Dick Barton at Bay
1950 British film by Godfrey Grayson From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dick Barton at Bay is a 1950 British second feature ('B')[1] spy film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Don Stannard.[2] It was written by Ambrose Grayson and was the second of three films that Hammer Film Productions made about the British agent Dick Barton, although it was the last released, following Dick Barton: Special Agent (1948) and Dick Barton Strikes Back (1949).[3] The film started production on March 4, 1948 (intended to be the 2nd film in a Dick Barton trilogy), but it was only trade shown on Sept. 2, 1950, long after the third Dick Barton film had already been released. Its original working title was Dick Barton and the Ray of Death[4] .
| Dick Barton at Bay | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Original trade ad in Kinematograph Weekly | |
| Directed by | Godfrey Grayson |
| Written by | Ambrose Grayson |
| Produced by | Henry Halstead |
| Starring | Don Stannard |
| Cinematography | Stanley Clinton |
| Edited by | Max Brenner |
| Music by | Rupert Grayson Frank Spencer |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Exclusive Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 68 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
Captain Richard 'Dick' Barton and his sidekick 'Snowey' White are quickly assigned to recover a kidnapped scientist and de-activate a death ray created by the evil foreign agent Volkoff, who wants to use it to bring down British planes.
Cast
- Don Stannard as Dick Barton
- Tamara Desni as Anna
- George Ford as Snowey White
- Meinhart Maur as Serge Volkoff
- Joyce Linden as Mary Mitchell
- Percy Walsh as Professor Mitchell
- Campbell Singer as Sir George Cavendish
- John Arnatt as Jackson
- Richard George as Inspector Slade
- Beatrice Kane as Betsy Horrock
- Patrick Macnee as Phillips (Credited as Patrick McNee)
- George Crawford as Boris
- Paddy Ryan as Fingers
- Fred Owens as gangster (credited as Fred Owen)
- Yoshihide Yanai as Chang
- Ted Butterfield as Tommy
- Arthur Howard as extra
- Eliot Makeham as police sergeant
- Jim O'Brady as henchman
- Ross Parker as stall holder
- Ben Williams as Submarine Captain Korczanski
Production
The film's title during production was Dick Barton vs the Death Ray. A fourth Barton film was scheduled, Dick Barton in Africa, but Don Stannard was killed in a car crash driving back from the wrap party and Hammer elected not to continue the series.[5]
Critical reception
Sky Cinema wrote: "In their rush to get Barton on to the screen, the makers, despite using the original radio serials as a basis, neglected to give the films the proper budget, resulting in Dick's adventures having an air of tatty, thick-ear melodrama which was never present for the millions of wireless devotees glued to their sets every night at 6.45pm."[6]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Strictly for younger schoolboys."[7]
TV Guide noted "a simple action-adventure film that moves at an entertaining pace."[8]
Allmovie called it "a far better thriller than its predecessor".[3]
References
External links
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