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CrimeDrama

The Long Dark Hall

- Two great Broadway stars at their greatest!

A devoted family man tries to help a beautiful alcoholic showgirl with her life, and becomes the the only suspect when someone else murders her.

Release Date : 1951-02-06

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Cusick International Films Inc.Five Ocean Films Ltd.

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Rex Harrison

Character Name : Arthur Groome

Original Name : Rex Harrison

Gender : Male

Lilli Palmer

Character Name : Mary Groome

Original Name : Lilli Palmer

Gender : Female

Tania Heald

Character Name : Sheila Groome

Original Name : Tania Heald

Gender : Male

Henrietta Barry

Character Name : Rosemary Groome

Original Name : Henrietta Barry

Gender : Female

Dora Sevening

Character Name : Mary's mother

Original Name : Dora Sevening

Gender : Male

Ronald Simpson

Character Name : Mary's father

Original Name : Ronald Simpson

Gender : Male

Anthony Dawson

Character Name : The Man

Original Name : Anthony Dawson

Gender : Male

Brenda De Banzie

Character Name : Mrs Rogers

Original Name : Brenda De Banzie

Gender : Female

Ballard Berkeley

Character Name : Supt. Maxey

Original Name : Ballard Berkeley

Gender : Male

Raymond Huntley

Character Name : Chief Inspector Sullivan

Original Name : Raymond Huntley

Gender : Male

William Squire

Character Name : Sergeant Cochcran

Original Name : William Squire

Gender : Male

Denis O'Dea

Character Name : Sir Charles Morton

Original Name : Denis O'Dea

Gender : Male

Anthony Bushell

Character Name : Clive Bedford

Original Name : Anthony Bushell

Gender : Male

Henry B. Longhurst

Character Name : Judge

Original Name : Henry B. Longhurst

Gender : Male

Patricia Cutts

Character Name : Rose Mallory

Original Name : Patricia Cutts

Gender : Female

Meriel Forbes

Character Name : Marjorie Danns

Original Name : Meriel Forbes

Gender : Female

Douglas Jefferies

Character Name : Dr Conway

Original Name : Douglas Jefferies

Gender : Male

Michael Medwin

Character Name : Leslie Scott

Original Name : Michael Medwin

Gender : Male

Colin Gordon

Character Name : Pound

Original Name : Colin Gordon

Gender : Male

Lionel Murton

Character Name : Jefferson

Original Name : Lionel Murton

Gender : Male

Eric Pohlmann

Character Name : Mr Polaris

Original Name : Eric Pohlmann

Gender : Male

Jenny Laird

Character Name : Mrs Sims

Original Name : Jenny Laird

Gender : Female

Frank Tickle

Character Name : Alfred Tripp

Original Name : Frank Tickle

Gender : Male

Lilli Molnar

Character Name : Mrs Polaris

Original Name : Lilli Molnar

Gender : Male

Jill Bennett

Character Name : 1st Murdered Girl

Original Name : Jill Bennett

Gender : Female

Fletcher Lightfoot

Character Name : Jury Foreman

Original Name : Fletcher Lightfoot

Gender : Male

Anthony Shaw

Character Name : Clerk of the Court

Original Name : Anthony Shaw

Gender : Male

Tom Macaulay

Character Name : Ironworks Manager

Original Name : Tom Macaulay

Gender : Male

Richard Littledale

Character Name : Mr. Sims

Original Name : Richard Littledale

Gender : Male

Tony Quinn

Character Name : Joe

Original Name : Tony Quinn

Gender : Male

Ernest Blyth

Character Name : Court Clerk (uncredited)

Original Name : Ernest Blyth

Gender : Male

Reviews

J

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Circumstantial evidence old boy. Juries won't have it. They don't like it and they don't trust it. When Arthur Groome (Rex Harrison) finds his girlfriend murdered at her Earls Court flat and becomes stricken with grief and fear and promptly runs from the scene of the crime. Questioned by the police about the crime, Arthur, a married man, in panic denies all knowledge of the girl. Soon, however, he finds himself charged with murder and inexorably drawn towards the gallows... Directed by Anthony Bushell and Reginald Beck, it is adapted to screenplay by Nunnally Johnson and William Fairchild from Edgar Lustgarten's novel. Harrison's real life wife at the time, Lilli Palmer, plays his loyal spouse here, while Benjamin Frankel scores the music and Wilkie Cooper is the cinematographer. Largely ignored and underseen these days, due in the main that some critics of the time noted it has uncomfortable parallels to the real life Harrison and Carole Landis suicide affair - plus Harrison himself quickly denounced the film as dreadful - it's actually a decent wrong man court case picture often filmed in gorgeous film noir styles. There is no mystery element here, for we know Arthur is innocent, and in fact we know who the killer is. We are given two murders in the first twenty minutes, each a year apart, the first is photographed on the outside in shadows, gaslights and upon a moist cobbled alleyway. The second, where the object of Arthur's lovelorn attention (Patricia Cutts) resides, is stifling in its cruel intensity. It's a sly story of obsession, circumstantial devilments, manipulation and somewhat oddly, loyalty. The suspense is ramped up as Arthur gets ever deeper in the mire during the court case (look how Cooper photographs the critical sequences in court), while his loving wife is being befriended by the real murderer (a wonderfully rat faced Anthony Dawson) who has his own distorted motives that he wants to bare out. Viewing it now the police work due to the writing comes off as being very shoddy, and the finale is just a bit too much leftfield to wholly satisfy. Yet this is a very tidy Brit-Noir styled suspenser that comes recommended to fans of leading man and noirsh visuals. 7/10