Crow Hollow

Last updated

Crow Hollow
Crow Hollow.jpg
Directed by Michael McCarthy
Written by Vivian Milroy
Based onCrow Hollow by Dorothy Eden
Produced byWilliam H. Williams
executive
Nat Cohen
Stuart Levy
Starring Donald Houston
Natasha Parry
Patricia Owens
CinematographyRobert LaPresle
Edited byEric Hodges
Production
company
Bruton Film Productions
Distributed by Eros Films (UK)
Release date
August 1952
Running time
70 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Crow Hollow is a 1952 British mystery film directed by Michael McCarthy and starring Donald Houston, Natasha Parry and Patricia Owens. [1] It is based on the 1950 novel Crow Hollow by Dorothy Eden. In the film, newlywed Ann Amour survives a number of murder attempts, while her maid is found stabbed to death by unknown assailants. Ann is unaware of who is trying to kill her.

Contents

The film was shot at Merton Park Studios. [2] There was also a scene shot at Gomshall and Shere railway station. [3]

Plot

A young woman, Ann, falls in love with and marries Doctor Robert "Bob" Amour. She goes to live with him on his family estate, Crow Hollow, with his three eccentric aunts - for whom he is obliged to provide a home, as a condition of ownership of the estate.

Ann becomes increasingly concerned about incidents and about the behaviour of the three aunts and also an attractive young maid called Willow. On one occasion a large poisonous spider jumps on her from a box of delivered flowers while her hair is being styled by Willow, on another she becomes suddenly and seriously ill immediately after eating some bitter tasting soup served her by Hester, one of the aunts. She becomes convinced that somebody is trying to kill her, and as her husband refuses to live anywhere else, she bribes the maid with a gift of clothes and slips out of the house with a suitcase, intending to leave by train. She is met before boarding the train by her friend Diana, who persuades her to return home; entering her own bedroom, she finds the maid dead - stabbed in the back whilst sitting at the dressing table wearing the dress Ann had just given her.

Police come to the house and quiz Ann. They doubt her belief that she was the intended victim because, despite the dress, she and the maid had different hair colours. An old rumour is mentioned that the maid, who had been adopted locally, was the child of a gardener at Crow Hollow. The police prohibit anybody - save Robert on professional calls - from leaving Crow Hollow while the murder is investigated.

Ann and Robert form a theory that Willow had been wearing a hat at the dressing table, concealing the colour of her hair, confirming in their minds that Ann had been the intended victim. To reassure Ann, her friend Diana comes to stay in the house.

Opal tells Robert that there is a phone call calling him out to a medical case. Ann realizes that the phone had not rung and stops him from leaving. Aunt Opal tries to serve her coffee while they discuss Ann's suspicions. Ann refuses to drink it, believing it to be poisoned. Robert is about to drink it, but changes his mind. In the subsequent argument, Opal admits that she had inadvertently killed Willow - her illegitimate daughter - meaning to kill Ann. Her plan had been that Robert would marry Willow, keeping Crow Hollow fully in the family. Robert takes Ann from the room saying that they are going to call the police. Opal picks up the cup of poisoned coffee and drinks it. Robert says to his wife outside the door "it's better this way".

When things have settled down, Robert is about to apply for a post as a hospital doctor, somewhat distant from Crow Hollow, when Ann tears up the application, saying she is now happy at Crow Hollow and wishes to stay.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<i>Lady Sings the Blues</i> (film) 1972 film by Sidney J. Furie

Lady Sings the Blues is a 1972 American biographical drama film directed by Sidney J. Furie about jazz singer Billie Holiday, loosely based on her 1956 autobiography which, in turn, took its title from Holiday's song. It was produced by Motown Productions for Paramount Pictures. Diana Ross, in her feature film debut, portrayed Holiday, alongside a cast including Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan, and Scatman Crothers. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards in 1973, including Best Actress in a Leading Role for Diana Ross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fay Compton</span> English actress (1894-1978)

Virginia Lilian Emmeline Compton-Mackenzie,, known professionally as Fay Compton, was an English actress. She appeared in several films, and made many broadcasts, but was best known for her stage performances. She was known for her versatility, and appeared in Shakespeare, drawing room comedy, pantomime, modern drama, and classics such as Ibsen and Chekhov. In addition to performing in Britain, Compton appeared several times in the US, and toured Australia and New Zealand in a variety of stage plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheetah (character)</span> DC Comics supervillain

The Cheetah is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a major adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. Like her nemesis, she was created by William Moulton Marston & H. G. Peter, debuting in the autumn of 1943 in Wonder Woman #6. With her distinctive sleek, spotted appearance, she is recognized as "one of Wonder Woman's most iconic enemies" and has been a persistent foe throughout every era of the hero's comic book adventures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esma Cannon</span> Australian actress (1905–1972)

Esma Ellen Charlotte Littmann, credited as Esme or Esma Cannon, was an Australian-born character actress and comedian, who moved to Britain in the early 1930s. Although she frequently appeared on television in her latter years, Cannon is best remembered as a film actress, with a lengthy career in British productions from the 1930s to the 1960s.

<i>Dark Passage</i> (film) 1947 US mystery thriller film by Delmer Daves

Dark Passage is a 1947 American mystery thriller film directed by Delmer Daves and starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. The film is based on the 1946 novel of the same title by David Goodis. It was the third of four films real-life couple Bacall and Bogart made together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Ghostley</span> American actress (1923–2007)

Alice Margaret Ghostley was an American actress and singer on stage, film and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Hayes</span> British actress (1909–1998)

Patricia Lawlor Hayes was an English character actress.

<i>Gaslight</i> (1940 film) 1940 British film by Thorold Dickinson

Gaslight is a 1940 British psychological thriller film directed by Thorold Dickinson which stars Anton Walbrook and Diana Wynyard, and features Frank Pettingell. The film adheres more closely to the original play upon which it is based – Patrick Hamilton's Gas Light (1938) – than does the 1944 MGM remake. The play had been performed on Broadway as Angel Street, so when the MGM remake was released in the United States, it was given the same title as the American production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shere</span> Village in England

Shere is a village in the Guildford district of Surrey, England 4.8 miles (7.7 km) east south-east of Guildford and 5.4 miles (8.7 km) west of Dorking, centrally bypassed by the A25. Located on the River Tillingbourne it is a small still partly agricultural village chiefly set in the wooded Vale of Holmesdale between the North Downs and Greensand Ridge. As of 2011 the village had a population of 1,032.

<i>In This Our Life</i> 1942 film by John Huston

In This Our Life is a 1942 American drama film, the second to be directed by John Huston. The screenplay by Howard Koch is based on the 1941 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Ellen Glasgow. The cast included the established stars Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland as sisters and rivals in romance and life. Raoul Walsh also worked as director, taking over when Huston was called away for a war assignment after the United States entered World War II, but he was uncredited. This film was the third of six films that de Havilland and Davis starred in together.

<i>Further Chronicles of Avonlea</i>

Further Chronicles of Avonlea is a collection of short stories by L. M. Montgomery and is a sequel to Chronicles of Avonlea. Published in 1920, it includes a number of stories relating to the inhabitants of the fictional Canadian village of Avonlea and its region, located on Prince Edward Island. Sometimes marketed as a book in the Anne Shirley series, Anne plays only a minor role in the book: out of the 15 stories in the collection, she narrates and stars in only one, and is briefly mentioned in passing in two others. Three other characters from the Anne books are seen in brief secondary roles: Diana Barry and Marilla Cuthbert in "The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily", and Rachel Lynde in "Sara's Way". As well, Matthew Cuthbert is mentioned in passing in "The Conscience Case of David Bell".

<i>Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key</i> 1972 film by Sergio Martino

Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key is a 1972 giallo film directed by Sergio Martino. The picture stars Edwige Fenech, Luigi Pistilli, and Anita Strindberg. The film uses many elements from Edgar Allan Poe's 1843 short story "The Black Cat" and acknowledges this influence in the film's opening credits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Campbell</span> English actress (1916–2004)

Judy Campbell was an English film, television and stage actress, widely known to be Noël Coward's muse. Her daughter was the actress and singer Jane Birkin, her son the screenwriter and director Andrew Birkin, and among her grandchildren are the actresses Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, the late poet Anno Birkin, the artist David Birkin and the late photographer Kate Barry.

Pony Club Secrets is a series of junior and intermediate reader children's books published by HarperCollins in the United Kingdom. The series was created by author and journalist Stacy Gregg, and is loosely based on her experiences as a young rider growing up in New Zealand. It blends authentic horse and pony detail with a mixture of fantasy and adventure. The series is set in a fictionalised version of New Zealand, in an area called Chevalier Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Maddocks</span>

Ann Maddocks was a Welsh maid who according to tradition was forced to marry against her wishes and died pining for her true love. She is also known by the poetic name, The Maid of Cefn Ydfa.

Pearlie is an animated comedy series based on the children's book series Pearlie the Park Fairy by Wendy Harmer. Pearlie is a co-production between Australian children's television producer Sticky Pictures and Canadian animation house Nelvana Limited. The series aired on Network Ten in Australia, YTV in Canada, Pop Girl in the United Kingdom, and Qubo in the United States. 26 episodes were produced.

<i>To Be a Lady</i> 1934 film

To Be a Lady is a 1934 British romance drama, directed and produced by George King, and starring Chili Bouchier and Bruce Lester. The film is the first screen editing credit of American film editor Elmo Williams.

Mary Radcliffe or Ratcliffe (1550-1617) was a courtier of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

References

  1. BFI.org
  2. Page on Merton Park Studios accessed 26 June 2014
  3. "Shere - Gomshall and Shere Train Station".