''The Arsenal Stadium Mystery'' is a 1939 British

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...

and one of the first feature films wherein

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

is a central element in the plot. The film was directed by

Thorold Dickinson Thorold Barron Dickinson (16 November 1903 – 14 April 1984) was a British film director, screenwriter, film editor, film producer, and Britain's first university professor of film. Dickinson's work received much praise, with fellow directo ...

, and shot at

Denham Film Studios Denham Film Studios was a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952, founded by Alexander Korda. Notable films made at Denham include ''Brief Encounter'' and David Lean's '' Great Expectations''. From the 1950s to the 1970s t ...

and on location at the original

Arsenal Stadium Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, London, which was the home of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006. It was popularly known as "Highbury" due to its location and was given the affectionate nickname ...

in Highbury. It was written by Dickinson, Donald Bull, and

Alan Hyman Alan Maurice Hyman (10 January 1910 – 23 February 1999) was an English writer, journalist, and film writer. Life and work Alan Hyman was the son of A. Hyman. He was educated at St Cyprian's School, Repton School, and Magdalene College, Cam ...

, adapted from a 1939 novel by

Leonard Gribble Leonard Reginald Gribble (1 February 1908 – 27 September 1985) was a prolific writer from Devon. His novels often focussed on the particulars of policing and the judicial system. Gribble also wrote under the pseudonyms ''Sterry Browning'', ''Le ...

Plot

The film is a

murder mystery Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

set, as the title suggests, at the original

, Gillespie Road,

Highbury Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor house was situ ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the then home of

Arsenal Football Club Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inclu ...

, who were at the time one of the dominant teams in

English football Association football is the most popular sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. With over 40,000 association f ...

. The backdrop is a friendly match between Arsenal and The Trojans, a fictitious

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

side. One of the Trojans' players drops dead during the match and when it is revealed he has been

poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

ed, suspicion falls on his teammates as well as his former mistress.

Detective Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

Slade (

Leslie Banks Leslie James Banks CBE (9 June 1890 – 21 April 1952) was an English stage and screen actor, director and producer, now best remembered for playing gruff, menacing characters in black-and-white films of the 1930s and 1940s, but also the Choru ...

) is called in to solve the crime. The victim has been poisoned by a powerful

digitalis ''Digitalis'' ( or ) is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennial plants, shrubs, and biennials, commonly called foxgloves. ''Digitalis'' is native to Europe, western Asia, and northwestern Africa. The flowers are tubular in sha ...

-based chemical. There is evidence that he was being blackmailed. The investigation gets complicated when the girlfriend (a prime suspect) is also murdered by the same method. The police set a trap by putting a chemical on top of the poison which turns the skin black after a few hours. The player responsible is then spotted whilst playing.

Cast

as Insp. Anthony Slade *

Greta Gynt Greta Gynt (born Margrethe Woxholt; 15 November 1916 – 2 April 2000) was a Norwegian dancer and actress. She is remembered for her starring roles in the British classic films '' The Dark Eyes of London'', ''Mr. Emmanuel'', ''Take My Life'', ''D ...

as Gwen Lee * Ian McLean as Sgt. Clinton *

Liane Linden Liane Linden (April 1, 1920 – November 30, 2014) was a Swedish film and stage actress. She appeared in the 1939 British crime film ''The Arsenal Stadium Mystery''. Richards p.199 Selected filmography * ''The Arsenal Stadium Mystery'' (1939) * ...

as Inga Larson *

Anthony Bushell Anthony Arnatt Bushell (19 May 1904 – 2 April 1997) was an English film actor and director who appeared in more than 50 films between 1929 and 1961. He played Colonel Breen in the BBC serial ''Quatermass and the Pit'' (1958–59), and als ...

as John Doyce *

Esmond Knight Esmond Penington Knight (4 May 1906 – 23 February 1987) was an English actor. He had a successful stage and film career before World War II. For much of his later career Knight was half-blind. He had been badly wounded in 1941 while on active ...

as Raille *

Brian Worth Brian Worth (30 July 1914 – 25 August 1978) was an English actor, known for '' Scrooge'' (1951), ''The Man in the White Suit'' (1951) and ''An Inspector Calls'' (1954). He died on 25 August 1978 aged 64. Educated in Britain and America, ...

as Phillip Morring *Richard Norris as Setchley *

Wyndham Goldie Frank Wyndham Goldie (5 July 1897 – 26 September 1957) was an English actor. World War I During World War I, Goldie was a lieutenant in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His elder brother Maurice also held a commission in the same Corps during ...

as Kindilett * Alastair Macintyre as Carter *

E. V. H. Emmett Edward Victor Henry Emmett, known as E. V. H. Emmett (17 June 1902, London - 7 June 1971, London), was a British news presenter, newsreader. Though his main job was as a commentator for Gaumont British News, he was frequently used as a narrator ...

as Himself *

George Allison George Frederick Allison (24 October 1883 – 13 March 1957) was an English football journalist, broadcaster and manager. He was the BBC's first sports commentator and Arsenal's second longest serving manager. Journalism career Allison was ...

as Himself

Production

The film stars several Arsenal players and members of staff such as

Cliff Bastin Clifford Sydney Bastin (14 March 1912 – 4 December 1991) was an English footballer who played as a winger for Exeter City and Arsenal. He also played for the England national team. Bastin is Arsenal's third-highest goalscorer of all time. C ...

and

Eddie Hapgood Edris Albert "Eddie" Hapgood (24 September 1908 – 20 April 1973) was an English footballer, who captained both Arsenal and England during the 1930s. Playing career Hapgood was born in Bristol and started his footballing career in the mid-1920 ...

, although only manager

has a speaking part. The Trojans'

body double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...

s on the pitch were players from

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

, filmed during the First Division fixture between the two sides on 6 May 1939; this was the last match of the 1938–39 season and Arsenal's last official league fixture before the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Brentford’s players wore white shirts for the match because their first choice red and white stripes would have clashed with Arsenal's red and white jerseys. The Trojans’ players therefore wore similar white shirts in close up sequences which were then cut in with the match action. Dickinson planned a follow-up, ''The Denham Studio Mystery'', which was intended to incorporate footage from the abortive film ''I Claudius'', but this fell through.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arsenal Stadium Mystery, The 1939 films 1939 mystery films Arsenal F.C. mass media British black-and-white films British mystery films British detective films British association football films Films shot at Denham Film Studios Films directed by Thorold Dickinson Films set in London Films shot in London Films with screenplays by Patrick Kirwan Films about murder 1930s English-language films 1930s British films