Plot
When a bus crashes due to faulty steering, passenger Jim Ackland ( John Mills) sustains a serious brain injury and a young girl under his care is killed. Guilt-ridden, he attempts suicide twice during his recovery. He starts a new job as an industrial chemist and gets a room in a hotel. When he reluctantly accepts an invitation for a night out, he meets Jenny Carden ( Joan Greenwood), the sister of his colleague Harry ( Patrick Holt). They begin seeing each other quite regularly. Things reach the point that he confesses he wants to marry her, but he tells her that he wants to be sure he has fully recovered first. Molly Newman ( Kay Walsh), one of the other hotel residents, asks to borrow £30 from him, a rather substantial sum. As he does not have that much on him, Jim agrees to write her a cheque. She is found strangled the next night. Wilcox (Jack Melford), a married businessman Molly had been seeing, has an alibi. Jim admits to have been walking in the vicinity of the murder site. That and the recovered cheque from the crime scene and his head injury make him the prime suspect. Police Inspector Godby (Frederick Piper) suspects he was another of Molly's boyfriends and that after falling in love with Jenny, he wanted to rid himself of a possible blackmailer. When Jim learns that Mr Peachy, the person who lived in the room directly below Molly's, had falsely told the police that Jim was in her room every night, Jim confronts him in his room. Peachy brazenly admits killing Molly since he is confident that there is no evidence against him. He had regularly given her money. When Jim made her a loan, it had given rise to Peachy's insane jealousy, with fatal results. Jim goes to the police, but they do not believe him. When they come to take him into custody, Jim flees. He follows Peachy toCast
* John Mills as Jim Ackland * Joan Greenwood as Jenny Carden * Edward Chapman as Mr. Peachy * Kay Walsh as Molly Newman * Joyce Carey as Mrs. Vinton, a hotel resident * Catherine Lacey as Miss Selby, the hotel manager * Patrick Holt as Harry Carden * Felix Aylmer as Dr. Martin * Frederick Piper as Detective Inspector Godby * John Boxer as Detective Sergeant Troth * George Benson as Mr. Pope, a sympathetic hotel resident * Jack Melford as Wilcox * Adrianne Allen as Joyce Carden * Esme Beringer as Miss Heap *Ann Wilton as Miss Parsons * James Hayter as Garage man * Sid James as uncredited man who bumps into Ackland when he first arrives at Brockhurst Common Cast notes: * John Mills' daughter, Juliet Mills, plays the part of the young child who is killed in a bus accident at the beginning of the film. She was five years old at the time, and it was her third film appearance.Production
Director Roy Ward Baker was an assistant director forReception
In his ''New York Times'' review, Bosley Crowther called it a "second rate film" with "a first-rate actor ohn Mills..surrounded by a generally competent cast". In general, though, the film received good critical notices. According to trade papers, the film was a "notable box office attraction" at British cinemas in 1947.Notes
External links
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:October Man, The 1947 films 1947 mystery films British mystery films British black-and-white films Film noir Films directed by Roy Ward Baker Films scored by William Alwyn Films set in London Films shot at Denham Film Studios 1947 directorial debut films 1940s English-language films 1940s British films English-language mystery films