A Case for PC 49 (1951) User Reviews

Escapist nostalgia

[Spondonman · 7/10 · 5 June 2007]

This was one of those unusual sequels: better than the original. It was the 2nd attempt at putting the adventures of PC 49 onto the screen, transferred from BBC radio, the 1st being filmed 2 years before in 1949. In those 2 years Hammer had come on by leaps and bounds with higher production values, better actors and acting and most of all better scripts. This still means that it creaks and abounds with those moments that contemporary serious people love to deride, so apart from it appealing to wide-eyes like me it can also draw cynical wasters too.

Meanwhile the plot is cohesive and absorbing: jewel heist complements and is a screen for an elaborate murder-of-a-millionaire plan, the hifalutin murderers themselves get targeted by their lower class drones who concoct their own elaborately vicious plan in revenge. Into this morass of immorality comes hook-nosed Brian Reece playing lanky PC 49 and Joy Shelton playing his astute fiancée Joan, who are playing their own hunches despite being continually handicapped by the staid unimagination of the Met police hierarchy. They needed an Inspector with the brains of Claude Teal, stolid Gordon McLeod had to suffice instead … Michael Ripper was here again this time as a reforming ex-con, but didn't he do life at Hammer? Favourite bits: the glamorous scenes in sexy Della's swanky penthouse apartment - how tastes have changed; The baddie contemplating the necessity of polishing off Joan but not enjoying one bit socking her on the jaw. The popular radio series ran for 112 episodes from 1947 to 1953, the BBC destroyed all but 2 editions and of course makes sure that no one will ever hear them.

To the believer, seventy-five minutes that can be well spent over and over again in the non-taxing company of some old friends, if you hated it kiss those seventy-five minutes goodbye forever!

A Case for Della Dainton

[boblipton · 6/10 · 10 November 2017]

Fashion model Christine Norden gets a threatening letter from an old boyfriend, so Reece gets sent in to guard her in plain clothes and witnesses his death .... or does he? Reece's girlfriend, Joy Shelton, has her doubts, and pursues the case, and opens a can of worms.

For the first half of the movie, it seems like it's half silly and half stupid, but there are enough bits to let the viewer know that something else is going on, and there's a pretty good twist two-thirds of the way through. Although PC 49 is a kind-hearted lummox, and clearly incompetent to be more than a beat bobby, Miss Shelton makes a pretty good tec at the end. The final confrontation also has some fine noirish cinematography by Walter J. Harvey, It's never more than a second feature, but it's a satisfying example, with lots of plot and good camera-work -- although whoever chose the stock music didn't think too hard about the choices.

Della's fellas hella yella

[southdavid · 5/10 · 7 October 2021]

Another early Hammer production watched for the "House of Hammer" podcast "A Case for PC49" is the follow up to "The Adventures of PC 49 Investigating The Case of the Guardian Angel". I found that film to be a bit better, technically, than the other Hammer films from the late 1940's but with a slow story that rallied a bit for it's conclusion. This, almost twice as long as that film, again had some appealing moments, but ultimately a story that wasn't interesting enough.

Della Dainton (Christine Norden) is a model and femme fatale who, with her boyfriend, the gangster Victor Palantine (Leslie Bradley) comes up with a scheme to murder her ex for his inheritance. Their plan involves a policeman to be on site to act as witness and alibi and, using a fake threat on her life, they are provided with PC Berkeley-Willoughby, the titular PC 49 (Brian Reece). Their plan would work perfectly, except for a vital clue that could unravel the scheme and which ends up in the hands of PC49's fiancé Joan (Joy Shelton).

Whilst not as technically sound as the Dick Barton film that came out this same year, the version of the film that I saw on Youtube was reasonably accomplished, from a sound recording point of view particularly. There were some humorous moments, mostly revolving around Miss Dainton's appearance, the effect she has on PC49 and Joan's reaction to it. Christine Norden's performance is good, as are the turns from Jack Stewart and Michael Balfour as two of Palantine's heavies that become dissatisfied with their lot in this scheme. Brian Reece has replaced Hugh Latimer as PC49 himself, and he shifts the character into a broader comedic range than before. Having never heard the radio series, I can't speak as to which performer is providing a more faithful version of the character.

It did struggle to maintain my interest through, particularly once the set-up work had been done and I drifted in an out of the last two thirds of it. Dick Barton, for me, is never troubled by his on the beat brother.

Oh and "My Sunday Helmet" absolutely needs to be a euphemism.

The second and last big screen PC 49, a fascinating relic.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 6 December 2019]

This is the type of B feature that got its billing on neighborhood theaters where it could pass under the critics nose without getting much attention other than a blazee "eeh", instantly forgotten, yet providing moderate entertainment for the audiences. For fans of the BBC radio show, it must have provided some thrills, but American audiences must be of a certain mindset and familiar with the common British dialects, slang and unique forms of conversation as well as the culture of the time, quite different from the American culture of the time.

It's two years after the first of the two films, and enough time has passed to go what Hugh Latimer looked like. Now we've got Brian Reece, star of the actual radio show, and Joy Shelton taking over the role of his girlfriend who gets herself into trouble by aiding Reece in his cases. This involves the murder of a millionaire, a rather shifty model (Christine Norden, deliciously chewing the scenery) and some shady characters who look like the nefarious crestures in the Dick Tracy comics. One of them, Michael Ripper, appeared in the previous film as another character. It's adequately paced but obviously rushed out, and the acting isn't exactly inspired. But for a typical quota quicky, it does what it sets out to do.

Middling, but with elements of interest

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 3 April 2018]

A CASE FOR PC 49 is the second of the radio adaptations from Hammer Films. Hugh Latimer is gone, to be replaced by the instantly irritating Brian Reece who originated the PC 49 role on BBC radio. Unfortunately he plays the character as a buffoon and is thus impossible to take seriously. A shame, because the low-key plotting is quite interesting and incorporates a femme fatale, a con man, murder, an ex-convict, and some petty thieves. There are strong supporting roles for Michaels Balfour and Ripper, two of the most familiar faces in British film of the 1950s, and Christine Norden gives a good turn as the wicked woman in a role that would later be played by the likes of Diana Dors. The film itself is middling and slow to begin with, but it does end on a thrilling high.

a polocemans lot is not a happy one

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 6 May 2019]

Except that is when getting to grips with glamorous Christine Norden who was this countrys blonde bombshell for a short period.Based on a radio series with lots of mini climaxes.

"O my Sunday helmet!"

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

Based on a BBC radio series and made by Hammer Films it tells of PC 49 (actual name Archibald Berkeley-Willoughby!) who gets involved with solving a murder and a robbery assisted by his girl friend. It was the second PC 49 film and is tolerable but not very exciting though it does have a good climax in a brewery. Brian Reece as PC 49 and Joy Shelton as his fiancée Joan Carr are adequate but they are well supported by welcome character actors like Campbell Singer, Michael Balfour and Michael Ripper. An ordinary film from the busy director Francis Searle,

Good old ' PC 49'!

[mprstephenson-634-180449 · 8/10 · 14 February 2014]

When I was a youngster, 'PC 49', along with 'Dick Barton, Special Agent',all the 'Paul Temple' series, were almost compulsory listening to almost everyone in the country. As per usual, the BBC, along with almost everything else worth saving destroyed the recordings. How many of the radio comedy shows of the 40s and 50s remain,( 'Variety Bandbox', 'Up the Pole', 'Take it from Here', Eric Barker, 'Just Fancy' remain, and how much Max Miller material is still around? Nowadays,hardly anything is worth saving, so naturally, this modern tripe will still be available in 100 years time! No-one will want to listen to it, as we will have ' moved on' by that time.

Anyone at the BBC on more than ' national minimum wage' is overpaid!