The Rossiter Case
| The Rossiter Case | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Francis Searle |
| Screenplay by | John Hunter Francis Searle[1] |
| Based on | The Rossiters (play) by Kenneth Hyde[2] |
| Produced by | Anthony Hinds |
| Starring | Helen Shingler Clement McCallin Sheila Burrell |
| Cinematography | Walter J. Harvey |
| Edited by | John Ferris |
| Music by | Frank Spencer |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Exclusive Films (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Rossiter Case is a 1951 British second feature ('B')[3] crime film directed by Francis Searle and starring Helen Shingler, Clement McCallin, Sheila Burrell and Stanley Baker in a small role.[4] It was written by John Hunter and Francis Searle based on Kenneth Hyde's 1947 play The Rossiters.[5] Production ran from 22 May 1950 to 9 June. It was released on 21 January 1951. The film is unlisted in film guides and is today considered a lost film.[6]
Plot
[edit]Peter Rossiter's wife Liz is paralyzed from a car accident caused by his driving. He has an affair with his calculating sister-in-law, Honor, who tells him she is pregnant and that he should divorce Liz and marry her. When Liz realizes her sister is scheming to steal her husband, she confronts her and Honor pulls out a gun. The sisters wrestle over the weapon, and Honor is shot dead. The police find Peter's gun by the body, and he becomes their number one murder suspect. Since he was drunk at the time of the shooting, he has no alibi. Liz decides to confess, and as she does so, she miraculously regains her ability to walk again and rises up out of her wheelchair. The police rule the case an accidental homicide, and Liz and Peter decide to work on repairing their marriage.
Cast
[edit]- Helen Shingler as Liz Rossiter
- Clement McCallin as Peter Rossiter
- Sheila Burrell as Honor
- Frederick Leister as Sir James Ferguson
- Ann Codrington as Marty
- Henry Edwards as Doctor Bendix
- Dorothy Batley as Nurse West
- Gabrielle Blunt as Alice
- Stanley Baker as Joe
- Eleanor Bryan as Agnes
- Ewen Solon as Inspector
- Robert Percival as Sergeant
- Dennis Castle as Constable
- Frederic Steger as Hobson
- Anthony Allen as Arthur
Reception
[edit]The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This melodrama, adapted from a stage play, has been almost literally translated to the screen. The result is a film artificial in presentation, and weighed down by dialogue."[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 54. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
- ^ Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110951943.
- ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: British Film Institute/Bloomsbury. p. 77. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "The Rossiter Case (1951)". Archived from the original on 17 January 2009.
- ^ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 54. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
- ^ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 55. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
- ^ "The Rossiter Case". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 18 (204): 220. 1 January 1951. ProQuest 1305814404.
External links
[edit]
 | This article related to a British film of the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1951 films
- 1951 crime drama films
- 1950s mystery films
- British crime drama films
- British mystery films
- Films directed by Francis Searle
- British films based on plays
- Films about adultery in the United Kingdom
- Hammer Film Productions films
- British black-and-white films
- 1950s English-language films
- 1950s British films
- Films scored by Frank Spencer
- English-language crime drama films
- English-language mystery films
- 1950s British film stubs