Scatterbrained young civil servant Dick Lanchester (David Tomlinson) is sent by Sir William Crane (Cecil Parker), Minister of Atomic Energy, to escort Dr Spiegel (Cyril Shaps), a brilliant physicist from the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Cherwell, to a special NATO conference in London.
While Dick is flirting with Susan Turner (Mary Peach), the daughter of a wealthy local race-horse owner (John Welsh), Spiegel – who turns out to be a spy – runs off with some top-secret microfilm.
Spiegel’s confederates are waiting for him in a horsebox, but he mistakenly climbs into the box which Susan is driving to the races. The horse rears, Spiegel drops the microfilm, and the animal swallows it . . .
He buys the horse at an auction after the race, despite attempts by Lanchester to outbid him and there seems to be nothing he can do to save the film – but in a riotous climax, everything turns out fine in the end.
It’s a standard old-fashioned British farce, coaxed along by the subtly-timed performances of David Tomlinson, Cecil Parker and Richard Wattis. The film was adapted from a novel called Photo Finish by Howard Mason.
Dick Lanchester
David Tomlinson Sir William Crane
Cecil Parker Hugh Porlock
Richard Wattis Susan Turner
Mary Peach Miss Bradstock
Dora Bryan Special Branch Chief
Raymond Huntley Farrell
Sam Kydd Hammler
George Pravda Major Turner
John Welsh Garrod
Peter Copley Dr Spiegel
Cyril Shaps Blake
Victor Brooks Riley
Vic Wise Rudd
George A. Cooper Harriet
Alison Fraser
Director
Alan Bromly
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While Dick is flirting with Susan Turner (Mary Peach), the daughter of a wealthy local race-horse owner (John Welsh), Spiegel – who turns out to be a spy – runs off with some top-secret microfilm.
