Spaceways (1953)

This early low-budget British sci-fi offering from Hammer Films tells the story of young American science engineer Dr Stephen Mitchell (Howard Duff), who is accused of murdering his unfaithful wife, Vanessa (Cecile Chevreau) and her biologist lover Dr Philip Crenshaw (Andrew Osborn) and hiding their bodies in a satellite which will encircle the globe for decades.

There’s only one way Dr Mitchell can clear himself – blast off in another rocket, retrieve the satellite, and bring it back for inspection. He takes fetching mathematician Dr Lisa Frank (the lovely Eva Bartok) with him.

Meanwhile, the eloping couple is, in fact, alive in a remote cottage, where they are waiting for Crenshaw to be contacted to go “East” with information about the satellite.

Duff is adequate enough in his role, but Osborn and Chevreau deliver charismatic portrayals which help to counterbalance disappointing characterisations by Michael Medwin (as eager fuel expert Dr Toby Andrews) and (to a lesser extent) Philip Leaver (as kindly project supervisor Professor Koepler).

Andrew Wheatley is in peak smarmy form as the arrogant MI5 man, Dr Smith, who is leading the investigation.

Spaceways was not well-received by critics, but despite the tight budget, production values are more than adequate by B-movie standards.

Dr Stephen Mitchell
Howard Duff
Dr Lisa Frank
Eva Bartok
Dr Smith
Andrew Wheatley
Professor Koepler
Philip Leaver
Dr Philip Crenshaw
Andrew Osborn
Vanessa Mitchell
Cecile Chevreau
General Hayes
Anthony Ireland
Dr Toby Andrews
Michael Medwin
Colonel Alfred Daniels
Hugh Moxey
Minister
David Horne
Sergeant Peterson
Leo Phillips
Mrs Daniels
Jean Webster Brough
Mrs Rogers
Marianne Stone

Director
Terence Fisher