JOHNNY ON THE SPOT is one of the worst British crime films I've seen. Everything about it says that it's an entirely derivative effort with zero effort made in terms of writing, acting, and direction. The guy who wrote and directed it, Maclean Rogers, also helmed a handful of serviceable detective potboilers including some of the Paul Temple series, but this is his worst yet.
The film features the charisma-free Hugh McDermott as a guy who's released from prison before immediately blundering into a murder scene. He's apparently treated as a suspect by the non-existent police force, and must clear his name, with only the clue of an old blind man to go on. The plot that follows is completely incomprehensible and I still didn't have any idea what was happening as the credits rolled. Nothing about the film rings true, and it all feels obscured and murky.
The only interesting thing about JOHNNY ON THE SPOT is that a few of the supporting actors are well known from the period. Valentine Dyall, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, and Ronald Adam all make appearances here. The fresh-faced Scottish starlet Elspet Gray was married to British comedian Brian Rix, while McDermott appeared in the same year's DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS.
