''The Last Curtain'' is a 1937 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
David MacDonald and starring
Campbell Gullan,
Kenne Duncan
Kenne Duncan (February 17, 1903 – February 5, 1972) was a Canadian-born American B-movie character actor. Hyped professionally as "The Meanest Man in the Movies," the vast majority of his over 250 appearances on camera were Westerns, but ...
and
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 ...
. The film blends drama and comedy and its plot follows an insurance investigator who examines a series of robberies that have taken place. Much of the action takes place backstage at the fictitious Trafalgar Theatre.
It was made at
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London.
The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to te ...
as a
quota quickie
The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 ('' 17 & 18 Geo. V'') was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry. It received Royal Assent on 20 December 1927 and came into force on 1 April 1928.
D ...
.
[Wood p.95] The film's sets were designed by
John Bryan. It was the first film for comedy actor Joss Ambler who went on to star with such comedy stalwarts as
George Formby
George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he s ...
and
Will Hay
William Thomson Hay (6 December 1888 – 18 April 1949) was an English comedian who wrote and acted in a schoolmaster sketch that later transferred to the screen, where he also played other authority figures with comic failings. His film '' O ...
.
Cast
*
Campbell Gullan as Sir Alan Masterville
*
Kenne Duncan
Kenne Duncan (February 17, 1903 – February 5, 1972) was a Canadian-born American B-movie character actor. Hyped professionally as "The Meanest Man in the Movies," the vast majority of his over 250 appearances on camera were Westerns, but ...
as Joe Garsatti
*
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 Julie Rendle
* John Wickham as Bob Fenton
*
Sara Seegar
Sara Seegar (born Sarah Wall Seegar; July 1, 1914 – August 12, 1990) was an American actress. A performer on stage, film, radio, and television, she may best be remembered for her role as Mrs. Wilson in the 1962–63 season of '' Dennis the M ...
as Molly
*
Joss Ambler
Joss Ambler (23 June 1900 – 1959) was an Australian-born British film and television actor. He usually played somewhat pompous and irascible figures of authority, particularly in comedy films. He was an effective foil to George Formby in both ...
as Ellis
*
W.G. Fay
WG may refer to:
In arts and entertainment
* W&G Records, an Australian recording company
* ''Will & Grace'', a television series
* Wonder Girls, a South Korean girl group
Businesses
* W. G. Bagnall, a locomotive manufacturer in Stafford, Englan ...
as Milligam
*
Eric Hales
Eric Hales (1901–1993) was a British actor.
Selected filmography
* ''The Second Mate'' (1928)
* '' The Lure of the Atlantic'' (1929)
* ''Chelsea Life'' (1933)
* '' Anne One Hundred'' (1933)
* '' The Secret of the Loch'' (1934)
* '' Lucky D ...
as Barrington
*
Mervyn Johns
Mervyn Johns (born David Mervyn John; 18 February 18996 September 1992) was a Welsh stage, film and television character actor who became a star of British films during the Second World War. Johns was known for his "mostly mild-mannered, lugubrio ...
as Hemp
References
Bibliography
* Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985.
* Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.
External links
*
1937 films
1937 crime films
British crime films
Films directed by David MacDonald (director)
Films shot at Pinewood Studios
Films produced by Anthony Havelock-Allan
Films set in London
Quota quickies
British black-and-white films
British and Dominions Studios films
1930s English-language films
1930s British films
{{1930s-crime-film-stub