The Limping Man (1953 film)
| The Limping Man | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Cy Endfield |
| Written by | Anthony Verney (novel) Ian Stuart Black Reginald Long |
| Produced by | Donald Ginsberg |
| Starring | Lloyd Bridges Moira Lister Leslie Phillips Alan Wheatley |
| Cinematography | Jonah Jones |
| Edited by | Stanley Willis |
| Music by | Arthur Wilkinson |
Production company | Banner Films |
| Distributed by | Eros Films Lippert Films (US) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Limping Man is a 1953 British Film Noir directed by Cy Endfield (as Charles de Lautour) and starring Lloyd Bridges, Moira Lister and Leslie Phillips.[1] The film was based on Anthony Verney's novel Death on the Tideway and was released in the United States by Lippert Pictures. The crime drama ending has a few shocking and unexpected moments.[2]
This film is now in the public domain.[3]
Plot
Former soldier Frank Prior arrives in London to visit a wartime girlfriend, whom he hasn't seen in six years. His plane's landing at the airport coincides with a fellow passenger being killed by a sniper.
Scotland Yard inspector Braddock and detective Cameron are assigned to investigate. The dead man, identified as Kendal Brown, is carrying forged documents as well as a photograph that leads them to Pauline French, an actress.
Pauline is the woman Frank has come to see. She also happens to be an expert marksman with a rifle. After they kiss, Pauline tells Frank that she had tried unsuccessfully to notify him to delay his visit.
An autographed picture of another actress, Helene Castle, is found in Kendal Brown's flat. The detectives learn that Helene is the victim's ex-wife. In the meantime, Frank spends a few hours with Pauline on her boat. When they later go to a pub, a limping man seems to menace and unnerve Pauline, who runs away.
Pauline confesses to Frank that she once let Kendal Brown use her boat for a smuggling operation. He began blackmailing her with letters she wrote, which Helene now possesses. At the theatre, the limping man turns out to be George, the stage manager. But to everyone's shock, the late Kendal Brown turns up very much alive. The victim on the plane was a man he'd hired to impersonate him.
After knocking the limping man unconscious, Kendal Brown ends up in a fistfight with Frank in the theatre's balcony. But as these events reach their climax, a huge surprise is revealed, one involving Frank and his fellow passengers from the plane.
Cast
- Lloyd Bridges as Frank Prior
- Moira Lister as Pauline French
- Alan Wheatley as Inspector Braddock
- Leslie Phillips as Detective Cameron
- Hélène Cordet as Helene Castle
- Bruce Beeby as Kendal Brown
- André van Gyseghem as George, stage doorman (Stage Door Keeper)
- Tom Gill as Stage Manager
- Lionel Blair as Dancer
- Robert Harbin as Harper LeStrade, magician
- Charles Bottrill as Xylophonist
- Rachel Roberts as the Barmaid
- Verne Morgan as Stone
- Raymond Rollett as Jonas
- Marjory Hume as Landlady
- Jean Marsh as the Landlady's daughter
External links
References
- ^ BFI<
- ^ User review. "The Limping Man". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "The Limping Man : Donald Ginsberg : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive". Archive.org. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
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