JACK OF DIAMONDS – 1949
This one is a low budget UK thriller from director, Vernon Sewell's own production company.
A fairly wealthy couple have their finances go in the toilet. They lose everything but an old steam yacht. Rather than sell the yacht, the couple, Cyril Raymond and Joan Carroll, decide to open a charter service. They spruce up the boat and then put an advert in the papers.
They soon have someone interested in hiring the yacht. The man, Nigel Patrick, has a slight problem though, he is broke. He proceeds to tell Raymond and Carroll a tale of lost treasure. It seems that Patrick had been caught in Belgium in 1940 as the Germans were advancing. He had gotten on the last fishing boat out of a small port on the coast. The boat had barely left the harbour when the nasty German type dive bombers paid the place a visit. His boat was sunk with all aboard except for Patrick. The deal here is, that also on board, was a strongbox a wealthy family was shipping to England for safe keeping. The boat has never been recovered and Patrick knows the location.
Patrick proposes that Raymond and Carroll join him in a partnership to recover the jewels. Patrick will keep two thirds and the couple the rest. Patrick estimates the jewels were worth at least 100,000 pounds. Patrick will supply the diver and an engineer to run the yacht's engines and power room. The couple see this as a great way to get out of the money pit they are in.
The diver, John Basings, and the engineer, Vernon Sewell, are soon on board and they set sail for the wreck site. They spend two weeks with the diver combing the location Patrick has. They are about to give up when they find out they have been using the wrong landmark on shore. The right landmark had been destroyed during the war.
The wreck is now quickly found and the loot brought up. Now of course the flies in the ointment start to appear. The grand-daughter of the strongbox's owner, Dolly Bouwmesster, shows up. She quite by accident bumps into Raymond and Carroll who are ashore on business. Soon stories are exchanged and Raymond and Carroll know something is bent here.
They take Bouwmesster back to the yacht for a talk with Patrick. Dear Nigel has no intension of forking over the Jewels to the rightful owner. Out comes a handy automatic which he holds on the three. The diver, Basings and Sewell the engineer are called. It turns out that both work for Patrick. Raymond and Carroll now realize that Patrick never had any intention of sharing the loot. Basings locks the trio up and the ship weighs anchor.
Patrick might be a cad, but he is no killer. Mid Channel, he places Raymond and the two women in a lifeboat and sets them adrift. He then heads the yacht for port. Not long afterwards, another small yacht with two men comes up on the castaways. They are soon picked up and packed on-board. Raymond tells the pair what has happened.
After a quick round of drinks, they set off in pursuit of Patrick and company. The faster boat soon catches up with Patrick's mob. By use of the old fake fire ruse, Raymond and the two men, Darcy Conyers and Ed Richfield board and take Patrick's bunch by surprise. They use a collection of monkey wrenches to subdue the villains.
After taking his yacht back, Raymond gives Patrick and gang the same treatment he got. They are set adrift in a small lifeboat and pointed in the direction of the coast.
The story was knocked together by the lead actors, Nigel Patrick and Cyril Raymond. The idea is not bad by any means, but suffers from a bit too much filler content. Obviously the need to keep costs down was the reason for all the travelogue footage used to pad the runtime. Director Sewell doing an acting bit probably helped as well to keep production cost low. Having said this, the film is by no means a waste of time. All involved would go on to make better films down the line.
This one is a low budget UK thriller from director, Vernon Sewell's own production company.
A fairly wealthy couple have their finances go in the toilet. They lose everything but an old steam yacht. Rather than sell the yacht, the couple, Cyril Raymond and Joan Carroll, decide to open a charter service. They spruce up the boat and then put an advert in the papers.
They soon have someone interested in hiring the yacht. The man, Nigel Patrick, has a slight problem though, he is broke. He proceeds to tell Raymond and Carroll a tale of lost treasure. It seems that Patrick had been caught in Belgium in 1940 as the Germans were advancing. He had gotten on the last fishing boat out of a small port on the coast. The boat had barely left the harbour when the nasty German type dive bombers paid the place a visit. His boat was sunk with all aboard except for Patrick. The deal here is, that also on board, was a strongbox a wealthy family was shipping to England for safe keeping. The boat has never been recovered and Patrick knows the location.
Patrick proposes that Raymond and Carroll join him in a partnership to recover the jewels. Patrick will keep two thirds and the couple the rest. Patrick estimates the jewels were worth at least 100,000 pounds. Patrick will supply the diver and an engineer to run the yacht's engines and power room. The couple see this as a great way to get out of the money pit they are in.
The diver, John Basings, and the engineer, Vernon Sewell, are soon on board and they set sail for the wreck site. They spend two weeks with the diver combing the location Patrick has. They are about to give up when they find out they have been using the wrong landmark on shore. The right landmark had been destroyed during the war.
The wreck is now quickly found and the loot brought up. Now of course the flies in the ointment start to appear. The grand-daughter of the strongbox's owner, Dolly Bouwmesster, shows up. She quite by accident bumps into Raymond and Carroll who are ashore on business. Soon stories are exchanged and Raymond and Carroll know something is bent here.
They take Bouwmesster back to the yacht for a talk with Patrick. Dear Nigel has no intension of forking over the Jewels to the rightful owner. Out comes a handy automatic which he holds on the three. The diver, Basings and Sewell the engineer are called. It turns out that both work for Patrick. Raymond and Carroll now realize that Patrick never had any intention of sharing the loot. Basings locks the trio up and the ship weighs anchor.
Patrick might be a cad, but he is no killer. Mid Channel, he places Raymond and the two women in a lifeboat and sets them adrift. He then heads the yacht for port. Not long afterwards, another small yacht with two men comes up on the castaways. They are soon picked up and packed on-board. Raymond tells the pair what has happened.
After a quick round of drinks, they set off in pursuit of Patrick and company. The faster boat soon catches up with Patrick's mob. By use of the old fake fire ruse, Raymond and the two men, Darcy Conyers and Ed Richfield board and take Patrick's bunch by surprise. They use a collection of monkey wrenches to subdue the villains.
After taking his yacht back, Raymond gives Patrick and gang the same treatment he got. They are set adrift in a small lifeboat and pointed in the direction of the coast.
The story was knocked together by the lead actors, Nigel Patrick and Cyril Raymond. The idea is not bad by any means, but suffers from a bit too much filler content. Obviously the need to keep costs down was the reason for all the travelogue footage used to pad the runtime. Director Sewell doing an acting bit probably helped as well to keep production cost low. Having said this, the film is by no means a waste of time. All involved would go on to make better films down the line.
