GB
1966
35mins
Dir: Pat Jackson
Starring: Harry Fowler and Dandy Nichols
A gang of thieves plot to rob a warehouse after an insurance salesman warns how vulnerable it is
This short crime film is a nice little curio, though it is little more than an elaborate advert for the insurance industry. It was presented by the British Insurance Association and was released at a time when the theft of goods through burglary was on the rise. There is a tense scene whereby the robbers use the sounds of a night freight to cover up their noise to good effect, during which we get some excellent close up shots of ex-LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.45238. This is stock footage from the 1957 British Transport Films production Fully Fitted Freight, and this particular sequence was filmed at Derby St. Mary’s yard. Incidentally, the loco was withdrawn shortly after The Stable Door was released, being taken out of service on Christmas Eve 1966. In LMS days the ‘Black Fives’ were officially Class 5P5F, becoming Class 5MT under BR. However, in Fully Fitted Freight, the operating department refer to the loco as a Class 5 LM. In addition to these scenes, there is an earlier shot of the entrance to Wapping Underground station on the Metropolitan Line. My thanks are extended to Trevor Johnson for providing me with a copy of this rare movie.
