''The Brighton Strangler'' is a 1945 American

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by

Max Nosseck Max Nosseck (19 September 1902 – 29 September 1972) was a German film director, actor, and screenwriter. Biography Nosseck was born in Nakel, then in Prussia, but now in Poland. Nosseck established himself as a director in the Cinema of Germany, ...

and starring John Loder,

June Duprez June Ada Rose Duprez (14 May 1918 – 30 October 1984) was an English film actress. Early life Duprez was born in Teddington, Middlesex, England, during an air raid in the final months of World War I, the daughter of American comedian Fre ...

and Michael St. Angel.BFI.org
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Plot

During

The Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

in wartime London, an actor suffers concussion and believes himself to be the character he has most recently been playing - a vicious strangler with a hit list of potential victims.

Cast

* John Loder as Reginald Parker / Edward Grey *

as April Manby Carson * Michael St. Angel as Lieutenant Bob Carson *

Miles Mander Miles Mander (born Lionel Henry Mander; 14 May 1888 – 8 February 1946), was an English character actor, writer, director and producer in the post-war period of early British cinema during the 1920s to mid-1930s, as well as a playwright an ...

as Chief Inspector W.R. Allison *

Rose Hobart Rose Hobart (born Rose Kefer; May 1, 1906 – August 29, 2000) was an American actress and a Screen Actors Guild official. Early years Born in New York City, Hobart was the daughter of a cellist in the New York Symphony Orchestra, Paul Ke ...

as Dorothy Kent *

Gilbert Emery Gilbert Emery Bensley Pottle (June 11, 1875 – October 28, 1945), known professionally as Gilbert Emery, was an American actor who appeared in over 80 movies from 1921 to his death in 1945. He was also a playwright, author of seven Broadway pla ...

as Doctor Manby (final film) * Rex Evans as Leslie Shelton *

Matthew Boulton Matthew Boulton ( ; 3 September 172817 August 1809) was an English businessman, inventor, mechanical engineer, and silversmith. He was a business partner of the Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century, the par ...

as Inspector Graham *

Olaf Hytten Olaf Hytten (3 March 1888 – 11 March 1955) was a Scottish actor. He appeared in more than 280 films between 1921 and 1955. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack, while sitting in his car ...

as Banks, the valet *

Lydia Bilbrook Lydia Bilbrook (born Phillis Lydia Macbeth; 6 May 1888 – 4 January 1990), sometimes credited as "Bilbrooke", was an English actress whose career spanned four decades, first as a stage performer in the West End, and later in films. She is best ...

as Mrs Manby *

Ian Wolfe Ian Marcus Wolfe (November 4, 1896 – January 23, 1992) was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as ...

as Lord Mayor * Frank Mayo as Policeman (uncredited)

Legacy

This film has been championed since 2013 by the British movie podcast "AttaboyClarence", (named after the final line in It's A Wonderful Life) in which the Strangler's reading of the word "Canterbury..." has become the podcast's catchphrase.

References

External links

* 1945 films 1945 crime drama films American crime drama films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Films about actors Films directed by Max Nosseck Films set in Brighton Films set in London RKO Pictures films American serial killer films Films scored by Leigh Harline 1940s American films English-language crime drama films {{1940s-US-drama-film-stub