The Big Frame (1952) User Reviews

The noir version of A Yank in the R.A.F.

[bmacv · 6/10 · 21 July 2003]

Having a booze-up with a bunch of his old fly-buddies, former Royal Air Force pilot Mark Stevens, an American, gets into an altercation with one of them who goes out of his way to be insulting. They patch things up, and get on with their drinking. Next morning (or rather afternoon), Stevens wakes up in a strange hotel room only to read the headlines that the other guy has been murdered. But he can't remember a thing, having been slipped a Mickey the night before.

This is Cornell Woolrich territory, though he didn't have a thing to do with it. With Scotland Yard on his tail, Stevens races against time to retrace his vanished footsteps and find the real killer. Staunchly by his side is a fiancée Jean Kent; her opposite number is temptress Dianne Foster, available wife of another of the carousers. In his investigations, Stevens finds that some of the wartime heroes have, in the post-war years, taken to less heroic pursuits, running a phony import-export racket his inopportune sleuthing threatens to expose....

The Lost Hours (a.k.a. The Big Frame) is little more than a British crime programmer, but it's briskly done and keeps you awake. And despite the London landscape and the recurrent `I say, see here, old boy's that strew the dialog, its themes and story line place it neatly in `The American Style' of film noir.

Watchable British noir, derivative but involving

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 16 May 2016]

THE LOST HOURS is a fairly interesting and watchable small-time British thriller. This one has been noticeably modelled on the American film noir genre, and there's even an imported lead (Mark Stevens) to help make it feel like an American flick.

The storyline is a straightforward mystery about a pilot who's slipped a Mickey Finn one night and wakes up in the morning accused of murder and with no memory of the night's events. Luckily he has a few people willing to help him keep one step ahead of the police, and a gradual uncovering of the mystery follows.

Alongside Stevens, the film features the hard-working John Bentley, who gets to do something a little other than his stock hero type role. He's not very convincing in the part, though. Far better is the smouldering Dianne Foster, the femme fatale type, who really brings her rather racy screen moments to life with some heavily suggestive dialogue. There are cameos for the ubiquitous likes of Thora Hird, Ballard Berkeley, Duncan Lamont, and Sam Kydd. Altogether it's a familiar kind of picture, derivative but involving all the same.

Enjoyable and rather obscure British crime drama

[chris_gaskin123 · 7/10 · 20 March 2006]

I've recently managed to get hold of a copy of The Lost Hours and found it quite good.

At an RAF reunion, an American pilot drinks a spiked drink and wakes up the following morning with blood on his suit. There was a fight at the party which has killed one of the men and the pilot becomes the chief suspect due to the blood on his suit. He's actually been set up. More murders then take place and as always with these movies, the killer is the least person you would expect...

Despite the low budget, The Lost Hours is quite atmospheric at times, especially the night scenes.

The cast includes Mark Stevens, Jean Kent (The Haunted Strangler) and John Bentley. The supporting cast includes well known British stars like Duncan Lamont (Frankenstein Created Woman, Quatermass and the Pit), a young Thora Hird (Last Of the Summer Wine) and Sam Kydd (Island of Terror).

The Lost Hours is worth watching if you are lucky to catch it.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

Happy Reunion!

[richardchatten · 7/10 · 2 August 2020]

A well-produced Tempean amnesia yarn with their first imported American in the lead, vivid London locations with the roads remarkably free of traffic, two sturdy female leads and plenty of familiar faces (including three - Thora Hird, Ballard Berkley and John Horsley - later popular on TV in comedy roles).

The scene with the drinks is obviously lifted from 'D.O.A.', although fortunately for leading man Mark Stevens here it's simply been spiked with a mickey finn rather than radium.

Not bad amnesia movie

[lucyrf · 7/10 · 2 August 2020]

Mark Stephens and Jean Kent - can't be bad? The story is OK, but the dialogue is uninspired. Jean Kent is saddled with frumpy outfits and appalling hats, and confines herself to one-note rendition of her posh persona.

Dianne Foster is more colourful as a femme fatale. She wears the trampy, not frumpy, version of 50s fashion - tight black top and gilt jewellery. Every time someone comes into the office she pours them a sherry - and another for herself. She thinks she's earned a kiss from Mark Stephens by giving him some information, moves closer, raises her face and looks at him meaningfully. He tells her to close her eyes... and exits swiftly, leaving her baffled. But it's an instructive lesson in body language.

No cliché unused

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 21 July 2015]

This uses about every cliché in the book.Obviously there is a parachuted in fading American actor to partner Jean Kent.He of course served in the RAF in the war.He is drugged by accident and wakes in a strange hotel to find that he is the prime suspect for a murder.We then have all the usual devices used in these type of films including gang members who phone Stevens to tell him that they must speak to him,only not over the phone.Then of course he is found murdered.There is the obligatory car chase along a very deserted A4 ending up with an aborted attempt to fly out of the country.Whilst the film is reasonably well made everything is just so predictable.

American wakes up after old boys reunion to find himself a murder suspect.

[bgajunkie · 6/10 · 10 December 2015]

At an RAF reunion, an ex-RAF, dashing American pilot Paul Smith tells of his now heroic career as a test pilot. A minor fight occurs, instigated by Peters, now a surly import/export businessman - turns nasty during which quick-tempered Stevens threatens to kill him. The other chaps break up the fight and explain that Peters is alright when he hasn't had a drink. Stevens has another drink, which has been spiked. Later they all drift off and Stevens leaves after the party. Next day Stevens awakes with no memory of the night before since leaving the reunion and finds blood on his suit. He discovers that Peters has been killed and realizes he has become the chief suspect.

He has been setup and decides to relive the events of the night before, ably abetted by fiancée Louise Parker in the process of seeking the truth - and hopefully supporting evidence, in order to clear his name, before he is arrested for murder by the police. In doing so he ends up acting as a private detective investigating all his old war buddy suspects.

The police are always once step behind the protagonist in the chase to question him on (multiple) murder charges but two steps behind in their investigation. The Scotland Yard head of the investigation detective treats the whole affair as something to keep his sergeant awake, sending him from seemingly one dead body to another, and from one poor alibi to another for all the suspects. Who all have reasons to lie about who & what they know regarding the dead import/export businessman Peters.

A lot of action happens at night conveniently and lends the film a noir coating that produces a modicum of real menace at times and passes the time in a brisk fashion with a straight-forward denouement and delayed nuptials. The pacing is adequate and does enough to hold your interest. And despite the darkened London landscape and the recurrent 'I say, see here, old boy' type of speech that is strewn throughout the dialog, the film's themes and story line place it neatly into the American style of film noir.

Starring Mark Stevens and Jean Kent, the cast includes a sprinkling of well-known British stars - John Bentley, Thora Hird, Sam Kydd, Jack Lambert and Cyril Smith. 6/10.

"I don't like this big shot stuff!"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 5/10 · 5 January 2019]

After a reunion meeting with old wartime buddies Paul Smith wakes up the following afternoon in a strange hotel and loss of memory. At the reunion he had quarrelled with one of his old comrades who has now been murdered. Smith realises he is suspected and proceeds to try and clear his name helped by his fiancée Louise Parker. I found the film rather bland and routine and spotted the murderer early on.

The lead Paul Smith was played by American import Mark Stevens and he was dull and several fine actors like Jean Kent, Garry Marsh, Dianne Foster, Duncan Lamont and Cyril Smith weren't helped by a confusing and uninspired script. There was a good music score by William Hill-Bowen however. The most entertaining bit was a brief scene with Thora Hird as a cleaning woman. She was most amusing as usual.

Another Tempean production from Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman but not up to their usual standard.

Little To Distinguish This One

[boblipton · 5/10 · 6 January 2020]

Mark Stevens goes to an RAF reunion. He gets into a fistfight with a surly fellow, and drinks something that makes him woozy. When he wakes up late the next afternoon, the fellow is dead, Stevens' watch is found with the corpse, and Stevens, of course, decides to investigate the matter himself, since he doesn't trust the police. The bodies of those who can alibi Stevens begin to pile up.

It's full of the standard bits from this sort of movie, including one guy who's shot just as he is about to tell Stevens and girlfriend Jean Kent an important piece of information, and Dianne Foster acting and sounding like a brunette Ann Southern. There's also an essential pair of clues that point in two opposite directions. In the end, it's competently rendered with little in the way of extras.

Mark Stevens in a B British noir

[blanche-2 · 5/10 · 25 August 2021]

This is a B film from England. I have to say, I wasn't crazy about it.

The film stars Mark Stevens, Dianne Foster, Jean Kent, Garry Marsh, and John Bentley.

A WWII RAF unit gathers in London for a reunion. One of the men is an American pilot, Paul Smith (Stevens) who is engaged to Louise (Kent). During the reunion, a drunken colleague picks a fight with Paul, and the two of them wind up duking it out.

The two manage to make up and have another drink. That's all Paul remembers. The next day he wakes up in a strange hotel room and remembers nothing. Then he learns his colleague from the night before is dead. He becomes an immediate suspect.

Paul decides it's a better idea to clear his name, so he makes a run for it. With the help of Louise and a friend, he sets out to find out who framed him.

Very routine, didn't really hold my attention.

Not a reunion I'd keep memories of in a scrapbook.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 3 October 2023]

When a fight breaks out at a reunion of WW 2 soldiers in England, one of the guests (Mark Stevens, an American) ends up with a mickey meant for someone else and as a result finds himself framed for murder. The film focuses less on Stevens who after waking up becomes secondary as the revelation of the real killer is made, putting their spouse (Jean Kent) in jeopardy since the husband was jealous over another man's love for her.

I wasn't exactly crazy about the messy story but liked the location footage and some of the chase sequences and intrigue that followed. In fact, I found the story convoluted and unbelievable with unsatisfactory explanatory details. Fortunately it's rather short, but not a memorable quota quickie.