Code of Scotland Yard

{{Short description|1947 British film by George King}} {{Use British English|date=May 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}} {{Infobox film | name = Code of Scotland Yard | image = Code_of_Scotland_Yard_film_Theatrical_release_poster_(1947-2).jpg | caption = | director = George King | producer = George King | screenplay = Reginald Long<br> Katherine Strueby | based_on = ''The Shop at Sly Corner'' by Edward Percy | starring = Oskar Homolka<br> Muriel Pavlow<br> Derek Farr | cinematography = Hone Glendinning | music = George Melachrino | editing = Manuel del Campo | studio = Pennant Pictures | distributor = British Lion Films (UK) | released = {{Film date|1947|03|10|df=yes}} | runtime = 91 minutes | country = United Kingdom | language = English, Italian | budget = £76,715<ref name="money">Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 354</ref> | gross = £140,694 (UK)<ref>Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account', ''Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television'', Vol 20 No 4, 2000 p483</ref> }}

'''''Code of Scotland Yard''''' (also known as '''''The Shop at Sly Corner''''') is a 1947 British crime film directed by George King and starring Oskar Homolka, Muriel Pavlow and Derek Farr.<ref name="BFIsearch">{{Cite web |title=Code of Scotland Yard |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150056698 |access-date=6 July 2025 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}}</ref> It was written by Reginald Long and Katherine Strueby based on the stage play ''The Shop at Sly Corner'' by Edward Percy.<ref name="allmovie1">{{cite web |title=Code of Scotland Yard (1947) – Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/code-of-scotland-yard-v87518 |access-date=2014-02-22 |publisher=AllMovie}}</ref>

==Synopsis== A French antique dealer lives a comfortable life in London. He cares only for his daughter, who is trying to become a professional concert violinist. When his shop assistant discovers that much of his money comes from fencing stolen goods he attempts to blackmail the Frenchman.

==Cast== * Oskar Homolka as Descius Heiss * Derek Farr as Robert Graham * Muriel Pavlow as Margaret Heiss * Manning Whiley as Corder Morris * Kathleen Harrison as Mrs Catt * Garry Marsh as Major Elliot * Kenneth Griffith as Archie Fellowes * Jan Van Loewen as Professor Vanetti * Irene Handl as Ruby Towser * Johnnie Schofield as Inspector Robson * Diana Dors as Mildred * Katie Johnson as woman in shop * Vi Kaley as flower seller * David Keir as gentleman customer * James Knight as publican * Eliot Makeham as theatre usher

==Production== Film rights were bought by British Lion in May 1945.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety158-1945–05/page/n62/mode/1up?q=%22shop+at+sly+corner%22|date=2 May 1945|title=Chatter|page=63}}</ref> It was one of the first three films made by Alexander Korda under his new deal with British Lion.

Oscar Homolka was imported from the USA to star.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47503182 |title=Hollywood stars form a colony in England |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly|volume=14|issue=15|date=21 September 1946 |access-date=21 July 2020 |page=40|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Filming started at 6 August 1946.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety163-1946–07/page/n222/mode/1up?q=%22shop+at+sly+corner%22|date=24 July 1946|title=London|page=63}}</ref> It was shot at Isleworth Studios.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248580923 |title=Time slowed its march |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|volume=VII|issue=46|location=New South Wales, Australia |date=29 September 1946 |access-date=21 July 2020 |page=29 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The film's sets were designed by the art director Bernard Robinson.

It was the film debut of Diana Dors. According to film reviewer Stephen Vagg, "The part was an ideal way to start out – the girlfriend of a slimy blackmailer – and Diana had 'it' from the start; looks, warmth, appeal".<ref name="bomb">{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|title=A Tale of Two Blondes: Diana Dors and Belinda Lee|date=September 7, 2020|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/a-tale-of-two-blondes-diana-dors-and-belinda-lee/}}</ref>

Muriel Pavlow and Derek Farr, who played lovers in the film, were married shortly after filming.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56415615 |title=Film Stars Married |newspaper=Morning Bulletin |issue=26,710 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=27 January 1947 |access-date=21 July 2020 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==Reception==

=== Box office === As of 30 June 1949 the film earned £124,197 in the UK of which £92,877 went to the producer.<ref name="money" /> It made a profit of £16,162.

=== Critical === ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' wrote: "Although the ending has been altered, and, although one misses the slow, drawn-out torture of Elliot's cross-examination of Heiss in the stage version, the story is infinitely more telling as a film than as a play, and gains immeasurably in dramatic value by its translation to the screen. In an outstanding cast, some of whom repeat their stage performances, Oscar Homolka has the part of his career and gives a memorable characterisation as Heiss."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1 January 1947 |title=Code of Scotland Yard |volume=14 |issue=157 |pages=20 |id={{ProQuest|1305813936}} |magazine=The Monthly Film Bulletin}}</ref>

''Variety'' reported that the "film gathers pace and is truly cinematic in the second half, but the first part is deadly slow and too explanatory without explaining much. More, too, should have been made of the romance between the two young lovers."<ref>[https://archive.org/details/variety165-1947–01/page/n468/mode/1up?q=%22shop+at+sly+corner%22 Review of film] at ''Variety''</ref>

''TV Guide'' described it as an "interesting melodrama rich with character, thanks to the excellent performance by Homolka and a uniformly fine British cast."<ref>{{cite web |title=Code Of Scotland Yard Review |url=http://movies.tvguide.com/code-of-scotland-yard/review/111090 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305194024/http://www.tvguide.com/movies/code-of-scotland-yard/review/111090/ |archive-date=5 March 2016 |access-date=2014-02-22 |publisher=Movies.tvguide.com}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{IMDb title|0039821}} *[https://letterboxd.com/film/the-shop-at-sly-corner/ The Shop at Sly Corner] at Letterbox DVD *[https://web.archive.org/web/20190727002337/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b5c529d The Shop at Sly Corner] at BFI *[https://archive.org/details/theshopatslycorner Complete film] at Internet Archive {{George King}}

Category:1947 films Category:1947 crime films Category:British crime films Category:Films directed by George King Category:Films set in London Category:Films shot at Isleworth Studios Category:British black-and-white films Category:Films set in stores Category:1947 English-language films Category:1947 British films Category:Films scored by George Melachrino Category:English-language crime films