Serious Charge
| Serious Charge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Terence Young |
| Produced by | Mickey Delamar |
| Written by |
Mickey Delamar Guy Elmes |
| Starring |
Anthony Quayle Sarah Churchill Andrew Ray Irene Browne |
| Music by |
Leighton Lucas (Score) Lionel Bart (Songs) |
| Cinematography | Georges Périnal |
| Edited by | Allan Harris |
Release dates |
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Running time | 107 mins |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Serious Charge (also known as A Touch of Hell) is a British 1959 film now most notable for being Cliff Richard’s screen acting début in a minor supporting role. Directed by Terence Young, and written and produced by Mickey Delamar, the film was adapted from a stage play written by Philip King.
Plot
An unmarried vicar, the Reverend Howard Phillips (Anthony Quayle), newly arrived in the parish, attempts to force local 19-year-old thug and petty criminal Larry Thompson (Andrew Ray) to face up to his responsibilities to Mary Williams (Leigh Madison), the naive young girl he has impregnated. Tempers are lost, a struggle ensues, and in retaliation Thompson accuses Phillips of 'interfering' with him. The episode is witnessed by Hester Peters (Sarah Churchill), the daughter of the parish’s previous clergyman, who had become infatuated with the athletic and handsome new vicar. However, having earlier seen a young girl (Mary) leaving the vicarage late one night (she had sought the vicar's advice about her pregnancy), Hester jumps to the conclusion the two are romantically linked and, 'a fury like a woman scorned',[1] refuses to contradict Thompson's palpably false accusation. Mary is killed shortly afterwards; discovering Thompson kissing another girl at a bus shelter, she blindly flees across the road into the path of a car.
As a consequence of the malicious accusation, the Reverend Phillips is subjected to ridicule and abuse by his parishioners; his car's tyres are slashed, and he receives poison pen letters. Matters are only resolved when his atheist mother (Irene Browne) arrives; with a woman's intuition, she quickly comprehends the situation, takes Hester to task, and compels her to tell the truth. Thompson duly receives his come-uppance at the hands of his father.[2]
The drawcard of the film was the cameo role of Cliff Richard, then a teenage pop idol, as Larry Thompson's layabout younger brother, Curley. Richard barely speaks in the film, other than to sing three songs, mostly notably Living Doll (a number #1 in the British Charts) in the local café to the rather incongruous accompaniment of The Shadows (still known as The Drifters at the time) and the Norrie Paramour orchestra. A fellow delinquent was played by another 1950s rock and roll star, the uncredited Jess Conrad in an early acting performance.
Cast
- Anthony Quayle as Reverend Howard Phillips
- Sarah Churchill as Hester Peters
- Andrew Ray as Larry Thompson
- Irene Browne as Mrs. Phillips
- Percy Herbert as Mr. Thompson
- Noel Howlett as Reverend Peters
- Wensley Pithey as Police Sergeant
- Leigh Madison as Mary Williams
- Judith Furse as Probation Officer
- Jean Cadell as Almshouse Matron
- Wilfrid Brambell as Verger
- Olive Sloane as Mrs. Browning
- George Roderick as Fishmonger
- Cliff Richard as Curley Thompson
- Liliane Brousse as Michelle