9/9/2022

Dora Bryan's voice always appeared on screen at least half an hour before she did - and she's just as personable here in this gritty tale of a pregnant chanteuse, "Vivianne" (Rene Ray) who rents a room in a house while her lover - the crooning Laurence Harvey ("Jerry") is being tried for murder. It doesn't take long for her to discover that their landlady "Nelly" (Freda Jackson) has a pretty sinister ulterior motive and habitually preys on women down on their luck - and she determines she is not going to be her latest victim. Gordon Parry has done quite an efficient job with Sylvia Rayman's play - and for the early 1950s, the rather sordid subject matter is probably more remarkable than any of the performances - though Jackson is quite menacing and Lois Maxwell delivers quite strongly too. It's certainly worth a watch as, embellished or not, it does depict a seedier side of life that is pretty unpleasant. You may also recognise the song "I Can't Believe that You're gone", too.