It's time for another British movie obscurity to get the posh 4K UHD and Blu-ray treatment from Hammer studios, from the period when they specialised in B movie programmers and radio spin offs before hitting the big time with horror.
Steve 'Whispering' Smith (Richard Carlson) comes to London for a holiday and almost immediately finds himself involved in the apparent suicide of Sheila Garde. Her father (who we never see) is convinced she was murdered and it's the job of his assistant Anne (Rona Anderson) to get Smith on the case.
After some initial reticence Smith ends up interviewing Sheila's lawyer Reith (Alan Wheatley), her best friend Louise (Greta Gynt) and her fiancé Roger (Herbert Lom). Eventually he uncovers a blackmail scheme that may have led to Sheila's death. Are all, some, or any of the above involved in it? You'll have to watch the film to find out.
Who Whispering Smith is meant to be in this film isn't entirely clear. The character was originally created by Frank Spearman in the early 1900s and was a railroad detective in the Old West. Alan Ladd and Audie Murphy played him in a 1948 film and subsequent TV series. Carlson's Smith is modern day and wears a trenchcoat although he does sport a cowboy hat in one scene.
WHISPERING SMITH HITS LONDON is middle-grade crime for the period. If you're a fan of the genre you'll work out where it's going pretty quickly and if you're a fan of this period of British cinema you'll likely have a lot of fun getting there. There are blink and you'll miss them appearances by Stanley Baker and Laurence Naismith and longer contributions from an almost showstopping Dora Bryan at the start (so much so you assume she's going to figure in the plot but sadly no) and Reginald Beckwith. Most fun for British horror fans will be had from Herbert Lom's marionette puppeteer who feels like a dry run for the character of Byron in the 1972 Amicus ASYLUM.
Hammer's 4K UHD and Blu-ray double disc set contains two versions of the film. The second, titled WHISPERING SMITH VS SCOTLAND YARD is shorter at just over 77 minutes, with the UK version clocking in at 84. There's a commentary track on each - Jo Botting and Dave Thomas on the UK and Richard Holliss and Gavin Collinson on the US. Best amongst the other extras are a 28 minute piece from Chris Alexander on the film and Hammer at the time, and an excellent 29 minute piece on Herbert Lom in the 1940s and 1950s, in which William Fowler, Barry Forshaw, Lucy Bolton and Vic Pratt cover his career up to and including Ealing's THE LADYKILLERS. Pratt and Fowler return to discuss the differences between the UK and US versions of Whispering Smith and why (23 minutes).
Other extras include a black and white short film about the town of Bray, a ten minute segment of an audio interview with sound editor Alfred Cox, image gallery and censor cards. Like with all these releases you also get a book featuring new essays on the making of, Hammer's early crime period, more on Whispering Smith, Greta Gynt and Richard Carlson. It's yet another very classy presentation from Hammer and invaluable for students and enthusiasts of this period of British cinema.
WHISPERING SMITH HITS LONDON is out from Hammer on Monday 15th December in a limited edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray set
