The Black Glove

Alex Nicoll is an American jazz trumpeter playing London with his band to happy audiences. After an exhausting show, he begs off a party arranged by his manager, John Salew; he needs sleep. He is distracted from this purpose by gorgeous singer Ann Hanslip. After a spaghetti dinner in her apartment, he heads off to get that sleep, only to be woken by the police. Miss Hanslip is dead, murdered, and he is a person of interest. As is usual in the movie world, he figures he has to clear himself, and starts to investigate.

That movie cliche aside, this is a fine movie. Although I don't have the high opinion of director Terence Fisher that others have, this is a superior movie, thanks in part to DP Walter J. Harvey's crisp lighting, but also a nice handling of the jazz world that Nicoll moves through. Add in a score by Kenny Baker -- the British trumpeter, cornetist, and flugelhorn player -- who also does the trumpet playing doubled by Nicoll, and you have a movie that is an enthralling proof that Fisher was actually a very talented director.

Alex Nicol (Bradley) is a famous American trumpet player on tour in the UK who is exhausted and wants to go to bed. He encounters singer Ann Hanslip (Maxine) whilst on his way home and she invites him to her place for something to eat. The next morning he is a murder suspect as she has been bumped off in the night and it doesn't help that he has left his trumpet at her apartment. The film follows Nicol's efforts to get to the bottom of what has happened.

It's a mystery that leads you through many scenarios and it is quite complicated so make sure you keep up with all the characters. There are some great scenes, eg, the first meeting between Nicol and Hanslip when she is singing in a club and he gets out his trumpet and starts blowing out his tune at her. Ha ha. It is hilarious. There is some choice dialogue along the way and the film is quite funny (apart from the comedy character manager and some idiot selling trumpets) although I'm not sure it is always intentional. And God knows why Nicol solves the crime instead of the police. But so what.

This film has a great setting in the world of bedsits and nightclubs and it is interesting to see London in the 1950s. This brings me to the main reason I purchased this film. It has the street where I grew up - Elvaston Place - listed in the filming location. Sure enough, about 45 minutes into the film, Nicol exits a taxi to visit singer Eleanor Summerfield (Barbara) and there is my street. Not only that, but you can see the house I grew up in in the 1970s. That was an extra bonus. What is also funny is that the house that he visits (no. 12) had a couple of drug dealers living in the basement flat during the 1990s & 2000s. So, this scene brought back a slice of social history and many memories for me.

At one point, my wife said "Oh look, it's him from 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum'", the 1970s British sitcom set in the Burma jungle. I missed him but on checking the cast list, she was right - it's the little gay one. He plays a bellhop. Step forward Melvyn Hayes. "We're all going on a summer holiday" - "SHUUUUT UUP!" - ha ha.

My copy of the film is called "The Black Glove". Goodness knows why.

Directed by Terence Fisher, The Black Glove or Face the Music is a British film from Hammer starring Alex Nicol as James Bradley, a jazz trumpet player (fabulous dubbing by Kenny Baker). After a performance, he heads home but is distracted by a beautiful singer (Ann Hanslip) in a club. They go to her place and dine on spaghetti. When he leaves, he forgets his trumpet.

The next morning the police arrive - the singer has been found murdered, and he's the prime suspect. Bradley sets out to clear himself, investigating a mysterious recording, a recording company, meeting the singer's sister (Barbara Quigley), and having poison put on his mouthpiece.

This was an overly complex mystery, and I confess I don't know how it all came together. The film had an Agatha Christie moment with all involved gathered together.

I enjoyed the music. The rest I found slow going.

As a deeply passionate by Noir genre I used never give under seven in any of this kind, this is widely perceived a minor movie about an American high-profile trumpet jazz player James Bradley (Alex Nicol) arrives on London to do a British tour, after the show tired he accidently meets with a blonde gorgeous singer Maxine Halbartd (Ann Hanslip) which she invites him to a dinner at her home, the chemistry is blatant perceived, lately James leaving there, although someone entered in the Maxine's apartment, in the dawn James was wake up by the police asking where he was that night, he receives the bad news about Maxine's death, then he starts his own investigation, taking him on dangerous places at London, among fights, misunderstandings he is reaching of the truth, between a live show and countless research he will slowly getting to the point, an American British co-production on Hammer's label this movie is slow paced, but intriguing and too much complex adrift quite often, Alex Nicol doesn't fits on so-called handsome star, he usually was a good supporting casting, overall the picture wasn't so bad at all, beside it is a Noir movie!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

Another film found on Youtube and watched for the "House of Hammer" Podcast, "Face the Music", or "The Black Glove" if you prefer, is yet another murder mystery melodrama dressed up in the trappings of another theme, this time the London Jazz scene.

James Bradley (Alex Neil) is an American Jazz Trumpet virtuoso just starting a residency in London. After a flirty liaison at the house of singer Maxine (Ann Halbard) he heads home, accidentally leaving his trumpet behind. When Maxine is found dead the next day, the evidence points to Bradley. He begins his own investigation into the murder which leads him to a vinyl record that the studio seems to have no record of producing.

I suppose my problem with the film is that somehow the case is both over complicated, but also lacking in actual things happening. The complications aren't exactly red herrings but looking back on the film now (less then 24 hours after I watched it) I still can't quite work out how it all tied all it's pieces together. I'd have preferred the film to be a bit shorter too, than it's 84 minutes. Whilst it's not a musical in the strictest sense - there are several lengthy jazz trumpet scenes, where Neil's music is actually being played by Kenny Baker (not that one), we could have cut those scenes down to choice moments and audience reaction, to show that Bradley is good and not lost too much of the story.

My other problem is Bradley himself. I think Alex Neil crossed over from self-confidence to smugness too often and particularly in the film's conclusion, when he goes around the room like Poirot explaining everyone's part in this story.

I've written quite a bit about the film's failings here, which might suggest that I hated it, which is not quite true. Some of the dialogue is pretty snappy and for once the fight scene seems a little more rough and ready. The only problem I really struggled with was that length, it would have been a much better film at nearer to the hour mark.