11 Harrowhouse  (Twentieth Century Fox, 94 min., color, released in the USA September 26, 1974). A film with an interesting story line, insight into the diamond trade and a pair of ‘S’-types in one of the longest (12 minutes) and most destructive ‘S’-type chase scenes in film!

A small-time diamond dealer, Howard Chesser (Charles Grodin) takes his usual buying trip to London and is unexpectedly offered a commission to purchase, and have cut, an extremely large diamond to be named after Lord Clyde Massey (Trevor Howard). He does so with the help of his beautiful, wealthy, playgirl girlfriend Maren Shirell (Candice Bergen), who drives a red Ferrari Dino convertible VERY fast. In fact, she does all of the driving in the film with Grodin always in the passenger seat! After picking up the finished stone in Amsterdam, the diamond is stolen.

Lord Massey entices them (with a $15 million fee) to recover the ‘Massey Diamond’and more by robbing the diamond vault in the diamond exchange (11 Harrowhouse).  They enlist/bribe a disgruntled/dying employee (James Mason) to give them inside information, utilize a cockroach, and vacuum $15 billion of diamonds from the vault. Chesser and Shirell return the loot to Massey’s estate, but are double-crossed and attacked by four thugs.

They escape in the van full of diamonds, pursued by Lord Massey and his minions with dogs and on horses. The chase is joined by the villains in two dark blue ‘S’-types (Registered CM10M and CM11M). Lady Anne Bolding (Helen Cherry) , who had ‘connected’ with Bergen earlier, joins the chase in a black Lotus Europa to lead them to safety. 

The ‘S’-types dice around behind the procession, eventually forcing the van into a field, playing demolition derby through pastures and trees, trying to force the van to stop. One of the ’S’-types hits a tree but continues on.  Shirell, driving the van, gets aggressive and forces one car (CM10M) into the bushes and the other off the lane and over a cliff. This scene was most likely inspired by the earlier often-used Monty Berman Jaguar 2.4 scene from The Baron (See Newsletter Vol. 7 No.5) and filmed at the same location, although Berman did not work on this film.

A very battered CM10M is pushed out of the bushes and continues the chase into a farmyard where the Europa and van leap a fence. The van then overturns at a construction site. Chesser and Shirell crawl out with a big bag of diamonds, Lady Bolding gives them the Europa to continue their escape but the remaining ‘S’-type blocks the lane, Shirell, driving the Europa, U-turns disappearing in high weeds and the ‘S’-type chases them back to the construction site.

They drive through a cement culvert as Lord Massey shoots at them. Still in high-speed pursuit, the remaining ‘S’-type, follows, sticks in the cement pipe and blows up in spectacular form.

Brannigan (1975) is recommended for three reasons: first, a really great ‘S’-type chase scene; secondly, our favorite tough-guy (John Wayne) in a good pub brawl; and a menacing D-registered black ‘rorty’ Etype that goes mano-a-mano with the Duke at the end. 

Forget the plot, this is a movie just to car-watch and Brit-watch. It is full of delightfully wonderful local 1975 scenes (Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, etc.) that any resident (or ex-) of London will love to watch. There are a lot of ‘on-location’ shadowing and chasing street scenes so you can try to id the locations as well as the cars in the background (Rolls, XJ-6, Morris 1000s, Minis, Spitfire, Reliant Scimitar, Mk 2, Mk 10, MG-B, etc.). 

The ‘S’-type chase scene starts about 1:19 into the movie and lasts just longer than the pub brawl (about 3-minutes!). One of the bad guys takes off in RJH339D, a grey ‘S’-type with red interior and steel-wheels, originally registered in Reading in 1966-67. 

The Duke commandeers a yellow M-registered (1973-74) Ford Zephyr and pursues the ‘S’ (with both tail pipes smoking!), through some local London streets before eventually heading towards Tower Bridge. As you might expect, the Bridgemaster begins raising the bridge - the crook in the 'S'-type floors it - and the ‘S’-type leaps the gap - the Duke follows.

In-spite of losing the front number plate and the boot flying open (Ed: the spare wheel obviously was not properly secured as it almost escapes!), the ‘S’-type eludes capture as the Duke in the Ford ends up atop a dumpster.

Life at the Top (1965). The English author John Braine's first novel, "Room at the Top" (1957), is about an ambitious young man from a dreary small working-class village in York-shire, England. Braine himself was born in Bingley, near Bradford, Yorkshire, left School at 16 and worked in a factory before the war. Braine and his writings were part of the "Angry Young Men" movement, a group of young postwar British writers and playwrights who were disillusioned with traditional English society, which included John Osborne (Look Back in Anger, 1956) and Kingsley Amis (Lucky Jim, 1954).

In "Room at the Top" Joe Lampton (Laurence Harvey) moves from his bleak York-shire village, in the late 1940s, to assume a secure but poorly-paid job in Warley, a larger factory town. Joe is determined to succeed and, ignoring warnings, is drawn to the daughter of the local industrial magnate. He deals with Joe's social climbing efforts by sending his daughter Susan abroad. Joe then turns to an unhappily married older woman, Alice; played by Simone Signoret, who falls in love with him (Signoret won the Academy Award for Best Actress for this role).

When Susan returns from her holiday Joe seduces her then goes back to Alice. Susan is pregnant and her father insists they marry immediately,. He sweetened the offer with a high level job in his wool mill, and forced Joe to drop Alice for good. Alice goes on a drinking binge and dies in a car accident. Joe and Susan get married and ride off into the sunset in a Rolls-Royce limousine. But Joe is unsatisfied. He feels guilty, is unhappy, but still wants more.

Room at the Top, made in 1959, is considered the first of the British "New Wave" of realistic and gritty British film dramas.

"Life at the Top" (1962) was John Braine's third novel and continues the plainly-written story of the life and difficulties of Joe Lampton. Life at the Top, the film, was released December 14, 1965, again starring Laurence Harvey. It is set ten years later and Joe now has everything he thought he wanted: an executive job; an upper-class wife; two children (a boy and a girl); a large new house in an upper class neighborhood; and two cars (an 'S'-Type for him and a Mini Traveler for his wife and kids) in the driveway. Yet, Joe is still a dissatisfied man.

The 'S'-Type is white with disk wheels and black interior. It is registered ELO 632C, a 1965 registration, but from Greater London – perhaps it was purchased through Henley‟s rather than locally in Yorkshire! The 'S'-Type appears throughout the film as Joe goes about his life. It is a very good "car" film as Joe's father-in-law is driven in a Rolls Royce and his friends drive an Aston Martin and an MG-TD. There are also many very interesting street scenes.

The film opens with Joe driving to the wool mill through the bleak Yorkshire moors. The scene continues for 2 minutes as the credits and early establishing scenes roll. The 'S'-Type is seen in five more sequences as Joe tries to work out his troubled life.

He feels he is being held back at work. His wife is having an affair with the friend who drives the MG-TD. His father-in-law wants him to enter politics and while campaigning, he meets Nora a beautiful blonde TV presenter (played by Honor Blackman, Pussy Galore in James Bond‟s Goldfinger) and goes back to his old philandering ways.

Joe wins the town council seat, but his father-in-law wants to control how he votes. Joe is frustrated, but still ambitious, and is promised a job in London. Nora's return to London offers him escape.

When Joe announces his leaving, his father-in-law demands the 'S'-Type keys as it belongs to the firm. Joe drives the Mini Traveler to London, finds Nora, loses both her and the job he had been offered because of lack of formal education, class and not having an "old boy's network".

Susan draws him back to Warley. His father in- law's firm acquires a rival and Joe heads the new company now driving a Maserati saloon. But is he finally happy now?

Both films are well acted with wonderful black and white cinematography of period locations and settings. They are fascinating studies of class mobility and social, economic and political life in England in the 1950s and 60s. We found them most enjoy-able to watch again.

The film trilogy was completed in 1973 with Man at the Top. It was not based on Braine's novels or the earlier two films, but rather on the British television series of the same name that ran for 26 episodes in 1970 - 1972. Kenneth Haigh played the role of Joe Lampton as he had done in the TV series.

Joe is now divorced and has moved to London. He gets a top position with an international pharmaceuticals company. Joe is as determined and manipulative as ever and on his continuing climb to the top has an affair with the chairman's wife. He learns that his firm is about to market an untested and possibly dangerous drug. He finds out that the new drug, called D50, does promise to aid malnourished families in Africa but has some very serious side effects. Finally Joe sets his sights on another political career and brings all his ruthless charm and tenacity to winning votes.

Copyright 2013