They Can't Hang Me

They Can't Hang Me is a 1955 British drama film directed by Val Guest and starring Terence Morgan, Yolande Donlan and Anthony Oliver.[1] It was based on a novel by Leonard Mosley.[2]

They Can't Hang Me
Original British quad poster
Directed byVal Guest
Produced byRoger Proudlock
Written byVal Guest
Val Valentine
Based onnovel by Leonard Mosley
StarringTerence Morgan
Yolande Donlan
André Morell
Ursula Howells
Music byStanley Black
CinematographyStanley Pavey
Edited byDouglas Myers
Production
company
Distributed byIndependent Film Distributors (IFD) (UK)
Release date
October 1955 (UK)
Running time
75 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

A senior civil servant, Pitt (Morell) has been convicted of a murder and sentenced to death. Days before his execution, Pitt reveals that he has been passing on top secret information to an agent of a foreign power and offers to reveal the identity of his handler in exchange for a reprieve. With only five days before Pitt's execution, debonair Special Branch Inspector Ralph Brown (Morgan) takes on the task of identifying the spy before he flees the country.

The film uses Sidney Torch's music for The Black Museum for its title and some of its incidental music.

The starring role of Brown was an unusual part for Morgan, who was better known for playing villains.

Cast

Critical reception

Radio Times calls the film "a minor Cold War thriller", adding, "(Val) Guest puts a neat (if downbeat) spin on events," and concluding, "the back-up cast is as solid as a rock, with Guest's wife Yolande Donlan putting in an effective appearance".[3] TV Guide describes it as "slightly more interesting than the normal run of British spy films, thanks to an unusually intelligent script."[4]

References
  1. "They Can't Hang Me (1955) - BFI". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
  2. Mavis, Paul (8 June 2015). The Espionage Filmography. ISBN 9781476604275.
  3. David Parkinson. "They Can't Hang Me". RadioTimes.
  4. "They Can't Hang Me". TV Guide.


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