Sat 26 Mar 2016
Mystery Movie Review: BLACK ORCHID (1953).
Posted by Steve under Mystery movies , Reviews[4] Comments
BLACK ORCHID. General Film Distributors/Kenilworth Film Productions, UK, 1953. Ronald Howard, Olga Edwardes, John Bentley, Mary Laura Wood, Patrick Barr, Sheila Burrell, Russell Napier. Director: Charles Saunders.
Other than the leading man, Ronald Howard, on occasion known as Sherlock Holmes, the cast consisted of total unknowns to me, but this 60 minute detective thriller, within its limited range, made for an hour’s worth of good watching time. Not only that, I now know the names of two lady players to look out for in the future.
In Black Orchid, Howard plays a research doctor whose marriage to a society class wife (Mary Laura Wood) is crumbling, and when the woman’s sister (Olga Edwardes) finds his medical research as fascinating as he does, he finds the attraction mutual. Divorce proceedings quickly ensue, but marriage unfortunately does not. It seems as though there was a law in England at the time forbidding men from marrying sisters of divorced wives.
Until they die. The divorced wives, that is. You can guess what happens next, the police being prodded on by the dead woman’s devoted maid (Sheila Burrell). One clue to attest to the doctor’s innocence is, and maybe you can guess this, too, is a black orchid.
The satisfaction you can get from watching small compact thrillers such as Black Orchid depends a great deal on your willingness to accept small jumps in logic and a certain trust in the fact that coincidences do happen. Set those aside, and you may have, as I say, a nifty little detective drama on your hands.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:19 pm
John Bentley who appears in this also appeared twice each in films as John Creasey’s Toff (HAMMER THE TOFF) and Francis Durbridge’s Paul Temple (ENTER PAUL TEMPLE and CALLING PAUL TEMPLE)in the post war period and starred in a number of films. He also did a series where he played a British cop in Africa that was made into a feature film too. I’m guessing he is a detective here as he played a lot of detectives.
Ronald Howard is the son of Leslie Howard and was reliable in a number of films and at least one television series other than Sheldon Reynolds Sherlock Holmes, FIVE FINGERS with David Hedison, a sort of early precursor to MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. He varied between leading man and villain in most of his work.
March 27th, 2016 at 12:06 am
You might add Patrick Barr and Russell Napier to the distinguished actor list.
March 27th, 2016 at 7:44 am
The world of British movie making in the 40s and 50s, particularly the in the field of mysteries and crime films, is still very much a brand new world to me. I’m learning, though, and having a good time doing so.
March 31st, 2016 at 3:32 pm
Belated:
Ronald Howard was in at least one more TV series: Cowboy In Africa (1967/ABC), in which he played a Brit rancher in Africa who employed Chuck Connors in the eponymous role.
Howard carried over his part from Ivan Tors’s feature Africa – Texas Style, which played in theaters the year before, with Hugh O’Brian in the star part (Why the replacement with Connors? Unknown, at least by me; most likely, money).