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Stranger at My Door (1950 film)

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1950 British film by Brendan J. Stafford

Stranger at My Door
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBrendan J. Stafford
Screenplay byDesmond Leslie
Produced byPaul King
StarringValentine Dyall
Joseph O'Conor
Agnes Bernelle
CinematographyBrendan J. Stafford
Edited byAnn Barker
Music byLeslie Bridgewater
Production
company		Leinster Films
Release date
  • 1950 (1950)
Running time84 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Stranger at My Door (also known as At a Dublin Inn) is a 1950 second feature ('B') British film directed by Brendan J. Stafford and starring Valentine Dyall, Joseph O'Conor and Agnes Bernelle. It was written by Desmond Leslie.

Plot

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

  • 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

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Confused but quite well handled thriller. ... Pleasant use of Dublin locations, and a good performance from Joseph O'Connor as the hero."

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."

Picture Show called the film an "exciting, if drawn-out, crime melodrama, ... told with humour and reality."

Chibnall and McFarlane, in The British 'B' Film, describe the film as "hardboiled melodrama".

References

  1. ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 194. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
  2. "Stranger at My Door". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  3. "Stranger at my Door". The Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 17, no. 193. 1 January 1950. p. 69 – via ProQuest.
  4. "Stranger at My Door". Kine Weekly. Vol. 398, no. 2241. 13 April 1950. p. 21 – via ProQuest.
  5. "Stranger at my Door". Picture Show. Vol. 55, no. 1446. 16 December 1950. p. 10 – via ProQuest.

External links

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