''The Long Dark Hall'' is a 1951 British mystery, suspense, courtroom-drama, crime film directed by

Reginald Beck Reginald Beck (5 February 1902 – 12 July 1992) was a British film editor with forty-nine credits from 1932 to 1985. He is noted primarily for films done with Laurence Olivier in the 1940s and with Joseph Losey in the 1960s and 1970s. He was t ...

and

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 al ...

and starring Rex Harrison,

Lilli Palmer Lilli Palmer (; born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Glob ...

and

Raymond Huntley Horace Raymond Huntley (23 April 1904 – 15 June 1990) was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s to the 1970s. He also appeared in the ITV period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' as the pragmatic family s ...

. It was based on the 1947 novel ''A Case to Answer'' by Edgar Lustgarten. It was made at

Walton Studios Walton Studios, previously named Hepworth Studios and Nettlefold Studios, was a film production studio in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, England.showgirl A showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show intended to showcase the performer's physical attributes, typically by way of revealing clothing, toplessness, or nudity. History Showgirls date back to the late 180 ...

begins an affair with Arthur Groome, a married man, she is found murdered. Groome discovers her body but fearing his wife's knowledge of his affair he does not summon the police; he soon becomes the prime suspect for the murder. Most of the film portrays the trial of Groome at the Old Bailey, London.

Cast

* Rex Harrison - Arthur Groome *

- Mary Groome * Tania Heald - Sheila Groome * Henrietta Barry - Rosemary Groome * Dora Sevening - Mary's mother * Ronald Simpson - Mary's father *

- Chief Inspector Sullivan *

William Squire William Squire (29 April 1917 – 3 May 1989) was a Welsh actor of stage, film and television. Squire was born in Neath, Glamorgan, the son of William Squire and his wife Martha (née Bridgeman). Career As a stage actor, Squire performed at S ...

- Sergeant Cochran * Ballard Berkeley - Superintendent Maxey * Anthony Dawson - The Man *

Denis O'Dea Denis O'Dea (26 April 1905 – 5 November 1978) was an Irish stage and film actor. He was born in Dublin and attended Synge Street CBS. When very young he and his mother Kathleen (from County Kerry) moved in with her sister, who kept a boardin ...

- Sir Charles Morton *

- Clive Bedford * Henry B. Longhurst - Judge *

Patricia Cutts Patricia Cutts (20 July 1926 – 6 September 1974)Patricia Cu ...

- Rose Mallory *

Meriel Forbes Meriel Forbes, Lady Richardson (13 September 1913 – 7 April 2000) was an English actress. She was a granddaughter of Norman Forbes-Robertson and great-niece of Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson. After making her stage debut with her father's tour ...

- Marjorie Danns * Brenda De Banzie - Mrs Rogers * Douglas Jefferies - Dr. Conway * Fletcher Lightfoot - Jury Foreman * Anthony Shaw - Clerk of the Court *

Michael Medwin Michael Hugh Medwin, OBE (18 July 1923 – 26 February 2020) was an English actor and film producer. Life and career Medwin was born in London. He was educated at Canford School, Dorset, and the Institute Fischer, Montreux, Switzerland. He ...

- Leslie Scott *

Colin Gordon Colin Gordon (27 April 1911 – 4 October 1972) was a British actor born in Ceylon. Biography He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church, Oxford. He made his first West End appearance in 1934 as the hind legs of a horse in a ...

- Pound *

Lionel Murton William Lionel Murton (2 June 1915 – 26 September 2006) was an English character actor. Born in Wandsworth, London, he was resident at Little Orchard, Weston Road, Upton Grey, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, before his death at age 91. He was c ...

- Jefferson (US version only) *

Eric Pohlmann Eric Pohlmann (german: Erich Pohlmann; born Erich Pollak; 18 July 1913 – 25 July 1979) was an Austrian theatre, film and television character actor who worked mostly in the United Kingdom. He is known for voicing Ernst Stavro Blofeld, th ...

- Mr Polaris * Lilli Molnar - Mrs Polaris * Frank Tickle - Alfred Tripp * Tom Macaulay - Ironworks manager * Richard Littledale - Mr Sims *

Jenny Laird Phyllis Edith Mary Blythe (13 February 1912 – 31 October 2001), known professionally as Jenny Laird, was a British stage, film and television actress. Early life and education Born in Manchester, Laird and her parents moved to the south, a ...

- Mrs Sims * Tony Quinn - Joe the barman * Jill Bennett - First murdered girl

Critical reception

In ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'',

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

wrote, "a very tidy murder drama arrived yesterday from England at the Rivoli Theater...An unusually literate and impressively acted film...It is English in setting and temperament, but international in its entertainment appeal. Thoughtful audiences should especially welcome this picture."

References

External links

1951 films 1950s English-language films 1951 crime films Films directed by Reginald Beck Films directed by Anthony Bushell Films based on British novels British crime films British black-and-white films Films scored by Benjamin Frankel Films set in London Films shot at Nettlefold Studios 1950s British films {{1950s-crime-film-stub