The Case of the Red Monkey (1955)
"Little Red Monkey" (original title)

Several murders of nuclear scientists, that baffles Scotland Yard, occur in London about the same time that Bill Locklin, a special officer from the United States State Department, arrives ... See full summary »

Director:

Ken Hughes

Writers:

Eric Maschwitz (story), James Eastwood (screenplay),

Stars:

Richard Conte, Rona Anderson, Russell Napier

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Conte	...	Bill Locklin
Rona Anderson	...	Julia Jackson
Russell Napier	...	Supt. John Harrington
Sylva Langova	...	Hilde Heller, chief spy
Colin Gordon	...	Harry Martin, reporter
Donald Bisset	...	Editor Harris
John King-Kelly	...	Spy Henchman
Bernard Rebel	...	Vinson - Spy Henchman
Arnold Marlé	...	Prof. Leon Dushenko
John Horsley	...	Det. Sgt. Gibson
Jane Welsh	...	Superintendant McCollum, of the sanitarium
Theodore Wilhelm	...	Secretary of the International Social Club
Colin Tapley	...	Sir Clive Raglan
Noel Johnson	...	Det. Sgt. Hawkins
Jessica Kearns	...	Airport Hostess

Storyline

Several murders of nuclear scientists, that baffles Scotland Yard, occur in London about the same time that Bill Locklin, a special officer from the United States State Department, arrives to oversee the transfer of Professor Leon Dushenko, a Russian scientist who as fled the U.S.S.R. An attempt is made on Dushenko's life with a monkey's paw-print found at the scene. Newspaperman reporter Harry Martin is covering the story. Duskenko is moved secretly to a nursing home, while Locklin stumbles onto the hideout of the gang behind the killings. He is captured along with Julia Jackson, niece of Superintendent John Harrington. Locklin is tortured to reveal Dushenko's hiding place but escapes in time to avert Duskenko's murder at the hands of the gang's hired-killer---a midget who is aided by a monkey.

---

Plot Keywords:

murder | scientist | monkey | scotland yard | midget | 

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 June 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Case of the Red Monkey

Company Credits

Production Co:

Merton Park Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film of Ed Devereaux.

User Reviews

Richard Conte works hard to protect a Russian defector and get him back to America

For me, Conte makes the movie. The more I see his work, the better it seems to me to be. He's not a razzle dazzle actor. He doesn't over-emote or even seem to emote that much. But if you watch his eyes, you will see his acting and emotion. He's always good in film noir, like Mr. Brown in The Big Combo and the escaped criminal, Marty Rome, in Cry of the City (and MANY others). Later generations know him as Barzini in The Godfather. And so here he brightens up a British cast, and so does his love interest Rona Anderson.

Nuclear scientists are being killed in England to prevent the West from nuclear progress. A Russian defector arrives and must be transported to America by Conte. But before that can happen, he and a British policeman must deflect and locate the nest of killers, who are quite clever in their work. Along the way there are sparks between Conte and Anderson.

At 70 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome. Good little crime-spy story done up nicely as these 50s movies were usually done. This is before James Bond and before the more highly-budgeted and elaborate spy movies like The Man Who Came in From the Cold or The Ipcress File or The Deadly Affair. This movie is a modest affair and enjoyable.