Kid Flanagan

A young boxer's career is destroyed by a scheming woman (Jenny Laird) when she convinces him to murder her husband; a fight manager. Johnny Flanagan is played by Michael Medwin making his TV debut and Sid James (billed as Sidney James) stars as the Kid's promoter, Sharkey Morrison. 

This one-off (live) play based on Max Catto's novel was broadcast on BBC television on 1st August 1948 and produced by Joel O'Brien. In 1950, American producer Robert Lippert formed a business alliance with Hammer studios (to produce a number of b-movies) and in 1953, under the name of Exclusive, they produced a big-screen version called The Flanagan Boy (US title Bad Blonde). The blonde is played by US actress Barbara Peyton who plays up the femme fatale's sexuality more obviously than would have been seen in the TV production as she first seduces Flanagan and then convinces him to do the dirty deed. Sid James reprised his TV role for the movie.

Published on December 28th, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.