The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (TV Series) Marriage of Convenience (1960) User Reviews

Good little Edgar Wallace mystery

[wilvram · 7/10 · 5 October 2012]

The second of the long-running Merton Park Edgar Wallace B pictures, with a plot adapted, or to be more accurate, extracted from 'The Three Oak Mystery'. Having done a runner from a phony registry office marriage, convict Wilson - John Cairney who sounded uncannily similar to James Mason - goes after the thousands from his former bank haul. But you can't trust anyone and his accomplice - Moira Redmond - has not only vanished with the loot, but also married the now retired senior officer in charge of the case, giving the title a dual meaning. Luckily Harry H. Corbett's Inspector Bruce is now on the trail, with the added impetus of the chance to convict his patronising former boss.

A feature of this series was the great amount of dialogue and verbal exposition, so anyone in the cinema who dropped off for a minute or so, or was otherwise distracted, would be liable to lose track of the plot. This moves along swiftly however, to a satisfying conclusion and is worth watching. Though, unlike the contemporary German series, little of the original Wallace atmosphere was retained, his penchant for deceptive, double-crossing characters, was efficiently utilised, as here.

"You'll have to teach him better manners next time"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 6/10 · 22 November 2017]

An imprisoned thief Larry Wilson uses a fake marriage appointment to escape from his guards and goes to find his old girlfriend who has been taking care of the proceeds from a previous robbery. The girl has gone and so he spends the rest of the film tracking her down to discover what happened. Surprises ensue. On his trail is the dour Inspector Bruce. Directed by Clive Donner and based (very loosely!) upon the novel 'The Three Oak Mystery' this is a fast moving and entertaining film with with good location photography, particularly the last scenes by the sea.

It is helped along by a good cast. John Cairney as Larry Wilson portrays well his developing desperation and Harry H. Corbett is solid as the inspector (though his regional accent seems to vary between regions). His look of quiet satisfaction at the end of the film speaks volumes. Unfortunately John Van Eyssen as a retired policeman has little screen time. His first scene with Corbett is excellent though. Jennifer Daniel is the new supportive girlfriend.

A good entry in the Merton Park Edgar Wallace series.

Marriage of Convenience

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 21 January 2021]

Directed by Clive Donner who would go onto make some feature films.

It is an early work from writer Robert Banks Stewart who adapted the story. Steward wrote several Doctor Who stories. He created Bergerac and Shoestring. He also produced the 1991 version of The Darling Buds of May.

This is a run of the mill thriller without too much frills or action.

A pretty girl Barbara Blair arrives at the registry office to get married. Her husband to be is Larry Wilson who is doing time for armed robbery. He has been let out of prison for the wedding as Barbara is pregnant.

It is all a ruse. Larry escapes and there is a Vespa waiting as a getaway vehicle. Seriously a Vespa!

Larry wants to get the money from the robbery from his girlfriend Tina who was looking after it. Only to discover that Tina has long gone with the money.

Inspector Bruce (Harry H Corbett) is in pursuit. He remembers that the now retired Inspector Mandle put Larry behind bars.

Larry tracks down Tina. To his surprise she is now married to Mandle and both are sharing the proceeds of the bank robbery.

There are several twists and turns. Double crosses are a feature of these Edgar Wallace mysteries.

The fun is the provincial Inspector Bruce gets the chance to get one over the smarmy former cop Mandle. It seems there is little love lost between the two.

It was an unusual performance from Harry H Corbett. Known for comedy, he plays it too straight and with an accent that is all over.

To think that some people nowadays claim that Harry H Corbett was once touted as a young British Marlon Brando. Even though they were only born a few months apart.

By 1952 Brando had won a Best Actor Oscar. In 1960 Corbett was doing minor B films. I suspect if it was not for Steptoe and Son, he would had been forgotten.

another Edgar Wallace mystery

[fillherupjacko · 10 April 2007]

Larry (John Cairney - a sort of lower league James Mason) is about to get married. Only problem is he's doing a 5 year stretch for armed robbery. Not that it really is a problem; the authorities have no intention of postponing his big day. How nice. Accompanied to the registry office by a couple of prison guards, dual blows to the solar plexus(es) are enough to see Larry on his toes – with the help, that is, of Barbara (Jennifer Daniel), a "showgirl without roots", and her handy Lambretta.

We (and they) then meet up with Sam (Russell Waters), a workman covered head to toe in the sort of grease and grime that was last seen on a Victorian chimney sweep. No matter, Larry nips round to where a "friend" (a secretary at the bank he blagged) is minding the loot - only to find that the bird has flown (married) and the new lady tenant is a bit of an old goer who's obviously up for a pounding – from Larry! Nothing doing, love, as Larry's blood pressure is about to rise for a different reason – his secretary's new hubby is none other than super sleuth, Mandall of Scotland Yard.

Larry, now well and truly on the trot and in pursuit of his money, is being tracked by Detective Inspector Jock Bruce, played by Harry H Corbett - possibly the most unintentionally dreadful actor of all time. He tries so hard though, bless. His portrayal of Bruce is firmly of the stock character policeman variety. Jock Bruce is a boy from the provinces, with perhaps a chip on his shoulder. The vague provinces tag allows Harry's accent to careen uncomfortably all the way up the North East (though curiously not Scotland) via Lancashire.

Set in that forgotten period of 1960-63, where the 50s had ended but the 60s hadn't really begun (that was with the first Beatles LP, culture fans - might have been interesting when Larkin originally said it) "Marriage of Convenience" features pipe smoking police, boxy motor cars going clang clang and a gaggle of pre Twiggy big hipped dancers moving round inertly, corralled by a chap at a piano shouting stuff like: "It's all ragged. Come on, girls!"

Director Clive Donner went on to direct Swinging London fair like "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush" but this film only equates to another unremarkable entry in the Edgar Wallace series.

A clunky pot boiler.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 5/10 · 25 February 2024]

Convicted robber Larry Wilson finds an ingenious way to escape custody, but his plans for retrieving his nest egg are scuppered, when he learns that his partner in crime has absconded, without any means of contact.

It's a watchable enough thriller, it's one that I'd class as a pot boiler, something of a pedestrian plot, with a competent cast, but one that sadly lacks anything unique, nothing about this one stands out.

I really liked the opening sequences, that scene where Larry evades The Police is really good, it promised much intrigue, sadly the rest of it was a little humdrum.

John Cairney was rather good as Larry, the standout for me was Moira Redmond, who played Tina, what a beautiful woman. Harry H Corbett I didn't think was particularly well cast, his accent seemed to move a out a little at times, I didn't think he looked particularly comfortable in the role.

Writer Robert Banks Stewart wrote two good episodes of The Avengers, but was perhaps better known for his work on Doctor Who, writing two terrific Tom Baker aerials, Terror of The Zygons and The Seeds of Doom.

Sadly this is a very average episode.

5/10.

Nothing special about it.

[searchanddestroy-1 · 30 October 2011]

A Clive Donner film, one of his first. He has already made one for Edgard Wallace Mystery series. Here, a little crime flick, where we see at the beginning a young woman going to her wedding, waiting for her fiancée, and then we discover that the latest is a hood on custody, with his handcuffs, allowed by the police force to go to his own wedding. And our man escapes at this very moment. Before being on the run, after a bullion hidden somewhere. The force is tracking him down. A few surprises, because it sometimes looks like a comedy, without being one.

Nothing special, a good directing and so on, but so forgettable. Worth watching, although.