The film credits a novel by J.J. Marric as the basis for the film. But Marric
was just a pseudonym for John Creasy who was a prolific writer of police
and adventure novels from the 1930s to the 1970s under various pen names.
Some of his characters became very popular and a few had films or TV series
of them. Inspector Gideon of Scotland Yard was perhaps his best known. I
am a fan of his Inspector West books which my parents gobbled up. Other characters
are Dr. Palfrey, The Toff, The Baron and a few others that I have never come
across. Prolific doesn't even begin to describe this guy. Hell, he even wrote
some 30 Westerns.
This film was based on the first novel in the series Gideon's Day which was
followed up with Gideon's Week, Gideon's Night, Gideon's Month before he
branches into non-day titles. Jack Hawkins plays him here, John Gregson portrayed
him in the TV show Gideon's Way which was not bad. But could anyone be more
Scotland Yard than Jack Hawkins. That stolid square face of his portrayed
cops many times. Easily irritated, always on the go with an efficiency and
straightforwardness associated with Scotland Yard most of the time; when
not mocking it. It is not a film one would expect from John Ford - out of
his comfort zone - but the previous year he had directed a tale set in Ireland
(The Rising of the Moon) for producer Michael Killanin and while in the neighborhood
directed this one for Killanin as well.
I am so used to the deliberate pacing of Ford's Westerns and films such as
The Quiet Man that this one took me by surprise. It is a frenetic, frantic
day in the life of Chief Inspector Gideon from the moment he gets ready in
the morning until going off for the finish of one more case after midnight.
Full of overlapping dialogue, various crimes and a group of disparate characters
from all walks of life. You have to stay on your toes to keep up with
the various plots, dialogue and characters who whiz through the film.
Bits of humor crawl around the edges without ever getting into the way.
Among them is a policeman accused of taking bribes, a group of clever thieves
who waylay men coming out of the bank with the weekly payroll, a serial killer,
an informer who needs protection and robbers of a security vault. Not to
mention having to get his wife salmon for dinner and get to his daughter's
recital at a concert. Surrounded by terrific English actors such as Anna
Lee as his wife, Ronald Howard as a thief and Howard Marion-Crawford
as a cop - they had been Holmes and Watson in a TV series, Anna Massey (Peeping
Tom) as his daughter, John Loder as a thief and Cyril Cusak as the informer.
With quick brushstrokes Ford gives them all personalities. A lovely
ending I thought that brought a smile to my face.
