the leading man is my tpye

Great Film overall

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It took several viewings for me to follow the storyline; not that it's overly complex, it's merely muddled. For a suspense thriller, there's little suspense and few thrills. It perhaps could have benefitted from a more tense musical score. Yet despite all that, and some clumsily directed sequences, this is a fun, atmospheric film. If you enjoy an old-fashioned approach to whodunits, you're in for a cozy ride. Van Johnson isn't a particularly compelling leading man though he does an adequate job here. Vera Miles imbues her slenderly written character with charm and professionalism. Cecil Parker displays the same wit he showed in "The Ladykillers." The Kino Lorber Blu-Ray DVD has a beautifully restored widescreen picture, but the audio commentary is by far the worst I have ever heard.

Henry Hathaway's fair mystery-thriller from the mid-1950's seemingly wants to repeat the success of "Rear Window." However, Hathaway is not Hitchcock, and "23 Paces to Baker Street" hinges on the audience accepting a protagonist who would independently pursue a hunch that was based on nothing more than a partially overheard conversation. The film is set in post-war London against Milton Krasner's often hazy cinematography of foggy streets and the mist-enshrouded Thames. An American playwright, Van Johnson, has lost his sight and become increasingly bitter about life; one day when drinking in a local pub, he overhears a conversation between a man and woman that implies they are plotting a crime. Unfortunately, another patron is playing a pinball machine, so Johnson only hears part of the exchange, although he does catch a whiff of expensive perfume. Viewers must also accept that Johnson has a perfect memory, because he tape records his memory of the overheard conversation word for word and returns to it as he tries to unravel the mystery. When Johnson contacts the police, they are understandably skeptical and downplay its importance. However, Johnson is convinced something sinister is about to happen; he is relentless in his own investigation and enlists the aid of his English manservant and his American ex-girlfriend.Adapted by Nigel Balchin from a novel by Philip MacDonald, "23 Paces to Baker Street" is moderately engaging as the mystery unfolds. However, several situations are flimsily contrived, and Johnson's portrayal of a blind man is unconvincing. More an aging "boy next door" than a serious actor, Johnson is bland in the central role. He fails to explain why his hunches have such import and his motive for involvement in the mystery, other than too much time on his hands. Although the role is thankless, Vera Miles brings some charm to the unmarried-spouse part, who carries a torch for a marriage-shy man; the parallels between the relationship of Miles and the blind Johnson to that of Grace Kelly and the wheel-chair bound James Stewart in "Rear Window" are obvious. "Window's" MacDonald Carey role is ably played here by Cecil Park, who does the fieldwork that Johnson cannot perform because of his disability; however, Park's pursuit of one suspect is laughably clumsy and dependent on coincidence. Estelle Winwood as an amusing pub owner provides the comedy relief that Thelma Ritter brought to the Hitchcock classic.While not a complete waste of time, "23 Paces to Baker Street" is a pale imitation of Hitchcock both made by and featuring lesser talents, although Miles was a Hitchcock protégé. The Master might have made something of this material, because the elements are there. However, as filmed, the movie is slick entertainment for the easily pleased and a must-see only for die-hard fans of Van Johnson.

When a successful playwright looses his eyesight, he retires to London and becomes a recluse, only coming out to go to a local pub and the theater one of his plays is running at. At the pub, he overhears a plot being hatched, and thanks to old flame Vera Miles comes back to life as he works with Scotland Yard to figure out what it's all about. The senses of the blind are well utilized as his wits take over where his eyes cannot. But there's danger about as his bitterness continues to guide him and Miles begins to feel disillusioned by his increasing distance.Starting off slowly but picking up steam, this is one of those thrillers where the clues don't come often, but when they do, they are extremely important. A tense moment has Johnson nearly falling to his death in an abandoned building, and the sinister villain, remaining unknown other than a voice only Johnson has heard, closes in. Obviously influenced by "Rear Window", this is memorable on its own merits, with Johnson giving one of his best performances. Elsa Lanchaster is amusing as an eccentric (what else?) Barmaid, while a cast of well known British character actors play a variety of droll characters.

I saw this movie many years ago and loved it. I was finally able to get a VHS copy. This is one of the few movies I have to watch at least once a year. I am a fan of Van Johnson and I enjoyed him in this movie. He plays an embittered blind writer who is visiting London. He overhears a conversation which sounds like a murder plot. Along with his friend and loyal girlfriend,they try to figure out who is going to be murdered and where. The scene with Van Johnson almost falling from the missing front of an abandoned building is tense. The story moves along well and there are many twists and turns to make even Hitchcock proud. I wish more movies were made as well as this one.