Secret Venture
Encyclopedia
Secret Venture is a 1955
British B-movie
thriller film directed by R. G. Springsteen
and starring Kent Taylor
, Jane Hylton
and Kathleen Byron
.
Later, Henrik is abducted by a group headed by a sinister man named Zelinsky (Karel Štěpánek
), who are eager to lay their hands on the formula. They are furious to find that Henrik's briefcase contains nothing more than the everyday bits and pieces of a man called O'Hara. They detail one of their number, the sultry Renée (Byron), to track down O'Hara and gain his confidence. This she does, then a henchman appears and forcibly takes the puzzled O'Hara to the headquarters of the Zelinsky operation. They tell him that he has Henrik's briefcase, which he had not previously known, and that they are prepared to pay handsomely if he passes it over.
Rather than cash in on this unexpected turn of events, O'Hara goes to Scotland Yard. He says that he heard Zelinsky mention the name Weber, apparently an espionage agent in Paris. The inspector briefs O'Hara to go to Paris and make contact with Weber. O'Hara is followed by Renée and a cohort, who manage to steal the briefcase during the journey. O'Hara finds Weber (Frederick Valk
) in Paris, and learns that he now has the briefcase in his possession but is unable to decipher the contents which appear to be written in a complex code.
O'Hara returns to London and explains the situation to Scotland Yard. Not wanting to jeopardise Henrik's safety, the police suggest he should make contact with Joan, who seems the most likely to have the necessary information. O'Hara shadows her waiting for a moment to make unobtrusive contact, but before he can do so he is shocked to see her rendezvous with a member of the Zelinsky gang and hand over some documents to him. The scene is set, as O'Hara and the police try to establish whether the apparently innocent Joan has in fact betrayed Henrik and been a prime mover in the plot all along.
1955 in film
The year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released....
British B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
thriller film directed by R. G. Springsteen
R. G. Springsteen
Robert G. Springsteen was a prolific American director of Hollywood B movies and television shows. He was most often credited on screen as R. G. Springsteen....
and starring Kent Taylor
Kent Taylor
Kent Taylor was an American actor.Born Louis William Weiss in Nashua, Iowa, Taylor appeared in more than 110 films, the bulk of them B-movies in the 1930s and 1940s, although he also had roles in more prestigious studio releases, including I'm No Angel , Death Takes a Holiday , Payment on Demand ,...
, Jane Hylton
Jane Hylton
Jane Hylton was an English actress who accumulated 30 film credits, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, before moving into television work in the latter half of her career in the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
and Kathleen Byron
Kathleen Byron
Kathleen Byron was a British actress of stage, screen and television.-Early life:Byron was born Kathleen Elizabeth Fell in West Ham – now in the London Borough of Newham...
.
Plot
Renowned scientist Professor Henrik (Hugo Schuster) returns to England from a working trip overseas and is met by his glamorous secretary Joan (Hylton). American Ted O'Hara (Taylor) has come in on the same flight and in the bustle of the airport he and Henrik mistakenly pick up each other's identical briefcases, and O'Hara innocently departs with a briefcase containing a top-secret formula for a revolutionary new type of jet fuel.Later, Henrik is abducted by a group headed by a sinister man named Zelinsky (Karel Štěpánek
Karel Štěpánek
Karel Štěpánek was a Czech actor who spent many years in Austria and generally played German roles onscreen. In 1940 he fled to Britain and spent much of the rest of his career acting there.-Selected filmography:...
), who are eager to lay their hands on the formula. They are furious to find that Henrik's briefcase contains nothing more than the everyday bits and pieces of a man called O'Hara. They detail one of their number, the sultry Renée (Byron), to track down O'Hara and gain his confidence. This she does, then a henchman appears and forcibly takes the puzzled O'Hara to the headquarters of the Zelinsky operation. They tell him that he has Henrik's briefcase, which he had not previously known, and that they are prepared to pay handsomely if he passes it over.
Rather than cash in on this unexpected turn of events, O'Hara goes to Scotland Yard. He says that he heard Zelinsky mention the name Weber, apparently an espionage agent in Paris. The inspector briefs O'Hara to go to Paris and make contact with Weber. O'Hara is followed by Renée and a cohort, who manage to steal the briefcase during the journey. O'Hara finds Weber (Frederick Valk
Frederick Valk
Frederick Valk was a German-born Jewish stage and screen actor of Czech descent who fled to the United Kingdom in the late 1930s to escape Nazi persecution, and subsequently became a naturalised British citizen...
) in Paris, and learns that he now has the briefcase in his possession but is unable to decipher the contents which appear to be written in a complex code.
O'Hara returns to London and explains the situation to Scotland Yard. Not wanting to jeopardise Henrik's safety, the police suggest he should make contact with Joan, who seems the most likely to have the necessary information. O'Hara shadows her waiting for a moment to make unobtrusive contact, but before he can do so he is shocked to see her rendezvous with a member of the Zelinsky gang and hand over some documents to him. The scene is set, as O'Hara and the police try to establish whether the apparently innocent Joan has in fact betrayed Henrik and been a prime mover in the plot all along.
Cast
- Kent TaylorKent TaylorKent Taylor was an American actor.Born Louis William Weiss in Nashua, Iowa, Taylor appeared in more than 110 films, the bulk of them B-movies in the 1930s and 1940s, although he also had roles in more prestigious studio releases, including I'm No Angel , Death Takes a Holiday , Payment on Demand ,...
as Ted O'Hara - Jane HyltonJane HyltonJane Hylton was an English actress who accumulated 30 film credits, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, before moving into television work in the latter half of her career in the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
as Joan Butler - Kathleen ByronKathleen ByronKathleen Byron was a British actress of stage, screen and television.-Early life:Byron was born Kathleen Elizabeth Fell in West Ham – now in the London Borough of Newham...
as Renée l'Epinal - Karel ŠtěpánekKarel ŠtěpánekKarel Štěpánek was a Czech actor who spent many years in Austria and generally played German roles onscreen. In 1940 he fled to Britain and spent much of the rest of his career acting there.-Selected filmography:...
as Zelinsky - Frederick ValkFrederick ValkFrederick Valk was a German-born Jewish stage and screen actor of Czech descent who fled to the United Kingdom in the late 1930s to escape Nazi persecution, and subsequently became a naturalised British citizen...
as Otto Weber - Maurice KaufmannMaurice KaufmannMaurice Harington Kaufmann was a British actor of stage, TV and film, particularly well-utilized in whodunnits and horrors who acted from 1954 to 1981, when he retired....
as Dan Fleming - Martin BoddeyMartin BoddeyMartin Boddey was a British film and television actor.He was a founder member of the Lord's Taverners charity.-Selected filmography:* The Twenty Questions Murder Mystery * Cairo Road...
as Squire Marlowe - Arthur Lane as Bob Hendon
- Hugo Schuster as Professor Henrik
- John BoxerJohn Boxer (British actor)John Boxer was a British film and television actor.Boxer's television appearances included Emergency – Ward 10, Dixon of Dock Green, The Saint, Randall and Hopkirk , The Onedin Line and The Life and Times of David Lloyd George.-Selected filmography:* There Ain't No Justice * Convoy *...
as Inspector Dalton - Michael RipperMichael RipperMichael Ripper was an English character actor born in Portsmouth.He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. He played one of the two murderers in Richard III. Ripper became a mainstay in Hammer Film Productions...
as Bill Rymer
External links
- Secret Venture at BFI Film & TV Database