TREAD SOFTLY is a fairly interesting little murder mystery thriller, although with a theatrical revue as a backdrop it feels the need to pad out the (short) running time with endless song and dance routines which really drag the pacing down and have dated quite considerably in the ensuing years. As much as I love watching Patricia Dainton, there's something faintly embarrassing about the way she carries herself in these numbers; she looks ill at ease and her performance suffers as a result, although off the stage she's a lot better.
Otherwise, the film is quite interesting. It's a shame the murder mystery aspects of the narrative are so limited because they're quite classic and influential. The use of the dusty, run-down old theatre is a good one but the cameraman can't even bring himself to show us the moment when a corpse is discovered in a locked room. The film reminded me of Pete Walker's THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW in its depiction of fallen performers committing violent revenge and latterly the excellent Italiah giallo STAGE FRIGHT with which it has more than a few stylistic similarities.
The cast is a decent one for what is a B-movie on a B-movie's budget. John Bentley is the erstwhile hero and he certainly looks dashing even if he doesn't have much to do. The viewer is also treated to a youthful and earnest Robert Urquhart (THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN) and John Laurie (DAD'S ARMY) as a waspish accountant. The ubiquitous Ronald Leigh-Hunt is the copper investigating the murders. Frances Day has a nice role as the bitter starlet. The identity of the murderer at the end is a good one too, it's just a pity that the horror aspects of the story weren't better focused on.
