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:

Scotland Yard's most baffling case

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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:

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 capture of the criminals takes place during the night of Friday, 25th November/Saturday, 26th November 1955.

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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

Classic British Crime Movie

I echo Mike Wilson's views on this film, it is the classic British crime drama. Jack Hawkins is superb (and I feel that John Gregson's TV portrayal of Gideon was based on this). It even has little touches of humour which succeed in making the movie real. I would also agree with Mike that the later Gideon of Scotland Yard is poor in comparison, if Jack Hawkins had played the character in the same manner as he played Supt. Halliday, it could have been perfect. The movie has just been re-issued in the UK (Feb. 2003) on VHS.