Never Back Losers

1961 British film by Robert Tronson

1961 (1961)

Running time

61 minsCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

Never Back Losers is a 1961 British 'B'^[1] crime film directed by Robert Tronson and starring Jack Hedley, Jacqueline Ellis and Patrick Magee.^[2] The film is based on the 1929 novel The Green Ribbon by Edgar Wallace.^[3] It was one of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series, produced at Merton Park Studios in the early 1960s.^[4]

Plot

Horse racing jockey Wally Sanders loses a race, crashes his car, and a claim is made on his insurance. Jim Matthews, a shrewd insurance investigator, follows up the company's suspicion of foul play and finds himself deep in a web of gambling and corruption surrounding the racetrack.

Cast

Jack Hedley as Jim Matthews
Jacqueline Ellis as Marion Parker
Patrick Magee as Ben Black
Richard Warner as Crabtree
Derek Francis as R. R. Harris
Austin Trevor as Colonel Warburton
Harry Locke as Burnside
Larry Martyn as Clive Parker
Howard Pays as Freddie
Hilda Barry as Mrs Sanders
George Tovey as Wally Sanders
Larry Taylor as Reilly
Harold Goodwin as Floyd
Douglas Bradley-Smith as Carter
Tenniel Evans as the doctor
Stanley Morgan as police sergeant

Critical reception

Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The first of the Edgar Wallace series to employ one of his crime-and-Turf formats, this unpretentious little film makes good use of Jack Hedley’s engagingly diffident personality. Racing scenes occur only at the start and close of the story, which is otherwise unfolded with quiet slickness within betting circles and night-clubs."^[5]

Kine Weekly said "The picture revolves around the racecourse, but is a 'who-dunnit’ rather than a romance of the Turf. Jack Hedley has quite a way with him as Jim, Jacqueline Ellis is a pert Marion, and Patrick Magee and Harry Locke keep one guessing as Lucky Ben and Burnside. The supporting types, too, ring true. Night clubs scenes relieve the tension, the horse races exhilarate and what few loose strings there are are firmly tied at the finish."^[6]

References

^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
^ "Never Back Losers". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
^ Goble, Alan (8 September 2011). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-095194-3.
^ "BFI Screenonline: Never Back Losers (1961)". www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
^ "Never Back Losers". Monthly Film Bulletin. 29 (336): 12. 1962 – via ProQuest.
^ "Never Back Losers". Kine Weekly. 535 (2827): 25. 7 December 1961 – via ProQuest.

External links

Never Back Losers at IMDb
Never Back Losers at BFI Screenonline
Never Back Losers at ReelStreets

Edgar Wallace

Novels

The Four Just Men (1905)
Angel Esquire (1908)
The Council of Justice (1908)
Captain Tatham (1909)
The Duke in the Suburbs (1909)
The Nine Bears (1910)
Private Selby (1912)
The Fourth Plague (1913)
Grey Timothy (1913)
The River of Stars (1913)
The Man Who Bought London (1915)
The Melody of Death (1915)
A Debt Discharged (1916)
The Tomb of Ts'in (1916)
The Just Men of Cordova (1917)
The Secret House (1917)
The Clue of the Twisted Candle (1918)
Down Under Donovan (1918)
The Man Who Knew (1918)
Those Folk of Bulboro (1918)
The Green Rust (1919)
Kate Plus Ten (1919)
The Daffodil Mystery (1920)
Jack O'Judgment (1920)
The Book of All Power (1921)
The Law of the Four Just Men (1921)
The Angel of Terror (1922)
The Crimson Circle (1922)
The Flying Fifty-Five (1922)
Mr. Justice Maxell (1922)
The Valley of Ghosts (1922)
The Clue of the New Pin (1923)
The Green Archer (1923)
The Missing Million (1923)
The Dark Eyes of London (1924)
Double Dan (1924)
The Face in the Night (1924)
Room 13 (1924)
The Sinister Man (1924)
The Three Oak Mystery (1924)
Blue Hand (1925)
The Fellowship of the Frog (1925)
The Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder (1925)
The Strange Countess (1925)
The Three Just Men (1925)
The Avenger (1926)
Barbara on Her Own (1926)
The Black Abbot (1926)
The Northing Tramp (1926)
The Terrible People (1926)
The Yellow Snake (1926)
The Big Foot (1927)
Terror Keep (1927)
The Traitor's Gate (1927)
The Squeaker (1927)
The Forger (1927)
Again the Three (1928)
The Gunner (1928)
Four Square Jane (1929)
The Green Ribbon (1929)
The India-Rubber Men (1929)
The Calendar (1930)
The Clue of the Silver Key (1930)
The Lady of Ascot (1930)
The Man at the Carlton (1931)
The Guv'nor and Other Short Stories (1932)

Plays

An African Millionaire (1904)
M'Lady (1921)
Double Dan (1927)
The Terror (1927)
The Man Who Changed His Name (1928)
The Calendar (1929)
Persons Unknown (1929)
On the Spot (1930)
The Mouthpiece (1930)
Smoky Cell (1930)
The Old Man (1931)

Screenplays

The Valley of Ghosts (1928)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1932)
King Kong (1933)

Adaptations

J. G. Reeder	Mr. Reeder in Room 13 (1938) The Mind of Mr. Reeder (1939) The Missing People (1940) The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder (1969, TV series)
The Four Just Men	The Four Just Men (1921) The Four Just Men (1939) The Four Just Men (1959, TV series)
Edgar Wallace Mysteries	Urge to Kill (1960) Clue of the Twisted Candle (1960) The Malpas Mystery (1960) Marriage of Convenience (1960) The Clue of the New Pin (1961) Man at the Carlton Tower (1961) The Fourth Square (1961) Man Detained (1961) Attempt to Kill (1961) Clue of the Silver Key (1961) Never Back Losers (1961) Partners in Crime (1961) The Sinister Man (1961) Time to Remember (1962) Playback (1962) Solo for Sparrow (1962) Locker Sixty-Nine (1962) Incident at Midnight (1963) Return to Sender (1963) Ricochet (1963) Accidental Death (1963) Five to One (1963) The Verdict (1964) We Shall See (1964) Act of Murder (1964) Change Partners (1965)
Rialto Films	Der Frosch mit der Maske (1959) The Crimson Circle (1960) The Avenger (1960) The Terrible People (1960) The Green Archer (1961) The Dead Eyes of London (1961) The Devil's Daffodil (1961) The Forger of London (1961) The Strange Countess (1961) The Puzzle of the Red Orchid (1962) The Door with Seven Locks (1962) The Inn on the River (1962) The Curse of the Yellow Snake (1963) The Squeaker (1963) The Black Abbot (1963) The Indian Scarf (1963) Room 13 (1964) The Curse of the Hidden Vault (1964) Der Hexer (1964) The Traitor's Gate (1964) Neues vom Hexer (1965) The Sinister Monk (1965) The Hunchback of Soho (1966) The Trygon Factor (1966) Creature with the Blue Hand (1967) The Monk with the Whip (1967) The Hound of Blackwood Castle (1968) Im Banne des Unheimlichen (1968) The Gorilla of Soho (1968) Double Face (1969) The Man with the Glass Eye (1969) The Body in the Thames (1971)
Other	The Man Who Bought London (1916) The Green Terror (1919) Pallard the Punter (1919) Angel Esquire (1919) Wanted at Headquarters (1920) The River of Stars (1921) The Crimson Circle (1922) Down Under Donovan (1922) Melody of Death (1922) The Diamond Man (1924) The Flying Fifty-Five (1924) The Green Archer (1925 serial) The Great Unknown (1927) The Terror (1928) Mark of the Frog (1928 serial) Chick (1928) The Forger (1928) The Terrible People (1928 serial) The Ringer (1928) The Man Who Changed His Name (1928) The Flying Squad (1929) The Crimson Circle (1929) The Clue of the New Pin (1929) Red Aces (1930) The Squeaker (1930) The Yellow Mask (1930) The Ringer (1931) To Oblige a Lady (1931) The Calendar (1931) The Old Man (1931) The Squeaker (1931) The Flying Squad (1932) The Frightened Lady (1932) The Ringer (1932) The Menace (1932) White Face (1932) Giallo (1933) The Jewel (1933) Before Dawn (1933) The Double (1934) Mystery Liner (1934) The Green Pack (1934) The Feathered Serpent (1934) The Lad (1935) Sanders of the River (1935) Born to Gamble (1935) Chick (1936) Educated Evans (1936) The Crimson Circle (1936) Prison Breaker (1936) Strangers on Honeymoon (1936) The Frog (1937) The Squeaker (1937) The Gaunt Stranger (1938) Dangerous to Know (1938) Kate Plus Ten (1938) Thank Evans (1938) The Terror (1938) The Return of the Frog (1938) Flying Fifty-Five (1939) The Dark Eyes of London (1939) The Case of the Frightened Lady (1940) The Door with Seven Locks (1940) The Flying Squad (1940) The Green Archer (1940 serial) The Missing Million (1942) The Calendar (1948) The Ringer (1952) The Avenger (1960) Death Drums Along the River (1963) Coast of Skeletons (1964) Circus of Fear (1966) Five Golden Dragons (1967) The Devil Came from Akasava (1970) The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971) What Have You Done to Solange? (1972) Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972)
Television	Educated Evans (1957–58) The Mixer (1992)