THE DELAVINE AFFAIR

UK, 1955, 64 minutes, Black-and-white.
Peter Reynolds, Honor Blackman, Gordon Jackson, Valerie Vernon, Michael Balfour, Katie Johnson.
Directed by Douglas Peirce.

This is a small murder mystery from a story by Robert M. Chapman who was also responsible for the very similar story and film, Behind the Headlines, in the following year. Once again there is a journalist running a news agency, this time Peter Reynolds (who migrated to Australia in the 1960s and appeared in quite a number of films and television series). His wife is played by Honor Blackman. The villain turns out to be Gordon Jackson in an unusual role. Also in the cast are Michael Balfour, the journalist’s photographer, and the pleasant presence of Katie Johnson who was to make such an impact as the old lady in The Ladykillers at the same time.

There are complications with the murder of an old religious vagrant, information about jewel robberies and fencing the jewels, police investigations, the revelation about the robber and the murder of his associate, information from his widow, the jeweller who fenced the material and information from his wife, and another investigator who would happily split the jewels when they were recovered by the journalist.

Small but interesting in its way.