The Secret Tunnel is a 1947 British children's comedy-drama film directed by William C. Hammond and starring Anthony Wager, Ivor Bowyer and Thelma Rea.[1][2] The screenplay was by Hammond based on the novel by Mary Cathcart Borer. It was produced by Frank A. Hoare for Cinema Clubs for Boys and Girls, a predecessor of the Children's Film Foundation, and made by Merton Park/G.B. Children's Entertainment FIlms.
Plot
Antiques collector Roger Henderson returns from abroad to his stately home to find a valuable Rembrandt painting missing. His son Roger, together with the handyman's son John, decide to solve the mystery. It turns out that the housekeeper is in cahoots with a gang of thieves, who are using a secret tunnel leading to the house to escape with the stolen goods. Roger and John take on the criminals and bring them to justice.
Cast
- Anthony Wager as Roger Henderson
- Ivor Bowyer as John Wilson
- Thelma Rea as Mrs Matthews
- Murray Matheson as Mr Henderson
- Frank Henderson as Mr Harvey
- John Sullivan as Inspector Bell
- Gerald Pring as Wilson
- Michael Kelly as Slim
- John May as Nipper
Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This excellently made film is ideal entertainment for children, with plenty of mystery and excitement pleasantly devoid of the "horrific" element."[3]
Kine Weekly wrote: "G.B. Children's Entertainment Films have made a number of Boys' Clubs pictures lately and this is not the first to turn out equally suitable [for] adult audiences. The secret is natural character drawing, sure timing, wholesome atmosphere and, above all, a capacity to appeal to the boy in every man. Jolly adventure farce, it has the average full quota fill-up beaten to a frazzle. ... Wholesome and exciting story, competent and unaffected acting by young players, picturesque surroundings and thrilling finale."[4]
Picture Show described it as "a lively comedy-drama."[5]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Competent children's film; lots of mystery."[6]
References
- ^ "The Secret Tunnel". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "The Secret Tunnel". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 15 (169): 4. 1 January 1948. ProQuest 1305810053 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "The Secret Tunnel". Kine Weekly. 370 (2120): 184. 18 December 1947. ProQuest 2826313734 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "The Secret Tunnel". Picture Show. 52 (1343): 11. 12 June 1948. ProQuest 1880310162 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 245. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.