The Slasher (1953)
"Cosh Boy" (original title)

Amongst the bomb-sites and dark alleys of postwar London Roy Walsh and his gang of juvenile delinquents waylay and rob old ladies. Without parental control from his war-widowed doting ... See full summary »

Director:

Lewis Gilbert

Writers:

Lewis Gilbert, Vernon Harris,

Stars:

James Kenney, Joan Collins, Betty Ann Davies

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Kenney	...	Roy Walsh
Joan Collins	...	Rene Collins
Betty Ann Davies	...	Elsie Walsh
Robert Ayres	...	Bob Stevens
Hermione Baddeley	...	Mrs. Collins
Hermione Gingold	...	Queenie
Nancy Roberts	...	Gran Walsh
Laurence Naismith	...	Inspector Donaldson
Ian Whittaker	...	Alfie Collins
Stanley Escane	...	Pete
Michael McKeag	...	Brian
Sean Lynch	...	Darky
Johnny Briggs	...	Skinny Johnson (as John Briggs)
Edward Evans	...	Sgt. Woods
Cameron Hall	...	Mr. Beverley

Storyline

Amongst the bomb-sites and dark alleys of postwar London Roy Walsh and his gang of juvenile delinquents waylay and rob old ladies. Without parental control from his war-widowed doting mother, Welsh, already on probation, drifts into more and more devious and serious offences.

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Plot Keywords:

british noir | based on play

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Taglines:

WILD... WAYWARD... HELL-BENT!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 May 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Slasher

Filming Locations:

Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Angel Productions, Romulus Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Usually reckoned to be the first British film to get an "X" certificate. There were other films before this one that had similar levels of content, and some of those were passed for general viewing. But Cosh Boy was presented for certification just as they introduced the new "X" certificate in 1951. The "X" certificate has since been replaced by the "18" certificate.

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Goofs

In the draughts game, Walshy's opponent makes two moves before Walshy makes one. The position of the pieces at the end of the scene reflect a different game to the one they appear to have played, especially as they do not seem to have moved any pieces during their conversation other than the first three moves.

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Connections

Featured in Mike Baldwin & Me (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Valse Elegante"
(uncredited)
Music by Frank Cordell

User Reviews

An amusing cod thriller.

'Cosh Boy' has dreadful scripts and abysmal acting. The only attractive feature of the film is the pretty 18 year old actress Joan Collins (whatever became of her?). The storyline is condescending and moralistic. It suggests that manly discipline is needed to help in the rebuilding of the post-war family, otherwise working-class youths will turn into vicious, nasty 'cosh boys' or poor hapless single mothers. Crime had actually fallen after the war. Black market crime, and other offences, was rife in wartime Britain

What makes this film funny, apart from the atrocious acting, is that in hindsight we can see how ridiculous some 'moral panics' are. The people that might laugh at the caricatures in this film might still go along with existing panics in Britain today - such as 'mad cow' disease, 'road rage', chlamydia teenage alcoholism etc. The total ridiculousness of this film is clear because it is so dated. However panics still grip the popular imagination today, only that they are filtered through far more sophisticated channels such as so-called public health campaigns and the media.

Returning to the film. The characters are one-dimensional, it is purely an exercise in moral tub-thumping concerned with the reconsolidation of law and order in post-war society. The acting is so bad it is hilarious and I'm sure this is one film that Lewis Gilbert would not want to be reminded of.