Murder at 3am

Murder at 3am
Murder at 3am
	Original Australian poster
Directed by	Francis Searle
Written by	John Ainsworth ; Moie Charles (additional dialogue)
Story by	John Ainsworth
Produced by	John Ainsworth; David Henley
Starring	Dennis Price; Peggy Evans; Rex Garner
Cinematography	S.D. Onions
Edited by	Adam Dawson
Music by	Eric Spear
Production; companies	David Henley Productions; Renown Pictures Corporation
Release date	July 1953 (UK);
Running time	60 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Murder at 3 a.m. is a 1953 British crime film second feature^[1]^: 172 directed by Francis Searle and starring Dennis Price, Peggy Evans and Rex Garner.^[2] A Scotland Yard detective investigates a series of attacks on women.

Plot

There have been a series of attacks on women walking home in the early hours, and now a woman has been found murdered. Chief Inspector Peter Lawton investigates. His suspicion falls on Edward King, an ex-commando who is engaged to Lawton's sister Joan. He uses Joan to trap King, but King flees. It transpires that King is innocent; the killer is his half-brother Jim.

Cast

Dennis Price as Chief Inspector Peter Lawton
Peggy Evans as Joan Lawton
Rex Garner as Detective Sergeant Todd
Arnold Bell as Assistant Commissioner McMann
Greta Mayaro as Lena
Philip Saville as Edward 'Teddy' King/Jim King
Leonard Sharp as Old Skip
Nora Gordon as Nanna
Renee Goddard as Lady Branstead
Arthur Lovegrove as Inspector Cobb
Daphne Maddox as victim
Robert Weeden as CID constable
John Davis as transmitting constable (uncredited)

Critical reception

Kine Weekly said "The exuberant, if somewhat lurid and extravagent, yarn unfolds again bright night-club and realistic nocturnal London street scenes which cunningly create an illusion of scope. For its size it carries quite a kick. ";^[3] Monthly Film Bulletin said "A second-rate thriller, unimaginatively directed; the cast attempts to make something out of the too-familiar dialogue and situations."^[4]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Shabby 'B' feature, tiresomely made"^[5]

To-Day's Cinema called it an "efficient specimen" of the crime thriller.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2018) [2009]. The British 'B' Film. London and New York City: Bloomsbury/BFI. p. 152. ISBN 9781844575749.
^ "Murder at 3 a.m." British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
^ "Murder at 3 a.m." Kine Weekly. 436 (2403): 22. 16 July 1953 – via ProQuest.
^ "Murder at 3 a.m." Monthly Film Bulletin. 20 (228): 135. 1 January 1953 – via ProQuest.
^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 349. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.