A Touch of Larceny [1959] [DVD]

A respected Navy commander stages his own disappearance, hoping the ensuing publicity will give him the opportunity to sue for libel and rebuild his depleted cash reserves. Wartime comedy, starring James Mason, Vera Miles, George Sanders, Robert Flemyng and Peter Barkworth.

James Mason was never anything less than a suave and sophisticated performer. However, comedy was not really his forte, even when it was as gentle as in this urbane tale of treachery and libel, and it's tempting to suggest that this might have been a more suitable assignment for David Niven.

Adapted from Andrew Garve's novel The Megstone Plot, the film benefits from the polished presence of that other silky screen smoothie, George Sanders, and willing support from Vera Miles, whose fortunes took a significant upswing the following year when she co-starred in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.