The Gaunt Stranger

Last updated

The Gaunt Stranger
The Gaunt Stranger - UK film poster.jpg
British poster for The Gaunt Stranger
Directed by Walter Forde
Screenplay by Sidney Gilliat
Based onThe Ringer [1]
by Edgar Wallace
Produced by Michael Balcon
Starring
Cinematography Ronald Neame
Edited by Charles Saunders
Music by Ernest Irving
Production
company
Distributed by ABFD (UK)
Release date
  • 10 January 1939 (1939-01-10)(UK) [2]
Running time
74 minutes [3]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Gaunt Stranger (released as The Phantom Strikes in the US) is a 1938 British mystery thriller film directed by Walter Forde. It stars Sonnie Hale, Wilfrid Lawson and Alexander Knox.

Contents

Plot

A notorious killer, long believed to have died in Australia, returns to England seeking revenge for the death of his sister. The "Ringer" threatens to murder the criminal mastermind Maurice Meister. Detective Inspector Alan Wembury is assigned to the case and, despite his strong dislike for Meister, attempts to protect him with the reluctant assistance of another criminal, Sam Hackett, who has been released from prison as he is the only man able to identify the "Ringer". Even with his help, Wembury struggles to unmask their target before the time at which Meister is due to be killed.

Cast

Production and release

The film was made by and at Ealing Studios, [4] and was the company's first release after Michael Balcon's appointment as head of production. It was based on the 1925 novel The Gaunt Stranger by Edgar Wallace, which had been renamed The Ringer in 1926, and which Forde had previously adapted as The Ringer in 1931. So the 1939 film used the original novel title, although the opening credits state that it is based on Wallace's novel The Ringer. [1] The film was screened by the censors on 4 October 1938, [3] but didn't premier until 10 January 1939, when it opened at Gaumont Haymarket as second film in a double bill with The Cowboy and the Lady . [2] It was, however, popular enough for a British re-release in 1945.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Knox</span> Canadian actor and writer (1907-1995)

Alexander Knox was a Canadian actor and writer. He appeared in over 100 film, television, and theatrical productions over a career spanning from the 1920’s until the late 1980’s. He was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his performance as American President Woodrow Wilson in the 1944 film Wilson. However, his career in the United States was hampered by McCarthyism, and he spent the rest of his career in the United Kingdom.

Sidney Gilliat was an English film director, producer and writer.

<i>Hue and Cry</i> (film) 1947 British film

Hue and Cry is a 1947 British film directed by Charles Crichton and starring Alastair Sim, Harry Fowler and Joan Dowling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Barr</span> English actor

Patrick David Barr was an English actor. In his career spanning over half a century, he appeared in about 144 films and television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonnie Hale</span> English actor and director

John Robert Hale-Monro, known as Sonnie Hale, was an English actor, screenwriter, and director.

The Ringer may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Longden</span> English actor (1900–1971)

John Longden was a British film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1926 and 1964, including six films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Shiner</span> British stand-up comedian and comedy actor (1903-1966)

Ronald Alfred Shiner was a British stand-up comedian and comedy actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall.

<i>The Case of the Frightened Lady</i> (film) 1940 British film

The Case of the Frightened Lady is a 1940 British, black-and-white, crime, drama, mystery thriller, directed by George King and starring Marius Goring as Lord Lebanon, Helen Haye as Lady Lebanon, Penelope Dudley Ward as Isla Crane, George Merritt (actor) as Detective Inspector Tanner, Ronald Shiner as Detective Sergeant Totty and Felix Aylmer as Dr Amersham. It was produced by Pennant Picture Productions and presented by British Lion Film Corporation. The film is based on the 1931 play by Edgar Wallace.

<i>The Ringer</i> (1952 film) 1952 British film

The Ringer is a 1952 British mystery film directed by Guy Hamilton and starring Herbert Lom, Donald Wolfit, Mai Zetterling, Greta Gynt, William Hartnell, and Denholm Elliott. It was Hamilton's directorial debut and the third English-language sound version of Edgar Wallace's 1929 play, which in of itself was based on his 1925 novel The Gaunt Stranger. The previous adaptations had come in 1928 (silent), 1931, 1932 (Germany-Austria), and 1938. It was shot at Shepperton Studios near London. The film's sets were designed by the art director William Hutchinson.

Walter Forde was a British actor, screenwriter and director. Born in Lambeth, south London in 1898, he directed over fifty films between 1919 from the silent era through to 1949 in the sound era. He died in Los Angeles, California in 1984.

<i>The Terror</i> (1938 film) 1938 British film by Richard Bird

The Terror is a 1938 British crime film directed by Richard Bird and starring Wilfrid Lawson, Linden Travers and Bernard Lee. It was based on the 1927 play The Terror by Edgar Wallace. The play had previously been adapted as the American film The Terror(1928).

<i>Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday</i> 1939 film by Walter Forde

Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday is a 1939 British detective film directed by Walter Forde and starring Gordon Harker, Alastair Sim and Linden Travers. It is the sequel to the 1938 film Inspector Hornleigh, and both films are based on the novels by Leo Grex. A third and final film, Inspector Hornleigh Goes To It, followed in 1941.

<i>The Ringer</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

The Ringer is a 1931 British crime film directed by Walter Forde and starring Patric Curwen, Esmond Knight, John Longden and Carol Goodner. Scotland Yard detectives hunt for a dangerous criminal who has recently returned to England. The film was based on the 1925 Edgar Wallace story The Gaunt Stranger, which is the basis for his play The Ringer. Forde remade the same story in 1938 as The Gaunt Stranger. There was also a silent film of The Ringer in 1928, and a 1952 version starring Donald Wolfit.

The Ringer is a 1928 British silent crime film directed by Arthur Maude starring Leslie Faber, Annette Benson and Hayford Hobbs. It was based on the 1925 Edgar Wallace novel The Gaunt Stranger. Scotland Yard hunt for a dangerous criminal who has returned to Britain after many years away. A talkie version of The Ringer followed in 1931.

<i>The Ringer</i> (1932 film) 1932 film

The Ringer is a 1932 Austrian-German mystery film directed by Martin Frič and Karel Lamač and starring Paul Richter, Maria Matray and Wera Engels. It is a screen adaptation of Edgar Wallace's 1925 novel The Ringer. Another German version, Der Hexer, was made in 1964. It was shot at the Sievering Studios in Vienna. The film's sets were designed by the art director Heinz Fenchel.

Let's Be Famous is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Jimmy O'Dea, Betty Driver and Sonnie Hale. It was made by Associated Talking Pictures, with shooting beginning in November 1938. The film's art direction was by the Austrian Oscar Werndorff, in his final production.

<i>Take a Chance</i> (1937 film) 1937 British comedy sports film

Take a Chance is a 1937 British comedy sports film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Claude Hulbert, Binnie Hale, and Henry Kendall. It depicts farcical events in the horse racing world.

<i>Tower of Terror</i> (1941 film) 1941 British film

Tower of Terror is a 1941 British wartime thriller film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Wilfrid Lawson, Michael Rennie and Movita. It was made at Welwyn Studios with location shooting on Flat Holm off the Welsh coast.

Der Hexer is a 1964 West German black and white mystery film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Joachim Fuchsberger. It was part of a very successful series of German films based on the writings of Edgar Wallace and adapted from the 1925 novel titled The Ringer. In 1965, a sequel Neues vom Hexer was released.

References

  1. 1 2 As stated in the opening credits
  2. 1 2 The Times, 10 Jan. 1939, page 10: Picture Theatres - Gaumont Linked 2015-04-27
  3. 1 2 BBFC: The Gaunt Stranger Linked 2015-04-27
  4. Wood p.98

IMDB give John Longden as Inspector Wembury, in fact Patrick Barr played this part.

Bibliography