To the Public Danger

To the Public Danger
Opening titles
Directed by	Terence Fisher
Written by	T.J. Morrison Arthur Reid
Produced by	John Croydon
Starring	Dermot Walsh Susan Shaw Barry Letts Roy Plomley
Cinematography	Roy Fogwell Harry Waxman
Edited by	Graeme Hamilton
Music by	Doreen Carwithen
Production company	Highbury Productions
Distributed by	General Film Distributors
Release date	September 1948 (1948-09)
Running time	43 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

To the Public Danger is a 1948 British drama short film directed by Terence Fisher and produced by John Croydon. It stars Dermot Walsh, Susan Shaw, Barry Letts, and Frederick Piper.

The film was made at Highbury Studios as a second feature for release by the Rank Organisation. Like other Highbury productions, it offered acting opportunities for several of Rank's young contract stars. The film's sets were designed by Don Russell, although a number of the scenes were shot on location.

The screenplay, written by T.J. Morrison and Arthur Reid, was based on a 1939 radio play by Patrick Hamilton, who had been encouraged to write the story as part of a government road safety campaign. Hamilton had himself been knocked down by a drunk driver. The story was updated slightly, and represents the post-war malaise with the use of noirish sequences. After making the film Fisher graduated to directing several more expensive productions for Gainsborough Pictures.

Synopsis

While having a quiet drink together in a road house, a young working-class couple Fred and Nancy fall into the company of two raffish motorists including the self-confident Captain Cole. After a game of billiards and a number of drinks, they drive out on the road. While speeding along in the dark they hit what they think to be a man on a bicycle.

Although Fred wants to stop, Captain Cole insists on driving on. Nancy takes Cole's side and begins taunting Fred, who eventually manages to escape and raise the alarm. A police investigation reveals that nobody had been injured in the collision with the bike, which had belonged to a poacher who didn't report the accident. In the meantime, Cole, Nancy and the other passenger have suffered a crash of their own while drunken speeding, killing all three of them.

Cast

• Dermot Walsh as Captain Cole
• Susan Shaw as Nancy Bedford
• Barry Letts as Fred Lane
• Roy Plomley as Reggie
• Betty Ann Davies as barmaid
• Sydney Bromley as bar patron
• John Lorrell as police sergeant
• Sam Kydd as police driver
• Patricia Hayes as postmistress
• Frederick Piper as labourer
• Patience Rentoul as labourer's wife
• Cliff Weir as pub landlord
• Arthur Mullard as man standing near bar
• Barbara Murray as bit role
• Philip Saville as man in pub watching billiards game
• Constance Smith as girl in pub watching billiards game

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This is a story with a twist to it which points a sad moral, but which as a film has little to distinguish it."

Bibliography

• Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. The British 'B' Film. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.
• Hutchings, Peter. Terence Fisher. Manchester University Press, 2001.

External links

• To the Public Danger at IMDb
• To the Public Danger then-and-now location photographs at ReelStreets