23 Paces to Baker Street

(1956) ★★★

Film4: Monday 30 November, 11am

Blind playwright Van Johnson overhears a kidnap-and-murder plot in a Portman Square pub. Scotland Yard inspector Maurice Denham politely scoffs at his story so, in the company of loyal guide-dog Cecil Parker and sympathetic former fiancée Vera Miles, he indulges in a spot of sleuthing – down blind alleys, as it were.

Enjoyably corny mystery with an atmospheric, outsider’s view of post-war London and the Thames as seen through a CinemaScope lens. Experienced screenwriter Nigel Balchin’s crisp adaptation of Philip MacDonald’s novel A Warrant for X hits the spot, and gives the genial Johnson the occasional sardonic line: “It must be a great handicap, wearing glasses.”

Certificate: PG

Duration: 99min

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