Man in the Back Seat, The

The last few punters leave Brookvale Greyhound Stadium as bookmaker Joe Carter counts his takings inside.

Knocking Joe out, Tony and Frank bundle the bookie into the back of his car and drive away after they discover that is his chained to the briefcase full of cash. Tailoring by John Collier offers a clue to the New Broadway location in Ealing W5 as pointed out by Richard Lovejoy.

Much of the film 's action consists of night time drives around Ealing. There's a sign for The Walpole to the top left of centre and this is looking south on Bond Street in Ealing, Middlesex.

Antony Blair (AB) helps us through the nighttime locations by providing a set of daylight comparisons and here we are looking along the full length of Bond Street.

The Austin A125 Sheerline comes to a stand as Tony grabs the ignition key to see if there's another key on the ring to release the chain. Paul's Restaurant stands opposite a T junction with traffic signals and I'd like to think that it's where Bond Street meets New Broadway. with which RL agrees. Keith Littlejohns remembers that his mother was manageress of a dry cleaning shop just a short distance away and as a young schoolboy he often dropped into the shop for Saturday lunch from where he was sent to Pauls Restaurant’s take-away food counter to buy their popular Cornish pasties.

Another daylight view from Antony (AB).

Turning right at the junction, Frank drives past Betté Davis Fashions, Dorothy Perkins and Evans. New Broadway in Ealing.

A few changes are apparent in Antony's comparison.

Tony tells Frank to turn off into the first side road. Facing the corner of The Broadway and The Mall in Ealing W5.

AB tells us that the building to the centre of the shot was the original Ealing Town Hall and is currently a Bank.

To break the chain, Frank suggests that they go to his house where he has a tool kit. There's a London Transport bus stop to the right and RL explains that just out of sight on the right is the sign for Hilton Employment Agency at 61 The Mall in Ealing.

Antony Blair returned to the scene sixty one years later.

Leaving the studio street where Frank lives with his wife Jean, the two crooks return to the main road. New Broadway with the Feathers Hotel at the corner of The Broadway and The Mall to the right.

AB provides this shot of the same corner.

After parking on Clive Mews, while Frank runs to a nearby building site to get a stone a Man approaches Tony (Derren Nesbitt) to move the car from in front of his garage. This has the appearance of a studio set.

Frank returns and the pair move off to find somewhere quiet to break the chain connecting Joe to his briefcase. Family businesses Blake & Son and Sellar Brothers occupy 58 and 59 The Mall in Ealing W5.

The row of shops survive in AB's modern view.

The camera watches the car as it drives away. Looking west on The Mall.

The same location today, captured by AB.

An AA Patrol Man (Anthony Bate) arrives on the scene as Frank (Keith Faulkner) changes a wheel after a tyre bursts.

Frank and Tony head to find a Doctor when the Joe's condition worsens. A lightened shot of Ealing Town Hall on New Broadway W5. Other views of Ealing Town Hall appear in 'The Borrowers'.

Antony reminds us that Ealing Town Hall was built in 1888.

The shot follows the car as it turns into the access road to the east of the Town Hall.

Taken from a similar viewpoint by AB.

The thugs remove Joe Carter (Harry Locke) from the Austin and douse him with whisky and leave him outside an old house before heading to a café to wait for Jean to fall asleep. Another studio set.

Realising that Tony wasn't wearing gloves, the criminals return to the car as a Policeman walks along the narrow road towards them. RL points out that at the end of the unnamed road, in the distance stands Woolworths on New Broadway Ealing.

Antony Blair looked south on Dickens Yard.

Making an excuse for their drunken friend lying in the street, Tony and Frank leave the Policeman behind and head to the hospital. William Macintyre locates the building as Ealing Technical College, now the University of West London, at the junction of St. Mary's Road and Warwick Road W5.

William recreates the scene with a night shot showing more detail.

Cornering outside the hospital, Franks sees a police car ahead and drives on. William Macintyre identifies the corner of Warwick Road in Ealing.

Behind the cosmetic horizontal planking on this side of the building, the distinctive vertical concrete beams can be seen more clearly in William's view.

The car comes to a halt when the petrol runs out. Looking at the variety of items in the various windows, RL believes that this could well be Bentalls.

Heading off to get petrol, Tony hails a taxi. Tesco and John Collier's window to watch stand on the opposite side of the road. RL points out that to the left of John Collier stands John Quality at 33 New Broadway, Ealing.

Revisited 60 years later by Antony Blair.

After waiting in the car for some time, Frank makes his way to the nearest garage.

Frank asks the Petrol Station Manager (Roy Purcell) if he's seen a man come in for a can of petrol.

Buying a couple of gallons of petrol, Frank drives home where he finds Tony waiting in the shadows. A sign for Dolcis is just visible to the extreme right while the Bentalls sign to the top left hangs outside numbers 1 to 8 The Broadway in Ealing.

Antony Blair found the pedestrian crossing still in place.

Leaving Joe's dead body at the dog track, Frank and Tony fill up with petrol before heading to Birmingham. The sign appears to read RBK Motors.

Frank loses control of the car when Joe's face appears in the rear view mirror.

The Austin hits the ground beneath the viaduct.

Seconds later a police car stops on the viaduct and two Officers run to the car where they find Frank barely conscious next to Tony's corpse.