Little Red Monkey
{{Short description|1955 British film by Ken Hughes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{for|the children's song|Frank Chacksfield}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Little Red Monkey
| image = Little Red Monkey film poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Ken Hughes
| producer = Alec C. Snowden
| writer = James Eastwood
Ken Hughes
|based_on = story by Eric Maschwitz
| starring = Richard Conte
Rona Anderson
Russell Napier
Sylva Langova
| music = Trevor Duncan
| cinematography = Josef Ambor
| editing = Inman Hunter
Geoffrey Muller
| studio = Merton Park Studios
| distributor = Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors
| released = {{film date|df=y|1955|4|4|}}
| runtime = 71 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Little Red Monkey (U.S. title: The Case of the Red Monkey) is a 1955 British thriller film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Richard Conte, Rona Anderson and Russell Napier.{{Cite web |title=Little Red Monkey |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150035195 |access-date=25 October 2023 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}} The screenplay was by Hughes and James Eastwood, based on the 1953 BBC Television series of the same name written by Eric Maschwitz.{{cite web |title=Donald Houston and Honor Blackman in 'Little Red Monkey' |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/34e78ff60dd14357abe6c73e32a9c411 |accessdate=9 August 2015 |work=BBC Genome Project}}
Detectives from Scotland Yard investigate a series of murders of leading nuclear scientists, and are intrigued by strange reports received about the crimes.
The film was an international hit, and along with Confession (1955) proved a breakthrough for Anglo-Amalgamated. After its success the company began making more expensive productions, often hiring American stars for international appeal.{{Cite book |last=Chibnall |first=Steve |title=The British 'B' Film |last2=McFarlane |first2=Brian |publisher=BFI/Bloomsbury |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-8445-7319-6 |location=London |pages=99}}{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/ken-hughes-forgotten-auteur/|title=Ken Hughes Forgotten Auteur|date=14 November 2020}}
Cast
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
- Richard Conte as Bill Locklin
- Rona Anderson as Julia Jackson
- Russell Napier as Superintendent John Harrington
- Sylva Langova as Hilde Heller, chief spy
- Colin Gordon as Harry Martin, reporter
- Donald Bisset as Editor Harris
- John King-Kelly as spy henchman
- Bernard Rebel as Vinson, spy henchman
- Arnold Marlé as Professor Leon Dushenko
- John Horsley as Detective Sergeant Gibson
- Jane Welsh as Superintendent McCollum
- Theodore Wilhelm as Secretary of the International Social Club
- Colin Tapley as Sir Clive Raglan
- Noel Johnson as Detective Sergeant Hawkins
- Jessica Kearns as airport hostess
- Geoffrey Denys as Doctor Mayhew
- Gianfranco Parolini as Inspector May
- Guy Deghy as Social Club Recreation Director
- Peter Godsell as Tommy McCollum
- Ed Devereaux as American sailor
- George Margo as American sailor
- André Mikhelson as East German Chief of Border Guards
- Tony Sympson as cab driver
{{div col end}}
Production
The film was made by Anglo-Amalgamated at Merton Park Studios, a co-production with Anglo Guild.Drama: Maggie McNamara Due Soon for 'Black Widow'; Conte Set for Thriller. Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 30 Apr 1954: A11Todon Doing 6th Picture Los Angeles Times 5 Feb 1956: D3.{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|date=12 January 2025|access-date=12 January 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-moguls-nat-cohen-part-one-1905-56/|title=Forgotten British Moguls: Nat Cohen – Part One (1905-56)}}
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin said: "Some efficient photography and editing eke out the meagre excitements".{{Cite journal |date=1 January 1955 |title=Impact |journal=Monthly Film Bulletin |volume=22 |issue=253 |pages=40}}
Variety wrote: “Like many British-produced pictures, it lacks American-type pace and is a routine entry in the program market. Conte portrays a U.S. State Dept. officer ... but displays little of the dash and ingenuity such a part calls for."{{Cite journal |date=August 1955 |title=Little Red Monkey |url=https://archive.org/details/variety199-1955-08/page/n132/mode/1up?q=%22ken+hughes%22 |journal=Variety |volume=199 |issue= |pages=6}}
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as “average” and wrote: “Conte and direction a cut above the rest in this moderately exciting thriller".{{Cite book |last=Quinlan |first=David |title=British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 |publisher=B.T. Batsford Ltd. |year=1984 |isbn=0-7134-1874-5 |location=London |pages=339}}
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "Ken Hughes honed his skills as a director of thrillers working on the Scotland Yard B-movie series. Consequently, this quota quickie has a great deal more substance and style than many of its contemporaries. ... Hughes keeps the action on the boil, while Russell Napier and Rona Anderson are fine as a Scotland Yard detective and his niece."{{Cite book |title=Radio Times Guide to Films |publisher=Immediate Media Company |year=2017 |isbn=9780992936440 |edition=18th |location=London |pages=365}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0047924}}
- [https://letterboxd.com/film/little-red-monkey/ Little Red Monkey] at Letterbox DVD
Category:Films directed by Ken Hughes
Category:Films based on television plays
Category:1950s English-language films