Whispering Smith Hits London (1952): Hammer Films

Co-director of South West Silents and Film Noir UK James Harrison continues to review the new crime releases thanks to Hammer Films. Plus, a chance to win a new copy of 1952's Whispering Smith Hits London!

There is a lot of charm in Hammer’s 1952 mystery crime thriller Whispering Smith Hits London. In fact, there is a lot of humour in it as well. From the outset we encounter Miss La Fosse played wonderfully (as always) by Dora Bryan who gets all upset due to her loss of attention from the British press after stepping off her transatlantic flight. You have to just smile as La Fosse’s own smile fades as she realises that she has been “left alone”. But there is good reason why Bryan’s character has lost all of the press attention. Steve "Whispering" Smith (Richard Carlson) is in town!

And yet, you’d be forgiven if anyone asked you “Who is Steve "Whispering" Smith?” and you answered with a shrug. Mainly because, without scouring the internet, you probably won’t be able to find anyone else to give you the answer either.

Just to give you a quick brief; Steve "Whispering" Smith is, or was originally, a silent film cowboy character who first appeared in a novel published in 1906. The western character then became popular cinematic figure during the 1910s/1920s/1930s and even Alan Ladd starred as Smith in a 1940s Paramount film.

But unlike his previous outings, as a cowboy, Hammer’s 1952 interpretation lifts Smith out of the wild western and drops him into contemporary 1950s London with the personality, knowledge and backstory of a classic hardboiled private detective.

In fact, Hammer's approach, under the guidance of producer Anthony Hinds and writer John Gilling, was to give “Whispering” Smith the same kind of celebrity status as William Powell’s private detective Nick Charles of The Thin Man series.

Smith’s investigations/adventures are regularly published for everyone to enjoy, even the London Hotel bellboys are reading up on his escapades. And just like Powell’s Nick Charles; Smiths’ holiday (off to Cornwall apparently on this occasion) is rudely interrupted by another job/mystery for him to solve.

Not wanting to give too much away here, but our story kicks in when Smith is asked to look into the death of a high society girl who was found in the Thames. What happens next is a great romp through the avenues and alleyways of London and Windsor. The film boils away on what is going to happen and what Smith could, or should, do next. And as the story develops, the darker the film gets. And that could be the unsettling aspect to Whispering Smith Hits London.

With its light motive at the beginning, the film slowly, but surely, gets darker and darker. There is plenty of sex, blackmail, backstabbing and murder to keep Smith interested as well as ourselves. There is one particular scene, involving Smith visiting a nursing home, which almost pushes the film to the next level of thriller. And just like The Man in Black (1949), also directed by Francis Searle, the film almost begins to move into the realms of Hammer's future subject of horror once again, or at least, the occult. It is a very short but very impressive scene.

Other highlights (and there are many) of the film include Greta Gynt’s fantastic femme fatale Louise; Louise’s introduction to the film is a wonderful set up in fact, with an almost hint of Raymond Chandler to it. Louise is a very bad girl in the film; and you got to love her for it!

Moving to the release itself; Hammer Films have excelled themselves again for this release. Just like their past crime/film noir titles (The Man in Black / Blood Orange) Whispering Smith Hits London looks and sounds incredible thanks to the 4K restoration and comes with a whole load of extras which are worth the price alone.

Both the UK and the US versions (titled Whispering Smith vs. Scotland Yard) are here with two excellent commentaries featuring the BFI’s Curator of Fiction Jo Botting and podcaster Dave Thomas (for the UK version) and film historian Richard Holliss and author/screenwriter Gavin Collinson (for the US version).

There is an excellent feature looking at Herbert Lom featuring Film historian Lucy Bolton, author Barry Forshaw and William Fowler and Vic Pratt; a brilliant comparison featuring Vic Pratt and William Fowler again and much much more.

Whispering Smith Hits London is just another fun piece of crime entertainment from Hammer Films’ history; a title which most certainly plays with the elements of light entertainment, crime, horror and of course, film noir. It’s another great piece of British cinema heritage, wipe for rediscovery. This special collector's edition is a must for all crime film fans!

Oh and keep an eye out for Danny Green as well as a young Stanley Baker!

Thanks to the Hammer Films team we have a brand new copy Whispering Smith Hist London (1952) up for grabs; just send us your answer to the question below via our contact page by midnight on Sunday 14th December to be in with a chance. Good Luck!

Question: What year did film noir regular Alan Ladd star as "Whispering" Smith?