Murder at 3am

Murder at 3am
Original Australian poster
Directed by	Francis Searle
Written by	John Ainsworth Moie Charles (additional dialogue)
Story by	John Ainsworth
Produced by	John Ainsworth David Henley
Starring	Dennis Price Peggy Evans Rex Garner
Cinematography	S.D. Onions
Edited by	Adam Dawson
Music by	Eric Spear
Production companies	David Henley Productions Renown Pictures Corporation
Release date	July 1953 (1953-07) (UK)
Running time	60 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Murder at 3 a.m. is a 1953 British second feature^: 172 crime film directed by Francis Searle and starring Dennis Price, Peggy Evans and Rex Garner. It was written by John Ainsworth. A Scotland Yard detective investigates a series of attacks on women.

Plot

There have been a series of attacks on women walking home in the early hours, and now a woman has been found murdered. Chief Inspector Peter Lawton investigates. His suspicion falls on Edward King, an ex-commando who is engaged to Lawton's sister Joan. He uses Joan to trap King, but King flees. It transpires that King is innocent; the killer is his half-brother Jim.

Cast

• Dennis Price as Chief Inspector Peter Lawton
• Peggy Evans as Joan Lawton
• Rex Garner as Detective Sergeant Todd
• Arnold Bell as Assistant Commissioner McMann
• Greta Mayaro as Lena
• Philip Saville as Edward 'Teddy' King/Jim King
• Leonard Sharp as Old Skip
• Nora Gordon as Nanna
• Renee Goddard as Lady Branstead
• Arthur Lovegrove as Inspector Cobb
• Daphne Maddox as victim
• Robert Weeden as CID constable
• John Davis as transmitting constable (uncredited)

Critical reception

Kine Weekly said "The exuberant, if somewhat lurid and extravagent, yarn unfolds against bright night-club and realistic nocturnal London street scenes which cunningly create an illusion of scope. For its size it carries quite a kick."

Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A second-rate thriller, unimaginatively directed; the cast attempts to make something out of the too-familiar dialogue and situations."

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Shabby 'B' feature, tiresomely made"

To-Day's Cinema called it an "efficient specimen" of the crime thriller.

References

External links

• Murder at 3am at IMDb