- Five years after George Radcliffe was the chief witness in a high profile murder case, his wife receives a blackmailing letter accusing him of the crime.
- George Radcliffe's testimony sends Donald Heath to prison for murder and the theft of over 60,000 pounds. Soon after, Radcliffe invests a large sum of money in an ultimately profitable business venture. Martha Radcliffe begins to suspect her husband of the crime.—Greg Helton <ghelton@airmail.net>
- George Radcliffe is the key prosecution witness against co-worker Donald Heath, whom he believes he saw running away from the building after their boss has been stabbed and robbed. Although Heath emotionally protests his influence and claims that he was secretly drinking in the boiler room when the crime was committed, he is found guilty and given a life sentence. Shortly thereafter, Radcliffe makes some wise investments, and he and his wife Martha become members of London society. However, their happiness is disrupted when a five year old blackmail letter is belatedly delivered to their home, Martha's faith in her husband is shaken as circumstantial evidence begins to build that he himself was the killer and has profited from the crime. The resultant distrust and suspicion threatens their relationship as Martha is torn between love for his husband and irrational fear.—duke1029@aol.com
- The Naked Edge
Film opening shows Gary Cooper's name first then Deborah Kerr.
Opening scene is Jason Roote's office door shown as gloved murderer approaches door, surprises Roote, who is fatally stabbed in gut as The Naked Edge title appears, the film begins after the actor have been shown.
George Radcliffe(Gary Cooper) is called to the witness stand in a courtroom of Old Bailey where Donald Heath's barrister Mr. Claridge asks Radcliffe questions regarding the crime and his role after telling the audience his position with Jason Roote Air Freight Corporation. Claridge establishes George Radcliffe is an executive of the Jason Roote Air Freight Corporation, as stated in court. Radcliffe: An employee sales manager.
Mr. Claridge, barrister for suspect Heath, questioning George Radcliffe. There was a large sum of cash from the drivers who had made collections that day. The man in charge of posting those payments was Donald Heath. On September 1 there were three known persons on the premises, yourself, the deceased and Donald Heath. Heath is described as an otherwise disinterested employee one prone to error and absenteeism. Who on that particular evening had volunteered to work overtime. Heath stands exclaiming he had to make it up having nothing to do with over time. I was trying to catch up. Heath is silenced by the court.
Claridge establishes Roote and Radcliffe were aware of each other's presence as Roote dropped by my office per Radcliffe. Radcliffe states to Claridge he saw Donald Heath at his desk in the main office. He did not speak with Heath due the juxtaposition of their desks. Heath's desk was at the far end and when I passed by he was bent over.
Claridge: You did not pause as you passed through.
Radcliffe: No, I went right to my office. I had run out to grab a sandwich. I knew I wouldn't be getting home till pretty late. As I was coming back I remembered I hadn't called my wife to tell her I wouldn't be home for dinner. As I started dialing I heard Roote call me. It could not have been Donald Heath who called you. He wouldn't call me Cliff. Come into my office and have a drink before you go.
George hears words hey, hey, then an anguishing scream. He sees a man run from the area with a satchel under his arm heading for an exit. He goes to Roote's office eyeing the knife plunged into his abdomen, as Roote struggles to remain alive. Radcliffe is seen opening a nearby window yelling to the patrolman below, stop him he killed a man. The man can be seen running down an adjacent street, satchel under his arm. Radcliffe sends the beat officer after the suspect while Donald Heath is seen hiding in boiler room as George spots him and calls another officer.
Claridge: You pursued the man. You caught him in the basement next to the boiler. Claridge: "When you came across Mr. Heath did he have anything in his hand? Radcliffe: Yes, a bottle. Claridge: "He was not holding a satchel containing £60,000? Radcliffe: No. Claridge: ... you became aware ... the boiler room was searched ...but neither the satchel nor the £60,000 were ever found? Radcliffe: Yes. Claridge: Are you certain that the man you saw run from the office of the deceased have a satchel in his hand and the man you came upon concealed in the boiler room a bottle in his hand were one and same man? Radcliffe: Yes. There was no one else down there the officer and I made sure of that. I don't know what happened to the money. Claridge : Is it possible the man that entered the boiler room and then went out again through another exit while the defendant Donald Heath had been down there all the time? In fact for the whole time of the robbery and the murder might not such an explanation be possible? Radcliffe: No. Claridge: Well you may as well step down.
While waiting for the jury to return with the verdict George is called away from his wife Martha by a man. He speaks to the man returning to his seat.
Radcliffe: Returning to Martha stating it's quite a deal. This could be it Martha. When Martha inquired of Brooke's identity, George claimed Morris Brooke is his future partner.
After the verdict is read putting Donald Heath in prison for life, the Radcliffe's exit Old Bailey.
George shows Martha the buildings along the river he and Morris had built with their mutual investment in this real estate. George had made investments in the stock market which returned capital to him in order to fund the project he referred to with Morris Brooke. Brooke needed someone with money and a knowledge of the freight business. Hence, the comment he made to his wife this could be it Martha, they would become part of London Society as their net worth increases substantially, witness to their new home they now occupy and shown throughout the remainder of the film.
The next frame is the completed building with the Radcliffe Brooke Ltd signage covering two stories as more cranes appear in background of the riverfront. The cranes indicate the continuing construction.
George notices he and Martha are being followed by someone outside the courtroom. George confronts the follower.
Radcliffe: Why are you following me? Man: The man identifies himself as Jeremy Clay handing George his card, counselor of law, take it, it's worthless, the bar retired me. Jeremy Clay describes himself to George as "a kind of intellectual peeping tom." Clay asks George what does it feel like to condemn a man the way he did in court where Clay was observing the procedures.
Martha breaks up their heated discussion as George describes him as some kind of a nut.
Martha mentions to George that "a mailbag full of letters" was "found abandoned" as written in the newspaper she is holding. It was one of the bags stolen in that mail train robbery about five years ago. Marha tells George the contents contained a letter addressed to you containing a threat of blackmail signed by a Jeremy Clay demanding half of the stolen money taken and claiming George killed Roote. Clay was going to the police if not paid yet the letter was five years old. Martha said she tossed the letter into George's wastebasket.
George retrieves the letter from his home office wastebasket, keeping it.
George has words with Martha as she lies in bed stating he has work to finish before going to Paris on business and says he will sleep in the study so as not to disturb you. He calls from the study asking information seeking a listing for Jeremy Clay as Martha listens on the bedroom phone. Before he boards his plane George goes to the address encountering Mr. Pom, who sends him nearby to Jeremy's wife's bookstore.
Lilly insists she just saw George get into a cab as she and Martha exit a retailer while shopping. Mr. Pom said Jeremy used to live there before marrying Victoria Hicks, bookstore owner. George goes to the bookstore, he enters the bookstore then leaves getting another cab and going to the airport. Jeremy was not there.
George calls Martha from the Paris hotel hearing Lilly saw him in a cab. He wants to discuss the matter when he gets home.
George returns home early, confronts Martha as she lies in bed. George admits he was in London before Paris, trying to get an admission from Jeremy Clay that he was lying when he wrote the note. Clay was not at home. George was thinking an admission would be the proof that would convince Martha of George's innocence.
Martha leaves home for the newspaper records bureau seeking the court records of the Roote trial. She reads Heath's testimony of being in the boiler room at the time of murder. Mr. Evan Wrack, the prosecuting attorney, is grilling Donald Heath of his whereabouts when Roote was killed. The prosecutor asks Heath if he could actually believe George would murder his benefactor and great friend. Heath suggests there was an accomplice. Martha thinks of Brooke as that person.
Next Martha ventures to Mrs. Heath's flat hearing her abusive accusations as Martha hands a $500 check and leaves with the check as Mrs. Heath is mad about her situational existence and not accepting money as her husband sits in prison. Martha is pictured exiting across the property only to meet up with George who states how the check would look to outside parties. Martha continues to believe George might be guilty as circumstantial incidents occur. George's testimony sent Heath to prison and now Martha pays Mrs. Heath "what kind of money," hush money.
George drives Martha home along the coast road saying he cannot let her arouse suspicion to possibly reopen the trial never convicting George but ruining his successful venture. The two hold hands along the precipice. Martha insists on going home as George eyes the treacherous waters below.
The next scene is the Radcliffe home with Lilly and Manny at the bar and Martha is seen in her room changing as Lilly comes inside to gossip then leaves.
Martha gets Jeremy Clay's home address, a bookstore, meets his wife, enters the room where Jeremy Clay is only to see he is the same person George confronted along the river after the trial. Their meeting occurs with Clay insisting he saw George kill Roote.
Later, a confrontation occurs between George and Martha as she tells George that Clay said he was there when Roote was murdered thus alerting George of Clay's guilt. George did not kill his boss. Roote was killed as George heard from his desk groans from fatally being stabbed.
George leaves the house, suitcase in hand, waits in car until the maid departs then he reenters leaving the suitcase where Martha can see it from the floor above.
Clay draws a hot bath with Martha's wrap sheltering the sound of the running water, he tears some tape to silence Martha's screams and attempts to kill her with George's razor over the full tub of hot water with the steam rising.
George enters the bathroom, pulls Clay from the tub where he is attempting to kill Martha, rescuing her from slayer Jeremy Clay. George slugs Clay sending him to the floor and subduing him as he confesses after repeated head dunking in the hot water tub. Martha hears Clay's confessing to the Roote murder. Martha calls the police. George wanted Clay's confession so Martha could hear it and he got it.
From the bathroom floor, Jeremy told George and Martha he was in court "because I was free." He explained the whereabouts of the satchel of money. "I never got a penny out of it. I tried to hide the money when chased throwing it behind the boiler but I missed. The money burned into ashes from the boiler."
George leaves Jeremy Clay on the bathroom floor and escorts Martha down the long stairway. Jeremy rises, coming after the Radcliffe's on the stairway with razor in hand, he stumbles, falling to the floor below, not moving as a result of the fall.
The police pound on the door, George lets them in, they see Clay on the floor. The closing scene has Martha going to George's open arms. The closing scenes has confession statements from both Radcliffe's. George said he "condemned the wrong man" and Martha added so did I. Martha was referring to George and George was referencing Donald Heath.
Cast: George and Martha Radcliffe played by stars Cooper and Kerr. Mrs. Heath (wife living in one room flat with child) played by Diane Cilento. Donald Heath (accused, sentenced, jailed) played by Ray McAnally. Eric Portman as Jeremy Clay Roote killer once employed at the company Roote. Peter Cushing is Mr. Evan Wrack prosecutor in courtroom questioning George Radcliffe
Lilly Harris is Martha's friend played by Hermione Gingold. Morris Brooke is George's new partner played by Michael Wilding. Mr. Claridge, barrister, Heath's attorney played by Ronald Howard. Manfridi St. John is Lilly Harris's male friend Manny, a playwright played by Sandor Elès. Mr. Pom, a bibliomaniac played by Wilfrid Lawson. Miss Osborne, Radcliffe's secretary, played by Helen Cherry. Joyce Carey is Victoria Hicks, bookstore owner, wife of Jeremy Clay played by Helen Cherry. Betty is the Radcliffe's maid played by Diane Clare. The judge is played by Frederick Leister. Jason Roote the murder victim and George Radcliffe's boss is played by Martin Boddey. Jim is Radcliffe's limo chauffeur played by Peter Forbes-Robertson.
After Cooper and Kerr appear at the film's opening the listing "also starring" credits: Portman, Cilento, Gingold, Cushing, and Wilding with listed as credit Howard McAnally, Elès, Lawson, Cherry and Carey.
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