Murder at the Windmill
Murder at the Windmill, titled Mystery at the Burlesque in the United States, is a 1949 British crime film directed by Val Guest and featuring Garry Marsh, Jon Pertwee, Jack Livesey, Eliot Makeham and Jimmy Edwards.
| Murder at the Windmill | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Val Guest |
| Written by | Val Guest |
| Based on | original story by Val Guest |
| Produced by | Nat Cohen Daniel Angel |
| Starring | Garry Marsh Jon Pertwee Jack Livesey Eliot Makeham Jimmy Edwards |
| Cinematography | Bert Mason |
| Edited by | Douglas Myers |
| Music by | Ronald Hanmer |
Production company | Angel Productions |
| Distributed by | Associated British Film Distributors (United Kingdom) Monogram Pictures (United States) |
Release dates | 1949 (United Kingdom) 1950 (United States) |
Running time | 70 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
It was shot at Walton Studios and was the first film to show footage inside the Windmill Theatre.[1]
Plot
A spectator is shot during a performance at London's Windmill Theatre, causing the Metropolitan Police to investigate.[2]
Cast
- Garry Marsh as Detective Inspector
- Jon Pertwee as Detective Sergeant
- Jack Livesey as Vivian Van Damm
- Eliot Makeham (credited as Elliot Makeham) as Gimpy
- Jimmy Edwards as himself
- Diana Decker as Frankie
- Donald Clive as Donald
- Jill Anstey as Patsy
- Peter Butterworth as Police Constable
- Margo Johns (credited as Margot Johns) as Box Office Girl
Production
A number of people had tried to get permission for making a film about the Windmill but been refused by Vivian Van Damm. Daniel Angel managed to get the rights because he was the son in law of Van Damm. Angel approached Val Guest to write and direct because he knew Guest had written sketches for the Windmill. Guest thought up a story overnight which was approved by Van Damm. He said "we went on the floor, we built the Windmill in the studio, we did a few things at the Windmill but not a lot, we built it all in the studio, we did it with numbers, shot it with production numbers and everything in 17 days and it went out and made a fortune." [3]
Critical reception
In the Radio Times, David McGillivray wrote, "partly filmed in situ, with performers and staff playing themselves, this creaky whodunnit is a valuable record, within the bounds of the strict censorship of the day, of the lowbrow songs and sketches that made the theatre famous. Jimmy Edwards's spot, dreadful now, was thought hilarious at the time, and won the whiskery comic his part in radio's celebrated Take It from Here" ;[4] while TV Guide thought the film was "hampered by trite dialog and an easy solution," and "the mystery is little more than an excuse to film a few song and dance numbers. These are nicely staged and come off a good deal better than the investigation."[5]
References
- Article on the Film "Murder at the Windmill." From the 1949 magazine 'Film and Art Reel.' No 1. Vol 6 at Arthur Lloyd website accessed 24 June 2014
- Page on movie at Arthur Lloyd accessed 24 June 2014
- Fowler, Roy (1988). "Interview with Val Guest". British Entertainment History Project.
- David McGillivray. "Murder at the Windmill". RadioTimes.
- "Mystery At The Burlesque". TV Guide.
External links
- Murder at the Windmill at IMDb
- Murder at the Windmill at BritMovie (archived)
- Murder at the Windmill at the British Film Institute