Dancing with Crime (1947)

Director:

John Paddy Carstairs

Writers:

Peter Fraser (story)
Brock Williams (writer)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Murder

Cast

Richard Attenborough	...	Ted Peters
Sheila Sim	...	Joy Goodall
Garry Marsh	...	Sgt. Murray
John Warwick	...	Det. Insp. Carter
Judy Kelly	...	Toni
Barry Jones	...	Gregory
Bill Owen	...	Dave Robinson (as Bill Rowbotham)
Dirk Bogarde	...	Policeman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Barry K. Barnes	...	Paul Baker
Cyril Chamberlain	...	Sniffy
Peter Croft	...	Johnny
Patricia Dainton
Hamish Menzies	...	Orchestra Leader
John Salew	...	Pogson
Norman Shelley
Dennis Wyndham	...	Sam
Diana Dors	...	Annette (uncredited)
Danny Green	...	Sid (uncredited)
Bartlett Mullins	...	Club Barman (uncredited)
Johnnie Schofield	...	Fred (uncredited)
Harry Terry	...	Man Outside Taxi Garage (uncredited)

Directed by
John Paddy Carstairs

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Peter Fraser		story
Brock Williams		writer

Produced by
James A. Carter	....	producer (as James Carter)
Anthony Nelson Keys	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Benjamin Frankel

Cinematography by
Reginald H. Wyer

Film Editing by
Eily Boland

Art Direction by
Andrew Mazzei
Harry Moore

Makeup Department
Ida Mills	....	hairdressing

Production Management
T.S. Lyndon-Haynes	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Basil Keys	....	first assistant director
Leon Bijou	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Geoffrey Haine	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
George Burgess	....	sound director
H.C. Pearson	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Bernard Lewis	....	camera operator
Walter Lassally	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Michael Reed	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dorothy Sinclair	....	wardrobe supervisor

Other crew
Doris Martin	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Coronet Films
• Alliance Films

Distributors

• Paramount British Pictures (1947) (UK) (theatrical)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A

Filming Locations:

Southall Studios, Southall, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Coronet Films

Soundtrack:

BOW BELLS

Brisk, efficient post-War British crime melodrama

Brisk, efficient British post-War crime melodrama set in London - part of the 'Spiv' movie cycle(films with roots in 30s American Gangster movies, featuring characters profiting from wartime rationing in a similar fashion to 30s bootleggers, but not so clearly glamorised as their Stateside equivalents - see also the superior NOOSE). Richard Attenborough stars as former soldier, Ted Peters, now making a living as a London cab-driver who becomes involved with a criminal gang headed by dance hall owner and criminal mastermind Mr Gregory (the seriously undervalued Barry Jones), whose henchman and M.C. Paul Baker (Barry K. Barnes) has offed Ted's childhood friend and former army buddy Dave Robinson (Bill Rowbotham, better known to U.K. audiences as Bill Owen, star of long-running U.K. T.V comedy series LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE). At Ted's behest, his girlfriend Joy (Sheila Sim) gets a job as a dancehall hostess in Gregory's dance hall as part of Ted's attempts to expose the criminal gang and the true nature of the crime lord's enterprise is gradually exposed. Punchily directed by John Paddy Carstairs, and redolent with post-War atmosphere, this is another example of the type of popular genre fare which entertained U.K. audiences in the 40s at the same time as the now revered 'noir' movies similarly engaged their U.S. contemporaries. Deserving wider acclaim, the movies from this post-War U.K. genre are valid, and diverting, social documents which often gave early exposure to burgeoning talents (in this instance, an uncredited brunette Diana Dors and a 'blink and you'll miss him' Dirk Bogarde) and should, by rights, be as revered in their country of origin as the more celebrated and documented U.S. post-War crime movies. Worth checking out, if you get the chance.