The Teckman Mystery (1954)

A biographer researching a book on a pilot who died during the test flight of a new plane falls in love with the pilot's sister. As he uncovers more about the test flight, people connected with the case begin to die.

Director:

Wendy Toye

Writers:

Francis Durbridge, James Matthews

Stars:

Margaret Leighton, John Justin, Roland Culver

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Margaret Leighton	...	Helen Teckman
John Justin	...	Philip Chance
Roland Culver	...	Insp. Harris
Michael Medwin	...	Martin Teckman
George Coulouris	...	Garvin
Duncan Lamont	...	Insp. Hilton
Raymond Huntley	...	Maurice Miller
Jane Wenham	...	Ruth Wade
Meier Tzelniker	...	John Rice
Harry Locke	...	Leonard
Fanny Rowe	...	Eileen Miller (as Frances Rowe)
Barbara Murray	...	Girl in plane
Irene Lister	...	Waitress
Gwen Nelson	...	Duty woman
Mary Crant	...	BEA clerk

Storyline

A biographer researching a book on a pilot who died during the test flight of a new plane falls in love with the pilot's sister. As he uncovers more about the test flight, people connected with the case begin to die.

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Genres:

Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 October 1954 (UK)

Also Known As:

Den farlige mand

Company Credits

Production Co:

Corona Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Remake of The Teckman Biography (1953)

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Soundtracks

The Shadow Waltz
Music by Clive Richardson (as Paul Dubois)

User Reviews

Run-of-the-mill Mystery with an Incomprehsible Plot

THE TECKMAN MYSTERY is the kind of programmer that routinely appears on television but regularly released in cinemas in the Forties and Fifties. It concerns a writer, Philip Chance who is asked to write a book about a recently-deceased pilot Martin Teckman. Initially reluctant to do so, he is drawn into a web of intrigue, organized by Martin's sister (Margaret Leighton), in which Martin is revealed to be not dead at all but the victim of a conspiracy that leads to his attempt to kill himself.

The film offers some good exterior shots of mid-Fifties London, with mercifully less traffic but plenty of secret areas where corruption thrives. The cast don't have too much to do with their roles: Justin acts the part of the debonair writer in more danger than he thinks, while Leighton is marginally too old for her role. Lovers of Fifties curiosities will note that this thriller is directed by a woman, Wendy Toye, one of the few British women to be operative at that time.