The Teckman Mystery

The Teckman Mystery
British theatrical poster
Directed byWendy Toye
Written by
Produced byJosef Somlo
Starring
CinematographyJack Hildyard
Edited byBert Rule
Music byClifton Parker
Color processBlack and white
Production
company
Corona Productions
Distributed byBritish Lion Films
Release date
  • 27 October 1954 (1954-10-27)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Teckman Mystery is a 1954 British mystery film directed by Wendy Toye and starring Margaret Leighton, John Justin, Roland Culver and Michael Medwin.[1][2] It was written by Francis Durbridge and James Matthews, based on the 1953 BBC TV serial The Teckman Biography by Durbridge.[3][1] It was distributed by British Lion.

Plot

A biographer researching a book on a pilot who died during the test flight of a new plane falls in love with the pilot's sister. As he uncovers more about the test flight, people connected with the case begin to die. The author naturally becomes nervous, until two Scotland Yard inspectors take on the case.

Cast

Production

It was shot at Shepperton Studios with sets designed by the art director William Kellner. Location shooting took place around London including in Kensington, Belgravia, Northolt Aerodrome and Tower Bridge.

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: " Within its own limits, the story is quite competently handled, although the Iron Curtain trimmings begin to have a rather tired and jaded look. The Tower of London sequence is rather reminiscent of a Hitchcock film of the 1930's, but the present director's ability to sustain a mood does not equal that of her predecessor. The cast contains a wide variety of familiar English and un-English types, though some may feel that Margaret Leighton's wicked Helen is a little too much of a good thing."[4]

The New York Times wrote, "an obvious fly-by-night, with a pretty good cast headed by the gifted Margaret Leighton and John Justin, this Associated Artists release is a slow, contrived and exasperatingly arch puzzler that sets some sort of record for meandering banality".[5]

The Radio Times called the film a "passable thriller" with "more than a hint of The Third Man."[6]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "good", writing: "Typical Durbridge mystery with fine profusion of 'cliffhanger' endings."[7]

Leslie Halliwell said: "Peripatetic spy story with the twists expected of this author; all quirte enjoyable."[8]

References

  1. ^ a b "The Teckman Mystery". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  2. ^ "The Teckman Mystery". BFI. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009.
  3. ^ "The Teckman Biography". BBC Programme Index. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  4. ^ "The Teckman Mystery". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 21 (240): 180. 1 January 1954 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ "Movie Review - The Teckman Mystery - Screen: British Import; 'The Teckman Mystery' Opens at Symphony - NYTimes.com".
  6. ^ David Parkinson. "The Teckman Mystery". RadioTimes.
  7. ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 384. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
  8. ^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 995. ISBN 0586088946.


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