''A Honeymoon Adventure'' is a 1931 British

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

and starring

Benita Hume Benita Hume (14 October 1907 – 1 November 1967) was an English theatre and film actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1925 and 1955. Life and career She was married to film actor Ronald Colman from 1938 to his death in 1958 ...

, Peter Hannen and

Harold Huth Harold Huth (20 January 1892 – 26 October 1967) was a British actor, film director and producer. Biography Early life He was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, in 1892. He was a nephew of Eva Moore and a cousin of the actor Roland Pertwee. Fo ...

. Written in collaboration by Rupert Downing and

Basil Dean Basil Herbert Dean CBE (27 September 1888 – 22 April 1978) was an English actor, writer, producer and director in the theatre and in cinema. He founded the Liverpool Repertory Company in 1911 and in the First World War, after organising unof ...

, it The film was shot at

Beaconsfield Studios Beaconsfield Film Studios is a British television and film studio in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. The studios were operational as a production site for films in 1922, and continued producing films - and, later, TV shows - until the 1960s. B ...

. Location shooting, including the railway scenes took place in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

Plot

On the wedding day of Peter Martin (Peter Hannen), a brilliant scientist, and Eve Harvey (

), Walter Creason (

), an agent of a foreign power, learns that Peter has designed a revolutionary electric storage battery and taken the plans and specifications to

to look over on his honeymoon. Creason plots to attend the wedding and follows the couple on their honeymoon in an attempt to discover and steal the plans. Peter receives a

telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

from his father-in-law instructing him to return by express train with his plans for an upcoming government conference. Sensing the urgency, he declares that he must return at once, to Eva's dismay. Whilst travelling on the train, Peter is drugged and taken back to his cabin by a man who proceeds to search his case for the documents. When he regains consciousness the next morning he finds himself held at gunpoint in a run-down apartment. The man, Judson ( Walter Armitage) realises that Peter had not brought the papers with him and instructs him to telegram his wife to tell her he will be returning later than expected. With Peter detailed by his accomplice, Creason arrives at their honeymoon location, a large Scottish castle, masquerading as a friend of her husband's who was expecting to meet him. Eve offers him a room for the night. They dine together and after dinner Creason notices with interest a safe hidden in the wall. Peter's telegram then arrives and Eve grows suspicious of the stranger who becomes increasingly boorish. Later that night Creason searches for more hidden compartments, attempting to find the battery plans. Eve follows and manages to claim the documents, deceiving Creason in the process. The following morning Creason tells Eve he has keys to the safe which he claims her husband gave him to collect the important documents. The safe is opened but Creason realises the drawings are missing, growing suspicious that Eve is hiding them. With the assistance of the castle's chauffeur ( Jack Lambert), Eve evades the criminals who eventually track her to a steam train travelling from Scotland to Euston station in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

. Judson pursues her through the city streets, proposing she give him the papers in return for her husband's location, which she refuses. Eve sends a friend out in her distinctive coat, tricking him into following the wrong woman. In the meantime Peter starts a fire in his room, forcing the landlady to unlock the door. He then fights his way out of the building, making an escape from the criminals. Peter returns to his home where he is overjoyed to discover Eve. Creason then enters the house and threatens Peter at gunpoint to handover the documents. A fight ensues and Judson enters the fray. Just in time a policeman enters and stops the attack, apprehending the crooks.

Cast

as Eve Martin * Peter Hannen as Peter Martin *

as Walter Creason * Walter Armitage as Judson * Jack Lambert as Chauffeur *

Polly Emery Polly Emery (10 May 1875 – 31 October 1958) was an English actress of both silent and talking pictures.Profile
, ftvd ...

as Old Woman * Robert English as Mr Harvey * Margery Binner as Josephine * Frances Ross Campbell as Janet * Fanny Wright as Old Woman

Production

Production began in May 1931, with studio filming conducted in Beaconsfield as the modern Ealing Studios were currently under construction. In June 1931 production moved to a location shoot in

including footage taken at

Dalcross Castle Dalcross Castle is a restored 17th century tower house, about southwest of Croy, Highland, Scotland, and about northeast of Inverness. The castle stands on a ridge.Lindsay, Maurice (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Constable. p.180 Histo ...

, the home of C. Frazer-Simpson, the author of the story. The second day's shooting was supposed to take place at Dulsie Bridge, but weather was poor. Avenmore Junction was used for the third days' shooting, where a special train was hired. The author of the novel on which the film was adapted was Cicely Fraser-Simson. She was the second wife of English composer Harold Fraser-Simson, noted for his many works of light music including musical comedies and setting children poems to music, especially those of

A. A. Milne Alan Alexander Milne (; 18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as for children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winni ...

. One of his pieces, "Waltz Song" was featured in the film and his name appears in the credits. A Honeymoon Adventure was produced as 'Footsteps in the Night' which was the title of the original novel on which the film was based. The title change was announced just one day before the film premiere. Lead actress Benita Hume's dresses were designed by the leading

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

-based British fashion designer

Edward Molyneux Edward Henry Molyneux () (5 September 1891 – 23 March 1974) was a leading British fashion designer whose salon in Paris was in operation from 1919 until 1950. He was characterised as a modernist designer who played with the refinements of co ...

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachel. ''History of British Film: Volume VII, 1929-1939''. Routledge, 1997

External links

* 1931 films British thriller films 1930s thriller films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Maurice Elvey Associated Talking Pictures Films shot at Beaconsfield Studios Films based on British novels Films shot in Scotland Films set in Scotland Films set in London British black-and-white films Films with screenplays by John Paddy Carstairs Films about scientists 1930s British films {{1930s-thriller-film-stub