The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (TV Series) Man at the Carlton Tower (1961) User Reviews

Hard to fault.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 21 March 2024]

Gentleman thief Lew Daney robs a jewellers, then shoots an Officer whilst escaping. Scotland Yard fail to apprehend him, but they are happy to allow Retired Rhodesia Policeman Tim Jordan to investigate the case.

After being somewhat disappointed with The Fourth Square, I rather enjoyed this one. A typical 60's whodunnit, full of style, twists and turns. It's a cleverly plotted mystery, one where you have to pay attention, or you'll lose it.

It's very stylish, the sets, fashions and cars, it's glorious, there are so many plus points.

Best of all, the cast, it's full of well known faces, some of the cream of British talent, including Terence Alexander, Alfred Burke (playing yet another villain and Nyree Dawn Porter.

Tim Montague steals it for me, Jordan is an interesting central character. Allan Cuthbertson always played authority figures so well, just ask Basil Fawlty.

This is one of the most enjoyable ones I've seen so far (going in chronological order, that is.)

8/10.

"He saw you with me at Clench House""

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 6/10 · 23 March 2019]

A retired South African detective Tim Jordan staying at the Carlton Tower hotel in London (hence the title of the film) helps Scotland Yard track down a jewel thief Lew Daney that he had known previously. Complications ensue connected with the thief's wife, the thief's old partner in crime and a country manor called Clench House. A film with twists and turns in the story that keep one interested up to the end.

There is a good cast to also keep one interested; Lee Montague as Jordan, Alfred Burke as the old partner, Maxine Audley as the wife Lydia and Allan Cuthbertson as dogged Det. Supt. Cowley of the Yard and Nigel Green as the efficient Daney. Geoffrey Frederick plays Sergeant Pepper (presumably before he formed his club band.) Bert Mason photographs the locations quite nicely. A good entry in the long running Edgar Wallace series filmed at Merton Park.

familiar faces

[fillherupjacko · 21 January 2009]

Lew Daney (Nigel Green, Caine's dodgy boss in The Ipcress File) is robbing a safe at a costume jewellers. This being 1961, he's wearing a shirt and tie. Look, it's just how they did things back then. Anyway, the alarm goes off and Daney ends up shooting a policeman while making good his escape.

Three days later and Scotland Yard are still baffled. Det. Supt. Cowley (Allan Cuthbertson, "that lawyer geezer" from Performance) decides to bring in Tim Jordan (Lee Montague, he pops up twice in The Sweeney), a big police cheese in Rhodesia before he retired after inheriting a fortune. They meet for lunch at the Carlton Tower hotel, one of those places where things are flambéed at the table. Previously, in the foyer, Jordan had bumped into Harry Stone (Alfred Berk – he only popped up once in The Sweeney.) Stone knows Daney from Rhodesia and Jordan isn't sure if they're best friends or worst enemies.

Meanwhile, Stone is making busy at a Soho nightclub owned by Daney. Daney agrees to meet him at a lonely spot down a country lane and take him to the loot. Man alive, wake up, Stone! Daney didn't think twice about shooting a cop and now with undisguised glee he's flexing his drawstring gloves at the prospect of bumping off you… This is another Edgar Wallace Mystery. Directed by Robert Tronson, on account of its location footage, it's a bit more progressive than other episodes from series two.

Worth watching!

[JohnHowardReid · 5/10 · 31 March 2018]

Copyright Merton Park Studios Ltd. Never theatrically released in America. U.K. release through Anglo-Amalgamated: 22 October 1961. Australian release through British Empire Films: 1962. Sydney opening as a support at the Lyceum. The movie opened in New Zealand at Easter, 1962, and quickly attracted such interest (thanks to Kiwi, Nyree Dawn Porter), it became the most popular "B" picture of the year. 5,130 feet. 57 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: A jewel thief is pursued by his partner in crime, a private detective and Scotland Yard.

NOTES: Number ten of Merton Park's fifty-picture Edgar Wallace series.

COMMENT: Maxine Audley and Lee Montague are simply awful, Allan Cuthbertson is wasted, but Terence Alexander, Alfred Burke and especially Nigel Green (in a telling cameo) and other able players (including New Zealand's Nyree Dawn Porter) in minor roles, plus some fair well-staged action sequences lift this entry into the passable support category. Production values rate better than average, thanks to actual location shooting and Bert Mason's crisp photography.

Man at the Carlton Tower

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 4 March 2021]

It starts off with Lew Daney (Nigel Green) robbing a jewellery shop and shooting dead a policeman when the alarm goes off.

Scotland Yard bring in retired Rhodesian detective Tim Jordan (Lee Montague) who is staying at the Carlton Tower hotel.

Jordan also tried to pin Daney back in Rhodesia. While Jordan is at the hotel reception, he bumps into Harry Stone (Alfred Burke) who happens to be an old partner of Daney.

Both Stone and Daney have unfinished business. They meet up and it seems Stone has disappeared but no one has seen Daney about including his estranged wife. Then there is the whereabouts of the stolen jewels.

A mechanical low budget mystery. There seems to be little urgency by Scotland Yard given that there is a dead policeman in all this.

It has its share of coincidences and double crosses. The police are barking up the wrong tree. Jordan gets there in the end though.

It is more interesting to see some familiar television faces and a character called Sergeant Pepper.

The usual UK stuff, although...

[searchanddestroy-1 · 14 October 2012]

Robert Tronson, the director, was already in charge of many more Edgard Wallace Mystery series episodes - or movies - as you wish. This little feature is rather in the usual common continuity of the remaining stories of this TV show. It begins with a jewel robbery, where the safe cracker kills a policeman during his escape from the jewellery where he pulled his job.

Then, Scotland Yard investigates. A so so tale, with no many surprises, but where you finally have a rather unexpected ending; an ending that eventually makes you admit that every one was wrong from the beginning...

I watched better films from this TV series, but also very worse ones.