Deadly Nightshade | |
---|---|
Directed by | John Gilling |
Screenplay by | Lawrence Huntington |
Produced by | Robert S. Baker Monty Berman |
Starring | Emrys Jones Zena Marshall John Horsely |
Cinematography | Monty Berman |
Edited by | Sidney Hayers |
Music by | John Lanchbery |
Production company | Kenilworth Film Productions |
Distributed by | General Film Distributors (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 61 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Deadly Nightshade is a 1953 British crime drama film directed by John Gilling. [1] [2] It stars Emrys Jones, Zena Marshall and John Horsely. A convict on the run (Emrys Jones) switches identities with a lookalike, only to find himself in even deeper trouble.
TV Guide thought the idea was "done much better in Antonioni's The Passenger (1975)," but found the film, "still occasionally entertaining"; [3] while the Radio Times wrote, "In spite of its penury, this typical 1950s British crime quickie...is curiously engaging...Although director John Gilling throws in a few Cornish coastal views, he's mostly confined to unconvincing sets, though the cheapskate look only adds to the charm." [4]
John Gilling was an English film director and screenwriter, born in London. He was known for his horror movies, especially those he made for Hammer Films, for whom he directed The Shadow of the Cat (1961), The Plague of the Zombies (1966), The Reptile (1966) and The Mummy's Shroud (1967), Cross of the Devil (1975), among others.
Maria Zena Schneider, known professionally as Maria Charles, was an English film, television and stage actress, director and comedienne. She was probably best known for her performance as the overbearing mother Bea Fisher in the ITV sitcom Agony. Charles also appeared on the stage in original West End productions including musicals by Stephen Sondheim, Charles Strouse and Sandy Wilson.
Sidney Hayers was a British film and television director, writer and producer.
Three Cases of Murder is a 1955 British horror omnibus film comprising three stories: "The Picture," "You Killed Elizabeth," and "Lord Mountdrago." Eamonn Andrews introduces each. Alan Badel appears in all three.
The Terrornauts is a 1967 British science fiction film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Simon Oates and Zena Marshall. It was produced by Amicus Productions and based on the 1960 novel The Wailing Asteroid by Murray Leinster, adapted for screen by John Brunner. Space scientists foil an alien invasion of Earth.
Escape by Night is a 1953 British crime film directed and written by John Gilling.
The Switch is a 1963 British crime drama film directed by Peter Maxwell, and starring Anthony Steel, Zena Marshall and Conrad Phillips. The film concerns a criminal gang that smuggles watches into the UK by hiding them in the petrol tank of a woman's car. It was Susan Shaw's last film.
Blind Man's Bluff is a 1952 British 'B' crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Zena Marshall, Sydney Tafler, and Anthony Pendrell. It was written by John Gilling.
The Shipbuilders is a 1943 British drama film directed by John Baxter and starring Clive Brook, Morland Graham and Nell Ballantyne. The film is set in a Clyde shipyard in the build-up to the Second World War. It was made by British National Films and shot at Elstree Studios. It was based on the 1935 novel of the same name by George Blake.
The Bandit of Zhobe is a 1959 British CinemaScope adventure film directed by John Gilling and starring Victor Mature, Anne Aubrey and Anthony Newley. In British India a bandit goes on a rampage in the mistaken belief that the British have killed his family, which later proves to not be the case. It was produced by Albert Broccoli for Warwick Films and features extensive use of footage from Gilling's previous Zarak.
The Embezzler is a 1954 British crime film directed by John Gilling, and starring Charles Victor, Zena Marshall and Cyril Chamberlain. It was made as a second feature shot at Twickenham Studios and on location around London. The film's sets were designed by the art director C. Wilfred Arnold.
No Trace is a 1950 British second feature crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Hugh Sinclair, Dinah Sheridan and John Laurie. A crime writer murders a blackmailer, and is then asked to help solve the case by the police.
Martin Wyldeck was an English actor who played a wide range of parts over many years on stage, screen and TV. He also appeared in the first episode of the TV series Fawlty Towers, as Sir Richard Morris.
Dark Interval is a 1950 British crime film directed by Charles Saunders, starring Zena Marshall, Andrew Osborn and John Barry.
Account Rendered is a 1957 British 'B' crime film directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring Griffith Jones, Ursula Howells and Honor Blackman. It was written by Barbara S. Harper based on Pamela Barrington's 1953 novel of the same name. It was released by the Rank Organisation.
Meet Simon Cherry is a 1949 British mystery film directed by Godfrey Grayson, and an adaptation of the popular BBC radio series Meet the Rev., featuring the crime solving cleric.
The Scarlet Web is a 1954 British second feature crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Griffith Jones, Hazel Court and Zena Marshall.
Dark Secret is a 1949 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Dinah Sheridan, Emrys Jones and Irene Handl. It was a remake of the 1933 film The Crime at Blossoms, also directed by Rogers.
Gaolbreak is a 1962 British second feature crime film directed by Francis Searle and starring Peter Reynolds, Avice Landone and Carol White. The film was released as a supporting feature to Tiara Tahiti (1962).
Emergency is a 1962 British second feature drama film directed by Francis Searle and starring Glyn Houston, Zena Walker and Dermot Walsh.