The Mail Van Murder - Hy Hazell - Edgar Lustgarten (1957)

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• published: 01 Mar 2015
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This pretty poor movie (pardon the video quality) is one of a series of Edgar Lustgarten's Scotland Yard shorts and is posted for two reasons - the main one being a chance to see the underrated Hy Hazell - always worth watching, however bad the movie. It also features a cameo performance from the prolific actor George Pravda, who appeared in 139 films and TV productions and died on 30 April 1985... Hy Hazell was a versatile but unacknowledged and sadly under-used actress of the late 1940s and 1950s. On stage she played in a variety of areas, from principle boy in pantomimes to leading roles in George Bernard Shaw plays (Pygmalion; Major Barbara). Her first experience was in the West End production of the Rodgers and Hart musical "On Your Toes" in 1937 when she was still a teenager. Other major productions in which she was heavily featured included "Expresso Bongo" as Dixie Collins in 1958 at the Saville Theatre; Mrs Squeezum in "Lock Up Your Daughters" the following year which ran for nearly 2000 performances at the Mermaid Theatre; in 1965 she played Kay Connor in "Charlie Girl" at the Adelphi Theatre - a hugely successful show starring Anna Neagle; as Mrs Peachum in "The Beggar's Opera" produced by the Prospect Theatre Company in 1968. And finally in the production at Her Majesty's Theatre of "Fiddler on the Roof" playing Golde - and it was during this run that Hy died one Sunday when she chocked on a piece of steak at lunch. The date was 10 May 1970. Her film appearances were unforgivably meagre and small, although she gave excellent performances, particularly in "The Franchise Affair" in 1951. She also appeared in "The Yellow Balloon", among a slew of well known actors and a leading role for Andrew Ray.