Serious Charge

Serious Charge (U.S.: A Touch of Hell, also known as Immoral Charge) is a 1959 British film, directed by Terence Young and starring Anthony Quayle, Sarah Churchill, Andrew Ray and Irene Browne. It was produced and co-written by Mickey Delamar and Guy Elmes, and adapted from the 1956 stage play of the same name by Philip King. The film is notable for the screen acting debut of Cliff Richard in a minor role.

Plot
Unmarried ex-army vicar Reverend Howard Phillips, newly arrived in the parish, attempts to get local 19-year-old thug and petty criminal Larry Thompson to face up to his responsibilities to Mary Williams, the naive young girl he has made pregnant. When Howard threatens to tell his coffee-bar friends, Larry trashes the room and fakes a struggle. As a dishevelled Larry leaves, Hester Peters arrives, and he tells her that Howard "interfered" with him. Hester is the daughter of the parish's previous clergyman and has become infatuated with the athletic and handsome new vicar. However, having earlier seen a young girl leaving the vicarage late one night (Mary, who had sought the vicar's advice about her pregnancy), Hester jumps to the conclusion the two are romantically linked and chooses to believe Larry's account. Shortly afterwards, Mary chances across Larry kissing another girl, and in distress blindly stumbles across the road into the path of a car, and is killed.

As a consequence of the malicious accusation, Howard is subjected to suspicion and abuse by his parishioners, including having his car's tyres slashed and receiving poison pen letters. When his mother learns of events, knowing about Hester's romantic interest in Howard, she quickly comprehends the situation, takes Hester to task, and persuades her to accept Howard's account. Larry duly receives his come-uppance at the hands of his father.

Production
It was the film debut of Cliff Richard, at that time a teenage pop idol. Richard sings three songs, although none is heard in its entirety: "No Turning Back", "Mad About You", and "Living Doll" (the latter a different version from the No. 1 hit in the British charts).

The scene at the lido was captured in three distinct versions. Harrison Mark's model Jean Spaul appeared topless for the French market. In the second, she sported a bikini, catering to UK tastes. The third had her donning a petticoat for the US market.

Box office
According to Kinematograph Weekly the film performed "better than average" at the British box office in 1959.

Critical
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The story in outline seems melodramatic and contrived, but an imaginative script, sensitive and crisp direction, and the authoritative performance of Anthony Quayle make this an absorbing film. If some of the background detail seems unconvincing (the juvenile delinquents are seen from the conventional middle-class viewpoint, and the vicars, retired or active, enjoy too luxurious a standard of living) the personal conflicts that occupy the foreground are authentic and well observed."