as lock keeper

Production

Filming took place on a three-week schedule at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of Pinewood Group, the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not ...

, and on location in London and

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

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: "This routine thriller leaves little to the imagination, and leans far too heavily on coincidence for its suspense mechanics to work satisfactorily." ''

Picturegoer ''Picturegoer'' was a fan magazine published in the United Kingdom between 1911 and 23 April 1960. Background The magazine was started in 1911 under the name ''The Pictures'' and in 1914 it merged with ''Picturegoer''. Following the merge it was ...

'' wrote: "The cast tackle their cardboard characters with some spirit." In ''British Sound Films'', David Quinlan wrote "Spirited cast can't do very much with very routine thriller."

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0051940 1959 films Films directed by Terry Bishop 1959 crime films British crime films Films set in London 1950s English-language films 1950s British films English-language crime films