There is No Escape, also known as The Dark Road and The Thurston Story, is a 1948 British drama film from Hammer Films.
It was Michael Ripper's first appearance in a Hammer Film.[2]
The film was based on the career of criminal Stanley Thurston, who appeared in the cast as a character based on himself. Thurston was famous for his numerous escapes from prison, 5 times in 15 years.[3] He was released from prison in October 1946.[4][5]
The film had trouble with the British censors who thought the film glamorised a real life criminal. Thurston had to be billed as "Charles Stuart."[6][7]
James Carreras said, "The picture already has official police approval. I have done everything to show that crime is a mug's game. Thurston is the only non-professional actor in the film. All he asked was £10 a week to cover expenses. At the end of the film he turns to the audience and tells them that a criminal life just isn't worth the candle, especially when guns are brought into crime. He made such a good job of the picture that I had him listed for a racing story on his merits as an actor. That plan will now have to be shelved."[1]
The film was shot at Marylebone Studios.[8]
Cast
- Charles Stuart as Sidney Robertson
- Joyce Linden as Anne
- Mackenzie Ward as Ashcroft
- Patricia Hicks
- Roddy Hughes as The Chaplain
- Anthony Holles
- David Keir
- Frank Forsyth as Detective
- Rory MacDermot
- Joanna Carter
- Peter Reynolds
- Veronica Rose
- Maxine Taylor
- Michael Ripper as Andy Anderson
- Sefton Yates
- Cyril Chamberlain as Editor
- Gale Douglas
- Sydney Bromley
- Gerald Pring
- Hay Petrie
- Farnham Baxter
Production
The film was an early appearance from Peter Reynolds.[9]
References
- ^ a b "Action To Ban Film Showing Gaol-Breaker". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. No. 22, 060. New South Wales, Australia. 17 June 1947. p. 4. Retrieved 4 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Jones, David (5 July 2000). "Hammer horror film star dies aged 87". Evening Mail. Birmingham. p. 30. ProQuest 323321614.
- ^ "Gaol-Breaker Makes Film". Sunday Times (Perth). No. 2569. Western Australia. 18 May 1947. p. 12 (SUPPLEMENT TO THE SUNDAY TIMES). Retrieved 4 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "CRIMINAL AS SCREEN STAR". The Sunday Mail. No. 892. Queensland, Australia. 25 May 1947. p. 7. Retrieved 4 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Robber's Two Months In West End". The Mail (Adelaide). Vol. 28, no. 1, 447. South Australia. 17 February 1940. p. 3. Retrieved 4 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Meikle, Dennis (2008). A History of Horrors: The Rise and Fall of the House of Hammer. Scarecrow Press. p. 5. ISBN 9780810863811.
- ^ "Stanley Thurston | Legendary Dartmoor". 14 October 2016.
- ^ Chibnall, Stephen; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. Macmillan International Higher Education. p. 73. ISBN 9781844575749.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (11 November 2024). "Peter Reynolds: Forgotten Cad". Filmink. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
External links
- There Is No Escape at IMDb
- The Dark Road at BFI
