The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.
The following is an overview of 1936 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.
Justine Kay Kendall McCarthy was an English actress and comedienne. She began her film career in the musical film London Town (1946), a financial failure. Kendall worked regularly until her appearance in the comedy film Genevieve (1953) brought her widespread recognition. Prolific in British films, Kendall also achieved some popularity with American audiences, and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in the musical-comedy film Les Girls (1957).
Charles Edward Underdown was an English theatre, cinema and television actor. He was born in London and educated at Eton College in Berkshire.
The Shakedown is a 1959 black and white British crime-drama film directed by John Lemont, starring Terence Morgan, Hazel Court, and Donald Pleasence. A ruthless crook runs a blackmail operation, falls for an undercover cop, and is murdered by one of his victims.
Meet Mr. Lucifer is a 1953 black-and-white British comedy satire film directed by Anthony Pelisser starring Stanley Holloway, Peggy Cummins and Jack Watling. It is based on the 1951 play Beggar My Neighbour by Arnold Ridley. It opened on 26 November 1953 at the Haymarket Gaumont cinema in London. It was filmed at Ealing Studios, London, and is one of the Ealing comedies.
Adventures of a Private Eye is a 1977 British sex comedy film directed by Stanley Long and starring Christopher Neil, Suzy Kendall, Harry H. Corbett and Liz Fraser. It followed Adventures of a Taxi Driver (1976), and was followed by Adventures of a Plumber's Mate (1977).
The Beauty Jungle is a 1964 British film directed by Val Guest and starring Ian Hendry, Janette Scott, Ronald Fraser and Edmund Purdom. It was written by Guest and Robert Muller.
Wensley Ivan William Frederick Pithey was a South African character actor who had a long stage and film career in Britain.
The Penthouse is a 1967 British drama thriller film directed by Peter Collinson. It stars Terence Morgan and Suzy Kendall and was based on a 1964 play The Meter Man by Scott Forbes. The film was the directorial debut of Peter Collinson.
The Woman's Angle is 1952 British drama film directed by Leslie Arliss and starring Edward Underdown, Cathy O'Donnell and Lois Maxwell. It is based on the novel Three Cups of Coffee by Ruth Feiner.
Recoil is a 1953 British 'B' crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Kieron Moore, Elizabeth Sellars and Edward Underdown.
The Hand of Night is a 1968 British horror film directed by Frederic Goode and starring William Sylvester, Diane Clare and Aliza Gur. Its plot centers around Paul Carver, an Englishman who has only recently lost his wife and children in a car accident. Waking from a nightmare, we find Carver on a plane traveling to Morocco, where he attempts to meet with a doctor, only to discover that the doctor has died. In despair, Carver ends up at the home of a German archaeologist, Otto Gunther, whom he met on the plane. It is here, in the midst of a party, that Carver first encounters the two women who will determine his destiny: Gunther's assistant, Chantal, and the mysterious Marissa. Greiving the loss of his loved ones and crippled by survivor's guilt, Carver must choose between life, represented by Chantal, and death, represented by Marissa.
Bruce Edward Beeby was an Australian actor who worked primarily in British films and television. He was probably best known for portraying Stephen "Mitch" Mitchell in the 1950s BBC radio serials Journey into Space.
My Lucky Star is a 1938 American romantic comedy film. This was Norwegian ice-skating Olympic champion Sonja Henie's fourth film.
Dial 999 is a 1955 British 'B' movie crime drama film directed and written by Montgomery Tully and starring Gene Nelson, Mona Freeman and John Bentley. It was based on the novel of the same name by Bruce Graeme. Produced by Todon Productions, it was shot at the Merton Park Studios in London. RKO Radio Pictures purchased the rights to distribute it in the United States, where it was released in cut form on 11 April 1956.
The Dark Man is a 1951 British black and white film-noir thriller film written and directed by Jeffrey Dell and starring Edward Underdown, Maxwell Reed and Natasha Parry. It was produced by Julian WIntle for Rank Studios.
Dance Hall is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Irving Pichel and written by Stanley Rauh and Ethel Hill. The film stars Carole Landis, Cesar Romero, William "Bill" Henry, June Storey, J. Edward Bromberg and Charles Halton. It is based on the novel The Giant Swing by W. R. Burnett. The film was released on July 18, 1941, by 20th Century Fox.
An Angel Comes to Brooklyn is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by June Carroll and Stanley Paley. The film stars Kaye Dowd, Robert Duke, David Street, Barbara Perry, Charles Kemper and Marguerite d'Alvarez. The film was released on November 27, 1945, by Republic Pictures.
Man at the Carlton Tower is a 1961 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Robert Tronson and starring Maxine Audley, Lee Montague and Allan Cuthbertson. The screenplay was by Philip Mackie, based on the 1931 Edgar Wallace novel The Man at the Carlton. It is part of the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries films made at Merton Park Studios from 1960 to 1965.
