''Dusty Ermine'' is a 1936 British

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Anthony Bushell, Jane Baxter and Ronald Squire. In the United States it was released under the alternative title ''Hideout in the Alps''. It was based on the play of the same title by Neil Grant.

Plot

After being released from prison Jim Kent, a leading forger, is approached by an international counterfeiting organisation. He rejects their offer of employment as he intends to go straight, but when he discovers that his nephew is now working for the outfit he travels to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

to try to help him out. An ambitious young detective from

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

is also on the trail of the forgery ring, and mistakenly comes to the conclusion that Jim Kent is still working as a master counterfeiter.

Cast

* Anthony Bushell as Detective Inspector Forsythe * Jane Baxter as Linda Kent * Ronald Squire as Jim Kent * Arthur Macrae as Gilbert Kent * Margaret Rutherford as Evelyn Summers * Austin Trevor as Swiss Hotelier-Gang Leader * Davina Craig as Goldie, the maid *

Athole Stewart Athole Chalmers Stewart (25 June 1879 – 18 October 1940) was a British stage and latterly film actor, often in authoritarian or aristocratic roles. On stage, he played in the original production of Noël Coward's '' Hay Fever'' at the Ambassa ...

as Mr. Kent * Katie Johnson as Emily Kent * Felix Aylmer as Police Commissioner * Hal Gordon as Detective Sergeant Helmsley * George Merritt as Police constable * Wally Patch as Thug

Production

The film was produced by Julius Hagen, the owner of a film production company based around Twickenham Studios. The film was shot at one of his other studios,

J.H. Studios Gate Studios was one of the many studios known collectively as Elstree Studios in the town of Borehamwood, England. Opened in 1928, the studios were in use until the early 1950s. The studios had previously been known as Whitehall Studios, Consoli ...

at Elstree, and also included extensive location filming in the Alps. It was directed by Vorhaus who had worked on earlier films for the company. Vorhaus was so impressed by the performance of Margaret Rutherford in a theatre production he saw her in, that he insisted on casting her in the film. He added a new comic relief role to the original play especially for her. The film's

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

was by Andrew Mazzei. Hagen had an ambitious programme of films for 1936, but his failure to secure effective

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations * Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

led to financial problems and the collapse of his company the following year during the Slump of 1937.Richards, p. 50-55 Vorhaus directed one further British film, '' Cotton Queen'', before returning to America. In the forgers' lair the printing presses shown are all made by the Adana company of Twickenham and completely unsuitable for the production of currency notes. Adana was based in Twickenham and the film was released through Twickenham Film Distributors, so there would appear to be a local link.

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''History of the British Film: Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985 * Richards, Jeffrey (ed.). ''The Unknown Thirties: An Alternative History of the British Cinema, 1929-1939''. I.B. Tauris & Co, 2000.

External links

* {{Bernard Vorhaus 1936 films British crime films 1936 crime films Films directed by Bernard Vorhaus British films based on plays Films set in London Films set in England Films set in France Films set in Switzerland Films set in the Alps Skiing films Films shot at Station Road Studios, Elstree British black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films