Once again, wonder man special agent Dick Barton is called on to save Britain from almost certain disaster. This time he and his chum Snowey White do battle with ruthless foreign activists, who have developed a machine to blow up the town of Blackpool and annihilate its inhabitants!
Production Details
A Hammer production released by Exclusive Films by arrangement with Ted Kavanagh Associated.
Adapted from the radio feature by arrangement with the BBC.
Opening credit:- “The major part of this film was shot on actual locations. The producers wish to thank the following for facilities granted – The Tower Blackpool, American Overseas Airways, KLM Airways, The South London Electricity Board, The London Zoo.”
Recorded on the Viking sound system.
Screenplay by Elizabeth Baron and Ambrose Grayson from an original story by Ambrose Grayson.
Black & White 73 minutes
UK Release 18th July 1949
Studio:
Viking Studios, Kensington, London
On Location:
Haslemere, Surrey, England – The first village attacked by the sonic ray
Liverpool, Merseyside, England
Pinner, Middlesex, England
Blackpool Tower Ballroom, Blackpool
Stills from the film
Click an image for enlarged slideshow
Cast & Crew
Red = Uncredited
Crew | Name | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits | Uncredited | Total Hammer | |
Art Director | Ivan King | 27 | 1 Jan 1923 | 1996 | 73 | 1 | 1 | ||
Assistant Art Director | Ken Adam | 28 | 5 Feb 1921 | 10 Mar 2016 | 95 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Assistant Director | Dicky Leeman | 38 | 27 Jan 1911 | 7 Aug 2011 | 100 | 1 | 1 | ||
Associate Producer | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/anthony-hinds/# | 26 | 18 Sep 1922 | 30 Sep 2013 | 91 | 87 | 3 | 90 | |
Associate Producer | Mae Murray | 60 | 10 May 1889 | 23 Mar 1965 | 75 | 1 | 1 | ||
Camera Operator | Peter Newbrook | 29 | 29 Jun 1920 | 19 Jun 2009 | 88 | 1 | 1 | ||
Casting Director | Edgar Blatt | 41 | 4 Sep 1907 | 3 | 3 | ||||
Casting Manager | Mary Harris | 5 | 2 | 7 | |||||
Clapper Loader | Neil Binney | 18 | Jun 1931 | 01.06.1931 | 93 | 17 | 10 | 27 | |
Composer: Theme Music | Charles Williams | 56 | 8 May 1893 | 7 Sep 1978 | 85 | 2 | 2 | ||
Continuity | Prudence Sykes | 11 | 2 | 13 | |||||
Director | Godfrey Grayson | 35 | 2 Aug 1913 | 1 Jun 1998 | 84 | 11 | 11 | ||
Director of Photography | Cedric Williams | 36 | 1913 | 1999 | 86 | 7 | 7 | ||
Focus Puller | Gerry Turpin | 23 | 1 Sep 1925 | 16 Sep 1997 | 72 | 1 | 1 | ||
Make-up | Jack Smith | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Musical Score | Frank Spencer | 38 | 19 Jun 1911 | Feb 1975 | 63 | 22 | 1 | 23 | |
Musical Score | Rupert Grayson | 8 | 8 | ||||||
Production Manager | Don Wynne | 31 | 19 Mar 1918 | 1993 | 74 | 1 | 1 | ||
Screenplay | Ambrose Grayson | 3 | 3 | ||||||
Screenplay | Elizabeth Baron | 39 | 1910 | 1 | 1 | ||||
Second Assistant Director | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/jimmy-sangster/# | 21 | 2 Dec 1927 | 19 Aug 2011 | 83 | 66 | 2 | 68 | |
Supervising Editor | Ray Pitt | 5 | 3 | 8 | |||||
Supervising Electrician | Jack Curtis | 3 | 24 | 27 | |||||
Cast | Name | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits | Uncredited | Total Hammer | |
Alex | George Crawford | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Bandleader | Billy Cotton | 50 | 6 May 1899 | 25 Mar 1969 | 69 | 1 | 1 | ||
Colonel Gardener | Humphrey Kent | 55 | 2 Nov 1893 | 19 Apr 1972 | 78 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Dick Barton | Don Stannard | 33 | 1916 | 9 Jul 1949 | 33 | 4 | 4 | ||
Fouracada | Sebastian Cabot | 31 | 6 Jul 1918 | 22 Aug 1977 | 59 | 1 | 1 | ||
Henchman | Daniel Brown | 6 | 6 | ||||||
Inspector Burke | Sidney Vivian | 48 | 18 Apr 1901 | 22 Dec 1984 | 83 | 3 | 3 | ||
Lord Armadale | James Raglan | 48 | 6 Jun 1901 | 15 Nov 1961 | 60 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
Major Henderson | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/john-harvey/# | 37 | 27 Sep 1911 | 19 Jul 1982 | 70 | 12 | 1 | 13 | |
Nicholas | Tony Morelli | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Nick | Laurie Taylor | 31 | 13 Jul 1918 | 6 Aug 2003 | 85 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
Robert Creston | Morris Sweden | 38 | 10 Jun 1911 | 26 Nov 1979 | 68 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Sergeant - Military Police | Wensley Pithey | 35 | 20 Jan 1914 | 10 Nov 1993 | 79 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Snowey White | Bruce Walker | 43 | 4 Sep 1905 | 7 Mar 1973 | 67 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Soldier | Peter Wyngard | 21 | 23 Aug 1927 | 15 Jan 2018 | 90 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Tina | Jean Lodge | 21 | 4 Aug 1927 | 97 | 3 | 3 | |||
Waiter in Nightclub | Victor Platt | 28 | 30 Oct 1920 | 30 Jan 2017 | 96 | 3 | 3 | ||
With | Jimmy O'Dea | 50 | 26 Apr 1899 | 7 Jan 1965 | 65 | 1 | 1 |
Original Poster
Click to enlarge
Footnotes
Camera Operator Peter Newbrook eventually became a Producer. His credits include the 1967 horror film Corruption, starring Peter Cushing.
Don Stannard (Dick Barton) and Sebastian Cabot (Fouracada) were involved in a car crash in Cookham Dean, Berkshire, England, on July 9, 1949. Stannard, who was driving, was killed instantly but Cabot escaped with only minor injuries.
Sebastian Cabot went on to provid the voice for Bagheera in Disney’s Jungle Book (1967).
A young Peter Wyngarde – later TV’s Jason King – has his first (uncredited) acting role here.