Kenneth R. Hayles Movies
- 1958
British producers Robert Baker and Monty S. Berman, the team later responsible for the classic TV series The Saint, assembled the 1953 crime melodrama Blind Spot. U.S. Army officer Dan Adams Robert MacKenzie, blinded during the war, is framed on a diamond-smuggling rap. Upon regaining his sight, Adams goes after the real thieves in an effort to clear his name. In order to trap the wily criminals, Adams pretends that he's still bereft of his vision. With the delightful Delphi Lawrence as his leading lady, Robert MacKenzie must have been hard put to feign blindness. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1957
In this thriller, an American visits England and finds himself entangled with international spies after they kidnap a famous scientist and he ends up with a briefcase containing a secret formula. Rather than call the Yard, the fellow decides he will solve this by himself. But it is too much for him and eventually he teams up with the Yard inspectors and the case is solved. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1956
In this thriller, a man discovers that the bank notes he has just received actually belong to someone else--a man who is attempting to save his near-bankrupt fur business by buying pelts infected with anthrax. Later the shady furrier is killed. The first man discovers that he was done-in by an ex-con who is killed after his fur-filled truck crashes and explodes. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1956
Tom Conway essays one of his last starring roles in the British melodrama Murder on Approval. Conway is cast as special investigator Duke Martin (a character he'd later essay in the 1956 feature Breakaway), in London to investigate the authenticity of a rare postage stamp called the Barbados Overplate. Someone is willing to commit murder to get his or her hands on the stamp, which puts a crimp in Duke's efforts to romance every beautiful woman he meets. Delphi Lawrence is the principal female attraction, while Michael Balfour provides laughs as Martin's obligatory ex-convict assistant. Distributed in the US by RKO Radio, Murder on Approval was originally released in England as Barbados Quest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Conway, Delphi Lawrence, (more)
- 1956
Passport to Treason was put together by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman, the same team who'd later collaborate on the TV series The Saint. Rod Cameron stars as an American private eye, stationed in London. For the sake of a murdered friend, the detective takes over the dead man's case, which turns out to have international ramifications. The villains are members of a phony pacifistic society, all of whom harbor plans for taking over the world. Aiding and abetting Cameron is Lois Maxwell, several years away from her duties as Miss Moneypenny in the "James Bond" series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rod Cameron, Lois Maxwell, (more)
- 1956
In this comedy-thriller, a woman returns to the country to see her godmother only to learn that the old woman has mysteriously disappeared. She quickly enlists the aide of a doctor to help her look. Like her godmother, the woman ends up in the clutches of the robbers. The fugitive thieves have been using the godmother's house as a hide-out and home base. The women are saved by the brave doctor and the police squad he brings with him. The bandits are captured and locked away. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1956
In this crime drama, the trouble begins when a crook cheats his buddies at a dog track, stuffs his loot into a suitcase, and flees. He then gives the suitcase to his lover who in turn gives it to her sister just before she takes a bus to the coast. Her actions rouse the suspicions of an observant reporter. Later the crook manages to catch up with the sisters. Unfortunately, the sisters catch them at the same time and justice prevails. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1956
In this British crime drama, a philanderer finds himself accused of murder after the man he used for his alibi is found murdered. Fortunately, his story is believed by a hard-working crime reporter. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1955
In this comedy, a clever chemist develops a pill that cures smokers of nicotine addiction. Realizing the marketing potential, he makes his discovery public, but encounters strong resistance from the international tobacco industry, which does its best to stop him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1955
In this light-hearted crime drama, a rivalrous pair of reporters team up to solve the murder of a prominent artist's wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1954
A newspaper journalist and his irritating assistant team up with the cops to solve a perplexing murder in this comical thriller. Each of the victims was a war veteran. Each one was killed on a July 10th. Soon the amateur sleuths discover that the victims had other common threads and these clues lead to the killer's capture. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1954
This film consists of two episodes from the "Inspector Stryker" series of mysteries. In the first, Stryker enlists the help of a young woman to clear the name of her fiance, who was falsely convicted of murder. In the second, Stryker is told that a yachtsman is smuggling jewels. It turns out that the one who squealed is the real thief. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
