The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre

The Edgar Wallace mysteries series of TV programs shot by Merton Park films was much in the vein of the classic 'B' movies of the time.

That said, they are first class productions with many new actors coming through into the big time that would go on to greater things in the cast.

Michael Caine, John Thaw and many others would start here and become well known later in the decade and beyond.

The films fit a lot in to the hour duration and they are well worth watching for all the background scenery too, giving us a view of the nation at the time, now long gone. The scripts are well written and thought out.

Watch the background scenes and interior shots of the buildings to see how much these have changed in the last 60 years!

At the time of filming, the death penalty was still in force and it is surprising that like in real life, did not seem the deterrent that it should have been - reflected in the high body count overall in these films overall!

The catchy theme tune 'Man of mystery by Michael Carr, recorded by the Shadows in 1960, is used as the theme music for the films, although not performed by the Shadows and there are about 4 different versions of the music, the 3 guitar based ones are more in the Shadows style than the first.

You'll notice once you've seen a few of the films a lot of the same cars appearing in later episodes!

The films convey a Britain in the first modern decade after WW2, that would go on to change British society perhaps more than any since.

A great bit of nostalgia and well worth watching.

The Edgar Wallace mysteries were originally cinema second features, supporting the big films - then were sold to television much later. So now they are often thought of as a TV series.

Whatever they are, they are sometimes excellent, sometimes routine, the same as any other long running series. What they do have are interesting casts - many big names at the start of their careers such as Barry Foster, Michael Caine, Patrick Allen, Harry H Corbett. There is also a fabulous theme tune Man of Mystery written by Ron Goodwin and performed by The Shadows.

These mysteries are always watchable and as they run less than an hour they have both time to develop plot and characters, and not to outstay their welcome.

THE EDGAR WALLACE MYSTERY THEATRE is remarkable in several ways. For one it's not a made-for-television series but a collection of 47 one hour B movies made between 1959 and 1965. The second is the inclusion of 10 short features made separately, then lumped in when the series was sold to American TV. But what's best and the most interesting, at least to this viewer, is that MYSTERY THEATRE is a vivid time capsule of England, and especially post WWII London still recovering from the war. The series features a number of familiar British faces such as Bernard Lee, Maxine Audley, Patrick Magee, Jennifer Daniel, Nigel Green, and Michael Gough. One name who went on to a 60 year international career is Micheal Caine who appears in SOLO FOR SWALLOW (Episode 20)

Other noteworthy episodes include THE MAN WHO WAS NOBODY (Episode 4), THE SINISTER MAN (Episode 13), NUMBER 6 (Episode 18), THE PARTNER (Episode 32), FACE OF A STRANGER (Episode 39) and the most offbeat one, ACT OF MURDER (Episode 40). As maybe you can tell by the numbering, I think the earlier episodes are the better ones. Edgar Wallace's stock-in-trade were "impossible" mysteries which had to be sleuthed and solved. Only 3 of the 47 titles fall into this particular category, CLUE OF THE TWISTED CANDLE (Episode 1), CLUE OF THE NEW PIN (Episode 6), and CLUE OF THE SILVER KEY (Episode 9). The vast majority of the stories are standard crime capers which have little to do with the Edgar Wallace mystery method. We're told who did it at the beginning and watch to see how they'll get caught in the end.

While the series was clearly running out of steam by the time it concluded in 1965, these movies are still very well made with excellent black & white photography and sincere, never condescending performances. They remain fascinating to watch for glimpses of the early 1960s fashions, working class Brit automobiles, and incredible grocery store items at unbelievable prices. All 47 EDGAR WALLACE MYSTERY titles were made at the small Merton Park Studio, now long gone, however we do get a glimpse of MPS in THE PARTNER which concerns a murder at the studio. The 10 independent features, appropriately from Independent Artists Productions, contain more a bit more substance. They were made at a rival studio, Beaconsfield, which is still operating today.

The 10 IAP B movies have nothing to do with Wallace. They were made as second features for British cinemas and run a little over an hour in length. Three of the films were directed by B movie specialist Vernon Sewell with two (HOUSE OF MYSTERY, THE MAN IN THE BACK SEAT) being outstanding. Another two (THE MALPUS MYSTERY, SEVEN KEYS) come the closest to Wallace in their execution. There are currently two complete sets of the 47 films plus the 10 independent features available. One is from Network while the other is from ViaVision. They're basically a toss-up, but for me the nod goes to the Network set. Both have crisp, clear pictures and good, clean sound. Sadly there aren't subtitles which would have helped with the British vernacular. Also available with mixed results on streaming...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

A series of films with clever plot twists, surprises and the best of British. Looked upon as a TV series, but these were low budget B movies.

The quality does vary somewhat, when they're good, they're great, and episodes such as Change Partners, Ricochet and Playback are all terrific thrillers.

Return to Sender and Locker 69 are the only real clunkers, but in a way, both are still fairly watchable. Sometimes the format did get a little repetitive, and I'd argue that on a few instances there was just a lack of variety.

Expect to see some wonderful, well known faces, the likes of John Thaw, Michael Gough, William Hartnell and of course Michael Caine. Two of my personal favourite performances come from Barry Forster and Kenneth Cope.

That simple, but effective opening sequence still looks great, and that accompanying music still sounds wonderfully haunting.

I love the visuals, the clothes, cars, interiors etc, one thing always gets me, just how busy The High Streets aleUs are.

I'm still struggling to track down The Malpas mystery, for some reason it just seems impossible to track down, one day.

8/10.

Absolutely brilliant programme, watched many times and always enjoy, so much better imagination than a lot of rubbish on tv now.