They Cant Hang Me

They Can't Hang Me is a 1955 British drama film directed by Val Guest and starring Terence Morgan, Yolande Donlan and Anthony Oliver. It was based on a novel by Leonard Mosley.

Plot

A senior civil servant, Pitt (Morell) has been convicted of a murder and sentenced to death. Days before his execution, Pitt reveals that he has been passing on top secret information to an agent of a foreign power and offers to reveal the identity of his handler in exchange for a reprieve. With only five days before Pitt's execution, debonair Special Branch Inspector Ralph Brown (Morgan) takes on the task of identifying the spy before he flees the country.

The starring role of Brown was an unusual part for Morgan, who was better known in British film for playing villains and criminals.

Cast

Terence Morgan - Inspector Ralph Brown

Yolande Donlan - Jill Wilson

Anthony Oliver - Inspector Newcombe

André Morell - Robert Isaac Pitt

Reginald Beckwith - Harold

Ursula Howells - Antonia Pitt

Guido Lorraine - Pietr Revski

Basil Dignam - Wing Commander Riddle

John Horsley - Assistant Commissioner

Mark Dignam - Prison Governor

Raymond Rollett - Sir Robert Rosper

Fred Johnson - Professor Robinson-Heston

Arnold Marlé - Professor Karl Kopek

Barry Lowe - Private Eric Colter

Richard Cuthbert - Judge

Diana Lambert - Young Woman

Critical reception

Radio Times called the film "a minor Cold War thriller", adding, "(Val) Guest puts a neat (if downbeat) spin on events," and concluding, "the back-up cast is as solid as a rock, with Guest's wife Yolande Donlan putting in an effective appearance" ; while TV Guide described it as "slightly more interesting than the normal run of British spy films, thanks to an unusually intelligent script."

Contents

Plot

Cast

Critical reception

References