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The Flanagan Boy

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The Flanagan Boy
Theatrical release poster
Directed byReginald Le Borg
Screenplay byGuy Elmes
Richard H. Landau
Based onThe Flanagan Boy
by Max Catto
Produced byAnthony Hinds
StarringBarbara Payton
Frederick Valk
Tony Wright
Sid James
CinematographyWalter J. Harvey
Len Harris
Edited byJames Needs
Music byIvor Slaney
Production
company
Distributed byExclusive Films (UK)
Lippert Pictures (US)
Release dates
  • 10 April 1953 (1953-04-10)
(U.S.)
July, 1953 (U.K.)[1]
Running time
81 minutes[2]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Flanagan Boy (released in the United States as Bad Blonde) is a 1953 British second feature ('B')[3] film noir directed by Reginald Le Borg. It was made by Hammer Film Productions and stars Barbara Payton, Tony Wright, Frederick Valk and Sid James.[4] The sceenplay was by Guy Elmes and Richard H. Landau based on the 1949 novel of the same name by Max Catto.[5][6] Jimmy Sangster was assistant director. Robert Lippert supplied Hammer with both an American director (Reginald LeBorg) and an American star (Barbara Payton). Filming began on Sept. 25, 1952 and finished on Oct. 19th, and the film was trade shown in the UK on June 20, 1953. It was released first in the US on April 10, 1953 (as Bad Blonde) and later in the UK in July, 1953. [7]

Plot

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Shady promoter Sharkey spots young boxer Johnny Flanagan in a fairground booth fight and takes him under his wing, in an attempt to launch a comeback into prizefighting. He secures the backing of wealthy Italian Giuseppe Vecchi, but problems arise when Flanagan becomes romantically involved with Vecchi's wife Lorna. Falsely claiming to be pregnant with his child, Lorna persuades Flanagan to drown Vecchi and make it look like an accident. Vecchi's family arrives from Italy for the funeral, and his old mother acts as if she knows her son was murdered. Lorna later admits that the pregnancy was faked, and a guilt-ridden Johnny tells Lorna he's going to confess what they did to the police. Johnny is poisoned by Lorna, who makes it appear a suicide. Sharkey knows Lorna murdered Johnny and takes revenge on her, turning her over to the police.[8]

Cast

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Barbara Payton in the film

Production

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It was the first film of note for Tony Wright. He was convincing as a fighter having been an amateur boxer in the British Navy and receiving coaching from Len Harvey, a former British heavyweight.[9][10]

Reception

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In a contemporary reviews, Kine Weekly said "Exuberant murder melodrama, containing prominent sex overtones and a fight racket fringe. ... Elegant and apposite settings appropriately complete the rugged mixture of fisticuffs, romance and crime. A meaty dish, it's bound to go down with the crowd."[11]

Monthly Film Bulletin wrote "A lurid little melodrama, with toughly realistic portraits of boxing world characters, a solid performance by Frederick Valk as Vecchi, and Barbara Payton as a flashy sex-menace. Made in England by an American director, the film copies American 'B' models quite competently and unpleasantly."[12]

Variety wrote: "Lower-grade dualler toplining Barbara Payton. ... Footage is a hodge-podge of trite melodrama, unbelievable dialog and poor thesping."[13]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Lurid stuff, quite strongly made."[14]

Leslie Halliwell called the film: "Competent British imitation of an American B movie."[15]

Retrospective appraisal

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The Bad Blonde/Flanagan Boy's low-budget pedigree is evident, and attributable to Hammer studio's "draconian cost-consciousness," according film historian Wheeler W. Dixon.[16] Terming the film "a routine tale of murder and romantic betrayal" he adds:

The film might have been an interesting but obvious thriller, but was overlong, even at eighty minutes, and seems static and stagebound throughout its running time.[17]

Dixon merits Sid James, famous for his Carry On material, as "easily the best thing about the film."[18]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
  2. ^ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 79. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
  3. ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
  4. ^ "The Flanagan Boy". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  5. ^ Mayer, Geoff (2012). Historical Dictionary of Crime Films. Scarecrow Press. p. 195. ISBN 978-0-810-87900-3.
  6. ^ Dixon, 1992 pp. 150–151: Directorial Credits. Note: Dixon list "and/or This Woman is Trouble" as alternate name, presumably for US release.
  7. ^ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 80. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
  8. ^ Dixon, 1992 pp. 32–33: Plot sketch
  9. ^ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 80. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
  10. ^ Vagg, Stephen (14 March 2025). "The Weird Non-Stardoxer". Filmink. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  11. ^ ""The Flanagan Boy"". Kine Weekly. 435 (2400): 21. 25 June 1953. ProQuest 2732607326.
  12. ^ "The Flanagan Boy". Monthly Film Bulletin. 20 (228): 122. 1 January 1953. ProQuest 1305819136.
  13. ^ "The Flanagan Boy". Variety. 190: 6. 6 May 1953. ProQuest 1032366315.
  14. ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 310. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
  15. ^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 356. ISBN 0586088946.
  16. ^ Dixon, 1992 p. 32
  17. ^ Dixon, 1992 pp. 32–33
  18. ^ Dixon, 1992 p. 32

References

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