Trailer
Plot summary
In Paddington, in the west of London, new recruit Andy Mitchell learns the night beat from George Dixon, a long-serving policeman who is due to retire shortly. Tom Riley is a young criminal who carries a revolver. With his partner Spud and with Diana Lewis, who works on the inside, Riley is planning a series of robberies. Dixon is unprepared for the kind of violence Riley brings. A robbery is carried out at a local cinema, and Dixon is called to the scene, where he finds himself face to face with Riley, who is armed.
Cast
Show all 20 cast
- Arnold Bellas Hospital Doctor (Uncredited)
- Alma Coganas Girl (Uncredited)
- Michael Corcoranas Detective (Uncredited)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Blue Lamp (1950)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The character Diana in The Blue Lamp was written with Diana Dors in mind and even named after her, but the producers doubted Dors's emotional maturity, so the director switched to a "waif type" and cast Peggy Evans instead.
SPOILER
The film inspired the television series Dixon of Dock Green (1955-1976), in which Jack Warner kept playing PC Dixon until he was 80, even though Dixon is murdered in the film.- The Metropolitan Police gave the production full co-operation, letting the crew film at the real Paddington Green Police Station on Harrow Road and at New Scotland Yard in London.
- The film's original blue lamp was moved to the new Paddington Green Police Station, where it still stands outside the front entrance and was restored in the early 21st century.
- After Tom Riley attacks Diana Lewis in her flat and is chased out by a detective, the film follows with one of the first extended car chases in British film.
- The Metropolitan Theatre of Varieties, seen at the start of the film, was demolished because the Marylebone flyover was expected to need the site, which turned out not to be the case; Paddington Green Police Station now stands there.
