The Dummy Talks
| The Dummy Talks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Oswald Mitchell |
| Written by | Michael Barringer |
| Based on | the story by Jack Clifford & Con West |
| Produced by | Wallace Orton |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | James Wilson |
| Edited by | |
| Music by | Kennedy Russell (uncredited) |
Production company | British National Films |
| Distributed by | Anglo-American Film Corporation (UK) |
Release date | 25 October 1943 (UK) |
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Dummy Talks is a 1943 British crime film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Jack Warner, Claude Hulbert and Beryl Orde.[1] It marked the film debut of Jack Warner.[2]
Synopsis[]
Set over the course of one night, the story takes place in and around a London theatre. A series of contemporary acts are seen both performing on stage and socialising backstage. The murder of a ventriloquist takes place and two policemen, who happen to be at the theatre tracking a banknote forger, set to work finding the culprit. Ultimately, the key suspects are rounded up and a mind-reader puts on a show to reveal the killer. He's helped by a midget dressed as the dummy, hence the title.
Cast[]
- Jack Warner - Jack
- Claude Hulbert - Victor Harbord
- Beryl Orde - Beryl
- Evelyn Darvell - Peggy
- Hy Hazell - Maya (credited as Derna Hazell)
- Manning Whiley - Russell Warren
- Charles Carson - Marvello ("The Man With the Radio Mind")
- G.H. Mulcaster - Piers Harriman
- John Carol - Jimmy Royce
- Gordon Edwards - Marcus
- Max Earl - Yates
- Ivy Benson and her all Ladies Band - Themselves
- Frederick Sylvester & Nephew (Eric Mudd also played the "dummy") - Themselves
- Tommy Manley & Florence Austin ("Music Hath Charms") - Themselves
- Cecil Ayres with the Skating Avalons - Themselves
- Mann & Read ("Jugglers with Fun")- Themselves
- Five Lai Founs (" Modern Chinese Wonders") - Themselves
- Jeannie White and her Stepsisters - Themselves
Critical reception[]
Britmovie noted "a number of genuine variety acts add a flavour of the period, although they provide rather too much of the film’s running time" ;[2] and TV Guide called it "a weird but engaging second feature."[3]
References[]
- ^ "The Dummy Talks (1943)". Archived from the original on 17 January 2009.
- ^ a b http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/The-Dummy-Talks_1943
- ^ "The Dummy Talks".
Bibliography[]
- Murphy, Robert. Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48. Routledge, 1989.
External links[]
 | This article related to a British film of the 1940s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
 | This 1940s crime film-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- English-language films
- 1943 films
- British films
- 1943 crime films
- Films directed by Oswald Mitchell
- British black-and-white films
- British crime films
- 1940s British film stubs
- 1940s crime film stubs