Man Bait (1952)
"The Last Page" (original title)

The married owner of a bookstore is attracted to his sexy blonde clerk. He finally gives in to temptation and makes a pass at her, but that only results in him getting enmeshed in blackmail and murder.

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Frederick Knott (screenplay), James Hadley Chase (original story)

Stars:

George Brent, Marguerite Chapman, Raymond Huntley

Cast

Complete credited cast:
George Brent	...	John Harman
Marguerite Chapman	...	Stella Tracy
Raymond Huntley	...	Clive Oliver
Peter Reynolds	...	Jeffrey Hart
Eleanor Summerfield	...	Vi
Meredith Edwards	...	Inspector Dale
Harry Fowler	...	Joe
Diana Dors	...	Ruby Bruce
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sybil Saxon	...	Bank Clerk (scenes deleted)

Storyline

John Harman (George Brent), manager of an Oxford Street bookstore, reprimands an attractive young clerk, Ruby Bruce (Diana Dors), for being late to work. The same day Ruby catches Jeff Hart (Peter Reynolds) stealing a rare book, but instead of reporting him she accepts a date with him. That night, before her date, Ruby is working late with Harman, who, in a fleeting moment of intimacy, kisses her. He apologizes but later Jeff forces Ruby to blackmail Harman. When he refuses to pay off, Jeff tells Ruby to write a letter to Harman's wife, which causes her death from a heart attack. Dazed by the tragedy, Harman gives Ruby 400 pounds when she renews her demands. Jeff catches Ruby hiding part of the money, kills her and hides her body in a packing case. Harman discovers Ruby's body and realizing he will be suspect, flees in panic.

---

Plot Keywords:

clerk | blackmail | murder | british noir | based on play

---

Taglines:

Look if you like...but look out! She's Man Bait!

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 January 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Man Bait

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Film Productions, Lippert Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Diana Dors receives an "introducing" credit.

User Reviews

Dirty Diana!

This was the first time I had ever heard of Diana Dors (don't blame me, I'm from the USA and under the age of 40) - but I immediately fell in love with her. The plot centers around a bookstore where Dors' character, Ruby, works. She is the "bad girl" of the office, arriving late and hitting on her boss, played by George Brent. But that's nothing compared to the trouble she gets herself into after going on a date with a man she catches trying to steal a valuable book from the store! He (very easily) convinces her to blackmail her boss and things really go downhill from there. I won't give away more of the plot, because the unexpected twists and turns it takes are half the fun of this film - the other half is provided courtesy of the excellent British character actors who make up the cast. No part is too small to make you notice them! This film noir was directed by the great Terence Fisher for Hammer Films - who together would go on to unleash a slew of excellent Gothic horror films in the 1950's and 60's. A young, brunette Diana Dors easily walks away with the picture harnessing a killer combination of alluring presence and a very natural acting ability.