Dick Barton at Bay is a 1950 British spy film about special agent Dick Barton. It was the second of three films that Hammer Film Productions made about the British agent, although it was the last released, following Dick Barton: Special Agent and Dick Barton Strikes Back.
Plot
Captain Richard 'Dick' Barton and his wartime college 'Snowey' White, are quickly assigned to recover a kidnapped scientist and de-activate a death ray before national catastrophe triggers World War III with Britain at the heart of Hell.
Cast
Main cast
Don Stannard as Dick Barton
Tamara Desni as Anna
George Ford as Snowey White
Meinhart Maur as Serge Volkoff
Joyce Linden as Mary Mitchell
Percy Walsh as Professor Mitchell
Campbell Singer as Sir George Cavendish
John Arnatt as Jackson
Richard George as Inspector Slade
Beatrice Kane as Betsy Horrock
Supporting cast
Patrick Macnee as Phillips (Credited as Patrick McNee) George Crawford as Boris Paddy Ryan as Fingers Fred Owens as Gangster (credited as Fred Owen) Yoshihide Yanai as Chang Ted Butterfield as Tommy
Uncredited/cameo cast
Arthur Howard as Extra
Eliot Makeham as Police Sergeant
Jim O'Brady as Henchman
Ross Parker as Stall Holder
Ben Williams as Submarine Captain Korczanski
Production
The film's title during production was Dick Barton vs the Death Ray. A fourth Barton film was scheduled, Dick Barton in Africa, but Don Stannard was killed in a car crash driving back from the wrap party and Hammer elected not to continue the series.
Critical reception
Sky Cinema wrote: "In their rush to get Barton on to the screen, the makers, despite using the original radio serials as a basis, neglected to give the films the proper budget, resulting in Dick's adventures having an air of tatty, thick-ear melodrama which was never present for the millions of wireless devotees glued to their sets every night at 6.45pm". TV Guide noted "a simple action-adventure film that moves at an entertaining pace". Allmovie called it "a far better thriller than its predecessor".