Meet Maxwell Archer

Meet Maxwell Archer
Original British trade ad
Directed by	John Paddy Carstairs
Written by	Katherine Strueby
Based on	the novel Archer Plus Twenty by Hugh Clevely
Produced by	William Sistrom
Starring	John Loder
Cinematography	Claude Friese-Greene
Edited by	Alan Jaggs
Music by	W.L. Trytel (uncredited)
Production company	RKO Radio British Productions
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures (UK)
Release date	17 February 1940 (1940-02-17) (UK)
Running time	73 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£18,226[1]

Meet Maxwell Archer is a 1940 British mystery film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring John Loder, Leueen MacGrath and Athole Stewart.^[2] The screenplay concerns a private detective who attempts to clear a man wrongly accused of murder. The film was based on the 1938 novel by Hugh Clevely.^[3] It was released in the U.S. in 1942 as Maxwell Archer, Detective.^[4]

Plot summary

Maxwell Archer, a private detective, attempts to clear a young man wrongly accused of murder.

Cast

• John Loder as Maxwell Archer
• Leueen MacGrath as Sarah
• Athole Stewart as Superintendent Gordon
• Marta Labarr as Nina
• George Merritt as Inspector Cornell
• Ronald Adam as Nicolides
• Peter Hobbes as George Gull Jr.
• Ralph Roberts as George Gull Sr.
• Syd Crossley as Perkins
• Barbara Everest as Miss Duke

Critical reception

The film was coldly received. TV Guide wrote, "Oh where is Sherlock Holmes when you need him? Poorly made with a dopey script that gives the actors little room to breathe, let alone act."^[5]

References

1. Chapman, Llewella. "'The highest salary ever paid to a human being': Creating a Database of Film Costs from the Bank of England". Journal of British cinema and television, 2022-10. Vol. 19, no. 4. Edinburgh University Press. p. 470-494 at 482.
2. "BFI | Film & TV Database | MEET MAXWELL ARCHER (1939)". Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
3. Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110951943 – via Google Books.
4. "Maxwell Archer, Detective (1939) - John Paddy Carstairs - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie".
5. "Maxwell Archer, Detective".

External links

• Meet Maxwell Archer at IMDb