Meet Mr. Callaghan

Meet Mr. Callaghan is a 1954 British crime drama film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Derrick De Marney.[1] Based on the 1938 novel The Urgent Hangman by Peter Cheyney, which Cheyney had then turned into a play.

For the Les Paul song from the film, see Meet Mister Callaghan.

Meet Mr. Callaghan
British quad poster
Directed byCharles Saunders
Produced byGuido Coen
Derrick De Marney
executive
W.A. Smith
Screenplay byBrock Williams
Based onnovel The Urgent Hangman by Peter Cheyney
StarringDerrick De Marney
Harriette Johns
Music byEric Spear
CinematographyHarry Waxman
Edited byJack Slade
Production
company
Pinnacle Productions
Distributed byEros Films (UK)
Release date
  • June 1954 (1954-06) (UK)
Running time
88 mins
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Co-producer and star Derrick de Marney had directed stage version of Meet Mr. Callaghan at the Garrick Theatre in 1952, which starred Derrick's brother Terence as Cheyney's private eye Slim Callaghan. Derrick played this role in the film.[2][3]

The play was notable for the theme music and score by Eric Spear which became a best-selling record for Les Paul.[4]

Plot

Down at heel private Detective Slim Callaghan (Derrick De Marney) is hired by young socialite Cynthis Meraulton (Harriette Johns) to investigate. When her rich stepfather changes his will in her favour, and is then subsequently murdered, suspicion falls on Cynthis.

Cast

Production

Patrick Cheyney's novel The Urgent Hangman was published in 1938. It was the first in a series of novels by Cheyney featured private investigator Slim Callaghan, others including Dangerous Curves (1939), You Can't Keep the Change (1940), It Couldn't Matter Less (1941), Sorry You've Been Troubled (1942), They Never Say When (1944) and Uneasy Terms (1946). Uneasy Terms was turned into a 1948 film.

The Urgent Hangman was adapted by Gerald Verner into a play Meet Mr Callaghan which premiered at the Garrick Theatre in 1952. The role of Slim Callaghan has played by Terence de Marney and the production was directed by de Marney's brother Derrick.[5][6] The play was very successful. It inspired a hit song.

Terence de Marney played Callaghan in another Gerald Verne theatrical adaptation of a Callagahan story, Dangerous Curves, which premiered at the Garrick in 1953.[7]

In the film version of Meet Mr Callaghan, the role of Slim Callaghan was played by Deric de Marney, not Terence. Filming took place at Nettleford Studios in September 1953.[8][9]

Critical reception

Monthly Film Bulletin said the "transference" from stage to screen "has been made without much imagination. The involved plot is helped along by a few barbed lines but Derrick de Marney fails to make a sympathetic hero out of a private detective who stoops to robbery, blackmail and bribery in his investigations."[10]

TV Guide wrote, "Mystery programmer has a couple of good moments, but little else":[11] whereas MysteryFile noted, "The detective work is very good, and the complicated plot holds together, but it’s the overall sense of good humor that really carries the day — not laugh out loud funny, but the mood is light enough to smile almost constantly."[12]

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References
  1. "Meet Mr. Callaghan (1954)". Archived from the original on 13 January 2009.
  2. "Meet Mr Callaghan".
  3. Hesse, Beatrix (2 August 2015). "The English Crime Play in the Twentieth Century". Springer – via Google Books.
    1. 5, Billboard
  5. "TIMON OF ATHENS" AT OLD VIC The Manchester Guardian (1901-1959); Manchester (UK) [Manchester (UK)]26 May 1952: 5.
  6. Review of 1952 stage production at Variety
  7. Review of Dangerous Curves stage production at Variety
  8. "GLAMOR PLUS!". Truth (2789). Queensland, Australia. 6 September 1953. p. 5. Retrieved 8 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. Round the British Studios Nepean, Edith. Picture Show; London Vol. 61, Iss. 1600, (Nov 28, 1953): 11.
  10. MEET MR. CALLAGHAN Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 21, Iss. 240, (Jan 1, 1954): 122.
  11. "Meet Mr. Callaghan".
  12. "» Movie Review: MEET MR. CALLAGHAN (1954)".


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