The Flying Scot

This nifty little thriller from 1957 might be categorized as a British B-movie but has all the right ingredients to keep the tension going thanks to leads Lee Patterson, Kay Callard and Alan Gifford as three career criminals who get together to carry out an audacious plan: robbing the mail train The Flying Scot, while on route from Glasgow to London – obviously we’re not talking letters but something like half a million pounds in old bank notes. The plan seems fool-proof and is supposed to be the final ‘job’ before the trio can look towards an early retirement in exotic fields. Of course, when the day of the robbery arrives nothing goes according to plan!

At the beginning of the film we witness cocky and tough American thief Ronnie (Lee ‘The Quiff’ Patterson) hard at work inside a train carriage, giving instructions to his elderly accomplice Phil (Alan Gifford) and a glamorous young blond called Jackie (Kay Callard). The trio are busy dismantling a seat which gives them access to the wooden wall which separates their carriage from the train’s luggage compartment. All that needs to be done is to drill a large round hole in the wooden board, followed by one person pushing through the hole in order to liberate the mailbags containing the bank notes (btw these notes are no longer in mint condition and are supposed to be disposed of, but are still valid money nonetheless). Once the bags containing the money are in the hired compartment they will then throw them out of the window at an arranged spot passing a designated bridge – underneath which a fourth accomplice will be waiting. Once the train arrives in London, the trio will meet up in a secret place with accomplice Nr. 4, share the booty, and bugger off to South America where they will celebrate their success in a swell cocktail bar whilst tucking into oysters and what have you… Then the picture becomes blurry and we realise that the entire scenario was all taking place in Ronnie’s imagination… hence the entire sequence being dialogue free.

This opening sets the tone for what is about to come (and about to go spectacularly wrong) though for now Ronnie and his mates are still moving in reality-land discussing the final details to make sure the robbery goes according to plan. Ronnie and Jackie will pretend to be newly-weds and hire a ‘Do not disturb – Just married’ compartment all to themselves on the Flying Scot. Very conveniently and as part of the plan, their carriage is directly adjoined to the luggage compartment. In order not to raise any suspicions, Ronnie and Kay arrive with suitcases, just as a real couple on their honeymoon would do. Also on the train is accomplice Nr. 3 Phil (a seasoned safecracker) who has all the tools to dismantle the seat in the ‘honeymoon compartment’ and knows how to drill large holes. Trouble is, Phil is suffering from an ulcer and it’s about to get a lot worse which will seriously hamper the undertaking. Did Ronnie not have an inkling of this before? Then there are other hurdles, namely fellow passengers on the train which cause unexpected obstacles, for example a middle-aged couple (Margaret Withers and Fred Davis) who are going through a marital crisis, resulting in him getting sozzled all the time and continually knocking on the door of Ronnie and Jackie’s compartment either in the hope of getting some marital advice or simply to get away from his wife (quite funny actually).

Then there is nosy pain-in-the-ass kid Charlie (Jeremy Bodkin) who has been spoiled rotten by his parents (Patsy Smart and John Dearth – both looking far too old to be Mum and Dad). Charlie is a bit of a restless soul and not only annoys a fellow passenger (John Lee) sitting opposite his parents but loves taking excursions along the passages in the carriage. Somehow, he takes an interest in Ronnie who isn’t at all pleased about the constant interruptions – in fact the boy will be his eventual undoing…

In preparation for the robbery, Phil arrives with his set of tools in Ronnie’s compartment and begins to dismantle the seat – a task much harder than anticipated. Things aren’t helped by the fact that by now, Phil’s ulcer is causing him so much pain that he is virtually unable to carry out the job and Ronnie is forced to take over while Jackie cranks up her little transistor radio to ensure other passengers don’t hear the drilling and hammering. Because things are already delayed due to Phil being pretty much out of action, the trio miss the moment when the train crosses the bridge over which they are supposed to chuck out the stolen mailbags containing the bank notes. With Jackie and Phil becoming slightly nervous and continued interruptions by other passengers, even the usually calm and calculating Ronnie is about to lose his cool but has the genius idea to stuff the stolen bank notes into the suitcases and the clobber into the mailbags but…

This is real fun to watch and quite fast-paced. It might feel a little claustrophobic, what with the entire action taking place on a train but it doesn’t spoil the many twists and turns. The cast are all on top form, in particular Patterson and Gifford provide the Yin and Yang of hard-sodden criminals. Surprisingly, the screenplay was written by Norman Hudis who is perhaps best associated with the first six CARRY ON… comedies. Director Compton Bennett lends his talents to this enjoyable little crime caper and we have to thank him for a film that never has a dull moment.

THE FLYING SCOT is available in a new restoration on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.
Bonus Material includes ‘The Flying Scot and The History of the British B-movie, Interview with writer & journalist Barry Forshaw, Alternate opening sequence, Stills gallery.