The Third Key (1956)

Police drama. The sleuths of Scotland Yard try to solve a series of burglaries.

Director:

Charles Frend

Writers:

Robert Barr (story), Janet Green (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Hawkins, John Stratton, Dorothy Alison

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Hawkins	...	Detective-Superintendent Tom Halliday
John Stratton	...	Detective-Sergeant Ward
Dorothy Alison	...	Mary Halliday
Michael Brooke	...	Tony Halliday
Sam Kydd	...	Police Constable in Information Room
Glyn Houston	...	Detective-Sergeant in 'Q' car
Richard Leech	...	'Nightwatchman' / Gilson
Newton Blick	...	Deputy Commander
Geoffrey Keen	...	Chief-Superintendent Jim Malcolm
Sydney Tafler	...	Stone
Peter Burton	...	Creasey
George Rose	...	Slob
Arthur Rigby	...	Detective-Inspector at Chester
Ralph Truman	...	Colonel Blenkinsop
Ian Bannen	...	The Young Workman - Stanley James

Storyline

Someone has broken into the safe of a London company, and yet no force or explosive was used, and the keys do not appear to have been lost. A police superintendent is investigating, assisted by a new and very keen sergeant. The superintendent's wife is worried that he may be in personal danger, and the superintendent is not always mindful of the need to reassure his wife. Then a safe in another business is also robbed without the use of force, but the robber's getaway car runs down a bystander, who later dies. There seems to be nothing to link the crimes, but then the getaway car is found abandoned in a scrap yard. A discarded newspaper in the car may be a crucial lead in solving the crime, but there isn't much to go on.

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Plot Keywords:

police station | police investigation | vehicular homicide | police superintendent | police stakeout | 

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Taglines:

The True Inside Story of Scotland Yard's Crime Busters!

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1956 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Third Key

Filming Locations:

41-44 Great Queen Street, Covent Garden, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Rank Organisation, Ealing Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording) Mono (Gaumont Recording Kalee)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The last film made at Ealing Studios, London.

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Goofs

In the police records office, the length of the cigarette/ash yo-yos between shots.

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Quotes

[during the final chase, Halliday leaps onto the bonnet of the getaway car and stops it by smashing its windscreen with his truncheon; as it lurches to a halt, he falls off the bonnet onto the ground. Ward helps him up]
Detective-Sergeant Ward: Are you all right, sir?
Detective-Superintendent Tom Halliday: I'll live, I think.
Detective-Sergeant Ward: Nothing broken?
[Halliday pauses and looks mortified]
Detective-Superintendent Tom Halliday: Yes - a promise I made to let *other* people take the risks!

User Reviews

An undiscovered gem

Very solid brit crime drama. Fine performance from Jack Hawkins. Thankfully, not so much stiff upper lip as we were used, the humour between Hawkins and his sidekick the John Stratton bubbles along and the mechanics of the plot is nicely constructed and presented. A veritable glut of fine British actors both future stars like Ian Bannon and Stratford Johns and small part favourites like Sam Kydd and Harold Goodwin. Also keep an eye out for a young Nicholas Parsons playing a copper. If you're a resident of London it will be fascinating looking at the sites of our capital and seeing how much it has changed. An undiscovered gem worth digging out