Run a Crooked Mile was a film made for TV and filmed in England and Europe with a cast mainly of British actors. Although made by Universal's TV branch-which probably explains the two leads are Louis Jourdan and Mary Tyler Moore-it plays as good as a theatrically made film.
Jourdan plays a London-based mathematics teacher who, when following a car that sideswiped his, arrives at Buckley Manor, where he stumbles on a group of wealthy financiers manipulating the gold standard. Confronting one of them later, he is struck on the head. When he wakes up he discovers that two years have passed, he's now in Geneva, married, and is in hospital recovering from a fall off his polo pony! Of course he's now called Tony Sutton instead of Richard Stuart. The next step is to make ANYONE believe him, as almost everyone Jourdan comes into contact with is part of the conspiracy. He eventually returns to England and exposes the crooks.
This is a film that really should be released commercially by Universal (along with other of their great made for TV films). Other comments call for a remake, but this film is so good that it NEVER should be remade! The photography is great and so are the performances from top to bottom. We sympathize with Jourdan and he's quite good in the film, and also Mary Tyler Moore gives an unusually good performance. Best in the cast is the great Wilfrid Hyde-White as Dr. Ralph Sawyer, and also Stanley Holloway in a smaller part as a caretaker. Also excellent are Alexander Knox as Sir Howard Nettleton, Terence Alexander as Private Eye Peter Martin, Laurence Naismith (Lord Dunsford), Ronald Howard (Inspector Huntington), and Norman Bird (Sergeant Hooper).
Trevor Wallace wrote a brilliant script, it's a pity he died so young and wrote so few film scripts. There are many memorable quotes (like Hyde-White to Jourdan: "I had two great vices-poetry and gambling. Poetry enriches the soul; gambling depletes the bank account.") or when Holloway is talking to the police-trying to tell them Jourdan must be crazy: "Maybe you can find some little green men in the drive too!"
Jourdan plays a London-based mathematics teacher who, when following a car that sideswiped his, arrives at Buckley Manor, where he stumbles on a group of wealthy financiers manipulating the gold standard. Confronting one of them later, he is struck on the head. When he wakes up he discovers that two years have passed, he's now in Geneva, married, and is in hospital recovering from a fall off his polo pony! Of course he's now called Tony Sutton instead of Richard Stuart. The next step is to make ANYONE believe him, as almost everyone Jourdan comes into contact with is part of the conspiracy. He eventually returns to England and exposes the crooks.
This is a film that really should be released commercially by Universal (along with other of their great made for TV films). Other comments call for a remake, but this film is so good that it NEVER should be remade! The photography is great and so are the performances from top to bottom. We sympathize with Jourdan and he's quite good in the film, and also Mary Tyler Moore gives an unusually good performance. Best in the cast is the great Wilfrid Hyde-White as Dr. Ralph Sawyer, and also Stanley Holloway in a smaller part as a caretaker. Also excellent are Alexander Knox as Sir Howard Nettleton, Terence Alexander as Private Eye Peter Martin, Laurence Naismith (Lord Dunsford), Ronald Howard (Inspector Huntington), and Norman Bird (Sergeant Hooper).
Trevor Wallace wrote a brilliant script, it's a pity he died so young and wrote so few film scripts. There are many memorable quotes (like Hyde-White to Jourdan: "I had two great vices-poetry and gambling. Poetry enriches the soul; gambling depletes the bank account.") or when Holloway is talking to the police-trying to tell them Jourdan must be crazy: "Maybe you can find some little green men in the drive too!"