A MATTER OF WHO
1961

This is a super little film.

PLOT
A "germ detective" for WHO (the World Health Organization) finds evidence of smallpox after a passenger dies on a plane from the Middle East.  The man who has the disease is a recently married oil man who is returning to England and takes ill on the flight. Quarantined the doctors realize what the deal is and try to track down where he might have caught the disease. However things become complicated and potentially dangerous when two more people elsewhere in Europe come down with the disease. As Thomas tries to track down the common source of the infection (the disease takes two weeks to incubate so its very likely that all three victims have something in common) things become more complicated as people with questionable backgrounds and Arab ministers get brought into the mix.

CAST
Terry-Thomas    ...    Archibald Bannister
Sonja Ziemann    ...    Michele
Alex Nicol    Alex Nicol    ...    Kennedy
Richard Briers    ...    Jamieson
Honor Blackman    ...    Sister Bryan
Carol White    ...    Beryl
Guy Deghy    ...    Ivonovitch
Clive Morton    ...    Hatfield
Martin Benson    ...    Rahman
Geoffrey Keen    ...    Foster
Eduard Linkers    ...    Linkers
Vincent Ball    ...    Dr. Blake
Michael Ripper    ...    Skipper
Cyril Wheeler    ...    Cooper
Andrew Faulds    ...    Ralph

RUNNING TIME: 90 MIN

DIRECTOR: Don Chaffey

This is a cracking, lost gem of a film which features a screen stealing performance from the inimitable Terry-Thomas. The film manages to combine mystery and shards of comedy in equal measure, and the pace never flags from start to finish. In the lead role, Terry-Thomas is simply superb and produces a memorable performance. In fact, he demonstrates yet again that he was probably the most underrated comic actor in the movie business. In lesser hands, the lead character of Archie Bannister could have been a complete flop and the film wouldn't be anywhere near as good. However, with Terry-Thomas on absolutely top form, the film is a joy to watch. It's anyone's guess why it hasn't received a wider showing over the years. If you get a chance to catch it, then don't miss it. Heartily recommended!