BLOOD ORANGE/ THREE STEPS TO MURDER
UK, 1953, 76 minutes, Black-and-white.
Tom Conway, Mila Parely, Naomi Chance, Eric Pohlman, Andrew Osborn, Richard Wattis, Michael Ripper.
Directed by Terence Fisher.
In 1953 thriller, just a few years before Hammer Studios ventured into their horror series. Producer Michael Carreras and director-writer Jimmy Sangster were involved in this film – and then were successful with the horror films. It is also directed by Terence Fisher who directed some of the key Dracula and Frankenstein films.
The star of this film is Tom Conway, George Sanders older brother, looking and sounding like his brother and adopting his suave, sometimes detached manner. And his character’s name in this film is Tom Conway!
The film opens with an elaborate robbery of jewels, Eric Pohlman as an entrepreneur who was robbed, Tom Conway as a former-FBI agent investigating for him. Pohlman is involved in the jewellery industry with several shops. The film also goes into the world of fashion, behind the scenes in the workroom, designers, models, and then various fashion displays for affluent guests. Tom Conway frequents the shows and becomes very friendly with a model who was sacked, played by Naomi Chance. Prominent in the action is the head designer, a passionate woman, and her partner, rather cool and detached.
There is a complication when an imperious woman notes that one of the jewels on sale had been robbed from her. And she is murdered.
Quite some complications, Tom Conway becoming involved with the rather cool model who had been sacked. But, then, Conway is detained in Pohlman’s house, makes his escape, the police arriving, arrests of a number of the criminals. However, bluffing that a parcel of perfume is actually a bomb, Pohlman escapes, only to make a mysterious phone call, go to a rendezvous in a car park where he is murdered.
Quite a number of complications – the hysterical designer wanting to kill herself, her cool partner discovered to be working with the model…
It is very much a surprise to see Richard Wattis as the police investigator, difficult to detach this role from his many prissy and fussy comedy roles in many British comedy.
