When London Sleeps

For the later film also known by the title, see Menace (1934 British film).

When London Sleeps
Directed by	Leslie S. Hiscott
Written by	Charles Darrell H. Fowler Mear Bernard Merivale
Starring	Harold French Francis L. Sullivan René Ray
Cinematography	Basil Emmott
Edited by	Jack Harris
Distributed by	AP&D
Release date	13 July 1932 (1932-07-13)
Running time	78 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

When London Sleeps is a 1932 British crime film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Harold French, Francis L. Sullivan, Diana Beaumont and René Ray. ^[1] It was filmed at Twickenham Studios in west London. It was written by H. Fowler Mear and Bernard Merivale based on the play of the same title by Charles Darrell.

Premise

A well-born gambler comes to the rescue of a travelling circus in financial difficulties.

Cast

• Harold French as Tommy Blythe
• Francis L. Sullivan as Rodney Haines
• René Ray as Mary
• A. Bromley Davenport as Colonel Grahame
• Alexander Field as Sam
• Diana Beaumont as Hilde
• Ben Field as Lamberti
• Barbara Everest as Mme Lamberti
• Herbert Lomas as Pollard
• James Knight as Garnett

Reception

Kine Weekly wrote: "Harold French is good as Tommy and behaves as a hero should. Rene Ray is adequate as Mary; Francis L. Sullivan gives a clever performance as the unscrupulous Haines; while Alexander Field and Ben Field are responsible for two excellent character studies. Virtue triumphs over vice in this picture in the accepted manner, and the working out of the plot certainly leads to variety, if not to the unexpected. ... There are times when the action is on the slow side, but once the stage is set for the fire things warm up considerably, and the proceedings end on a hectic, thrilling and satisfying note." ^[2]

References

1. "When London Sleeps". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
2. "When London Sleeps". Kine Weekly . 185 (1319): 27. 28 July 1932. ProQuest   2322709684.

External links

• When London Sleeps at IMDb