Terror Street

In 1950, American producer Robert Lippert formed a business alliance with Hammer studios. Under the agreement, Lippert would provide American acting talent - frequently shop-worn stars or just supporting actors who fancied a profitable trip out of the country - while Hammer would supply the rest of the cast and the production facilities. Together they would split the profits. Famous for his concern with the bottom line, Lippert produced over 140 films between 1946 and 1955, characteristically genre pieces such as I Shot Jesse James or Rocketship XM. For the British deal, most of the films were noir-ish thrillers - and include this title.

The American noir icon Dan Duryea is the best thing in 36 Hours, which is at its strongest in the first half. He plays Major Rogers, a flyer smuggled into the country to discover what his wife has been up to during his absence away on duty. Shortly after he catches up with her, she is dead, leaving the stunned Rogers waking up next to her body with just a few hours to prove his innocence. Duryea's opening scenes, mostly played solo as he explores his wife's apartment piecing together her new relationships, are the essence of noir - an alienated man, lost in an environment where moral certitudes are missing. Unfortunately the script by Steve Miller (responsible for earlier classics such as Dead Reckoning, and Lady In The Lake) grows less interesting as it proceeds, and the final complexities are forced and unconvincing. Along the way, Duryea brings life to his relationship with Jenny (Ann Gudrin), equally as good as the unfussy woman who believes his story. Kenneth Griffith also makes impact as the weasely Slosson - a character which, on a different continent, would no doubt been of interest to Elisha Cook Jr.

American star Dan Duryea ("Scarlet Street"), no stranger to villainous roles, here plays the protagonist, Bill Rogers. Bill is an Air Force pilot who returns to England to be with his wife Katie (Swedish beauty Elsie Albiin, "Hidden Fear"). Unfortunately, while he's been away, she's gotten mixed up with bad people, and one of them murders her and frames Bill for the crime. He then has 36 hours in which to prove himself innocent (after that, he'll be declared A. W. O. L. and be in even *worse* trouble).

Written by Steve Fisher ("Destination Tokyo"), this tells a decent, straightforward story, although director Montgomery Tully ("No Road Back") relates it without giving it a real sense of *urgency*. It's deliberately paced, with a fair amount of time devoted to flashbacks. It also doesn't have the thick atmosphere common to the noir genre. At least the climax is reasonably amusing, with control of the situation continuously switching between the villain (John Chandos, "The Crimson Pirate") and a secondary antagonist (Eric Pohlmann, "The Return of the Pink Panther"). The fight choreography is not great, but it does elicit some chuckles.

Duryea was often at his best in his bad guy roles, but here he's fun to watch as a tough-talking, forceful man of action who's determined to avenge his wife. Chandos & Pohlmann are equally good, with additional sterling support given by Harold Lang ("Paranoiac") as an antsy desk clerk, Marianne Stone ("Berserk") as Bills' friend Pam, and a young Kenneth Griffith ("A Night to Remember") as the lovelorn, lowly would-be killer Henry Slauson. Gudrun Ure ("The Million Pound Note") is an appealing if not especially memorable leading lady.

"36 Hours" a.k.a. "Terror Street" is no great shakes, but it rates as an acceptable example of the film noir genre, made by those fine folks at Hammer (back when they were known as Exclusive).

Six out of 10.

Do not confound this title with 36 HOURS, from director George Seaton and speaking of another topic, far far far more interesting, surprising, unusual story, with this one. This very film, produced and made in UK is tense, sharp, pulled by an amazing Dan Duryea, for once not a bad guy, but unfortunately so predictable with a scheme already told a million times before. Any one can know in advance what will happen. But as I have already said about British thrillers hiring American actors in the fifties and sixties, it is still worth to watch, and the director Monty Tully - whom I have also told about - deserves to be discovered again.

Terror Street (AKA: 36 Hours) is directed by Montgomery Tully and written by Steve Fisher. It stars Dan Duryea, Elsy Albiin, Ann Gudrun, John Chandos and Eric Pohlmann. Music is by Ivor Slaney and cinematography by Walter Harvey. Plot finds Duryea as Major William Rogers, who is in London to see his estranged wife. When he arrives at her apartment, he is attacked and knocked unconscious. Upon awakening he finds that his wife has been shot and killed with his own gun. Taking to the streets, Rogers must find the real culprits before the police find and charge him with the murder.

Simple and effective little B crime picture out of Hammer Productions that plays on the wrong man on the run theme. There's the odd little film noir touch here and there on the production side of things (night time wet cobbled streets/Duryea under a street lamp/finale in swinging shadow), which somehow warrants it being part of the Hammer Film Noir Collection, but really it's best to approach this one as purely a race against time drama that is competently acted (though the script rarely allows Duryea chance to brood and be emotionally battered), well paced and a film that retains a good mystery element throughout. Safe viewing and film making really. 6/10

I did remember in some bonus material that Dan Duryea was totally opposite as Hollywood stigmatized him in his countless crook's roles, in fact he complained it largely for his pals, now on this American-British co-production he had finally his good guy's moments, maybe it was the mistake, the picture has innumerable qualities, dark, intense, a true noir and having London's fog atmosphere, like "do you want a cup of tea??" reading some reviews posted here which l'd to disagree with them, meanwhile l've respect all comments, but my vision of cinema was and ever will be by myself, watching a little portion may occur in a bug, maybe watching twice should be a best baseline, it's already happened with me many times, notwithstanding redressed each issue in its turn, the DVD experience is quite different from TV, in this last one we always lost many unnoticed details and cannot turn back at once!!!

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First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7