''Cover Girl Killer'' is a 1959 black and white British

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Terry Bishop Terry Bishop (21 October 1912 – 30 October 1981) was a British screenwriter, and television and film director. During the 1950s and 60s he worked extensively in British TV, directing episodes of series such as ''The Adventures of William Tell'' ...

and starring

Harry H. Corbett Harry H. Corbett OBE (28 February 1925 – 21 March 1982) was an English actor and comedian, best remembered for playing rag-and-bone man Harold Steptoe alongside Wilfrid Brambell in the long-running BBC television sitcom ''Steptoe and Son'' ( ...

, Felicity Young, Victor Brooks and Spencer Teakle. It was shot at

Walton Studios Walton Studios, previously named Hepworth Studios and Nettlefold Studios, was a film production studio in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, England.Harry H. Corbett Harry H. Corbett OBE (28 February 1925 – 21 March 1982) was an English actor and comedian, best remembered for playing rag-and-bone man Harold Steptoe alongside Wilfrid Brambell in the long-running BBC television sitcom ''Steptoe and Son'' ( ...

) eludes capture whilst luring his victims to their deaths one by one. He is motivated by what he sees as the moral corruption of the girls. Spendoza goes to the police giving his name as Fairchild and gives the police a false lead as to what he says is connects to one of his tenants, Mr Spurling. He gives a description close to Spendoza emphasising his need for glasses. Fairchild does not wear glasses. The publisher of "Wow" goes to the police saying the models are refusing to pose for the cover due to the murders. Meanwhile Spendoza (without glasses and under a third name) goes to a theatrical agent, and hires someone who looks like his alter ego Spendoza to further throw the police off track. The police decide to lure Spendoza to a specific site by using a specific cover on "Wow"; the theatre and burlesque show appearing at the beginning of the film.

Cast

- Mr Spendoza / Mr Fairchild * Felicity Young - June Rawson * Spencer Teakle - John Mason * Victor Brooks - Inspector Brunner * Bernadette Milnes - Gloria Starke * Christina Gregg - Joy Adams * Tony Doonan - Sergeant *

John Barrard John Barrard (12 September 1924 – 13 October 2013) was a British people, British character actor who had a career spanning five decades and who perhaps is best known for playing Dooley, Santa's No. 2, in ''Santa Claus: The Movie'' (1985). ...

- Lennie Ross *

Charles Lloyd-Pack Charles Lloyd-Pack (10 October 1902 – 22 December 1983) was a British film, television and stage actor. Life and career Lloyd-Pack was born at Wapping, East London, to working-class parents. He was seen in several horror films produced by th ...

- Captain Adams * Alan Edwards - Hodgkins *

Dermot Kelly James Dermot Kelly (21 April 1917 – 25 November 2004) was an Irish sports shooter. He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics and the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and c ...

- Pop * Denis Holmes - Actor * Julie Shearing - Rosie * Tony Thawnton - Doctor * Paddy Joyce - Stagehand * Claude Jones - Constable Jones * John Baker - Plainclothes Man

Production

The film was made at

Walton Studios Walton Studios, previously named Hepworth Studios and Nettlefold Studios, was a film production studio in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, England.Walton-on-Thames Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, England, and on location in London. A collection of then-and-now location stills and corresponding contemporary photographs is hosted at reelstreets.com.

In popular culture

Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English synth-pop band formed in Liverpool in 1980. The group's best-known line-up comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Peter Gill (drums, percussion), Mark O'Toole (bass guit ...

used a line of dialogue from the film in their 1984 number one single

Two Tribes "Two Tribes" is an anti-war song by British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records on 4 June 1984. The song was later included on the album ''Welcome to the Pleasuredome''. Presenting a nihilistic, gleeful lyric ex ...

; "sex and horror are the new gods".

DVD release

''Cover Girl Killer'' was released on Region 2 DVD on 11 October 2010.

References

External links

* 1959 films 1950s crime thriller films 1950s serial killer films British crime thriller films Films about modeling Films directed by Terry Bishop Films set in London 1950s English-language films 1950s British films {{crime-thriller-film-stub