''Assignment Redhead'' (U.S. title: ''Million Dollar Manhunt'') is a 1956 British second feature ('B')

crime thriller 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 written and directed by

Maclean Rogers Maclean Rogers (13 July 1899 – 4 January 1962) was a British film director and screenwriter. Selected filmography Director * ''The Third Eye (1929 film), The Third Eye'' (1929) * ''The Mayor's Nest'' (1932) * ''Up for the Derby'' (1933) * ...

. It was based on the novel ''Requiem for a Redhead'' by Lindsay Hardy.

Synopsis

Murderous international master criminal Dumetrius specialises in providing false travel documents. He flies to London from post-war Berlin to retrieve twelve million dollars in counterfeit cash. With the aide of his confederate Hedy, a redheaded cabaret singer, he covers his tracks and kills one passenger retrieving an identifying photograph and frames another man for the murder. American Major Keen is working attached to British intelligence and pursues him. Keen falls for Hedy, who is under Dumetrius's control, compromising the investigation.

Cast

Richard Denning Richard Denning (born Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr.; March 27, 1914 – October 11, 1998) was an American actor who starred in science fiction films of the 1950s, including ''Unknown Island'' (1948), ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' ( ...

as Major Gregory Keen *

Carole Mathews Carole Mathews (born Jean Deifel, also credited as Jeanne Francis; September 13, 1920 – November 6, 2014) was an American film and television actress. Early years Born in Montgomery, Illinois, near Chicago, Mathews lived with her grandmoth ...

as Hedy Bergner *

Ronald Adam Ronald Adam may refer to: * Ronald Forbes Adam, British Army officer * Ronald Adam (actor), actor, theatre director and RAF officer See also * Ron Adam Ron Adam (December 16, 1933 – October 27, 2014) was a Canadian football quarterback w ...

as Major Scammel / Dumetrius * Danny Green as Yotti Blum *

Brian Worth Brian Worth (30 July 1914 – 25 August 1978) was an English actor, known for '' Scrooge'' (1951), ''The Man in the White Suit'' (1951) and ''An Inspector Calls'' (1954). He died in Seville, Spain on 25 August 1978 aged 64. Educated in Bri ...

as Captain Peter Ridgeway *

Jan Holden Valerie Jeanne Wilkinson (9 May 1931 – 11 October 2005) was an English actress known as Jan Holden, using her mother's maiden name as a stage name. In theatre she was known for her performances in light comedy and appeared in several tele ...

as Sally Jennings *

Hugh Moxey Hugh Vincent Moxey (27 September 1909, Somerset, – 9 March 1991, Wandsworth), was a British film and television actor. Moxey spanned his career for 40 years, where he was best remembered in supporting roles in 1950s British war films, incl ...

as Sergeant Tom Coutts *

Peter Swanwick Walter Peter Swanwick (29 September 1922 – 14 November 1968) was a British actor best remembered as the "Supervisor" (sometimes called the Controller) in the 1967 TV series, ''The Prisoner''. Swanwick's film career began with bit parts in fi ...

as Monsieur Paul Bonnet *

Elwyn Brook-Jones Elwyn Brook-Jones (11 December 1911 – 4 September 1962) was a British theatre, film and television actor. Early life According to his obituary in ''The Times'', Brook-Jones was born in Sarawak on the island of Borneo; however, other sources pl ...

as Digby Mitchel *

Ronald Leigh-Hunt Ronald Frederick Leigh-Hunt (5 October 1920 – 12 September 2005) was a British film and television actor. His father was a stockbroker and he attended the Italia Conti Academy. He began acting whilst serving in the army. Though never a majo ...

as Colonel Julian Fentriss, M.I.5. * Robert O'Neil as Captain Hank Godowski *

Paul Hardtmuth Paul Hardtmuth (2 July 1888 – 5 January 1962) was a British actor. He made his film debut in Germany in 1917, and appeared in and co-wrote the film ''Um der Liebe Willen'' in 1920. He was born in 1888 in Berlin, and died on 5 January 1962 in ...

as Dr. Buchmann * Bill Nagy as Marzotti * Alex Gallier as Max Rubenstein * Robert Bruce as staff officer * George Holdcroft as nightclub diner

Production

The film was the first of seven made by Richard Gordon's Amalgamated Productions. It was a co-production with Butcher's Film Distributors. The film was made for under £15,000 plus the salaries and expenses of the American participants.

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: "Confused and improbable, the film's central situation is developed with little imagination or tension. Script and direction also follow a firmly predictable pattern." ''

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: "A strong Anglo-American cast puts a kick into its hearty highlights and the backgrounds are widely varied. It'll keep the ninepennies on the ''qui vive''. Very good British programmer." In''The

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

Guide to Films'' David Parkinson gave the film 1/5 stars, writing: "This dismal thriller has all the hallmarks of a Butcher's production: shoddy script, cheap settings and a cast of has-beens and no-hopers. Ronald Adam can just about hold his head up as the crook intent on blagging counterfeit Nazi cash, but the rest of the cast is just inept.

References

External links

* {{Maclean Rogers 1956 films British crime thriller films Films directed by Maclean Rogers Films based on Australian novels 1950s crime thriller films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films British black-and-white films English-language crime thriller films Films scored by Wilfred Burns