User Reviews

Businessman Frank Weyman (Richard Pearson) fires Fraser an employee who constantly pesters his secretary Elizabeth Gray (Patricia Mort.)

Elizabeth is also Frank's fiance and plans to marry her once his divorce comes through.

Soon an attempt is made on Frank's life. Fraser is the main suspect.

Inspector Minter (Derek Farr) is called in, but the case turns to murder. Fraser is found dead.

Minter also keeps seeing Elizabeth hanging around with local mechanic Gerry Hamilton.

This Edgar Wallace Mystery is rather pedestrian. Richard Pearson doesn't convince as a tough as nails businessman.

If Frank was more astute. He would suspect that Elizabeth has ulterior motives. He should have noticed that Hamilton is always hanging around. Minter in his short time always bumps into Hamilton with Elizabeth.

There is no surprise to guess who at least one culprit for the murder of Fraser is.

It is just a case of the reasons why Fraser was killed and just what the long con on Frank was.

It becomes clear that Frank is being bled dry and his business is not doing that well. I assume it must have been a very long set up, as some of the culprits had to insert themselves within the local community.

A murder attempt is made on Frank Weyman (Richard Pearson); a man who made his fortune from government surpluses at the end of the war. Inspector Minter's (Derek Farr) suspects are his former employee, Fraser (Denis Holmes), whom Weyman fired after catching him pestering his secretary/fiancée, Elizabeth Gray (Patricia Mort) and Weyman's estranged wife (Freda Jackson) who is demanding money from him and is refusing a divorce to prevent him marrying Elizabeth. Meanwhile, Fraser has landed a new job with the elderly, wheelchair bound Mr. Elliot who lives nearby. Fraser telephones the inspector and arranges a meeting in Elliot's garage saying he has information to pass on but Minter arrives to find him murdered. We learn that Mr Elliot is Weyman's former business partner seeking revenge for swindling him and leaving him broke years before. He had hired Fraser to spy on Weyman who posed as his personal assistant to find out about his business dealings. But who wants Weyman dead? Minter learns that Fraser had been depositing large sums of money into his bank account suggesting blackmail, but whom was he blackmailing? And is Elizabeth as loyal to Weyman as she seems and what is her relationship with local mechanic Gerry Hamilton (Tony Wright)?

A fine example of what the quota-quickie industry (the most ridiculed area of British movie making) could be at its best. This one has a plausible murder mystery plot with the killer's identity well enough concealed until the end and its twists and turns play as fair as one could wish with the audience. All too often cinema-goers were not too concerned with the 'B' film and sometimes would not bother to come in until the main feature started. But this little gem would have been worth hanging around for and, depending on what the 'A' film was, it may well have been the highlight of the double bill.