The Mystery of a Hansom Cab | |
---|---|
Directed by | Arthur Shirley |
Written by | Arthur Shirley |
Based on | novel by Fergus Hume |
Produced by | Arthur Shirley |
Starring | Arthur Shirley Godfrey Cass |
Cinematography | Lacey Percival |
Production company | Pyramid Pictures |
Distributed by | Alec Hellmrich |
Release date |
|
Running time | 10,000 feet |
Country | Australia |
Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
Budget | £2,500 |
Box office | £15,000 [1] |
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is a 1925 Australian silent film directed by and starring Arthur Shirley based on the popular novel which had already been filmed in 1911. It is considered a lost film. [2]
Oliver Whyte is found murdered in a hansom cab in Melbourne. Brian Fitzgerald (Arthur Shirley) is arrested for the crime and brought to trial, but is acquitted at the last minute by Sal Rawlin, a missing witness who produces an alibi. The mystery involves Brian's fiancée, Madge (Grace Glover).
This was Shirley's directorial debut. He had started filming a South Seas romance called The Throwback in 1920 but had been unable to complete it. He subsequently sued his cinematographer, Ernest Higgins, but lost the case and had to declare bankruptcy.
Shirley managed to recover and establish a new company, Pyramid Pictures, with the backing of several Melbourne businessman, including Gilbert M. Johnson. [3] Pyramid signed Shirley to a seven-year contract in April 1924, at £20 a week while making a movie, £15 a week otherwise. [4]
Cora Warner, who appeared in the support cast, ran the theatrical boarding house in Woolloomooloo where Shirley was staying.
Filming began in February 1924 and took five months to photograph. Many of the scenes were in Melbourne on the steps of Parliament House, in the Fitzroy Gardens, and also St. Kilda Road. Interiors were shot in Sydney at a studio in Rushcutters Bay. It was the first movie in Australia to run for ten reels and use double exposure. [5]
The movie received good reviews and was a major commercial success, with The Sydney Morning Herald saying that it played "to a greatly interested audience." [5] [6]
William Joseph Lincoln was an Australian playwright, theatre manager, film director and screenwriter in the silent era. He produced, directed and/or wrote 23 films between 1911 and 1916.
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is a mystery fiction novel by the Australian writer Fergus Hume. The book was first published in Australia in 1886. Set in Melbourne, the story focuses on the investigation of a homicide involving a body discovered in a hansom cab, as well as an exploration into the social class divide in the city. The book was successful in Australia, selling 100,000 copies in the first two print runs. It was then published in Britain and the United States, and went on to sell over half a million copies worldwide, outselling the first of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novels, A Study in Scarlet (1887).
Arthur Shirley was an Australian actor, writer, producer, and director of theatre and film. He experienced some success as a film actor in Hollywood between 1914 and 1920.
The Hayseeds is a 1933 Australian musical comedy from Beaumont Smith. It centres on the rural family, the Hayseeds, about whom Smith had previously made six silent films, starting with Our Friends, the Hayseeds (1917). He retired from directing in 1925 but decided to revive the series in the wake of the box office success of On Our Selection (1932). It was the first starring role in a movie for stage actor Cecil Kellaway.
The Fatal Wedding is a play by Theodore Kremer and a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford based on the melodrama, which he and Lottie Lyell had toured around Australia.
The Silence of Dean Maitland is a 1914 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford. It is an adaptation of the 1886 novel of the same name by Maxwell Gray which was later filmed by Ken G. Hall in 1934. It is considered a lost film.
Sunrise is a 1927 Australian silent film co-directed by Raymond Longford, who took over during filming.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend is a 1911 Australian feature-length silent film written and directed by W. J. Lincoln.
The Mystery of the Hansom Cab is an Australian feature-length film directed by W. J. Lincoln based on the popular novel, which had also been adapted into a play. It was one of several films Lincoln made with the Tait family, who had produced The Story of the Kelly Gang.
The Luck of Roaring Camp is a 1911 Australian feature-length film directed by W. J. Lincoln now considered a lost film. It was highly regarded in its day, in part because it was based on a play that was popular with audiences.
Robbery Under Arms is a 1907 Australian silent western/drama film based on the 1888 novel by Rolf Boldrewood about two brothers and their relationship with the bushranger Captain Starlight. It was the first film version of the novel and the third Australian feature ever made.
The Sealed Room is a 1926 Australian silent film directed by and starring Arthur Shirley. It is considered a lost film.
Ernest Henry Higgins was an Australian cinematographer during the days of silent film. He was the eldest brother of Arthur and Tasman Higgins. He shot the film The Throwback (1920) for director Arthur Shirley which resulted in Shirley unsuccessfully suing Higgins for breach of contract.
Amalgamated Pictures Ltd was a film exchange company in Australia.
The Australian Photo-Play Company was a short-lived but highly productive Australian film production company which operated from 1911 to 1912.
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is a 1915 British silent crime film directed by Harold Weston and starring Milton Rosmer, Fay Temple and A.V. Bramble. It is an adaptation of Fergus Hume's 1886 novel of the same name.
"The Mystery of a Hansom Cab" is a 1961 Australian television drama play based on Barry Pree's 1961 play adaptation of the novel by Fergus Hume. It appeared as an episode of the anthology series The General Motors Hour. It aired on 6 August 1961 in Sydney and on 19 August 1961 in Melbourne.
The Quiet Season is a 1965 Australian half-hour television play. It aired on the Australian Broadcasting Commission stations Australia-wide and was produced in the Toowong studios of the Brisbane,Queensland, station (ABQ).
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is a 2012 Australian television movie about the events surrounding the murder of Oliver Whyte whose body is discovered in a hansom cab in 19th century Melbourne. The investigation is conducted under the leadership of Detective Samuel Gorby, who soon arrests Brian Fitzgerald who had hoped to marry Whyte's betrothed, rich wool merchant Mark Fittelby's daughter, Madge. Brian is defended by barrister Duncan Calton and Detective Kilsip, who eventually discovers secret blackmail against the Fittelbys which leads to the discovery of an illegitimate daughter, Sal Rawlins. It is an adaption of the 1886 novel of the same name, created by Fergus Hume, who wrote it as an examination into the evils of the 'Big City' and the corruption that can be found inside it.
Frank Harold Crossley was an Australian comedian.