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refreshingly off-hand police inspector played by Glynn
Edwards. Above all, the general economy of the script makes this thriller much less improbable than many of its kind; there are no glaring loopholes or unexplained incidents. It is a pity that the Brighton insurance representative had to be in love with the murdered man's wife, for the plot is otherwise free of such convenient and contrived coincidences."
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underpaid extras – is mercifully absent, as is any hint of a low-budget car chase. ... As a director, Jim O'Connelly may be best described as rudimentary, but his screenplay encompasses fascinating period detail. ... The set may be cheap and the shooting schedule limited, but the entertainment value is far greater than many an over-inflated epic."
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wrote: "Although familiar in style and idiom, this pleasant little mystery story has a few features that lift it out of the ordinary. The central figure – a bowler-hatted, umbrella-carrying, shrewd and gently humorous insurance man, with a streak of monetary meanness – is unconventional. So is the
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gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "This above-average programme filler is kept moving swiftly and painlessly by director Jim O'Connolly. Adultery, embezzlement and murder are all taken in his stride by Peter Vaughn as the insurance claims inspector who suspects that there is more to a blazing car
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described the film as "an utterly charming B-film comedy-thriller that emphasises character as much as plot and makes full use of extensive location footage. The standard
British second feature crime setting – a nightclub run by Cypriot/Maltese/Generally Swarthy types and populated by a dozen
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wreck than meets the eye. While all around him give typically second-division performances, Vaughan plays with a dogged determination that is efficient, engaging and quite at odds with the more sinister characters he would essay later in his career."
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is suspicious, as the man had only recently taken out life insurance for a large sum. The car is recovered and no body is found. Roper and the police have to find out whether they are dealing with an accident, an insurance fraud or a murder.
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and 1970. They describe it as an "uncommonly neat little insurance racket-cum-murder thriller" and praise the way that its comic relief is "built into the fabric of the film's main narrative action".
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The opening scenes were shot in London, but much of the rest of the film was shot on location in West Sussex and East Sussex, including the
Brighton area. The scene featuring
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to assess the apparent death of a businessman after his burning car was seen crashing over a cliff into the sea. The
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is a 1964 British comedy crime drama film, written and directed by
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Film historians Steve
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397:as one of the 15 most meritorious British
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427:British Film Institute Collections Search
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547:Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane,
16:1964 British film by Jim O'Connolly
772:English-language crime drama films
351:as the station master was shot at
326:Maja Hafernik as Mrs Dexter's Maid
284:as stationmaster (as Derek Guyler)
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449:"Station Name: Hellingly Station"
338:as Mrs Roper's nurse (uncredited)
742:Films directed by Jim O'Connolly
332:as Dexter's doctor (uncredited)
317:Edward Ogden as Police Sergeant
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732:British black-and-white films
767:Butcher's Film Service films
757:1960s English-language films
727:British crime thriller films
320:Anthony Dawes as John Dexter
293:David Gregory as the Smudger
290:as Helen, Turner's secretary
323:Romo Gorrara as Taxi Driver
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496:Radio Times Guide to Films
484:(372): 10. 1 January 1965.
378:Radio Times Guide to Films
359:ceased operating in 1968.
131:Butcher's Film Productions
35:Lobby card autographed by
722:British crime drama films
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498:(18th ed.). London:
369:The Monthly Film Bulletin
353:Hellingly railway station
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500:Immediate Media Company
453:disused-stations.org.uk
712:1964 crime drama films
447:Catford, Nick (2017).
219:insurance investigator
141:Butcher's Film Service
747:Films set in Brighton
737:British mystery films
502:. 2017. p. 851.
477:Monthly Film Bulletin
308:Bert Palmer as barman
668:The Valley of Gwangi
549:The British 'B' Film
524:"Smokescreen (1964)"
762:1960s British films
752:Films set in London
717:1960s mystery films
660:Crooks and Coronets
266:as Inspector Wright
614:Films directed by
455:. Disused Stations
363:Critical reception
314:as Reception clerk
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147:Release date
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65:Ronald Liles
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636:Smokescreen
577:Smokescreen
566:Smokescreen
395:Smokescreen
357:Cuckoo Line
297:Jill Curzon
246:John Carson
198:Smokescreen
80:John Carson
62:Produced by
44:Directed by
24:Smokescreen
707:1964 films
701:Categories
533:17 October
432:22 October
409:References
343:Production
174:70 minutes
123:Production
97:Jack Mills
54:Written by
272:as player
102:Edited by
652:Berserk!
459:6 August
312:Tom Gill
276:Sam Kydd
223:Brighton
187:Language
112:Music by
72:Starring
399:B films
299:as June
190:English
179:Country
156: (
125:company
687:(1974)
679:(1972)
671:(1969)
663:(1969)
655:(1967)
647:(1965)
639:(1964)
631:(1963)
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571:IMDb
535:2014
504:ISBN
461:2024
434:2023
376:The
234:Cast
213:Plot
158:1964
154:1964
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
