What a treat it is to discover a forgotten film that is so much fun! "The Secret Tunnel" is an unpretentious but well made British children's film. According to the credits it was "Made for Cinema Clubs for Boys and Girls." These cinema clubs were popular in the UK and Australia in the 1940s and 1950s. For a membership fee and a small admission fee for each show, kids would see a morning of films and live entertainment.
Anthony Wager, so very memorable as the young Pip in David Lean's "Great Expectations" made the previous year, plays Roger Henderson, the son of a very wealthy British gentleman. Roger's companion is John Wilson, son of the butler, and played wonderfully by Ivor Bowyer.
This great little movie takes us on an exciting adventure. When a painting is stolen from a basement vault at Roger's estate, the boys head off to find the missing painting and bring the crooks to justice. The action takes us into town where the boys investigate a suspicious antique dealer before they are nearly discovered and have to make a very quick get-away. Then we get to explore the estate from the basement, through the tunnel, even up a chimney and across the roof. Telephone lines are cut, the boys are captured by the smugglers and escape, and then manage to follow the crooks to their hide out. The film may be aimed at children, but adults will have fun, too.
As with most children's films its the kids who save the day and bring the crooks to justice. But unlike more recent children's films and television shows, this is not because the adults are stupid, its because the adults are away when the boys become involved in the mystery. So the boys use their brains to outwit the crooks until they can summon help.
Perhaps because it was made for the Cinema Clubs instead of for general release this film has apparently not been seen much since its initial release. It deserves at least a video release. Catch it if you can.
Where are these boys today? Anthony Wager was a fine actor but seems to have vanished with little information about him since the 1980s. Ivor Bowyer is credited with only a handful of films scattered over five decades. Although he never made a big splash he is certainly excellent in "Secret Tunnel" and it would be interesting to know where he is today.
Anthony Wager, so very memorable as the young Pip in David Lean's "Great Expectations" made the previous year, plays Roger Henderson, the son of a very wealthy British gentleman. Roger's companion is John Wilson, son of the butler, and played wonderfully by Ivor Bowyer.
This great little movie takes us on an exciting adventure. When a painting is stolen from a basement vault at Roger's estate, the boys head off to find the missing painting and bring the crooks to justice. The action takes us into town where the boys investigate a suspicious antique dealer before they are nearly discovered and have to make a very quick get-away. Then we get to explore the estate from the basement, through the tunnel, even up a chimney and across the roof. Telephone lines are cut, the boys are captured by the smugglers and escape, and then manage to follow the crooks to their hide out. The film may be aimed at children, but adults will have fun, too.
As with most children's films its the kids who save the day and bring the crooks to justice. But unlike more recent children's films and television shows, this is not because the adults are stupid, its because the adults are away when the boys become involved in the mystery. So the boys use their brains to outwit the crooks until they can summon help.
Perhaps because it was made for the Cinema Clubs instead of for general release this film has apparently not been seen much since its initial release. It deserves at least a video release. Catch it if you can.
Where are these boys today? Anthony Wager was a fine actor but seems to have vanished with little information about him since the 1980s. Ivor Bowyer is credited with only a handful of films scattered over five decades. Although he never made a big splash he is certainly excellent in "Secret Tunnel" and it would be interesting to know where he is today.
