A Matter of Murder
1949 British film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Matter of Murder is a 1949 British second feature ('B')[1] crime film directed and written by John Gilling and starring Maureen Riscoe, John Barry, Charles Clapham, Ian Fleming and John Le Mesurier.[2][3]
Roger Proudlock
John Barry
Charles Clapham
Ivan Craig
| A Matter of Murder | |
|---|---|
![](#/media/File:"The_Strangers_Came_A_Matter_of_Murder"_(1949_films).jpg) | |
| Directed by | John Gilling |
| Written by | John Gilling |
| Produced by | Sam Lee Roger Proudlock |
| Starring | Maureen Riscoe John Barry Charles Clapham Ivan Craig |
| Cinematography | S.D. Onions |
| Music by | George Melachrino |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Grand National Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 59 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
Mild-mannered bank clerk Geoffrey Dent is persuaded by his nagging, gold-digging girlfriend, Laura, to embezzle money. When an attempt is made on Laura's life, Geoffrey runs away with the cash to avoid being blamed. With the killer and a detective hot on his heels, Geoffrey hides out in a Cheltenham boarding house, where he becomes the murderer's next intended victim.
Cast
- John Barry as Geoffrey Dent
- Maureen Riscoe as Julie McKelvin
- Charles Clapham as Col Peabody
- Ivan Craig as Tony
- Ian Fleming as Det Sgt McKelvin
- John Le Mesurier as Ginter
- Sonya O'Shea as Laura Wilson
- Peter Madren as Sgt Bex
- Sam Lee as Cullen
- Blanche Fothergill as Miss Budge
- Tony Doonan as Suspect (uncredited)
Production
The film was made by Vandyke Productions at Viking Studios, and on location at a former girls' school in Kensington dressed as a boarding house, and Paddington Station.[1]
Reception
Kine Weekly wrote: "Stilted acting and dialogue remove the edge from many intended thrills. Very moderate quota offering."[4]
Picturegoer wrote: "Characters are drawn from stock, with a provincial boarding house setting, and the drama as a whole is most ingenuous. Maureen Riscoe is quite good as the heroine, but the rest of the cast hardly comes up to scratch."[5]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Tatty programme-filler."[6]