''The Body Said No!'' is a 1950 British

crime comedy Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...

film directed and written by

Val Guest Val Guest (born Valmond Maurice Grossman; 11 December 1911 – 10 May 2006) was an English film director and screenwriter. Beginning as a writer (and later director) of comedy films, he is best known for his work for Hammer Film Productions, ...

and starring

Michael Rennie Michael Rennie (born Eric Alexander Rennie; 25 August 1909 – 10 June 1971) was a British film, television and stage actor, who had leading roles in a number of Hollywood films, including his portrayal of the space visitor Klaatu in the ...

Yolande Donlan Yolande Donlan (June 2, 1920December 30, 2014) was an American-born British-based actress who worked extensively in the United Kingdom. Early life and career Donlan was the Jersey City, New Jersey-born daughter of James Donlan, a character ...

, and

Hy Hazell Hyacinth Hazel O'Higgins (4 October 1921 – 10 May 1970), stage name Hy Hazell, was a British actress of theatre, musicals and revue as well as a contralto singer and film actress. AllMusic described her as "an exuberant comic actor and lively ...

. It was shot at

Walton Studios Walton Studios, previously named Hepworth Studios and Nettlefold Studios, was a film production studio in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, England.Eros Films Eros Films was a British film distribution and, later, production company, in operation from May 1947 to June 1961. It was founded by three brothers: Philip, Sydney, and Michael Hyams. Hyams Bros The Hyams' father was a Russian immigrant baker, ...

Plot

In a British TV studio, Michael Rennie (as himself) is performing live in a dramatic broadcast. On a neighbouring set, cabaret singer Mikki Brent thinks she sees a coded plot being discussed to murder Rennie. Her friends are sceptical, but she warns Rennie, and various adventures and investigations ensue.

Cast

as The Body *

as Mikki Brent *

as Sue *

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996), known professionally as Jon Pertwee, was an English actor. Born into a theatrical family, he became known as a comedy actor, playing Chief Petty Officer Pertwee (and three other roles) in ...

as Watchman *

Valentine Dyall Valentine Dyall (7 May 1908 – 24 June 1985) was an English character actor. He worked regularly as a voice actor, and was known for many years as "The Man in Black", the narrator of the BBC Radio horror series '' Appointment with Fear'' ...

as John Sutherland *

Reginald Beckwith William Reginald Beckwith (2 November 190826 June 1965) was an English film and television actor, who made over one hundred film and television appearances in his career. He died of a heart attack aged 56. Beckwith was also a film critic and ...

as Benton * Arthur Hill as Robin King *

Cyril Smith Sir Cyril Richard Smith (28 June 1928 – 3 September 2010) was a British Liberal Party and Liberal Democrat politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochdale from 1972 to 1992. Smith was first active in local politics as ...

as Sergeant * Jack Billings as Eddie *

Peter Butterworth Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915Joyce Heron Elizabeth Joyce Heron (6 November 1916 – 1 April 1980) was a British stage, film and television actress. She was a West End stage star from 1937, and was married to the actor Ralph Michael. Filmography * ''Premiere'' (1938) - Dancer * '' Wo ...

as Journalist *

Winifred Shotter Winifred Florence Shotter (5 November 1904 – 4 April 1996) was an English actress best known for her appearances in the Aldwych farces of the 1920s and early 1930s. Initially a singer and dancer in the ensembles of musical comedies, Shotte ...

as TV Announcer * Eddie Vitch as Diner * Ivan Craig as Derek * Barry O'Neill as Constable * Jack Faint as Anton *

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British actor. Most of his film roles were very small but he appeared in more than 290 films, more than any other British actor, including 119 between 1946 and 1952. His best-known ro ...

as Sam

Production

The film was written as a vehicle for Yolande Dolan. She was reunited with Michael Rennie who had appeared with her in ''

Miss Pilgrim's Progress ''Miss Pilgrim's Progress'' is a 1949 black-and-white British comedy film by producer Nat Cohen and director Val Guest. Plot Laramie Pilgrim is an American exchange factory worker who trades places with an upper class British girl. After much ad ...

'' (1949).

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: "Cabaret numbers help to fill out the slim material, and Yolande Donlan as the dizzy girl provides her own brand of accomplished comedy." ''

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: "The picture, staged in authentic atmosphere, introduces cabaret turns without lessening tension. The bright and colourful asides not only prevent thc basic joke from being overplayed, but enable t!ie star fully to exploit her charm and versatility. Laughable and thrilling in turn, it's rattling good money's worth." ''

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: "an early inside glimpse of the television world, but a paranoid no-brainer."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Body Said No, The 1950 films 1950s crime comedy films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Val Guest British crime comedy films 1950 comedy films British black-and-white films Films shot at Nettlefold Studios 1950s British films English-language crime comedy films