Rogue's Yarn (1957)

An adulterous husband plans to kill his invalid wife. He thinks that he has the perfect alibi, but an alert detective unravels his story.

Director:

Vernon Sewell

Writers:

Vernon Sewell (screenplay), Ernle Bradford (screenplay)

Stars:

Nicole Maurey, Derek Bond, Elwyn Brook-Jones

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Nicole Maurey	...	Michele Cartier
Derek Bond	...	John Marsden
Elwyn Brook-Jones	...	Inspector Walker
Hugh Latimer	...	Sergeant Adams
John Serret	...	Inspector Lafarge
John Salew	...	Sam Youles
Nigel Fitzgerald	...	Commissioner
Joan Carol	...	Nurse
Madoline Thomas	...	Cook
Agatha Carroll	...	Hester Marsden
Barbara Christie	...	Maid
Hugh Morton	...	Doctor
Khadi the Cat	...	'KHADI' the Cat

Storyline

An adulterous husband plans to kill his invalid wife. He thinks that he has the perfect alibi, but an alert detective unravels his story.

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Plot Keywords:

sergeant | murder plot | inspector | 

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Genres:

Crime

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Opening credits: All characters in this film are fictitious and any similarity to any person living or dead is purely coincidental.

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Connections

References Double Indemnity (1944)

User Reviews

Early Columbo prototype

ROGUE'S YARN is an intriguing little murder mystery, shot in Brighton by director Vernon Sewell and featuring his famous yacht that had previously appeared in the likes of GHOST SHIP alongside many other productions. As some other reviewers on here have noted, the structure of the film and the content make it feel very much like a COLUMBO episode, with the murderer introduced to the viewer at the outset.

The dashing Derek Bond plays an adulterous husband who plots to bump off his invalid wife with the help of his mistress. All goes according to plan, until a dogged detective shows up and threatens exposure. What follows is a fun police procedural movie, with a lot of screen time spent on the unravelling of a perfect alibi.

The unknown Elwyn Brook-Jones stars as the detective, with the familiar Hugh Latimer in comic relief support as his sergeant. I wasn't familiar with Brook-Jones before this film, but the Roy Kinnear lookalike does a good job at bringing his working class character to life. He makes Walker both a realistic and likable presence. Although ROGUE'S YARN is undoubtedly a B-movie in terms of budget and narrative, Sewell is one of those directors with the capability to make any film look good and there's a great suspense sequence involving a leaking gas tap.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1957 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Brighton Film Studios, St Nicholas Road, Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cresswell

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (recorded on) (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1