Date with Disaster

Date with Disaster
Directed byCharles Saunders
Written byBrock Williams
Produced byGuido Coen
StarringTom Drake
William Hartnell
Shirley Eaton
CinematographyBrendan J. Stafford
Edited byTom Simpson
Music byReg Owen
Anthony Spurgin
Production
company
Fortress Film Productions
Distributed byEros Films
Astor Picture (US)
Release date
  • 18 July 1957 (1957-07-18)
Running time
61 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Date with Disaster is a 1957 British crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Tom Drake, William Hartnell and Shirley Eaton.[1] An innocent man becomes a suspect for a crime he did not commit.

Plot

Miles is a young honest car salesman, but his business partners Don and Ken are crooks. While Miles is away, Don and Ken collude with professional criminal Tracey to break into a factory and steal £20,000, using as their getaway vehicle a car they have ''sold'' to a fictitious buyer. Since Miles said he was away when the raid took place, the police suspect him as the perpetrator. Ken murders Don for his share of the loot, and kidnaps Miles's girlfriend Sue. Miles rescues Sue and clears his name.

Cast

  • Tom Drake as Miles
  • William Hartnell as Tracey
  • Shirley Eaton as Sue
  • Maurice Kaufmann as Don
  • Michael Golden as Inspector Matthews
  • Richard Shaw as Ken
  • Charles Brodie as Charlie
  • Deidre Mayne as Judy
  • Peter Fontaine as Sergeant Brace
  • Robert Robinson as young man
  • John Drake as Constable Wilson
  • Robert J. Mooney as Sergeant
  • Van Boolen as night watchman

Production

The film was made at Southall Studios in London. Location shooting took place around Southall and Chiswick. The film's sets were designed by the art director Herbert Smith.[citation needed]

Critical reception

Monthly Film Bulletin said "A stereotypical and unremarkable small-scale thriller, with performances and direction adequate for the matter in hand."[2]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Follows a well-worn path."[3]

The Cinema described it as "a very useful co-feature ... capable direction and well-handled suspense."[4]

References

  1. ^ ""Date with Disaster"". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  2. ^ ""Date with Disaster"". Monthly Film Bulletin. 24 (276): 114. 1 January 1957 – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 299. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
  4. ^ "Date with Disaster". The Cinema: 14. 16 July 1957.


Stub icon

This article related to a British film of the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon

This 1950s crime film-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.