The Mystery of the Hansom Cab | |
---|---|
Directed by | W. J. Lincoln |
Written by | W. J. Lincoln |
Based on | the novel The Mystery of the Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume |
Produced by | William Gibson Millard Johnson John Tait Nevin Tait |
Starring | "A selected metropolitan company" [1] Walter Dalgeish [2] |
Cinematography | Orrie Perry |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Sawyer Pictures (USA) |
Release dates | 4 March 1911 (Melbourne) [1] [3] August 1914 (USA) [4] |
Running time | 4,000 feet (est. over an hour) |
Country | Australia |
Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
Budget | £300-£400 [5] |
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. [6] It was one of several films Lincoln made with the Tait family, who had produced The Story of the Kelly Gang . [7]
It was the first Australian feature film to have a predominantly urban setting. [8] It has been called the world's first suspense mystery film. [9]
A Melbourne playboy, Oliver White, is murdered as he is driven home one night in a hansom cab. Investigating the crime encompasses all aspects of Melbourne society. The scenes featured in the movie were:
GUNSLER'S CAFE, COLLINS STREET
DRIVE TO ST. KILDA.
THE MURDER IN THE CAB – Opposite Church of England Grammar School.
You Killed Oliver Whyte – Death of Mark Frettleby – End of the Astounding Mystery [10] [11]
With the exception of one scene in the countryside, shooting took place in Melbourne, with extensive featuring of local landmarks such as the Melbourne Club, Scot's Church, Collins Street, the Orient Hotel, the Esplanade at St Kilda and Melbourne Gaol. [12] The murder sequence, although set at night time, was shot in the afternoon for better lighting. [13]
A newspaper report on 25 March 1911 said the film was to be "produced" in Sydney but this may be a reference to the release of the film. [14]
In 1924 "Nero" wrote to The Bulletin to say "the interiors... were taken in one day at a little back-yard studio in St. Kilda, and the exteriors at odd moments during the rest of the week. About a fortnight later the completed effort was shown at the Glaciarium, where it ran for three weeks." [5]
The Melbourne Argus wrote that:
Cab is almost as familiar to Australian readers as Robbery Under Arms or The Term of His Natural Life. Its thrilling incidents provide splendid material for a moving picture drama, and in obtaining the desired film the cinematograph experts have secured an excellent presentation of the features of the novel... The audience took over an hour to throw on the screen, but the keen interest of the audience was held throughout. [12]
The film was usually accompanied by a lecturer.
The movie was a popular success at the box office, particularly in Melbourne. In April 1911 The Bulletin reported:
West's, at Sydney Glaciarium, is booming with Fergus Hume's success, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab. Ever since the drama has been running across the screen, money has had to be turned from the doors. In addition to the Mystery there is the usual varied programme; but the items are changed so frequently these nights that it is hardly worth mentioning them. Anyhow, for the present they are completely eclipsed by the Cab story. [15]
In 1924 "Nero" of The Bulletin looked back on the film writing "The photography was only fair, and the acting might have been improved upon, but the local "bits", such as the Town Hall clock, the Orient Hotel, the Melbourne Club, the cab going over Prince's Bridge, the murder on St. Kilda-road and the old Esplanade Hotel at St. Kilda, were considered enthralling. I had rather a surfeit of the picture myself, because I not only played in it, but lectured on it, and it was rather trying to watch oneself doing the wrong thing night after night for three weeks." [5]
The film was released in the US in August 1914 by Sawyer Pictures. [4]
According to W. J. Lincoln an overseas film adaptation soon followed. [16] There was also another version in 1925. [17]
Ferguson Wright Hume, known as Fergus Hume, was a prolific English novelist, known for his detective fiction, thrillers and mysteries.
St Kilda is an inner seaside suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south-east of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. St Kilda recorded a population of 19,490 at the 2021 census.
The Esplanade Hotel, commonly known locally as "The Espy", is a hotel and music venue in the inner bayside suburb of St Kilda, in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Built in 1878, it overlooks Port Phillip from the Upper Esplanade. It is famed for its long history of live music, and served as the filming location for the live music trivia program Rockwiz.
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.
Godfrey Cass was an Australian actor in the silent era. Between 1906 and 1935 he acted in nineteen film roles. He played Ned Kelly three times, and also had roles in a number of other bushranger movies including A Tale of the Australian Bush (1911) and Moondyne (1913).
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).
It Is Never Too Late to Mend is an Australian feature-length silent film written and directed by W. J. Lincoln. It was based on a stage adaptation of the popular 1865 novel It Is Never Too Late to Mend: A Matter-of-Fact Romance by Charles Reade about the corrupt penal system in Australia. It was called "certainly one of the best pictures ever taken in Australia."
The Bells is a 1911 Australian feature-length silent film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It is based on the famous stage melodrama by Erckmann-Chatrian, adapted by Leopold Lewis, which in turn had been adapted for the Australian stage by W. J. Lincoln before he made it into a film.
The Double Event is a 1911 Australian feature-length film directed by W. J. Lincoln based on the first novel by Nat Gould, which had been adapted several times for the stage, notably by Bland Holt.
Called Back is a 1911 Australian feature-length film directed by W. J. Lincoln based on a popular play which was adapted from an 1883 novel by Hugh Conway. Although the movie was a popular success it is now considered a lost film.
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.
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.
Amalgamated Pictures was a film exchange company in Australia.
After Sundown is a 1911 Australian film directed by W. J. Lincoln set in the Australian bush.
Isidor George Beaver, often misspelled "Isidore" and frequently initialized as "J. G. Beaver", was an architect from England who had a substantial career in Adelaide, South Australia and Melbourne, Victoria. He was significant in the early history of ice skating in Australia.
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 St. Moritz Ice Rink was a popular ice rink housed in a grand venue on The Esplanade, St. Kilda, Victoria, which operated between 1939–1981. As one of only two ice rinks in Melbourne in the 40s and 50s, it played a central role to the sport of ice hockey in Australia. Closed in 1982, it soon suffered a major fire and was then demolished, an event later seen as a major blow to the heritage of St Kilda.
William Arthur Purnell F.R.A.I.A., generally known as Arthur Purnell, and sometimes A W Purnell, was an Australian born architect who practiced in Canton, China in the 1900s, and from 1910 mainly in Melbourne, Australia. He is most noted for the few designs in Melbourne that include Chinese references.
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 handsom 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.
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