Dangerous Davies: The Last Detective (TV 1981)

When D. C. Dangerous Davies, not held in high regard by his superiors, is assigned to find a notorious criminal kingpin, he uncovers the details of 15 year old cold case.

Director:

Val Guest

Writers:

Leslie Thomas (novel), Val Guest (screenplay),

Stars:

Bernard Cribbins, Bill Maynard, Joss Ackland

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bernard Cribbins	...	Dangerous Davies
Bill Maynard	...	Mod Lewis
Joss Ackland	...	Chief Insp. Yardbird
Bernard Lee	...	Sergeant Ben
Frank Windsor	...	Fred Fennell
John Leyton	...	Dave Boot
Maureen Lipman	...	Ena Lind
Cindy O'Callaghan	...	Josie Norris
Derek Bond	...	Det. Supt. Carter
Patsy Rowlands	...	Madame Tarantella
Colin Baker	...	William Lind
Avril Angers	...	Mrs. Fulljames
Ken Jones	...	Mr. Norris
Jeremy Sinden	...	Det. Sgt. Green
Peter Bland	...	George Tilth

Storyline

Det. Const. "Dangerous" Davies is not known for his finesse, but often finds himself on the receiving end of violence in various forms. Only thrown into cases where others fear to tread, or to shake up the natives with his bumbling, he is given a mission to find and flush out a local criminal recently returned from abroad, possibly for "a big job". In his research he inadvertently stumbles upon a 15 year-old case, long considered cold, of the disappearance a young girl. His compassion for the missing girl and her parents draws him into an obsession with solving the case, which ultimately results in unexpected repercussions.

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Plot Keywords:

dangerous davies | rape | centegenarian | st. bernard | british mystery | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Family

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 January 1981 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Elephant and Castle, Southwark, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC), Inner Circle Films, Maidenhead Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 109 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last film Of Avril Angers.

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Quotes

Madame Tarantella: [about her romance with Fennell] I couldn't see a future for us then.
Dangerous Davies: If you couldn't, who could?

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Crazy Credits

Initial caption in opening credits: "This is the story of a man who became deeply concerned with the unsolved murder of a young girl. He was a born stumbler, but patient and very dogged...".

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Connections

Remade as The Last Detective (2003)

User Reviews

Leslie Thomas

An excellent story by Leslie Thomas gives Bernard Cribbins his best dramatic role since the Railway Children. The cast is perfect and as always Thomas combines strong elements of comedy and pathos without descending into mawkishness. This marvellous film is long overdue for release on video!