Flannelfoot

1975. FLANNELFOOT (1953-England). With RONALD HOWARD, JACK WATLING. Near the beginning of this nifty suspense drama, crammed with creepy characters and devilish doings, a deterÂmined but so-far frustrated Scotland Yard inspector exclaims, ÒWhat we, and the home secretary, and the blasted newspapers want to know is, ‘Who is FlannelfootÕ?” One thing is certain: Flannelfoot is the nickname of a notorious jewel thief, who once may have been involved in the German black market but who now earns his keep by sneaking into people’s houses in the dead of night and robÂbing them of their most valued possessions. Flannelfoot, who is known to prefer working alone, is not content only to steal; he will resort to violence, and even murder, to achieve his dastardly ends. Frank Mitchell is a hotshot writer who at once travels in England’s higher social circles and knows half the crooks in the British underworld. He has just been hired by the Daily Comet as a special crime reporter, and his first assignment is a tough one: succeed where the authorities have failed and uncover the identity of Flannelfoot. Mitchell is joined by two others who play meaningful roles in the story: Detective Sergeant Harry Fitzgerald, of “the Yard,” who also is intent on cracking the case; and Ginger Watkins, a snitch, who has the uncanny ability to acquire choice information regarding the thief’s past and present activities. You will never guess the identity of Flannelfoot, who is quite literally unmasked at the finale during a shootout and flight-to-the-death. 73 minutes. Crime-Mystery-Suspense