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Dead Men Tell No Tales 1938

Director: David MacDonald

Writers: Stafford Dickens, Doreen Montgomery, Walter Summers,

Emlyn Williams, Francis Beeding (based on the novel 'The Norwich Victims')

Rôle: Greening

Release Date: 1 February 1938

Dead Men Tell No Tales 1938 Danish film programme

Synopsis: The middle aged matron at a Norwich school wins a large prize in a French lottery. She is murdered in London and the murderer's secretary impersonates her and draws the old lady's prize money. There follows a series of killings until the murderer realises that he is trapped and commits suicide.

Comment: Dead Men Tell No Tales starred Emlyn Williams, Sara Seegar and Hugh Williams with Marius in one of his earliest film rôles. It is based on the 1935 novel The Norwich Victims by Francis Beeding (a nom de plume for Hilary Saint George Saunders and John Palmer who wrote in tandem). The film was made at Welwyn Studios.

Availability: Not currently available on any video format commercially. However, the British Film Institute (BFI) does have copies of the film in its collection on 35mm and in MP4 formats.

Dead Men Tell No Tales 1938 review by C.A. Lejeune in The Observer 13 March 1938
Dead Men Tell No Tales review in the Fife Herald 4 January 1939
Dead Men Tell No Tales review in The Perthshire Advertiser 21 January 1939
Dead Men Tell No Tales review in The Exeter and Plymouth Gazette 28 April 1939

Consider Your Verdict 1938

Director: Roy Boulting

Writer: Laurence Housman (based on his play)

Rôle: The Novelist

Release Date: 24 November 1938

Consider Your Verdict by Laurence Housman (1865-1959)

Synopsis: A short film, based on a sketch by author Laurence Housman, about a murder and the subsequent trial of a man arrested for the killing.

The jury, eleven of which are convinced of his guilt, are ready to convict him. However, one stand-out, a crime novelist played by Marius Goring, admits that he is the murderer. The jury consequently return a verdict of "Not Guilty" but is the novelist actually the real killer after all?

Availability: Not available in any format as far as is known.

Consider Your Verdict review & article in the London Daily News 1 February 1939
Consider Your Verdict review in the Weekly Dispatch (London) 5 February 1939
Consider Your Verdict review in The Observer 5 February 1939
Consider Your Verdict review in The Bystander 8 February 1939
Consider Your Verdict review in the Dundee Evening Telegraph 7 February 1939
Consider Your Verdict review by Michael Orme in The Sketch 8 February 1939
Consider Your Verdict review by Michael Orme in The Illustrated London News 18 February 1939
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