Don't Talk to Strange Men (1962)

I do not remember if I first saw this at the local cinema or on TV,however I have always remembered this because of the isolated phone box.I have just seen this on TV and I have to say that it manages to sustain a genuinely creepy atmosphere throughout.It never puts a foot wrong.For one thing we never get to see the face of the murderer which helps make him see even more sinister.Conrad Phillips,who recently died,was the only well known face in this,apart of course from Dandy Nicholls,just a few years away from fame on TV.Difficult to believe that such a giant of the cinema,Jack Cardiff was Director of Photography on what was essentially a B film.

A lonely ill lit road, a car trailing a girl who is then persuaded to hop in for a lift, a clap of thunder then the credits start for this disquieting movie that unfortunately is still topical today. Also unfortunate is that luminous Christina Gregg, who was just tremendous as Jean and who should have been knocking back film offers with a stick after this, chose not to pursue a film career, but soon vanished into obscurity after a few television appearances.While waiting for a bus on a lonely bush lane Jean answers a call that comes through at a nearby phone booth. The accidental caller sounds like a smooth voiced charmer who keeps the innocent girl talking, trying to persuade her to reveal her name and to let him call her the next day which she does agree to. He rings again, same time, same phone booth and by discreet questions learns that the box is in an isolated position and he then starts to "groom" her by preying on her vulnerability and youth - even confessing he finds her voice sexy!! Of course he asks her to keep their conversation a secret but luckily she can't help confiding in the local bus conductress (Dandy Nicholls from "Till Death Us Do Part") who tries to bring her down to earth and, more importantly, her younger sister Ann. Janina Faye is very good as the younger sister who has lately embraced Buddhism and is busily writing letters to the local gentry condemning blood sports etc. There was even a red herring thrown in involving a man in a sports car who tries to use the call box, then starts to chat Jean up!! And when Jean finally comes face to face with the man (we, the viewers never do, to us he is always the faceless man) her expression shows that far from being the suave man of her dreams, he is pretty ordinary looking and far older and uglier than she had imagined.It turns out to be Ann who winds up in danger. The initial hitchhiker turns up dead in a barn and the sisters' parents, reading about it in the paper put a ban on their activities that night but Jean and Ann try to outwit them by agreeing to go to the local cinema. Jean is intending to meet her mysterious stranger but Ann, who is worried about her being in such a lonely place at night follows her. By a series of fortunate mistakes Jean finds herself at her uncle's pub but overhearing a strange man on the phone to "Samantha" is convinced some other girl is in danger - never dreaming it is her sister. Her Uncle Ron comes across as a prize chump - with all the graphic details of the murder in the paper and Jean quite beside herself that a girl is in danger down by the bus stop, he is not at all fussed at trying to convince her that she should walk down to the bus stop to catch one home - at 10 o'clock at night!!! - but when he does act he acts fast!!An unsettling last scene, proving the problem will never go away - when the parents question how Ann managed to get to her destination, seeing no buses ran that time of night, she admitted she hitchhiked and was picked up by "just some strange man"!! Not very comforting for parents leaving the cinema!!Starting with "Never Take Sweets From a Stranger" to "Don't Talk to Strange Men", poor little Janina Faye was caught in a morality movie morass. She definitely moved on from sweet young things as I can remember her playing a very bratty Amy in a British production of "Little Women" from 1970 and being in all the teen magazines of the time ("Fab", "Jackie" etc). Just lately I saw her in a Thriller episode "Good Salary, Prospects, Free Coffin" as the flatmate you wouldn't want as a flatmate - you know the type who borrow your dresses without permission and steal your food from the fridge, so she must have relished playing obnoxious roles!!!Highly Recommended.

Don't Talk to Strange Men is just what a thriller should be; simple and effective. The film is very short, running at only just over an hour; but this time is put to very good use as director Pat Jackson wastes no time in getting straight to the point. The film would appear to be a cautionary tale for kids and the subject at hand is the idea of a minor being 'groomed' by an adult who plans to take advantage of them. However, the director doesn't preach anything to the audience; instead the story is just allowed to play out. We focus on a small town that has been upset by the murders of some young kids. Jean Painter is the naive daughter of an overprotective father. She works at a local bar and catches the bus home. One day while waiting for the bus, she hears the phone in the booth near the bus stop ringing; and innocently answers the phone. She begins a dialogue with the stranger on the other end, and becomes obsessed with his voice. Eventually, the stranger suggests they meet...and it becomes clear he has sinister motives.A major reason why this film works so well is down to the fact that all the major characters are easy to get along with. Christina Gregg's character does require the audience to suspend their disbelief somewhat as she is so easily infatuated with the stranger on the phone; but she plays the role well and is easy to root for. Gwen Cherrell's script is serviceable; but at times the dialogue can be a little strange, and it feels unnatural. The story itself also seems a bit hard to believe at first glance; but inadvertently falling for a voice on the phone is no more unbelievable than falling for someone in an internet chat room; and that is a story we hear often today, meaning the film still has meaning almost fifty years since it was made. The film flows well throughout and is always interesting; but the final third is the best of all. The director really cranks up the tension until it becomes nail-biting, and the final conclusion is well worth the effort invested in the film. The actual ending itself is a bit abrupt and too light-hearted for my liking...but this is still an excellent thriller that more than makes up for any flaws. Highly recommended viewing...if you can find a copy.

Absolute gem that apparently went out as a support to 'Loneliness of the Long distance Runner' upon release. In many ways an object lesson in how to make a movie. The performances are all good the cinematography (by Jack Cardiff) is excellent and the simple tale assuredly told thanks to a fine script. It is a tale of girls' vulnerability to 'strange men' or simply the male predator. This is all the more effective for its telling from the perspective of the two girls. Unlikely to be presented in this way today, we see the girls enthusiasm, their welcoming of the attention and in the case of the older girl, her sensing the transition to of her adulthood. Potent stuff indeed and made all the more chilling by completely believable dialogue on all sides, including the parents, and the stunning photography, particularly the night shots. Dandy Nichols is a welcome extra as the bus conductress, but this is a must see for all except those only fascinated by 'blockbusters'. Very redolent of the time but also, as others have pointed out, still pertinent today because of internet chat lines and the like.