Highly Dangerous
1950 British film by Roy Ward Baker
title: "Highly Dangerous" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1950-films", "british-spy-films", "cold-war-spy-films", "british-black-and-white-films", "films-shot-at-pinewood-studios", "films-directed-by-roy-ward-baker", "1950-action-films", "films-scored-by-richard-addinsell", "lippert-pictures-films", "1950s-spy-films", "1950s-english-language-films", "1950-british-films", "english-language-action-films"] description: "1950 British film by Roy Ward Baker" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highly_Dangerous" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 1950 British film by Roy Ward Baker ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox film"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Highly Dangerous |
| image | Highly Dangerous FilmPoster.jpeg |
| director | Roy Ward Baker (as Roy Baker) |
| producer | Antony Darnborough |
| executive | |
| Earl St. John | |
| writer | Eric Ambler |
| starring | |
| music | Richard Addinsell |
| cinematography | Reginald H. Wyer |
| editing | Alfred Roome |
| studio | Two Cities Films |
| distributor | |
| released | |
| runtime | 88-90 minutes |
| country | United Kingdom |
| language | English |
| :: |
| name = Highly Dangerous
| image = Highly Dangerous FilmPoster.jpeg | caption = | director = Roy Ward Baker (as Roy Baker) | producer = Antony Darnborough executive Earl St. John | writer = Eric Ambler | narrator = | starring = | music = Richard Addinsell | cinematography = Reginald H. Wyer | editing = Alfred Roome | studio = Two Cities Films | distributor = | released = | runtime = 88-90 minutes | country = United Kingdom | language = English | budget = | gross =
Highly Dangerous is a 1950 British spy film starring Margaret Lockwood and Dane Clark. It was directed by Roy Ward Baker, based on a screenplay and novel The Dark Frontier written by Eric Ambler.
It was released in the USA by Lippert Pictures as Time Running Out.
Plot
Frances Gray is a British entomologist trying to stop a biological attack with the help of an American journalist.
Cast
- Margaret Lockwood as Frances Gray
- Dane Clark as Bill Casey
- Marius Goring as Commandant Anton Razinski
- Naunton Wayne as Mr Hedgerley
- Wilfrid Hyde-White as Mr Luke (as Wilfrid Hyde White)
- Eugene Deckers as Alf
- Olaf Pooley as Detective-Interrogator
- Gladys Henson as Attendant
- Paul Hardtmuth as Priest
- Michael Hordern as Lab Director Owens
- George Benson as Sandwich Stand Customer
- Eric Pohlmann as Joe
- Joan Haythorne as Judy
- Patric Doonan as Customs Man
- Anthony Newley as Operator
- Anton Diffring as Officer At Station Checkpoint (uncredited)
Production
Margaret Lockwood had not made a film in 18 months following Madness of the Heart, and had been focusing on stage work. Earl St John wanted a comeback vehicle and commissioned Eric Ambler to write a film specifically as a vehicle for Lockwood. Ambler had recently specialised in melodramas, but Highly Dangerous was a comedy thriller in the vein of Lockwood's earlier hits, The Lady Vanishes and Night Train to Munich. It was directed by Roy Ward Baker, who had served with Ambler during the war.
"One thing about Eric is that he presents you with a script that is beautifully finished in every detail", said Baker. He added " Eric had invented a language for the people the other side of the curtain which wasn’t Russian or anything else and the poor actors had to learn this stuff. He was playing a game with that."
"I think Margaret Lockwood wanted to play a modern woman", recalled Baker. "It was actually Eric Ambler's first or second book, although the book had a different title and its main character was a man; Eric changed it to a woman to make it more interesting".
The studio wanted a Hollywood leading man to play opposite Lockwood. Wendell Corey was originally sought before the role was given to Dane Clark, who had recently left Warner Bros. "He was just delivering a stock leading man movie performance, which was virtually nothing," said Baker. "He wasn’t very efficient. I think he fell in love with London. He also fell deeply in love with Jean Simmons, which was unrequited. He was a pillock, I’m afraid. Marius Goring played the Belgravian heavy; he was very heavy, I'm afraid. I couldn't control him at all. It was a satisfactory run of the mill picture."
There was location work done in Trieste. "I found it very difficult to make anything of that location," said Baker. "I was a bit disappointed and to tell the truth I didn't do it very well. The reason I say that is that many years later... I realised I’d been trying to piece it together in a logical way, sticking to the topography of Trieste. I’d done myself an injury because the audience doesn't give a damn."
Filming started at Pinewood Studios in June 1950.
Reception
Baker later said that "Highly Dangerous wasn't a very successful picture.... It was a good idea although I don't think I did it very well."
References
Notes
- McFarlane, Brian, An Autobiography of British Cinema, 1997
References
- (27 June 1951). "BRITISH THRILLER". [[The Australian Women's Weekly]].
- (7 May 1950). "Maggie comes back in Highly Dangerous.". [[The Sunday Times (Western Australia).
- (15 April 1950). "Ambler writes a thriller-comedy". Times Pictorial.
- STEPHEN WATTS. (20 May 1951). "SUCCESS IN THE SHADOW OF FAILURE: Roy Baker Makes Mark as Director at Scene of Faded British Hopes On His Own Quick Return Army Training". New York Times.
- McFarlane p 49
- McFarlane p 50
- (22 April 1950). "IN THE FILM SPOTLIGHT". [[The Mirror (Western Australia).
- Fowler, Roy. (Oct–Nov 1989). "Interview with Roy Ward Baker".
- (3 June 1950). "JUST VERY, VERY, DEAR FRIENDS". [[The Mirror (Western Australia).
- McFarlane p 49-50
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::