Death in the Hand

Last updated

Death in the Hand
Directed byA. Barr-Smith
Written by Max Beerbohm (story), Douglas Cleverdon (adaptation)
CinematographyJo Jago
George Noble
Edited byBunch Dixon-Spain
Music by Albert Ferber
Distributed by General Film Distributors (U.K.)
Release date
  • 13 February 1948 (1948-02-13)(London)
Running time
43 minutes
CountryUK
LanguageEnglish

Death in the Hand is a 1948 British short mystery film directed by A. Barr-Smith, starring Esme Percy, Ernest Jay and Cecile Chevreau. [1] The film marked the debut of John Le Mesurier. It was made by the small independent company Vandyke Productions.

Contents

Plot

In a seaside guest house, a nervous piano player, Cosmo Vaughan (Esme Percy), tells a tale of how he read the palms of passengers on board a train and forecast their deaths. But is Mr Vaughan quite what he appears?

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hattie Jacques</span> English actress (1922–1980)

Hattie Jacques was an English comedy actress of stage, radio and screen. She is best known as a regular of the Carry On films, where she typically played strict, no-nonsense characters, but was also a prolific television and radio performer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Le Mesurier</span> English actor (1912–1983)

John Le Mesurier was an English actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation comedy Dad's Army (1968–1977). A self-confessed "jobbing actor", Le Mesurier appeared in more than 120 films across a range of genres, normally in smaller supporting parts.

<i>The Wrong Arm of the Law</i> 1963 British film by Cliff Owen

The Wrong Arm of the Law is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Cliff Owen and starring Peter Sellers, Bernard Cribbins, Lionel Jeffries, John Le Mesurier, Bill Kerr and Nanette Newman. The final screenplay was written by John Antrobus, Ray Galton, and Alan Simpson – from an original draft script by John Warren and Len Heath, based on a story by Ivor Jay and William Whistance Smith – and made by Romulus Films. It reunited Sellers, Jeffries, and Cribbens who appeared together in the 1960 film comedy Two-Way Stretch – also written by John Warren and Len Heath – where similarly Sellers and Cribbens played crooks (incarcerated) against Jeffries as on officer of the law, in that case as their chief prison officer.

<i>Salt and Pepper</i> (film) 1968 British film by Richard Donner

Salt and Pepper is a 1968 British comedy film directed by Richard Donner and starring Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Michael Bates, Ilona Rodgers and John Le Mesurier. It was written by Michael Pertwee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster City School</span> Academy in Westminster, London, England

Westminster City School is a state-funded secondary academy for boys, with a mixed sixth form, in Westminster, London. The school educates over 800 students, with links to more than 100 different cultures, in a central London location. The school offers places at Year 7 entry, each year, to boys of Christian faith, other world faiths, and those of no faith. The current headteacher is Peter Broughton, while the current deputy headteachers are Jen Lockyer and Simon Brown.

"Traitor" is the first episode of the second season of the British BBC anthology TV series Play for Today. The episode was a television play that was originally broadcast on 14 October 1971. "Traitor" was written by Dennis Potter, directed by Alan Bridges, produced by Graeme MacDonald, and starred John Le Mesurier as Adrian Harris, a character loosely based on Kim Philby. Le Mesurier's performance won him the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esme Percy</span> English actor

Saville Esmé Percy was an English actor who specialized in the plays of George Bernard Shaw and appeared in 40 films between 1930 and 1956. He was born in London and died in Brighton.

<i>Where the Spies Are</i> 1965 British film by Val Guest

Where the Spies Are is a 1965 British comedy adventure film directed by Val Guest and starring David Niven, Françoise Dorléac, John Le Mesurier, Cyril Cusack and Richard Marner. It was based on the 1964 James Leasor book Passport to Oblivion, which was also the working title of the film. MGM intended to make a Jason Love film series, but the idea was shelved.

<i>The Blue Parrot</i> 1953 British film by John Harlow

The Blue Parrot is a low budget 1953 British "B" crime film directed by John Harlow and starring Dermot Walsh, Jacqueline Hill, Ballard Berkeley, Richard Pearson, and John Le Mesurier. The film was produced by Stanley Haynes for Act Films Ltd. The screenplay is by Alan MacKinnon from a story by British crime reporter Percy Hoskins.

<i>These Dangerous Years</i> 1957 British film by Herbert Wilcox

These Dangerous Years is a 1957 British drama musical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring George Baker, Frankie Vaughan, Carole Lesley, Thora Hird, Kenneth Cope, David Lodge and John Le Mesurier. It was written by Jack Trevor Story,

<i>Three for All</i> 1975 British film by Martin Campbell

Three for All is a 1975 British musical comedy film directed by Martin Campbell and starring Adrienne Posta, Robert Lindsay, Paul Nicholas, Cheryl Hall, Richard Beckinsale, Graham Bonnet and John Le Mesurier.

<i>Blind Spot</i> (1958 film) 1958 British film by Peter Maxwell

Blind Spot is a 1958 British drama film directed by Peter Maxwell and starring Robert MacKenzie, Delphi Lawrence, Gordon Jackson, John Le Mesurier, and Michael Caine.

<i>The Moonraker</i> 1958 film by David MacDonald

The Moonraker is a 1957 British swashbuckler film directed by David MacDonald and starring George Baker, Sylvia Syms, Marius Goring, Gary Raymond, Peter Arne, John Le Mesurier and Patrick Troughton. It was based on the 1952 play of the same title by Arthur Watkyn. It was released in 1958.

<i>Dead Lucky</i> (film) 1960 British film by Montgomery Tully

Dead Lucky is a 1960 British crime film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Vincent Ball, Betty McDowall, John Le Mesurier, Alfred Burke and Michael Ripper. The film was written by Maurice Harrison and Sidney Nelson, and produced by Robert Dunbar for Act Films Ltd.

<i>Hair of the Dog</i> (film) 1962 British film by Terry Bishop

Hair of the Dog is a 1962 second feature British comedy film directed by Terry Bishop and starring Reginald Beckwith, Dorinda Stevens and John Le Mesurier.

Hattie is a television film about the life of British comic actress Hattie Jacques, played by Ruth Jones, her marriage to John Le Mesurier and her affair with their lodger John Schofield. First broadcast in January 2011, it became the most watched programme on BBC Four ever and outdid biopic The Curse of Steptoe, which had held the record since 2008. Jacques' son Robin Le Mesurier later described Jones' performance as "(having) captured my mother perfectly".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Jay</span> British actor (1893–1957)

Ernest Jay was a British actor.

John Le Mesurier was an English actor who performed in many mediums of light entertainment, including film, radio and theatre. Le Mesurier's career spanned from 1934 until his death in 1983. He is best remembered for his role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC situation comedy Dad's Army, between 1968 and 1977.

James Gustaf Edward Le Mesurier was the British former military officer and security consultant who was the co-founder of the White Helmets, a volunteer civil defence organisation in the Syrian Civil War, founded in southern Turkey in 2014. Le Mesurier was a British Army officer and worked as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force in the former Yugoslavia. He was the director of the non-profit Mayday Rescue Foundation, headquartered in the Netherlands. Le Mesurier died in a fall from the balcony of an Istanbul building where he kept an apartment and an office.

References

  1. "Death in the Hand". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2012.