GB
1948
1hr 13mins
Dir: John Baxter
Starring: Michael Aldridge and Terry Randall
Three boys set out on a venture to thwart the theft of a secret ray
This very low-budget family drama has a number of scenes filmed at Southampton’s White Star Dock prior to its redevelopment as Southampton Ocean Terminal. A boat train is standing in the terminal platform with ex-SR ‘King Arthur’ Class N15 4-6-0 No.747 Elaine at the front. There are some good scenes filmed at the docks with railway wagons also present in a number of shots. Later, there is a sequence where a van gets held up at a level crossing and a freight train passes through hauled by an ex-SR Maunsell Class S15 4-6-0 (possibly No.839). This was filmed at Addlestone in Surrey. In addition to these scenes there is another much subtler link to railways. In a scene near the beginning of the film, the three boys are on a hillside overlooking a valley and get themselves a glimpse of Leith Hill Tower, south west of Dorking, Surrey. In the valley below is a railway viaduct. This is a shot from Box Hill, looking down onto Dorking and the Mole Valley. A near identical shot would later appear in the 1970 sci-fi horror Scream and Scream Again (qv)