I realise that Baker St, unlike the Thames, is just around the corner from Portman Square, but what's the relevance,if any? Could it be an oblique Sherlock Holmes reference or does it have a connection with the Philip Macdonald novel?
shareSPOILERS
In the scene after Janet has been murdered in the phone box, Van Johnson leaves his flat and goes out into the fog to the pub. He bumps into a man who asks where he is and where Baker Street is. Van J. says it's 23 paces behind him. Hence the title!
I'm well aware of that scene (perhaps, I should have mentioned it) but it serves no purpose except to introduce the title into the film. So unless we accept that the scene was a little in-joke by the writers acknowledging that the title has no especial significance, we're none the wiser.
shareA number of paces tells us we're dealing with a blind person. It takes six to my writing desk, from there three to the left to reach the door.
Baker Street... ofcourse we're thinking of Sherlock Holmes. So maybe it's to indicate a detective story.
Apart from that, I like it as a title. It has a searching feel to it.
"I don't discriminate between entertainment
and arthouse. A film is a goddam film."
The Philip MacDonald novel is actually called "The Nursemaid who disappeared" aka "Warrant for X". If there wouldn't have been any readers reviews on amzon.com, I would not have known for sure that "Warrant for X" is the novel on which the movie "23 Paces..." was based on.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_MacDonald