23 PACES TO BAKER STREET

Van Johnson as the disheartened playwright

23 PACES TO BAKER STREET (1956). Director: Henry Hathaway.

Phillip Hannon (Van Johnson) is a playwright who has temporarily relocated to London where the British production of his latest show is a hit. Phillip lost his eyesight in an unspecified accident a few years before and remains bitter and unsatisfied with life. His former fiancee, Jean (Vera Miles of Tarzan's Hidden Jungle), comes to see him -- it was not her idea to end the engagement -- but he still seems determined to keep distance between them. He has a likable butler named Bob (Cecil Parker of The Ladykillers) who looks after him. One evening Phillip overhears a conversation between two people -- a man named Evans and a woman named Murch who wears a distinctive perfume -- and realizes there is a strong possibility she is being forced into some kind of criminal mischief. With the help of Jean and Bob, Phillip goes about trying to find this Miss Murch so he can help her and prevent the possible child kidnapping or other skulduggery that might take place. But while he's looking for Murch, Evans is looking for him ...

Johnson with Vera Miles

23 Paces to Baker Street comes off like a combination of Rear Window and The Man Who Knew Too Much, although it lacks the Master's touch, Henry Hathaway not being in the same league as Hitchcock. In spite of that, 23 Paces is a memorable suspense-thriller, with a nifty scene when Phillip is caught on a crumbling roof in a diabolical trap, and an exciting climax when he squares off with the mastermind in his apartment. The performances can not be faulted: Johnson is square-on in his portrayal of the disheartened and embittered blind man who finally allows love in the door, Vera Miles is warm and sympathetic as the woman who adores him, Parker makes a likable helpmate, and Estelle Winwood is winning as a barkeep who also tries to help Phillip in his quest. There are also notable turns from Patricia Laffan as a nurse and Martin Benson [The Cosmic Monsters] as a man who runs an agency for same, among others.

Cinematography by Milton R.. Krasner

The movie greatly benefits from an evocative score by Leigh Harline and impressive CinemaScope photography by Milton R. Krasner; his sweeping shots of London are especially beautiful.  This was hardly the first depiction of a bitter blind man, nor is Phillip the first blind "detective." Edward Arnold played a blind private eye (much more accepting of his impairment) in two films. Years later James Franciscus starred as a blind insurance investigator on the TV series Longstreet, which lasted one season. An Italian giallo film named The Crimes of the Black Cat has a lot of plot similarities to 23 Paces, also featuring a blind man who overhears a plot in a bar, a rooftop trap, and the like. 23 Paces is far superior to Wait Until Dark, which had a blind heroine in a tough spot at the climax.

Verdict: Highly watchable suspense film with some excellent performances. ***. 

THE LADYKILLERS

Peter Sellers, Alec Guinness, Herbert Lom

THE LADYKILLERS (1955). Director: Alexander Mac|kendrick.

Professor Marcus (Alec Guinness of The Swan) heads a group of motley individuals who are planning a heist. Without her knowledge, his temporary landlady, Mrs. Wilberforce (Katie Johnson), who thinks Marcus and his friends are musicians, is made a pivotal part of the plot. When she discovers the truth, the gang may have a bit of a problem on their hands, but which among them wants to "take care" of an old lady? The Ladykillers is an arresting and very strange movie that could easily have been played perfectly straight, but instead is a very black comedy that illustrates the theme of Thieves Falling Out. Johnson is wonderful as the sometimes dithery, annoying but strong-willed Mrs. Wilberforce, and there are fine performances from Guinness; Herbert Lom [Mark of the Devil] as Louie, the nastiest of the bunch; Peter Sellers as Harry; Cecil Parker as Major Courtney; and Danny Green as the hulking "One-Round." It's amazing how the film is able to take murderous threats and actual killings and make everything so oddly amusing. Sellers, who one would not necessarily take for a budding major movie star, later appeared with Herbert Lom in a whole slew of Pink Panther movies.

Verdict: Decidedly unusual caper film. ***.