Stranger at My Door (1950 film)
| Stranger at My Door | |
|---|---|
.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Brendan J. Stafford |
| Screenplay by | Desmond Leslie |
| Produced by | Paul King |
| Starring | Valentine Dyall Joseph O'Conor Agnes Bernelle |
| Cinematography | Brendan J. Stafford |
| Edited by | Ann Barker |
| Music by | Leslie Bridgewater |
Production company | Leinster Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Stranger at My Door (also known as At a Dublin Inn) is a 1950 second feature ('B')[1] British film directed by Brendan J. Stafford and starring Valentine Dyall, Joseph O'Conor and Agnes Bernelle.[2] It was written by Desmond Leslie.
Plot
[edit]The story is narrated in flashback. Michael Foley is a young Irish ex-soldier whose girlfriend Laura is the victim of suave English blackmailer Paul Wheeler. Foley unwillingly resorts to crime to obtain money to pay off Wheeler.
Cast
[edit]- Valentine Dyall as Paul Wheeler
- Joseph O'Conor as Michael Foley
- Agnes Bernelle as Laura Riorden
- Maire O'Neill as Clarissa Finnegan
- Liam O'Leary as Kelly
- Jill Raymond as Kate
- Harry Hutchinson as Sean the publican
- Michael Moore as Septimus Small
- W. E. Holloway as the canon
- Michael Seavers as altar boy
- Alan Gore-Lewis as Detective Duffy
- Charles Mansell as Inspector O'Brien
- Dorothy Dewhurst as Laura's landlady
- Madelene Burgess as Rita
- Bea Duffell as Proctor Finnigan
- Jimmy Page as Guarda O'Toole
- Charles Vance as Guarda Hanlon
- Malachy Keegan as Guarda Heggetty
- Katherine Mora as the fence
- Nigel Neilsen as ballad singer
Reception
[edit]The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Confused but quite well handled thriller. ... Pleasant use of Dublin locations, and a good performance from Joseph O'Connor [sic] as the hero."[3]
Kine Weekly wrote: "Romantic crime melodrama, with a strong Irish flavour. ... Although direction is a trifle uneven, authentic Dublin backgrounds and an exciting rooftop chase climax cancel out most of its shortcomings. ...The picture goes out of its way to get a new slant on 'crime does not pay' and even if it is a little pretentious in places and forced in its comedy, it has convincing atmosphere."[4]
Picture Show called the film an "exciting, if drawn-out, crime melodrama, ... told with humour and reality."[5]
Chibnall and McFarlane, in The British 'B' Film, describe the film as "hardboiled melodrama".[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 194. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "Stranger at My Door". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Stranger at my Door". The Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 17, no. 193. 1 January 1950. p. 69 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Stranger at My Door". Kine Weekly. Vol. 398, no. 2241. 13 April 1950. p. 21 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Stranger at my Door". Picture Show. Vol. 55, no. 1446. 16 December 1950. p. 10 – via ProQuest.