Nothing Venture

Nothing Venture (1948)

Tagline: "Boys Adventure"
 
Starring: The Artemus Boys, Terry Randall, Patrick Curwen, Michael Aldridge

Featured Racecourses: Ascot

Director: John Baxter
Producers: John Baxter & Barbara K. Emary

Release Date: Jan 1948
Runtime: 73 mins

Wikipedia Synopsis: Nothing Venture is a 1948 British comedy family film directed by John Baxter and starring The Artemus Boys, Terry Randall, Patric Curwen and Michael Aldridge.

Where to Watch: You Tube
Film Links: IMDB, BFI, Wikipedia

Personal Review


The Artemus boys Tom (Philip Hartley), Dick (Peter Coyle) and Harry (Jack Armitage) visit the author (Patrick Curwen) in his seaside garden and ask to be included in his next adventure story. The author suggests they visit a local tower and after cycling to their destination the boys witness two men acting strangely and then a gun being fired at a third man. The noise startles a horse being ridden by Diana Chaice (Terry Randall) nearby causing her to fall off and she is attended to by passer-by and detective Michael Garrod (Michael Aldridge). Michael drives Diana and the boys back to Diana’s house where she lives with her seemingly crazy father “Pop” (Wilfird Caithness) and the group agree to investigate the strange goings on.

Their first clue leads them to Southampton docks where one of the crooks, Spike (Ben Williams), is known to be meeting the “boss” (Paul Blake) arriving on the Queen Mary. Dick stows himself in the boot of Spike’s car and tracks the men back to their hotel and then returns to Diana’s house to update the others. Harry gets himself a job as a pageboy in the same hotel and the rest of the gang book a table for dinner but the crooks soon suspect that they’re being spied upon and decide to fast forward their plans. 

The next day Michael heads to London to meet a Scotland Yard official (Peter Gawthorne) and discovers that the crooks are trying to steal a deadly ray weapon and only one man knows how to operate the machine. Meanwhile, Diana sets off for Ascot with her racehorse Sunstroke and Harry, following behind on his bike, witnesses the horsebox being ambushed and driven away by the crooks with Diana being held as hostage. He manages to cycle ahead and jumps on top of the horsebox which is then driven to the tower where Harry leaves a drawing on the roof as a clue for the rest of the boys. The crooks then drive the horsebox to Ascot and Michael, Dick and Tom are all at the course to see Sunstroke win the big race but get suspicious when Diana is not present and eventually find the drawing on the horsebox roof. Michael contacts the police and then heads to the tower with the other two boys. 

Back at the tower Diana’s father turns up and is also taken hostage and it turns out he is not mad after all and in fact the only person who knows how to operate the deadly ray machine. Harry releases Diana and her father and they head for a secret laboratory in the tower but the crooks catch up with them. The boss aims his gun at Pop but Michael, Dick and Tom and the police turn up in the nick of time and a big fight ensues. In the melee the Boss escapes with the ray machine, blocks the escape tunnels and then takes off in his plane. However, Pop activates the ray machine using a remote radio controller and the plane is blasted form the sky. Diana and Michael share a celebratory kiss, the boys claim it was a love story before the author bids them all goodbye as they head back towards the beach from whence they came.


Director John Baxter first saw the Artemus Boys in a northern music hall act and was so impressed that he gave them a brief appearance in his Flanagan and Allen film ‘Here Comes the Sun’ (1946) before rewarding them with a starring role in his 1947 film ‘The Grand Escapade’, in which the three town boys were sent on an adventure in the countryside. John Baxter’s follow up movie for the Artemus Boys, ‘Nothing Venture’, followed the same recipe with the author Patrick Curwen dispatching the boys on another adventure but one can only assume that the movie didn’t go down all that well as the boys never appeared in another film together.

In my opinion ‘Nothing Venture’ comes across as very amateurish with poor acting (particularly from the Artemus boys), weak dialogue and a far-fetched plot which left me asking multiple questions (for example, why did the crooks still take Sunstroke to the Ascot races?). Michael Aldridge appearing in his debut film really struggled to get his words out, exaggerating every syllable in his plummy voice (he later appeared as Seymour in the ‘Last of the Summer Wine’) and the love interest with Terry Randall never materialised until right at the end of the film when they shared a brief kiss with the boys claiming ‘It was a love story after all’ - I think not. Only Peter Gawthorne, with his brief cameo appearance as the Scotland Yard official, came out with any credit as he gave his technical spiel on the deadly ray machine  – Peter appeared in multiple films in the 1930s and 40s alongside the like of Will Hay and George Formby as well as starring in the Edgar Wallace racing film ‘Flying Fifty-Five’.

The only saving grace for the film was catching glimpses of the beautiful Sussex, Surrey and Berkshire countryside featuring Selsey, Sidlesham, Box Hill, Leith Tower, Addlestone and of course Ascot racecourse (hence the inclusion on this website). The short three-minute sequence filmed at Ascot is certainly worth the watch with good shots of the packed stands, the huge numbers board and spectators clambering on top of vehicles to get a good vantage point for the big race which was also executed in realistic fashion. Talking of fashion, it’s great to see everyone looking so smart at the races in the 40s and 50s with the gentleman all wearing suits, ties, hats and trench coats and the ladies wearing fine dresses – the Artemus boys looked like a right bunch of vagabonds in comparison.

For me this is a very weak film that I probably won’t ever watch again and the only thing preventing me giving it a basement mark is the rural cinematography and intriguing shots of Ascot in the late 1940’s. A nothing venture it was indeed! (Rating 2/10)

Favourite Quotes
Harry: "What were you doing?"
Pop: "Looking upwards"
Dick: "What for?"
Pop: "Because I like it. Look upwards and mark the steadfast stars, not one from duty wanders - that’s why I look up, see."


MOVIE STILLS
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