Warn That Man – 1943 | 82 mins | Thriller, War | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Unlikely yet exciting wartime thriller based on Vernon Sylvaine’s successful stage play concerning an attempt by Nazi agents to abduct Winston Churchill; a plotline similar to that of The Eagle Has Landed. Cockney comedian Gordon Harker does an excellent job in mixing suspense with light humour, whilst Raymond Lovell excels in a dual role.

Set during WWII, enemy agent Schultz returns to Germany with an audacious plan to kidnap Winston Churchill from his favourite recreational getaway – Buckley Hall; the stately home of Lord Buckley. The German high command approach English-speaking stage actor Ludwig Hausemann (Raymond Lovell) and put before him their plan to parachute him into England, where with the assistance of Fifth Columnists, he will impersonate Lord Buckley and abduct Churchill before flying back to Germany in a waiting plan with the British leader.

Unfortunately, before Churchill’s arrival a number a number of disparate characters appear. Lord Buckley’s niece Frances and three sailors she has invited: George Hawkins (Gordon Harker), John Cooper (Phillip Friend) and Captain Fletcher (Finlay Currrie). By the time the three sailors arrive Lord Buckley has been replaced by a convincingly masquerading Hausemann and all the staff replaced by German agents. When George discovers fresh blood on the hall floor, and the trio hear an agonising scream from an upstairs room, they suspect murder is afoot.

When George, John and the Captain announce their intention to leave, Hausemann offers them a spiked glass of Napoleon brandy to keep out the evening chill, but the trio realise and spill their drinks – then subsequently fake unconsciousness. Upstairs they encounter a concealed Frances who reveals the whole Nazi plot.