''The Riverside Murder'' is a 1935 British crime film directed by Albert Parker and starring

Basil Sydney Basil Sydney (23 April 1894 – 10 January 1968) was an English stage and screen actor. Career Sydney made his name in 1915 in the London stage hit ''Romance'' by Edward Sheldon, with Broadway star Doris Keane, and he costarred with Keane in t ...

Judy Gunn Judy Gunn, born Joan Winfindale (10 February 1915 – 19 April 1991) was a British stage and film actress. When she was thirteen, she played a leading role in a local dramatic performance and the following year she went to RADA to study, where s ...

and

Zoe Davis Zoe Davis is a fictional character from the Australia soap opera ''Neighbours'', portrayed by Ally Fowler. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 January 1986. Creation and casting After ''Neighbours'' was picked ...

. A woman reporter helps an inspector solve the deaths of four financiers on the eve of a group shareout. The film was shot at Wembley Studios 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 ...

with sets designed by the art director Ralph W. Brinton. 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 ...

, it was produced and distributed by Fox Film. It is based on the 1931 novel '' The Six Dead Men'' by Belgian author

Stanislas-André Steeman Stanislas-Andre Steeman ( Liège on 23 January 1908 – Menton on 15 December 1970) was a Belgian illustrator and French-language author. His family, originally of Flemish extraction, had long been settled in Liège. He wrote many mystery nove ...

, which was later adapted into the 1941 French film '' The Last of the Six''. The film shifted the setting from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. It marked the film debut of

Alastair Sim Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE (9 October 1900 – 19 August 1976) was a Scottish character actor who began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his ...

Plot summary

Robert Norman is shot dead at his home. Inspector Winton arrives on the scene to investigate the murder and finds that it has occurred shortly before an important meeting between a group of five financiers of whom Norman was one. Budding journalist Claire Haines also manages to talk her way into the house in an attempt to impress her editor by gathering exclusive news on the murder. The other financiers realize they are also in danger when another one of their number is murdered. Inspector Winton sets a trap for the killer using one of the financiers as bait.

Cast

as Inspector Philip Winton *

as Claire Haines *Zoe Davis as Mrs. Harris *

as Police Sergeant "Mac" McKay *

Reginald Tate Reginald Tate (13 December 1896 – 23 August 1955) was an English actor, veteran of many roles on stage, in films and on television. He is remembered best as the first actor to play the television science-fiction character Professor Ber ...

as Hubert Perrin * Ian Fleming as Henry Sanders *

Tom Helmore Tom Helmore (4 January 1904 – 12 September 1995) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1927 and 1972, including three directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Helmore was born in London, England and died in Longboat K ...

as Alfred Jerome * Martin Lewis as William Gregg *

C. M. Hallard Charles Maitland Hallard (26 October 1865 – 21 April 1942) was a Scottish actor. In 1895 he appeared in the popular drama ''Trilby (play), Trilby'' with Herbert Beerbohm Tree at the Haymarket Theatre. Selected filmography * ''Convict 99 (191 ...

as Dickenson - Norman's Attorney *

Aubrey Mallalieu Aubrey Mallalieu (8 June 1873 – 28 May 1948) was an English actor with a prolific career in supporting roles in films in the 1930s and 1940s. Mallalieu began life as George William Mallalieu, the son of William Mallalieu (c. 1845–1927), a ...

as Robert Norman * Ernest Borrow as Superintendent Field * Sidney Monckton as Globe Reporter * Albert Parker as Film Director

References

Bibliography

* Chibnall, Steve. ''Quota Quickies: The Birth of the British 'B' Film''. British Film Institute, 2007. * Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Simpson, Mark. ''Alastair Sim: The Real Belle of St Trinian's''. The History Press, 2011. * Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

* * 1935 films British crime films 1935 mystery films 1935 crime films British black-and-white films Films based on Belgian novels Films directed by Albert Parker Films set in London British mystery films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films Quota quickies Films shot at Wembley Studios Fox Film films Films based on works by Stanislas-André Steeman {{1930s-UK-film-stub