Wings of Death

One of the Scotland Yard series of short films that were part of the cinema experience in the 50's and 50's, I remember them well a part of history sadly missing these days. While my father was away on business my mother would meet me from school with sandwiches and bottles of pop for us to consume as we sat in the front row of the circle of the ABC or the Odeon to see that weeks top film.

Anyway I digress, whilst I don't remember this particular one I do the series and this is one of the better ones that has been re run on Talking Pictures recently. I enjoy spotting future big stars sometimes in very minor roles. This one features a pre Harold Steptoe before he quits the police for the family business in Oil Drum Lane. Good to see him doing something else, even with the dodgy Scottish accent, shame this Shakespearean actor couldn't escape from the Steptoe image although he did fit that accent better than this one.

Also look out for a young, barely speaking Peter Bowles. Enjoyable.

The wreckage of a private plane crash is a case for Superintendent Hammond of Scotland Yard (Harry H Corbett.)

It seems the plane was deliberately exploded. The dead pilot has his own electronics company. His wife, a part time model is suitably shocked by the news.

The pilot had flown to a small village in France. Earlier in the year he was involved in a driving incident in the same village.

Hammond later finds out that the dead pilot did not die in the explosion, he was dead before that. Someone else was on the aircraft.

Very much on par with several other Scotland Yard stories. A minor character has a bigger and more dastardly role to play. Nothing lame there.

Corbett's Scots accent was a bit dodgy.

A Pilot by the name of James Wilton is killed whilst in the air, after a bomb is detonated. Investigating the case is Superintendent Hammond, who considers whether it's a case of murder, or suicide.

A strong episode with an intriguing case, and interesting set of characters. It's a well imagined crime, with a decent amount of potential suspects. Slightly more of a whodunnit than is usually the case, the solution was quite a surprise.

A few episodes back we saw Wilfrid Brambell, here we get Harry H. Corbett, who is excellent as Hammond, the only time I recall seeing him playing the part of a Detective, is in Carry on Screaming. I wonder if the part required a Scotch accent, or if he added it in.

Basil wasn't the most observant person ever go feature on TV, did he have his eyes shut the whole time?

Well made, intriguing, well acted.

7/10.