Attempt to Kill

Attempt to Kill
Attempt to Kill
	Theatrical poster
Directed by	Royston Morley
Written by	Richard Harris
Based on	The Lone House Mystery ; by Edgar Wallace
Produced by	Jack Greenwood; Jim O'Connolly
Starring	Derek Farr; Tony Wright; Richard Pearson; Freda Jackson; Patricia Mort;
Cinematography	Bert Mason
Edited by	Edward Jarvis
Music by	Bernard Ebbinghouse
Production; company	Merton Park Studios
Distributed by	Anglo-Amalgamated
Release date	23 October 1961;
Running time	54 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Attempt to Kill is a 1961 British second feature ('B')^[3] film directed by Royston Morley and starring Derek Farr and Tony Wright.^[4]^[5] The screenplay was by Richard Harris, based on the 1929 Edgar Wallace novel The Lone House Mystery.^[6] It is part of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios from 1960 to 1965.^[2]

Plot

A businessman fires one of his employees, then someone tries to murder him. The fired man becomes the prime suspect.

Cast

Derek Farr as Detective Inspector Minter
Tony Wright as Gerry Hamilton
Richard Pearson as Frank Weyman
Freda Jackson as Mrs. Weyman
Patricia Mort as Elisabeth Gray
J.G. Devlin as Elliott
Clifford Earl as Sergeant Bennett
Denis Holmes as Fraser
Allan Jeager as gardener
Grace Arnold as housekeeper
Trevor Reid as bank manager
Frances Bennett as barmaid

Production

Filming took place at Merton Park in June 1960.^[7]

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Derek Farr's resourceful performance as the Inspector, and the Thames setting, are the only assets in this unoriginal Edgar Wallace thriller."^[8]

Kinematograph Weekly called it "a good British second."^[9]

References

^ "Anglo thrillers get a circuit deal". Kinematograph Weekly. 14 September 1961. p. 16.
^ ^a ^b "The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Attempt to Kill (1961)". Radio Times.
^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
^ Vagg, Stephen (14 March 2025). "The Weird Non-Stardom of Tony Wright". Filmink. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
^ "Attempt to Kill". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
^ "Attempt to Kill (1961)". BFI. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019.
^ "Shooting now". Kinematograph Weekly. 8 June 1961. p. 18.
^ "Attempt to Kill". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 28 (324): 141. 1 January 1961 – via ProQuest.
^ "Attempt to Kill". Kinematograph Weekly. 14 September 1961. p. 30.