The Dark Stairway (1954 film)
| The Dark Stairway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ken Hughes |
| Written by | Ken Hughes |
| Produced by | Alec C. Snowden executive Nat Cohen Stuart Levy |
| Starring | Russell Napier Vincent Ball |
| Narrated by | Edgar Lustgarten |
| Cinematography | J. M. Burgoyne-Johnson Ron Bicker |
| Edited by | Derek Holding |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Anglo-Amalgamated (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 32 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Dark Stairway (also known as The Greek Street Murder[1]) is a 1954 British short film directed and written by Ken Hughes and starring Russell Napier and Vincent Ball.[2][3] It was one of the Scotland Yard series of second feature shorts made in the 1950s for British cinemas by Anglo-Amalgamated at the Merton Park Studios.[4][5] The films in the series are narrated by crime writer Edgar Lustgarten, and were subsequently broadcast as television episodes.[6][7]
Plot
A blind man, George Benson, witnesses the murder of Harry Carpenter by Joe Lloyd. Benson finds himself accused of the murder. Inspector Jack Harmer finds the murder weapon and discovers Carpenter was murdered because he betrayed Lloyd to the police. Benson manages to identify Lloyd by his ring, voice and hair products' smell.
Cast
- Edgar Lustgarten as narrator
- Russell Napier as Inspector Harmer
- Vincent Ball as Sergeant Gifford
- George Manship as George Benson
- Edwin Richfield as Joe Lloyd
- Gene Anderson as Molly
- Lionel Newbold as Mr Cross
- Bill Nagie
- Mark Bellamy
- Grace Denbeigh-Russell
- Henry Webb
Napier reappeared as Inspector Harmer in the 1954 episode The Strange Case of Blondie, and subsequently went on to play Inspector Duggan in thirteen episodes between 1956 and 1961.
Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "An unpretentious and workmanlike crime short in the Scotland Yard series, with broad, elementary characterisation and a clean story-line, which creditably builds up an atmosphere of realism."[8]
Picturegoer wrote: "Imaginative use of camera and pocket-size sets, leaves it unhampered by its modest budget. By and large an enterprising British team."[9]
References
- ^ Scotland Yard at CTVA accessed 25 June 2014
- ^ "The Dark Stairway". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ "The Dark Stairway (1953)". BFI. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012.
- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 232. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "The Dark Stairway". Sydney Film Festival. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- ^ Lewis, Paul (14 January 2013). "Scotland Yard: The Complete Series". dvdcompare.net. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (14 November 2020). "Ken Hughes Forgotten Auteur". Filmink.
- ^ "The Dark Stairway". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 21 (240): 78. 1 January 1954 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "The Dark Stairway". Picturegoer. 27: 21. 6 June 1954 – via ProQuest.