GB
1955
1hr 29mins
Dir: Montgomery Tully
Starring: John Bentley and Mona Freeman
A man who murders one of his many creditors, lies to his wife to gain her sympathy and help
Dial 999 is a crime drama based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Bruce Graeme that should not be confused with the British television series that ran for a total of 38 episodes from 1958 to 1959. RKO Radio Pictures purchased the rights to distribute the film in the United States, where it was released in truncated form as The Way Out in 1956 with its running time reduced by 11 minutes. The version of The Way Out available on youtube ran to even less, cut to just 66 minutes, and one wonders if anything railway related has been missed. There is brief sequence whereby Gene Nelson and Mona Freeman are stopped during their escape by car by the closed gates of a level crossing. As they impatiently wait, an EMU crosses, but it is not known where this was filmed. There are also shots to the frontages of both Baker Street and Tooting Bec Underground stations.