Danger by My Side

Danger by My Side
Danger by My Side
	Titles from the film
Directed by	Charles Saunders
Written by	Ronald Liles; Aubrey Cash
Produced by	John I. Phillips
Starring	Anthony Oliver; Maureen Connell; Alan Tilvern
Cinematography	Walter J. Harvey
Edited by	Jim Connock
Music by	Martin Slavin
Distributed by	Butcher's Film Service
Release date	1963;
Running time	63 mins
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Danger by My Side (also known as Danger on My Side) is a 1963 black and white British second feature^[1] crime thriller directed by Charles Saunders and starring Anthony Oliver, Maureen Connell and Alan Tilvern.^[2] It was written by Ronald Liles and Aubrey Cash.

Plot

Bernie Hewson is a member of a gang which ambushes a security van. He gets stranded when the gang makes their getaway with the money, and carries the can for the job. On his release from prison he visits the gang's leader, Nicky Venning, asking for a cut of the money. Venning refuses but gets Hewson a job at his warehouse. As soon as Hewson arrives he recognises one of the employees, Terry, as an undercover police officer.

Not long afterwards, Terry's sister Lynne Marsden witnesses Terry getting deliberately run down by a car. Before he dies in hospital, Terry repeatedly mentions "Nicky's Club", Venning's Soho nightclub. Lynn visits the club and, calling herself Lynne Austin, is offered a job there. The next night she overhears a robbery being planned and manages to see the plans, taking the details to the police. Meanwhile she sets about investigating Venning and his gang herself, but is soon in danger when they discover her true identity.

Cast

Anthony Oliver as Detective Inspector Willoughby
Maureen Connell as Lynne Marsden/Lynne Austin
Alan Tilvern as Nicky Venning
Bill Nagy as Sam Warren
Sonya Cordeau as Francine Dumont
Brandon Brady as Bernie Hewson
Tom Naylor as Detective Sergeant 'Robbie' Roberts
Richard Klee as Mills
Kim Darvos as singer
Wally Patch as factory gatekeeper
John Stuart as prison governor
Lawrence James as Terry
Michael Beint as Danny
Alex Gallier as Dino
Eric Dodson as Warder Davis

Production

The film was made at Shepperton Studios, England, and on location.^{[citation needed]}

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A distinctly tame and routine crime thriller, spiced with a touch of almost ludicrous striptease. Largely static, the story unwinds with little tension, and even the final moments are unexciting, despite smooth enough treatment and an adequate cast."^[3]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 1/5 stars, writing: "The road to justice leads to a Soho nightclub in this tawdry British B-movie. The hit-and-run murder, the sleazy club scenes, the heist and the motor-launch finale are all executed with the minimum of imagination as Maureen Connell puts her personal safety on the line while helping the police catch her detective-brother's killers. Charles Saunders's poor pacing leaves the cast high and dry."^[4]

Chibnall and McFarlane in The British 'B' Film wrote the film contained: "embarrassing cliched dialogue and unconvincing characterisations."^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
^ "Danger by My Side". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
^ "Danger by My Side". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 30 (348): 7. 1 January 1963 – via ProQuest.
^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 221. ISBN 9780992936440.