Producer: Tom Blakeley. A Blakeley's Films Production. A Mancunian Film Corporation Production, released in the U.S.A. by Governor Films: May 1964. No New York opening. U.K. release through Planet: 23 June 1963. Never theatrically released in Australia. 7,210 feet. 80 minutes. (Available on an excellent Odeon DVD).SYNOPSIS: A kidnap plot goes terribly awry.NOTES: John Gregson was sitting on top of the world in 1953, thanks to "Genevieve: which catapulted him, Kenneth More and Kay Kendall to international stardom. Oddly none of the trio's sudden movie success lasted much beyond the 1950s. Kay Kendall died in 1959, and film producers forsook both Gregson and More, when it seemed the picture- going public had tired of them. More's last big success was in "The Greengage Summer" (1961). Though he did make a few sporadic big screen appearances throughout the 1960s, and 1970s, he concentrated on the stage and TV. His last film role was as King Arthur in "Unidentified Flying Oddball" (1979).Gregson's 60s career was equally as sparse, although, like More, he did score one big critical success, "Live Now Pay Later" (1962). Unlike More's "Greengage Summer", however, Gregson's critical triumph proved so unpopular with the public, the movie's Australian distributor didn't even bother to release it! Gregson was reduced to accepting the lead in "Tomorrow at Ten". Good film, good director, but quite a comedown from the dizzy heights of "Genevieve". Gregson's Australian fans were denied the pleasure of seeing their idol in "Tomorrow at Ten" too, until it turned up on TV. There were to be no more top starring roles for Gregson on the big screen. A couple of cameo parts in "The Longest Day" (1962) and "The Night of the Generals" (1966) and a minor role as a doctor in "Fright" (1971) completed his cinema career.Interestingly, all three of the "Genevieve" trio commenced their progress towards stardom well before that fantastic success. More started acting in movies way back in 1935, when he debuted in "Look Up and Laugh", and appeared in eighteen more films before "Genevieve". Gregson made his debut in "Saraband for Dead Lovers" in 1948, and landed eleven more roles before his vintage car brought him fame and fortune. And Kay Kendall, would you believe, made her initial screen appearance in 1944 in "Fiddlers Three". Fourteen films followed until she suddenly became the "discovery sensation" of 1953.COMMENT: Atmospherically directed low-budget effort, with a cast and production values way beyond most of its quota quickie competitors. The screenplay is literate and concise, sometimes even rather witty, whilst the characters are interestingly defined and the plot riddled with suspenseful elements which the director puts across with maximum impact. Basil Emmott's effective camera-work also rates as a major factor in the film's success.OTHER VIEWS: John Gregson. Born at Liverpool in 1919. Married to Thea Gregory. Entered films in 1948. Pictures include Scott of the Antarctic, Saraband for Dead Lovers, Whiskey Galore, Train of Events, Treasure Island, Lavender Hill Mob, etc. 1951: Angels One Five. 1952: The Holly and the Ivy, The Brave Don't Cry, etc. Since 1953 he has appeared in The Venetian Bird, The Titfield Thunderbolt, Genevieve, To Dorothy a Son, Above Us the Waves, Value for Money, Battle of the River Plate, Jacqueline. 1956-57: True as a Turtle. 1959-60: The Captain's Table, Sea of Sand, S.O.S. Pacific, Faces in the Dark. 1960-61: Hand in Hand, Treasure of Monte Cristo, Frightened City. - Studio publicity.

Tomorrow at ten is directed by Lance Comfort. The film stars John Gregson, Robert Shaw,Alec Clunes, William Hartnell, Kenneth Cope, Piers Bishop and Alan Wheatley.A shifty criminal called Marlowe(Robert Shaw)kidnaps young Jonathan Chester(Piers Bishop)the son of a wealthy man. Marlowe takes him to an abandoned house and locks him in.Marlow has put a bomb which is set to go off the following day in a toy left with the boy. Marlowe goes to the boys father (Alec Clunes)and demands fifty thousand pounds, in exchange for the money Marlowe will take Chester to his son. If the police become involved Marlowe won't say where Jonathan is, this will mean he will be killed when the bomb explodes.Jonathan's nanny phones the police when Marlowe comes to speak to Mr. Chester. Tough police Inspector Parnell (John Gregson)is sent to deal with the situation. Parnell tries to intimidate Marlow, he want's to arrest him but is prevented from doing so by his boss (Alan Wheatley). Parnell must try and get Marlowe to reveal some information about where Jonathan is before it's too late.I've never been much of a fan of John Gregson, but he really impressed me in this, playing Parnell as a no nonsense copper who treats criminals exactly how they deserve to be treated. Robert Shaw is very good as the deranged Marlowe, he manages to steal every scene he's in with just a look.The supporting cast all deliver solid performances and there's lots of suspense. Is it believable that Mr. Chester would be allowed to be left alone with Marlowe when time was running out? Probably not, and I think that is a flaw for the film; it doesn't make this any less enjoyable though.Good performances and plenty of suspense help make this well worth a watch.

A chap called Marlowe (Robert Shaw, Jaws fans) kidnaps a child of Hampstead parents by posing as the school-run chauffeur. After depositing the child in a deserted mansion, that resembles the one in Fallen Idol, he calmly turns up at the parent's house demanding 50 big ones. He's planning on catching the afternoon TWA to Rio see from where he'll book a long distance call to tell dad where his kid is hid. Now here's the clever bit. If he doesn't get his dough an explosive device hidden in a Golliwog will detonate tomorrow at ten – and he's given the Golliwog to the child for safekeeping.I bought this DVD from Best of British series issued by Odeon. It's the sort of thing which used to pad out afternoon schedules in the distant days of 3 channel Britain. It's directed by Lance Comfort, who made films for RKO in the 40s and even directed James Mason once upon a time. Comfort, however, never really made a big film and subsequently became lost in the culturally reviled wasteland of second features – many for Butchers Film Service. In recent years there's been an attempt to re-evaluate Comfort's work. There's even been a monograph by Brian McFarlane and one of his films was compared to Resnais on this very website no less (Pit of Darkness).This one is not quite typical of the second feature era. For a start it's a little bit later (1964) than that. Also there are a few moments that actually remove the film from the largely sealed world of the British B movie. There's even a cute reference to Z cars as Shaw whistles the theme tune while preparing the Golliwog bomb. Incidentally, I feel that an absence of any sort of popular culture from British B's of the 1957-63 era (new towns, West Indians, jeans, the teenage industry, etc) makes them strangely representative of their era. The fashion today for film makers to drench film soundtracks with the pop music of the film's era is not only a lazy way of establishing period flavour but to me rings false. Pop music may be all pervasive now for the ipod generation, if only superficially, but how many middle aged middle class people in the 50s/ 60s had any interest in pop culture beyond a vague awareness of Elvis and the Beatles maybe?No matter, this film features John Gregson in the lead, as Inspector Parnell investigating the kidnapping, and two stars of the future in the aforementioned Shaw and Kenneth Cope (Cope pops up at the – Er – Golliwog Club – the way the girls are dancing here has to be seen to be believed – and interrogates Renee Houston – who later pops up as his battleaxe mum in Carry On At Your Convenience, trivia fans). Ironically it's Gregson as the established star who is a bit miscast here. He's called to play a maverick cop who goes against his superior, Bewley (Alan Wheatley). Unfortunately, Gregson is far too meek and mild of voice and manner to carry any conviction. The film is very much of its decade though when it pits working class cop Parnell against patrician, hunt ball brown noser Bewley, who simply wants to let Marlowe skip to Brazil with his loot. Unfortunately what could have been a rip roaring barney between the two – one man embodying the 1950s and the other the 1960s – has all potential drama rung out of it by the laborious manner in which Parnell explains that perhaps this wouldn't be such a great idea ("What the hell are you talking about?")Better is the psychological stand off between Parnell and Marlowe as the Inspector tries to break Marlowe down with a seemingly innocuous line of questioning. We see a little glimpse of what a great character actor Shaw was to become; the authenticity of his behaviour and accent lifting the film momentarily out of the fusty B world into something more contemporary.

Robert Shaw kidnaps the child of a wealthy industrialist and stashes the kid in a rented house. He then just walks into the boy's family home and lays out his terms to the boy's father. 50,000 pounds in cash and no calling the police. Of course the police are called and headed by John Gregson put in a quick appearance. They are about to haul Shaw off to jail for a bit of third degree when he pulls out his ace in the hole. Shaws tells them that he has left the boy in a locked room with a time bomb. If he does not get the cash and then allowed on a flight to Rio, the boy will die. They have till ten the next morning to decide. The father loses his temper and supplies several right hands to Shaw. Shaw goes down in a heap smashing his head in on the fireplace. Of course Shaw dies without telling them where the boy is. Now how do they find the boy? It is the old race against time routine. It works though as they track down every possible clue before rescuing the boy in the nick of time. Nice cameo bit by William Hartnel as Shaw's father. Decent time-waster. (b/w)