Two Letter Alibi
{{Short description|1962 British film by Robert Lynn}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name =Two Letter Alibi
| image = Two Letter Alibi.jpg
| caption =
| director = Robert Lynn
| producer = E.M. Smedley-Aston
| writer = {{ubl|Paul Winterton (novel)|Roger Marshall}}
| based_on =
| narrator =
| starring = {{ubl|Peter Williams|Petra Davies|Ursula Howells}}
| music = Wilfred Josephs
| cinematography = Ken Hodges
| editing = Lee Doig
| studio = Playpont Films
| distributor = British Lion Films
| released = {{Film date|1962|05|28|df=yes}}
| runtime = 57 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Two Letter Alibi is a 1962 British second feature ('B'){{Cite book |last1=Chibnall |first1=Steve |title=The British 'B' Film |last2=McFarlane |first2=Brian |publisher=BFI/Bloomsbury |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-8445-7319-6 |location=London |pages=294}} crime film directed by Robert Lynn and starring Peter Williams, Petra Davies and Ursula Howells.{{Cite web |title=Two Letter Alibi |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150045898 |access-date=11 February 2024 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}} It was written by Paul Winterton and Roger Marshall based on Winterton's 1953 novel Death and the Sky Above.
Plot
Charles Hilary wants a divorce from his alcoholic wife Louise so he can marry television personality Kathy Forrester, but Louise refuses. When Louise is found murdered, the circumstantial evidence points to Charles, who is arrested and convicted. Convinced that Charles is innocent, Kathy enlists the help of retired Police Commissioner Sir John Fawcett to investigate the case. They find the real murderer and Charles is released.
Cast
{{cast listing|
- Peter Williams as Charles Hilary
- Petra Davies as Kathy Forrester
- Ursula Howells as Louise Hilary
- Ronald Adam as Sir John Fawcett
- Stratford Johns as Bates
- Peter Howell as Carlton
- Bernard Archard as Duke
- Walter Brown as Mark Richards
- Arnold Diamond as ballistics expert
- David Morrell as Detective Sergeant Day
- Cavan Malone as Bob, researcher
- Stafford Byrne as clerk of court
- Reginald Marsh as Salcombe
- Geoffrey Chater as Inspector Warren
- Peter Bathurst as police doctor
- William Sherwood as prison doctor
- Piers Keelan as Brockton
- Hedger Wallace as prison officer
- Garfield Morgan as foreman of the jury
}}
Production
It was made at Shepperton Studios with sets designed by the art director George Provis.
Release
The film was distributed on the Odeon Circuit on a double-bill with Walk on the Wild Side (1962).
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A routine but economic "B" thriller, this is straightforward both in plot and style. Ursula Howells, as usual these days, portrays an unsympathetic character, who is murdered ten minutes after the opening."{{Cite journal |date=1 January 1962 |title=Two Letter Alibi |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1305831418/8F421CDCE8A04160PQ/1 |journal=The Monthly Film Bulletin |volume=29 |issue=336 |pages=95 |via=ProQuest}}