| Dick Barton: Special Agent | |
| Director: | Alfred J. Goulding |
| Producer: | Henry Halstead |
| Based On: | the BBC radio serial |
| Starring: | Don Stannard George Ford |
| Music: | John Bath |
| Cinematography: | Stanley Clinton |
| Editing: | Eta Simpson |
| Studio: | Hammer Film Productions |
| Distributor: | Exclusive Films |
| Runtime: | 71 minutes |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
Dick Barton: Special Agent (released in the USA as Dick Barton, Detective) is a 1948 British spy film about special agent Dick Barton adapted from the hugely popular radio drama of the same name produced and directed by Raymond Raikes.[1] It was the first of three films that Hammer Film Productions made about the British agent, followed by Dick Barton at Bay and Dick Barton Strikes Back.[2]
Dick Barton (Don Stannard) and his colleagues Snowy and Jock are investigating smuggling when attempts are made on his life. It turns out there is a neo-Nazi plot to contaminate Great Britain's water supply.
Though critically unpopular, the film's commercial success prompted Hammer to make a number of movies based on radio and/or TV shows. It was released in the USA as Dick Barton, Detective.[3] [4]
Sky Cinema noted "schoolboy shenanigans from slick Dick and his (badly miscast) aides Jock and Snowy. More laugh-a-minute than thrill-a-minute, this was British 'B'-film making at its grimmest."[5] DVD Talk wrote "the picture has an Ed Wood-like ineptitude",[6] while Allmovie blamed "too much comic relief and terrible pacing".[2]