Man Bait (1952) User Reviews

J. A. Pearson's Bookstore: Home to blackmail, secret passions and murder.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 17 May 2012]

The Last Page (AKA: Man Bait) is directed by Terence Fisher and adapted to screenplay by Frederick Knott from James Hadley Chase's story. It stars George Brent, Marguerite Chapman, Raymond Huntley, Peter Reynolds and Diana Dors. Music is by Frank Spencer and cinematography by Walter J. Harvey.

John Harman (Brent) is a London bookshop manager who finds himself blackmailed by his busty young assistant, Ruby Bruce (Dors), and her new ex-convict beau Jeffrey Hart (Reynolds), when he foolishly steals in for a kiss during after hours stock taking.

Bookshop Noir.

British Hammer and American Exclusive teamed up to produce a number of low budget crime dramas in the early 1950s, often using American stars and directors blended in with British actors, they were produced in Britain in next to no time. The Last Page is a safe viewing for the undemanding film noir fan. Terence Fisher would become a legend amongst British horror fans (rightly so) for his work on Hammer's reinvention of the Universal Creature Features. Here he crafts a nifty atmospheric melodrama without fuss or filler, while just about managing to stop the flaws and daftness of plotting from sinking the picture.

Story has some interesting noirish characters and themes. The man who begins to pay for a moment of weakness, the young shapely gal in over her head-lured to the dark half by a well spoken criminal element, while some secret passions amongst the staff of this particular bookstore come to the fore once things inevitably go pear shaped. The setting is a doozy as well, this bookstore is perfectly antiquated, so much so you can smell the leather bound novels nestling on the shelves. Walter Harvey's (The Quatermass Experiment) photography ensures that shadows feature throughout, and there's the odd macabre touch that befits the writing of Frederick Knott (Dial M for Murder/Wait Until Dark).

Cast are professional to the last. Brent (The Spiral Staircase) and Huntley (I See a Dark Stranger/Night Train to Munich) are the epitome of gentlemen in a rut, stoic and stiff, grumpy yet gritty, but nicely portraying men we expect to appear in a bookstore noir. Chapman (Coroner Creek) has an abundance of hard looking sexuality and Reynolds has a spiv nastiness about him, very cold but charming. But it's Dors who holds all the aces, she would impress herself upon many a red blooded male during three decades of British film and TV. Here at aged 21, as Ruby, she's a curvy blonde babe with full lips, a gal who understandably turns the heads. The character is tardy as well, hardly a crime, but mostly in Dors' hands she's believable as a girl clearly out of her depth, she's not a femme fatale, she's a weak willed person hurtling towards film noir doom. It's here where this British B noir gets its worth.

It's not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a good one considering the modest budget afforded it. There's dumb decisions made by characters, holes of plotting and the ending fails to seal the deal after the hard noirish mood eked out by Fisher, Harvey and Dors. However, as film noir time fillers go, it's well worth checking out. 6.5/10

Hammer Melodrama not one of Fisher's finest

[dcole-2 · 6/10 · 21 December 2004]

I'm a big Terence Fisher fan, so as a completist, I wanted to see this one. But it's only a fair film. Fisher was a few years away from making his classic CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN and HORROR OF Dracula, but he was still capable of some fine work in the early 50's (THE FOUR-SIDED TRIANGLE, for example). But this one is pretty much by-the-numbers. Even leading man George Brent looks bored throughout. He runs a bookstore where employee Marguerite Chapman is in love with him. And good-looking Diana Dors is the 'bad' employee -- because she's late a few times. Brent has an invalid wife who needs an operation abroad. He cashes in an insurance policy to pay for the operation. Meanwhile, Dors has caught weaselly Peter Reynolds trying to steal a book but doesn't turn him in. They strike up a relationship. He gets her to try to blackmail Brent after a late night when he kissed her briefly (tho' it looks more like she kissed him). He won't pay, so Reynolds has Dors write a letter to the invalid wife. She dies after reading the letter (in one of a string of incredible plot coincidences). Reynolds makes Dors harass the grieving Brent again for the money. He angrily gives her all the insurance money. Then Reynolds sneaks into the bookstore and kills Dors, taking the dough, but leaving the body so that Brent will be blamed. Brent's soon on the run and Chapman is trying to save him. It all works out in a fiery climax. And it's all competently done, but the script doesn't make a lot of sense. Dors, however, gives a fine, restrained performance and is probably the best thing in it. Worth noting that later Hammer Producer/Director/Exec Michael Carreras is here credited with Casting. And Hammer Writer Extraordinaire Jimmy Sangster is credited as Assistant Director. Really this is just for Hammer and Fisher fans like myself. Or Diana Dors fans, who will be pleased with her work here.

Man Bait - only a modest catch for the viewer

[FilmFlaneur · 6/10 · 16 May 2009]

In 1950, before Hammer made a name for itself with a memorable horror output, it set up a deal with American producer Robert L. Lippert to make a dozen or so low budget crime dramas, all of which were to be shot in the UK. In all the arrangement lasted for some five years, and utilised the fading star qualities of such past-their-sell-date American talent such as Dane Clark, Paul Henreid, Lizabeth Scott and George Brent, as well as leading British character actors.

None of the films are of the front rank, being issued originally on the bottom half of double bills. Hammer may not have established itself as a memorable producer of noir on the basis of this transatlantic deal, but the results have been unfairly neglected (being the basis of only a passing reference in the official history of the studio for instance).

Criticism of the films, apart from focusing on their small budgets and hand-me-down leads, has generally dwelt on the success or otherwise of transplanting an American hardboiled genre into a different soil. Certainly the first of those made under the new arrangement The Last Page (aka: Man Bait, 1952) is example. Far too genteel to be successful as more than a mildly suspenseful thriller, its impact is further affected by the unassuming performance of lead George Brent - an actor whom Betty Davies apparently liked as a partner on screen as it was so easy to steal the picture from him! Brent plays the manager of a bookshop, hardly the first choice for a thriller/ noir setting (although one makes a memorable appearance in The Big Sleep) who is blackmailed by the bad blonde of the title - no less than Diana Dors, an early screen role. It was an early credit too for one of Hammer's best directors Terence Fisher, though again this critic, at least, thinks he remains a minor talent. Like practically all the Hammer films in this series, the title was changed for the American market and 'Man Bait' certainly sounds more the job for the pulp world that the films inhabit. It also places Dors firmly at the centre of this film with a fine sense of atmosphere - having worked in the book trade for some years I found the dated interiors and procedures especially fascinating - while some other, equally effective location shooting amidst a now-lost London adds to the charm.

Dors Knocking

[EdgarST · 7/10 · 22 May 2016]

A better than average drama written by Frederick Knott, the author of "Dial M for Murder" and "Wait Until Dark", this shows Terence Fisher expertly handling a story of crime, lust and death during his efficient early phase working for Hammer Films, five years before the big success of "The Curse of Frankenstein". Although the main character is John Harman, the mature manager of a London bookstore (played by Irish actor George Brent), two young actors play more appealing characters who are key components of the plot and feature: Diana Dors and Peter Reynolds. A ravishing blonde beauty at 20, Dors had had a dozen of minor screen roles before being introduced in this production as Ruby Bruce, a sexy worker who turns everything around her upside down after she gets mixed up with Jeff Hart, a seductive ex-con played by Reynolds. Under Jeff's influence Ruby blackmails Harman, next a couple of corpses complicate the proceedings, soon Harman is accused of murder and then his secretary (American actress Marguerite Chapman) helps to solve the mystery, putting her life in danger. Peter Reynolds is fine, but he does not have much to do as the villain with sinister charm. It is Diana Dors who has more room for creating a real character. She was a very good actress, and although comparisons were often made with Marilyn Monroe, on the acting level she surpassed her American colleague: here she convincingly mixes naive wickedness with vulnerability, making the film not only the account of Harman's story but the drama of a confused working girl as well.

A guy gets out of prison, see ...

[Handlinghandel · 6/10 · 6 January 2008]

...First thing he does is go to a bookstore. He tries to steal a book. That is how logical this movie is throughout. When we see shelves of books at a time, later, the books seem to be attached to each other. They're like room decorations some people buy in bulk.

The proprietor of this bookstore is, of all people, George Brent. He had a long career. Though this is a noir of sorts and I therefore can't give it a bad rating, let's just say this is hardly a career highlight for him.

Marguerite Chapman is attractive and convincing as his employee. She's stylish and pretty and comes off as nice.

This is an early Diana Dors film. She's decent in it. She gets pulled into some very bad behavior. But she's not a truly terrible character. She's chronically late to work and weak willed.

This isn't a memorable or distinguished film. But it isn't terrible, either. Nor does it hold to any formula. It's mediocre in a unique way.

Hammer before the Horror

[JamesHitchcock · 6/10 · 19 July 2022]

Although Hammer Film Productions became almost synonymous with British horror during the sixties and seventies, the company had a long history dating back to 1934, and the crime drama "The Last Page" from 1952, released in the United States under the more lurid title "Man Bait", is an example of their pre-horror work. (It was directed by Terence Fisher, later to become their leading horror director). John Harman, a manager in a small London bookshop, is blackmailed by his attractive co-worker attractive young Ruby Bruce after he tries to kiss her. (Or possibly after she tries to kiss him- it is never entirely clear who is the kisser and who the kissee).

Diana Dors, who plays Ruby, certainly had the looks to be a film noir femme fatale, Britain's answer to Lizabeth Scott or Gloria Grahame, and did indeed play such characters in films like "Tread Softly Stranger". Ruby, however, does not really qualify as a femme fatale; the real villain is homme fatal Jeff Hart, Ruby's boyfriend and a petty crook who has just come out of jail. Ruby (to adapt the title of another Dors film) is more one of the weak than one of the wicked, and would certainly not have come up with the blackmail scheme, let alone gone through with it, without Jeff's influence. When Ruby tries to hide part of the proceeds of their crime from Jeff, he kills her and suspicion falls upon Harman.

"The Last Page" was made under a deal between Hammer and the American company Lippert Pictures, and Lippert insisted upon the use of established Hollywood stars to boost the film's appeal in the American market. This was a common practice in British films of the fifties, but I feel that sometimes Hollywood took advantage of this arrangement by dumping upon us stars for whom they had no more use. Marguerite Chapman as Harman's secretary Stella, who helps him clear his name, is not too bad, but George Brent as Harman is dreadful.

Brent was Irish by birth, but had lived in America since his childhood, and his attempt at a British accent always seems stuck in mid-Atlantic, even though Harman is supposed to be an Englishman with no American associations. (Stella, we learn, is an American who stayed in England after working as an Army nurse during the war). A much bigger fault than his accent, however, is his lack of emotional range; he seems incapable of expressing any feelings, even when he is suspected of murder and even when his invalid wife dies. (She suffers a heart attack after Ruby sends her a letter revealing what her husband has allegedly done). Brent had once been a big Hollywood name- he had supposedly been the favourite leading man of Bette Davis, with whom he made eleven films, but by the fifties his career was in decline- which should come as no surprise if this performance is a typical one.

The best acting contribution probably comes from Dors; she is not quite as good as she was to be in "Tread Softly Stranger" several years later, but she is always very watchable and seems to be throwing herself wholeheartedly into her role, something that cannot be said of Brent. A shame that her character had to be killed off quite early on. The film confirmed my theory that Dors was actually at her best in serious dramas, even though she was most often cast in comedies, probably because her voluptuous figure and blonde looks reminded producers of Marilyn Monroe or Jayne Mansfield. Had she been born a slim brunette (like, say, her contemporary Jean Simmons) she might have had a more satisfactory acting career. Strangely enough, she received an "introducing" credit for "The Last Page", even though it was the seventeenth movie in which she appeared.

The plot is an ingenious one- it was based upon a play by James Hadley Chase- and there are enough twists and turns to keep even a modern audience watching. The film would, however, have been greatly improved by a better leading man. 6/10.

Not bad!

[RodrigAndrisan · 7/10 · 21 May 2020]

A very young Diana Dors, who looks very much like Margaret Lee, it's like they are twin sisters. She also looks like a young Marilyn Monroe. She's not bad in the role of the naive young woman, killed by the villain played by Peter Reynolds. George Brent and Marguerite Chapman are very good in two sensitive roles. The film is slower in the first half, becoming alert and thrilling towards the end. Terence Fisher, the later expert on horror films, did a good job in this film made early in his career.

One for the Book

[richardchatten · 7/10 · 4 July 2022]

The only film Hammer made from a novel by James Hadley Chase; a bookshop provides an unlikely backdrop for such a sordid little story of passion and blackmail.

Despite the obligatory American stars the real drama concerns the British supporting cast; most of whom are allowed a little nuance. Although the American title refers to Diana Dors, it's actually more applicable to Peter Reynolds, who really plays the film's baddie, and who you spend most of the film yearning for him to get a good punch in the face.

20 year old Diana Dors.

[bloan2112 · 6/10 · 25 March 2023]

That was worth it just to see a 20 year old Diana Dors looking stunning with lips to die for.

Apart from the bottle blonde she looked largely natural at this time and more to my taste that the over made up Marilyn Monroe.

Her character attemps a clumsy seduction in the back of crusty George Brent's book shop office that along with her slimy male accomplice played by Peter Reynolds leads to blackmail and tragedy.

George Brent had his Hollywood moments I particularly liked him in Temptation playing an Egyptologist alongside Merle Oberon but here he is passed his prime.

An early Hammer thriller movie for a rainy winter's afternoon , now available in the public domain on Youtube.

Temptation in the aisles

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 6 May 2014]

Americans George Brent and Marguerite Chapman star in British noir thriller Man Bait released in this country by poverty row Lippert Pictures. But the Man Bait as described in the title is the lovely and voluptuous Diana Dors who was the United Kingdom's answer to Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield.

Brent is the manager of a bookstore who has an invalid wife played by Isabel Dean. Clearly Brent is not having an itch scratched and when Diana Dors gives him that come hither glance who could blame the guy. But before the film is over Dean and Dors are both dead, Dors by an accidental strangulation and Brent is looking good for it.

Fortunately Brent's fellow American Marguerite Chapman also works in this Peyton Place of a bookstore. She helps clear Brent and in turn gets her life saved in the climax.

Nothing special about Man Bait unless you like full figured gals and they don't come more full figure than Diana Dors.

Great Set, Gripping Story, Dull Hollywood Leads, Fabulous British Cast!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 20 August 2008]

Although the wonderfully sultry Diana Dors receives a full frame "introducing" credit, this was actually her 16th movie. She was in fact credited in 13 of her previous appearances and in at least half of them had major roles. So much for "introducing"! Needless to say, Diana effortlessly walks away with the movie even though her role is not as large as the title implies. Most of the action is held down by sleazy Peter Reynolds who contributes most of the noirish plot twists, assisted by opportunistic blonde, Eleanor Summerfield. The middle-aged hero is adequately presented by George Brent, although both he and his fellow American, Marguerite Chapman, appear so overawed by their U.K. surroundings, that even when Dors and Reynolds are not around, they allow everyone else in the cast, including Raymond Huntley, Meredith Edwards and most especially Harry Fowler—and even Leslie Weston and Nelly Arno—to steal scenes from them! In all, however, this is a reasonably gripping little thriller, provided you don't expect another Dial M. for Murder from writer Frederic Knott. The atmospheric bookshop set is both unusual and highly effective.

A superior thriller of 1950s Britain

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 23 February 2018]

MAN BAIT is an early thriller in the career of Hammer Films director Terence Fisher, the man best known for handling all of the studio's horror classics like THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Although virtually unknown today, I found this film to be a strong contender in the world of 1950s British B-cinema, a tight and compelling story of deceit, mistake, blackmail, and murder. The incredibly slimy Peter Reynolds plays a controlling blackmail who involves a young Diana Dors in a plot to fleece a bookshop owner, played sympathetically by George Brent. Inevitably, things don't go quite to plan. MAN BAIT has enough twists and turns to keep any viewer entertained and the cast all do sterling work to bring their characters to life. It's also a surprisingly dark and nihilistic story, plumbing the depths of mankind, with some really vicious moments. The ending had me on the edge of my seat.

A nice idea undone by DUMB plot holes

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 16 July 2008]

Plot hole #1--The film begins and a customer in a used book store is caught by an employee stealing. What LOGICALLY does she do in this situation? Yep, she lets him go and then meets him later for drinks!

Plot hole #2--Soon after they meet, although it's OBVIOUS he's a no-good ex-con, she agrees to a blackmailing scheme with him.

Plot hole #3--When the blackmail of her boss is attempted by this female employee, the boss being blackmailed threatens to call the police--but doesn't bother to fire the girl nor does he call the cops.

Plot hole #4--When the blackmail is refused, the thief from #1 sends a letter to the boss' wife and she dies as a result. So, does boss fire the lady or call the police now--NOPE!

Plot hole #5--When the lady AGAIN comes to the boss to blackmail him (AFTER the wife is dead), he angrily throws a huge wad of cash at the blackmailing lady--even MORE than she had asked for with the blackmailing attempt!

Plot hole #6--At no point does the boss tell anyone about the blackmail, so when something happens to the blackmailing employee, the boss is an obvious suspect. If he'd only gone to the police or fired her or talked about this problem all this might have been avoided.

Plot hole #7--Although every bit of evidence points to the boss being a murderer, a trusted female employee (not the dead blackmailer) agrees to help him avoid the police and investigate the crime with him. What a cliché! In real life, even if you think the boss is innocent, when an employee knows he's a wanted man they'll call the police.

Plot hole #8--The other female employee blunders into the killer's lair in a completely hair-brained way--and with no plan at all, nor did she have backup or tell anyone she was confronting him.

With all these major problems with the script, there simply was no way that veteran director Fisher or veteran actors George Brent and Marguerite Chapman could pull this one off! The bottom line is that if anyone had bothered to read the script first, they would have no doubt spotted all these holes and probably many more. I wonder if perhaps a chimp was the writer of this film?! As a result, it's frustrating to see a group of accomplished film makers stuck with second-rate tripe--especially Brent who was a very fine actor and did his best with this mess.

Ruby, don't take your love to work.

[kalbimassey · 7/10 · 11 November 2022]

J. A. Pearson's Bookshop evokes little of the warmth, cosiness or hospitality presided over by Anthony Hopkins in '84 Charing Cross Road'. Stern, pompous Raymond Huntley is frequently falsely accusing chirpy, good-natured Harry Fowler of not doing his job. It's hardly surprising that dutiful, beautiful Marguerite Chapman has no interest in joining him for an after work drink. Whilst ravishing Ruby Bruce (Diana Dors), is a largely late arrival, much to the displeasure of her colleagues. Dapper and decent George Brent ably runs the store, but with a disabled wife (Isabel Dean) to care for, he's clearly feeling the strain.

In a moment of weakness, Brent commits a minor indiscretion with Dors, for which he is profusely apologetic. The matter seems closed until the voluptuous sales girl informs love interest, Peter Reynolds, whose leering, smug, self-satisfied facial expression seems to be constantly inviting.....a deftly aimed fist, to at least temporarily wipe off that nauseating smirk! It is a measure of his despicable character, that rather than being the jealous lover, '£' signs light up in his eyes and he manipulates the naive Dors along a path of extortion and blackmail towards her boss.

A murder on the premises and the accidental, but mysterious death of his wife makes Brent the target of an intense police investigation and he receives little sympathy or support from the humorless Huntley. In what begins to play out like Phase two of 'The Phantom Lady', it's left to the doting and devoted Chapman to clear Brent's name, even at the risk of endangering her own life.

In an era of movie making when justice had to be seen to be done, it's unsurprising that 'The Last Page' concludes with a long sentence. The film is hardly overflowing with novel ideas, but there is sufficient action between the covers to maintain interest.

Quite watchable, if nothing special.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 9 May 2021]

Filmmaker Terence Fisher made his first film for Hammer with this fairly routine noir-ish thriller that was quick to capitalize on the presence of sultry budding starlet Diana Dors ("The Long Haul"). A true femme fatale she really isn't; she is actually spurred into action by a sleazier, more morally bankrupt individual named Jeff Hart (Peter Reynolds, "The Delavine Affair"). She plays Ruby Bruce, an employee at a bookstore who catches her boss, John Harman (George Brent, "Dark Victory"), in a moment of weakness as he acts upon his attraction to her and gives her a quick kiss.

This leaves him open to later being blackmailed by the conniving Hart. Then, he must take it on the lam when he's suspected of murder. Fortunately, his wartime nurse turned co-worker Stella Tracy (Marguerite Chapman, "The Seven Year Itch") is in love with him, and is more than willing to give him all the assistance that he needs.

Written by Frederick Knott, based on a story by James Hadley Chase, this entertains in capable if not spectacular fashion. At least Fisher keeps the film moving along sufficiently, and he gets solid performances out of much of the cast. Dors may have been a real selling point (and she is amazing to look at), but in terms of just acting, she's easily outshone by the pretty Chapman. Brent is fine as a character so stoic that he barely bats an eye or sheds a tear upon learning of his wife's death. They're well supported by Raymond Huntley (Hammers' "The Mummy"), an excellent Reynolds as the true antagonist of the piece, Eleanor Summerfield ("Laughter in Paradise") as his gal pal Vi, Meredith Edwards ("The Great Game") as the requisite police inspector character, and Harry Fowler ("The Pickwick Papers") as amiable young bookstore employee Joe.

One good thing this viewer can say about this story is that at least it wasn't completely predictable. It builds to an effectively fiery finish.

Jimmy Sangster, who began his screenwriting career for Hammer a few years later with "The Curse of Frankenstein", was the assistant director here; Michael Carreras was the casting director.

Seven out of 10.

Excellent early job for a future horror master

[searchanddestroy-1 · 14 August 2023]

Terence Fisher began his career, as John Gilling and Roy Ward Baker, by making thrillers. I prefer Terry Fisher's film than Gilling's ones though. I speak of the thriller period. This one belongs to the short list that Fisher did with American stars: here George Brent in a role suited for him; a honest guy facing a problem maybe too hard for him to manage. It could look like a James Hardley Chase's adaptation, but a smooth Chase. Diana Dors is excellent as a femme fatale, the kind of character that will follow her a long time in her filmography. But here, nothing could prepare us for what Terence Fisher will do later for Hammer films.

Time filler

[evans-15475 · 7/10 · 7 July 2022]

Another 50s British film with American stars I've never heard of but it's Diana dors and the chap who always played British officials who shine,the plot doesn't really hold water we didn't get to see Diana in her underwear as promised in the promotion so quite disappointing.watchable if you are willing to accept the bonkers reactions of the leading man.

Read all about it: 'Blonde bombshell blackmails bookstore boss'

[jamesrupert2014 · 7/10 · 30 August 2020]

Ruby Bruce, a flirtatious neon-blonde bookstore clerk (Diana Dors) gets caught up in a shake-down scheme that goes very wrong. Usual Hammer horror-helmsman Terrance Fisher puts together a pretty good procedural-noir melodrama as the tantalising nymphet gets manipulated by conniving ex-con Jeffrey Hart (Peter Reynolds) into blackmailing her boss. The cast is serviceable and the story pretty good although the main plot twist does rely on some convenient but not particularly believable behaviours on the part of the victimised boss (George Brent) and his romantically-inclined assistant (Marguerite Chapman). Of course, Dors as the femme fatale is the centerpiece of the film (she figures prominently in the posters (excuse the pun)) and the slightly pneumatic starlet is fine in the not overly demanding role. Not as hard-boiled or as violent as most American noir but an entertaining enough crime-meller starring England's answer to Marilyn Monroe (or maybe Jane Mansfield). The original title was the much less lurid 'The Last Page' (a bland play on the film's 'bookshop' setting).

Book lovers will eat this story up . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 4 September 2020]

. . . since its plot revolves around a building full of musty tomes (being set in England, there are no colorful, good smelling modern volumes in sight). As any American well knows, Mr. Gutenberg's invention is prized on our side of the Pond above silver or gold--and the thicker the better. Every other yard sale over here features Reader's Digest Condensed Books, which are inevitably placed next to the change box on the pay table, as they are invariably by far the most valuable items being offered for purchase to discriminating buyers. Even though the London shop featured in MAN BAIT sports low-worth junk compared to the prized USA Digests or other American platinum fare, these trashy compilations prove enough to drive the relatively illiterate Brits to murder.

PRE-HORROR "HAMMER"...TERENCE FISHER...DIANA DORS...BLACKMAIL...MURDER...SEDUCTION...ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 30 April 2024]

Alternate Titles..."The Last Page (UK)..."Man Bait" (US)

Britain's "Hammer Studios", had been around since the 30's Before Striking Gold with "The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957) Producing Enjoyable Movies in Most Genres, Turning Frequently to Crime-Noir During the Zeitgeist. This is One of Them.

Directed by Hammer's Most Prolific, Terence Fisher, who Helmed All the Iconic Neo-Classic "Monster-Movie" Origin Stories from the Studio.

A Bitter-Sweet Diana Dors is a Bonus in this Fast-Moving Dark Story, Providing a Central "Figure" that is a Wow of a Look and Performance that is Top-Notch.

Announced in the Titles as "Introducing" is a Misnomer, having Acted in Over a Dozen Movies Prior. But Hey, this is Show-Biz where Almost Anything Goes.

She Competes with Peter Reynolds to "Steal the Show" and the Competition is Strong Because Reynolds Antagonist is a Villainous "Piece of Work" with No Scruples and is Completely Despicable.

Also On Hand with Good Performances All Around...Aging American Stalwart George Brent (a favorite Muse of Bett Davis)...and Margarete Chapman as the "Good Girl".

Above Average for the Studio Output During the Era

If it's a "Hammer Film", it's...

Worth a Watch.

Not bad

[bartleby-57837 · 4/10 · 20 July 2023]

Just watched Man Bait from 1952. This was from Hammer studios before Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. It was directed by Terence Fisher who directed various Hammer horrors. The screenplay is by Frederick Knott who wrote Dial M for Murder. Based on a story by James Hadley Chase.

Diana Dors (Diana Fluck from Swindon) is "introduced" but it was her 16th film.

Interesting to see that the music is by Frank Spencer. Some mothers.

A viewing of Raymond Huntley before he had a moustache.

Eleanor Summerfield as a young woman.

I had thought of George Brent as a fairly boring American but he was an Irishman. He was born in Galway but moved to New York and spent some time in South Africa looking for gold. He returned to Ireland to study at the University of Dublin. By 1921, he had become a despatch courier for Michael Collins. He was hunted by the Black and Tans with a bounty on his head. He had a tumultuous affair with Bette Davis.

Dirty Diana!

[josephbrando · 9/10 · 29 August 2010]

This was the first time I had ever heard of Diana Dors (don't blame me, I'm from the USA and under the age of 40) - but I immediately fell in love with her. The plot centers around a bookstore where Dors' character, Ruby, works. She is the "bad girl" of the office, arriving late and hitting on her boss, played by George Brent. But that's nothing compared to the trouble she gets herself into after going on a date with a man she catches trying to steal a valuable book from the store! He (very easily) convinces her to blackmail her boss and things really go downhill from there. I won't give away more of the plot, because the unexpected twists and turns it takes are half the fun of this film - the other half is provided courtesy of the excellent British character actors who make up the cast. No part is too small to make you notice them! This film noir was directed by the great Terence Fisher for Hammer Films - who together would go on to unleash a slew of excellent Gothic horror films in the 1950's and 60's. A young, brunette Diana Dors easily walks away with the picture harnessing a killer combination of alluring presence and a very natural acting ability.

Brent, later in his film career.

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 9 October 2020]

George Brent, towards the end of his film career... it was mostly television after this. he's John Harman, manager of a british bookstore. Jeffrey (Peter Reynolds) starts to steal a book but is caught by Ruby (Diana Dors). they meet for a date, and the adventure begins. stolen kisses, blackmail, even death. such intrigue for a small town bookstore. sound quality is a little rough, but it's ok. Ruby is at the center of all this, but now the cops are involved. more deaths. more intrigue. this one is also titled "the Last Page"... since it takes place in a bookstore! the story is mostly solved by the characters and events... we see very little of the bobbies working on the case. Produced by Hammer Films, which made movies in the UK from the 1930s to the 1970s. Directed by Terence Fisher, who seems to have directed a whole lot of horror films, including Dracula and Frankensteins!

Scores on the Dors

[southdavid · 5/10 · 31 August 2022]

Another film watched for context on the "House of Hammer" podcast, "The Last Page" or "Man Bait" as it was retitled is, alas another forgettable noiry thriller, that Hammer seemed to be in the habit of making at the time. Ironically, despite having two goes at it, neither title is particularly appropriate for the film, which was an early one for English screen siren Diana Dors.

Ruby Bruce (Diana Dors) works in an upmarket London Bookshop, she meets Jeffrey Hart (Peter Reynolds) a recently released conman and agrees to date him. Ruby's boss, John Harman (George Brent) makes an ill-conceived and aborted pass at her one evening and Hart encourages a reluctant Ruby to blackmail the married Harman. Hart's scheme escalates with disastrous consequences and Harman ends up on the run.

Again, Hammer are well out of the period when their films would suffer from poor sound and or film stock problems. This looks really good and technically is a fine effort, with multiple sets and locations used. This might be the first time I've seen young Diana Dors, as opposed to the somewhat parodic character she was in the seventies and I thought she was really good. Indeed, I thought that the second half of the film, in which she features less was markedly worse for it.

I don't think George Brent ever really convinces, particularly when the film becomes more action oriented ahead of one of the most abrupt endings I've seen in quite a while. Ultimately it really struggled to hold my attention though, and I kept finding that I had been distracted by something and forced to rewind it to see what happened.

Not the worst film I've watched for this podcast, not by a long way, but not one I'll see the need to revisit either.

Enjoyably predictable thriller gives faded matinée idol one last chance to swoon.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 7 June 2013]

George Brent, that leading man of practically every leading lady who became a star between 1930 and 1945, takes on a swinging 1950's here, as an American who becomes a bookstore manager in post-war London. He finds himself victim of a blackmail scheme and later a murder suspect. His inventory clerk (Diana Dors), tied up with a recently released from prison conman, tries to use a spontaneous kiss as a threat, causing tragedy and an odd murder plot which shows how Scotland Yard utilizes every clue they get their hands on in order to solve the case. Brent seems too tired as the ultra-serious manager who must discipline Dors for her constant lateness to fall under the spell of her obvious scheming. The ridiculous film noir set up is saved by the second half that ties everything together in a unique and thrilling manner, utilizing some fun characterizations of the bookstore staff to reveal important clues.

I had a difficult time buying the idea that Brent wouldn't even see past Dors' childish extortion or even get close to her in the first place. His reaction to his own personal tragedy is emotionless and destroys whatever credibility his character had prior to that. The poor writing of this half moves to the opposite side of the spectrum for the finale which utilizes a bombed-out church for Brent's hiding place and a creepy confrontation between Brent's love starved former Army nurse (now his personal assistant) and the villain.