Doublecross (1956)

Director:

Anthony Squire

Writers:

Kem Bennett (novel), Kem Bennett (screenplay),

Stars:

Donald Houston, Fay Compton, Anton Diffring

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Donald Houston	...	Albert Pascoe
Fay Compton	...	Alice Pascoe
Anton Diffring	...	Dmitri Krassin
Allan Cuthbertson	...	Clifford
Delphi Lawrence	...	Anna Krassin
William Hartnell	...	Herbert Whiteway
John Blythe	...	Fred Trewin
Bruce Gordon	...	Harry Simms
Frank Lawton	...	Chief Constable
Raymond Francis	...	Inspector Harris
Ann Stephens	...	Rose
Harry Towb	...	Publican
Kenneth Cope	...	Jeffrey - of the Coast Guard
Colin Douglas	...	Police Sergeant
Robert Shaw	...	Ernest

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

February 1956 (UK)

Also Known As:

Queer Fish

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beaconsfield Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Routine B Britflick

I recall seeing this on the BBC one Saturday morning and have never seen it since. The presence of Hartnell as a water bailiff was enough to spark by interest but he has few scenes. The bulk of the narrative falls on wily poacher Donald Houston as he is enlisted by enemy agents Anton Diffring and Alan Cuthbertson (not to mention Delphi Lawrence) to smuggle them across to Europe before they're arrested for murder - they shoot a security guard in the opening scene as they steal secrets from an office. A pleasant if unremarkable time-waster with a surprisingly brutal fight at the climax between Houston and the baddies - he gets the girl at the end. Its astonishing that such an obvious B quota quickie should attract such a decent cast but its a pity we don't have the film industry to churn out such films nowadays.