Thriller

The Painted Smile

Jo and Mark are working the "outraged husband" racket when they fall foul of the sinister Kleinie....

Release Date : 1962-05-01

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Blakeley's Films (M/C) Ltd.Mancunian Films

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles : Murder Can Be Deadly

Cast

Character Name : Jo Lake

Original Name : Liz Fraser

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kleinie

Original Name : Kenneth Griffith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mark

Original Name : Peter Reynolds

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tom

Original Name : Tony Wickert

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nightclub Singer

Original Name : Craig Douglas

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mary

Original Name : Nanette Newman

Gender : Female

Character Name : Glynn

Original Name : Ray Smith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Roy

Original Name : David Hemmings

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mikhala

Original Name : Harold Berens

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lucy

Original Name : Grazina Frame

Gender : Female

Character Name : Police Inspector

Original Name : Richard McNeff

Gender : Male

Character Name : Plain Clothes Policeman

Original Name : Gerald Sim

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gloria

Original Name : Rosemary Chalmers

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dawn

Original Name : Mia Karam

Gender : Male

Character Name : Henchman

Original Name : Terence Maidment

Gender : Male

Character Name : Henchman

Original Name : Bill Stevenson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Barman

Original Name : Lionel Ngakane

Gender : Male

Character Name : Manageress

Original Name : Ann Wrigg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Officer at St. Pancras

Original Name : Philip Johns

Gender : Male

Character Name : Customer at St. Pancras Tearoom (uncredited)

Original Name : Tony Castleton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Waiter (uncredited)

Original Name : Alex Graham

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Officer at St. Pancras (uncredited)

Original Name : George Hilsdon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nightclub Patron (uncredited)

Original Name : Ned Hood

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Officer at St. Pancras (uncredited)

Original Name : Arthur Howell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Officer Outside Bookshop (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Silk

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Officer Outside Bookshop (uncredited)

Original Name : Jeff Silk

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Officer At Gravel Pit (uncredited)

Original Name : Joe Wadham

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2022-09-25

I rather enjoyed Kenneth Griffith's performance here as the malevolent "Kleinie". He finds himself caught up in the amateur shenanigans of "Jo" (Liz Fraser) and "Mark" (Peter Reynolds). Now this pair have an habit of using her as a lure for young men whom she invites back to her flat only for her "husband" to arrive and try a little extortion. Well, they hit on the newly flush lad - "Tom" (Tony Wickert) - but when she returns to finish the sting, "Kleinie" calls alerting her to a shocking surprise in the bedroom. The young "Tom" is too drunk to offer much resistance to her rather ill thought-out plan and before he knows it he is being sought by the police for murder. What now ensues is a fairly run-of-the-mill British crime noir as both "Tom" and "Jo" have to stay one step ahead of the pursuing police whilst their nasty nemesis has plans for them of his own. Fraser was a competent enough comedy actress, but here she hasn't really the gravitas to engender much of a sense of danger. Wickert fares slightly better as the not-so-hapless youth - once he sobers up - but there isn't much jeopardy here and as the plot shuttles along we are well aware of how things are going to turn out. It's only an hour long, though, and Lance Comfort doesn't let it hang about - it moves along well enough with a basic but adequate production and a rather hectic score from Martin Slavin to keep it watchable, if forgettable.