Man With a Gun (1958)

Nightclub owner Harry Drayson (John Le Mesurier) makes a £20,000 insurance claim after one of his premises is destroyed by fire. Claims investigator Mike Davies (Canadian actor Lee Paterson) is sent to ensure the claim is genuine.

Davies discovers that Drayson is being targeted by a Southampton gang headed by someone called “Furlono” whose identity is a closely guarded secret, and who wants to buy Drayson’s other club – the Stardust – to gain a foothold in London’s crime scene.

Attracted to Drayson’s niece, Stella Rogers (Rona Anderson), Davies agrees to hunt for the mysterious Furlono. Besides, he’s already got the trench coat for it!

Drayson is subsequently attacked in his home, his club smashed up by a gang of hoods lead by Max (Marne Maitland) and £200 stolen from his safe.

Davies visits Drayson’s brother John (Harold Lang) – a member of the Furlono gang who is serving time for robbery with violence in Wandsworth prison – but he will reveal nothing about his boss and seems unmoved by his brother’s plight.

When John escapes from prison, Davies persuades Superintendent Wood (Cyril Chamberlain) to let him lead them to Furlono. Unfortunately, John is shot by an unseen assailant outside the Stardust Club.

Who is the mysterious crime lord? At various times, Davies suspects Drayson’s club manager Carlo (Carlo Borelli), singer Steve Riley (Glen Mason), Riley’s manager Joe Harris (Bill Nagy), and perhaps even the lovely Stella herself.

Man With A Gun is basic B-movie Thriller fare. The script (by a twenty-year-old Michael Winner) is predictable and although Patterson tries his best Bogart impersonation, he doesn’t quite pull it off. John Le Mesurier is excellent as always.

The film features the first film score from composer Ron Goodwin.

Mike Davies
Lee Patterson
Stella
Rona Anderson
Harry Drayson
John Le Mesurier
Joe Harris
Bill Nagy
Steve Riley
Glen Mason
Carlo
Carlo Borelli
John Drayson
Harold Lang
Supt. Wood
Cyril Chamberlain
Walter Gregg
Alec Finter
Larry
Joe Gibbons
Max
Marne Maitland
Detective Sgt Smith
Alan Mitchell
Jim Lyde
Richard Shaw
Roger
Jack Taylor
Detective Jones
Peter Thornton

Director
Montgomery Tully