''When London Sleeps'' is a 1932 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

Leslie S. Hiscott Leslie Stephenson Hiscott (25 July 18943 May 1968) was an English film director and screenwriter who made over sixty films between 1925 and 1956. He was born in London in 1894. He directed ''Alibi'' (1931), the first ever depiction of Hercule ...

and starring Harold French,

Francis L. Sullivan Francis Loftus Sullivan (6 January 1903 – 19 November 1956) was an English film and stage actor. Early life Francis Loftus Sullivan attended Stonyhurst, the Jesuit public school in Lancashire, England, whose alumni include Charles Laughton ...

Diana Beaumont Diana Beaumont (8 May 1909 – 21 June 1964) was a British actress. In 1932 she starred in the West End run of the hit comedy ''While Parents Sleep'' by Anthony Kimmins, while in 1934 she appeared in Ian Hay's '' Admirals All''. Selected fil ...

and René Ray. It was filmed at Twickenham Studios in west

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 ...

. It was based on a play by

Charles Darrell Charles Darrell (29 June 1859 – 25 March 1932) was an English playwright who specialized in melodrama. Early life Darrell was born in London, England. Selected works His plays include: *''When London Sleeps'': Charles Holloway's production ...

Premise

A well-born gambler comes to the rescue of a

travelling circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicycl ...

in financial difficulties.

Cast

* Harold French as Tommy Blythe *

as Rodney Haines * René Ray as Mary *

A. Bromley Davenport Arthur Henry Bromley-Davenport (29 October 1867 – 15 December 1946), better known as A. Bromley Davenport, was an English actor born in Baginton, Warwickshire, England, UK. Bromley-Davenport made appearances in at least 77 films for te ...

as Colonel Grahame * Alexander Field as Sam *

as Hilde *

Ben Field Ben Field (1876–1939) was a British actor. Partial filmography * ''Les cloches de Corneville'' (1917) - Iolo * ''The Face at the Window'' (1920) - Peter Pottlebury * ''The Bachelor's Club'' (1921) - Peter Parker * '' Little Miss Nobody'' ...

as Lamberti * Barbara Everest as Mme Lamberti * Herbert Lomas as Pollard * James Knight as Garnett

References

External links

1932 films British crime films 1932 crime films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Leslie S. Hiscott Films set in London Films set in England Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios British black-and-white films 1930s British films {{1930s-crime-film-stub