''Thunder on the Hill'' is a 1951 American film noir crime film directed by

Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. Sirk started his career in Germany as a stage and screen director, but he left for ...

and starring

Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert ( ; born Émilie Claudette Chauchoin; September 13, 1903July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the late 1920s and progressed to films with the advent of talking pictures ...

and Ann Blyth. The picture was made by Universal-International Pictures and produced by Michael Kraike from a screenplay by Oscar Saul and Andrew Solt, based on the play ''Bonaventure'' by Charlotte Hastings. The music score was by Hans J. Salter and the cinematography by William H. Daniels. ''Thunder on the Hill'' was first announced as a Universal-International Pictures project in August 1947, with plans for

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as ''The Killers'' (194 ...

to direct, Joseph Sistrom to produce and with

Joan Fontaine Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...

and Burt Lancaster starring. The production for ''Thunder on the Hill'' was postponed to allow Lancaster to film '' All My Sons'', and while Fontaine filmed '' Letter from an Unknown Woman'', her first movie through her own film production company Rampart Productions (co-owned with her husband

William Dozier William McElroy Dozier (; February 13, 1908 – April 23, 1991) was an American film and television producer, writer and actor. He is best known for two television series, ''Batman'' and ''The Green Hornet''. Early life Dozier was born in Omaha, ...

). ''Thunder on the Hill'' was postponed again, to the autumn of 1948, this time to allow for the filming of ''

Kiss the Blood Off My Hands ''Kiss the Blood Off My Hands'' is a 1948 American noir-thriller film directed by Norman Foster. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Gerald Butler, it stars Joan Fontaine, Burt Lancaster and Robert Newton. The film faced minor ...

'', starring both Fontaine and Lancaster, which was to be immediately followed by Rampart Productions' second film, '' You Gotta Stay Happy'' (co-starring Fontaine and James Stewart). Due to Fontaine's announced pregnancy during the filming of ''Kiss the Blood Off My Hands'', the filming of ''Thunder on the Hill'' was again pushed back, this time to January 1949; by then the entire production team and its stars had been replaced."Thunder Postponed", ''Showmen's Trade Review'', April 17 1948, p13
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Plot

Sister Mary Bonaventure is in charge of the hospital ward of a convent in the county of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, England. She is troubled by her own sister's suicide, which she confides to her Mother Superior. A torrential rain closes nearby roads, causing Sergeant Melling of the police to bring condemned murderer Valerie Carns there. She is being taken to prison. Valerie was convicted of poisoning her brother Jason, a pianist. Jason's physician, Dr. Jeffreys, is head of the hospital where Sister Mary now works. Valerie still proclaims her innocence, but Jeffreys insists that she gave Jason a fatal overdose of his medicine. A photograph of Jason clearly disturbs Isabel Jeffreys, the doctor's wife. He gives her a sedative. Valerie appeals to Sister Mary to bring her fiancé, Sidney Kingham, to the convent to see her. A servant tells Sister Mary about the sadistic behaviour of Jason Carns and produces a love letter to him, clearly written by Isabel. Mother Superior is upset by Sister Mary's meddling. She burns the letter. The nun still intends to tell Melling the police sergeant what she knows. Dr. Jeffreys is the one who gave Jason the fatal dose, and he might be slowly poisoning Isabel as well. He lures Sister Mary to a bell tower, where he attacks her. She rings the bell. Sidney hears it, rushes to her aid and overpowers Jeffreys, who is arrested by Melling. Sister Mary's faith is restored, believing the rain that delivered Valerie to her to be divine intervention.

Cast

Claudette Colbert-Ann Blyth in Thunder on the Hill trailer

as Sister Mary * Ann Blyth as Valerie Carns * Robert Douglas as Dr. Jeffreys * Anne Crawford as Isabel Jeffreys *

Philip Friend Philip Wyndham Friend (20 February 1915 in Horsham, Sussex – 1 September 1987 in Chiddingfold, Surrey) was a British film and television actor. Career Britain Friend went to Bradfield College where he became interested in acting. He began ...

as Sidney Kingham * Gladys Cooper as Mother Superior * Michael Pate as Willie *

John Abbott Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party. Abbo ...

as Abel Harmer *

Connie Gilchrist Rose Constance Gilchrist (July 17, 1895 – March 3, 1985) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Among her screen credits are her roles in the Hollywood productions '' Cry 'Havoc (1943), ''A Letter to Three Wives'' (1949), ...

as Sister Josephine * Gavin Muir as Melling *

Phyllis Stanley Phyllis Stanley (30 October 1914 – 12 March 1992) was a British actress. Personal life During World War II, she shared a flat in West End of London with the Scottish heiress Jane Corby. Partial filmography * ''Leave It to Blanche'' (1934) ...

as Nurse Phillips *

Norma Varden Norma Varden Shackleton (20 January 1898 – 19 January 1989), known professionally as Norma Varden, was an English-American actress with a long film career. Life and career Early life Born in London, the daughter of a retired sea captain ...

as Pierce * Valerie Cardew as Nurse Colby *

Queenie Leonard Queenie Leonard (born Pearl Walker; 18 February 1905 – 17 January 2002) was a British actress. She was the last surviving cast member of ''And Then There Were None'' (1945) until her death in 2002. Biography She was born as Pearl Walk ...

as Mrs. Smithson *

Patrick O'Moore Patrick O'Moore (1909–1983) was an Irish actor who appeared in a variety of American films and television shows. Keaney p.445 A character actor, he appeared in a number of Hollywood's British-themed films during the 1940s and 1950s. Selected fi ...

as Mr. Smithson

Home releases

The film was released on a Region A Blu-ray in North America by Kino Lorber as part of their ''Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema II'' box set.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thunder On The Hill 1951 films Film noir 1951 crime drama films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films directed by Douglas Sirk American mystery films Universal Pictures films Films set in Norfolk American crime drama films Films scored by Hans J. Salter 1950s English-language films 1950s American films