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CrimeThrillerAction

The Blue Lamp

- Sheds just enough light for MURDER

P.C. George Dixon is a long-serving traditional copper who is due to retire shortly. He takes a new recruit under his aegis and introduces him to the easy-going night beat. Dixon is a classic ordinary hero but also anachronistic, unprepared and unable to answer the violence of the 1950s.

Release Date : 1950-01-19

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : J. Arthur Rank OrganisationEaling Studios

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Jack Warner

Character Name : PC George Dixon

Original Name : Jack Warner

Gender : Male

Jimmy Hanley

Character Name : PC Andy Mitchell

Original Name : Jimmy Hanley

Gender : Male

Dirk Bogarde

Character Name : Tom Riley

Original Name : Dirk Bogarde

Gender : Male

Robert Flemyng

Character Name : Police Sgt. Roberts

Original Name : Robert Flemyng

Gender : Male

Bernard Lee

Character Name : Divisional Detective Inspector Cherry

Original Name : Bernard Lee

Gender : Male

Peggy Evans

Character Name : Diana Lewis

Original Name : Peggy Evans

Gender : Female

Patric Doonan

Character Name : Spud

Original Name : Patric Doonan

Gender : Male

Bruce Seton

Character Name : PC 'Jock' Campbell

Original Name : Bruce Seton

Gender : Male

Meredith Edwards

Character Name : PC 'Taff' Hughes

Original Name : Meredith Edwards

Gender : Male

Clive Morton

Character Name : Police Sgt. Brooks

Original Name : Clive Morton

Gender : Male

Frederick Piper

Character Name : Alf Lewis

Original Name : Frederick Piper

Gender : Male

Dora Bryan

Character Name : Maisie

Original Name : Dora Bryan

Gender : Female

Gladys Henson

Character Name : Mrs Em Dixon

Original Name : Gladys Henson

Gender : Female

Tessie O'Shea

Character Name : Herself - Singer

Original Name : Tessie O'Shea

Gender : Female

John Adams

Character Name : PC at Darts Match (Uncredited)

Original Name : John Adams

Gender : Male

Muriel Aked

Character Name : Mrs Beryl Waterbourne (Uncredited)

Original Name : Muriel Aked

Gender : Female

Arnold Bell

Character Name : Hospital Doctor (Uncredited)

Original Name : Arnold Bell

Gender : Male

Alma Cogan

Character Name : Girl (Uncredited)

Original Name : Alma Cogan

Gender : Female

Michael Corcoran

Character Name : Detective (Uncredited)

Original Name : Michael Corcoran

Gender : Male

Betty Ann Davies

Character Name : Mary Bertha Lewis (Uncredited)

Original Name : Betty Ann Davies

Gender : Female

Rowland Douglas

Character Name : Cinema Doorman (Uncredited)

Original Name : Rowland Douglas

Gender : Male

Renee Gadd

Character Name : Woman Driver (Uncredited)

Original Name : Renee Gadd

Gender : Female

Michael Golden

Character Name : Mike Randall (Uncredited)

Original Name : Michael Golden

Gender : Male

Cameron Hall

Character Name : Drunk (Uncredited)

Original Name : Cameron Hall

Gender : Male

Melvyn Hayes

Character Name : Blond Urchin (Uncredited)

Original Name : Melvyn Hayes

Gender : Male

Eric Henderson

Character Name : Police Constable (Uncredited)

Original Name : Eric Henderson

Gender : Male

Charles Houston

Character Name : Man in ID Parade (Uncredited)

Original Name : Charles Houston

Gender : Male

Glyn Houston

Character Name : Barrow Boy (Uncredited)

Original Name : Glyn Houston

Gender : Male

Jennifer Jayne

Character Name : June (Uncredited)

Original Name : Jennifer Jayne

Gender : Female

Gerry Judge

Character Name : Driver in Crashed Car Sequence (Uncredited)

Original Name : Gerry Judge

Gender : Male

Sam Kydd

Character Name : Bookmaker's Assistant at White City (Uncredited)

Original Name : Sam Kydd

Gender : Male

Duncan Lewis

Character Name : Mr Williams (Uncredited)

Original Name : Duncan Lewis

Gender : Male

Arthur Lovegrove

Character Name : Man Being Fingerprinted (Uncredited)

Original Name : Arthur Lovegrove

Gender : Male

Jack May

Character Name : Old Man in Crowd (Uncredited)

Original Name : Jack May

Gender : Male

William Mervyn

Character Name : Chief Inspector Hammond (Uncredited)

Original Name : William Mervyn

Gender : Male

Glen Michael

Character Name : Larry (Uncredited)

Original Name : Glen Michael

Gender : Male

Arthur Mullard

Character Name : PC at Darts Game (Uncredited)

Original Name : Arthur Mullard

Gender : Male

Richard Neller

Character Name : Man in Crowd (Uncredited)

Original Name : Richard Neller

Gender : Male

Rosemary Nicols

Character Name : Urchin (Uncredited)

Original Name : Rosemary Nicols

Gender : Female

Joe Phelps

Character Name : Man in Crowd (Uncredited)

Original Name : Joe Phelps

Gender : Male

Paul Phillips

Character Name : Man in Street (Uncredited)

Original Name : Paul Phillips

Gender : Male

Sidney Pointer

Character Name : Supt. Harwood (Uncredited)

Original Name : Sidney Pointer

Gender : Male

John Salew

Character Name : Officious Man (Uncredited)

Original Name : John Salew

Gender : Male

Arthur Sandifer

Character Name : Man in Street (Uncredited)

Original Name : Arthur Sandifer

Gender : Male

Stuart Saunders

Character Name : White City Security Officer (Uncredited)

Original Name : Stuart Saunders

Gender : Male

Charles Saynor

Character Name : PC Wal Tovey (Uncredited)

Original Name : Charles Saynor

Gender : Male

Jack Sharp

Character Name : Man in Crowd (Uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Sharp

Gender : Male

Norman Shelley

Character Name : F.P. Jordan (Uncredited)

Original Name : Norman Shelley

Gender : Male

Campbell Singer

Character Name : Station Sergeant (Uncredited)

Original Name : Campbell Singer

Gender : Male

Anthony Steel

Character Name : Police Constable (Uncredited)

Original Name : Anthony Steel

Gender : Male

Gwynne Whitby

Character Name : Police Sgt Grace Millard (Uncredited)

Original Name : Gwynne Whitby

Gender : Female

Billy Wilmot

Character Name : Man in Crowd (Uncredited)

Original Name : Billy Wilmot

Gender : Male

Doris Yorke

Character Name : Cinema Cashier (Uncredited)

Original Name : Doris Yorke

Gender : Male

Reviews

J

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Mustn't Grumble. The Blue Lamp is directed by Basil Dearden and written by T.E.B. Clarke. It stars Jack Warner, Jimmy Hanley, Dirk Bogarde, Robert Flemyng and Peggy Evans. Music is by Ernest Irving and cinematography by Gordon Dines. Andy Mitchell is a new recruit to the London police force, old hand George Dixon takes him under his wing and shows him the ropes. When Dixon is gunned down by a hot headed crook, Mitchell, the force, and the close knit community, all rally round to catch the villain. What chiefly makes The Blue Lamp a fine watch is being able to witness the good old days of the British Bobby. It was a time when the copper was a feared and reassuring presence on the British streets, they walked the beat so everyone could sleep easy in their beds, help was but merely a whistle away. In that, this Ealing Studios production does a wonderful job, the essence is perfect, the locale and the dialect used is absolutely spot on, whilst the story is an accomplished piece that brings to notice the sad emergence of trigger happy crooks, a new breed of thug who's discipline quota was zero. It also looks nice, with a film noir sheen presented for the night-time sequences, while Dearden offers up a great action scene and closes the picture down with a tense chase finale at White City Greyhound Stadium. There’s inevitably some staid performances indicative of the time, and it definitely paints the police and surrounding community through rose tinted spectacles, but they are small complaints that ultimately can’t stop The Blue Lamp from being a most engaging viewing experience. 7.5/10

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2022-12-27

I think a lot of what makes this film resonate, even now 50-odd years later - is the stark fact that back then, the murder of a police officer was still pretty rare and was a crime guaranteed to galvanise both the police and the criminal fraternities alike against the culprit. That all helps to create an authentic scenario in which Dirk Bogarde is super as a petty thief who gets caught up in events that quickly run out of control. Peggy Evans is great, too, as the hysterical girlfriend. Basil Dearden keeps the whole thing tense and engrossing as the net begins to close and we get a gripping finale to this fairly simple film.