The Malpas Mystery is a 1960 British second feature ('B') crime film, directed by Sidney Hayers and starring Maureen Swanson and Allan Cuthbertson. The screenplay was by Paul Tabori and Gordon Wellesley, based on the 1924 Edgar Wallace novel The Face in the Night.
Although originally made by Independent Artists at Beaconsfield studios, it was included in the Merton Park series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries. It went on general release on the ABC Cinemas circuit on 17 September 1961 supporting Raising the Wind (1961).
The film as the only entry in the Edgar Wallace series not produced by Jack Greenwood. The original cut was 69 minutes but there was also an edited 55 minute version.
Plot
When Audrey Bedford is released from prison, she finds herself embroiled with mysterious doctors, missing heirs, diamonds and murder. Her step-sister has dubious motives for letting her stay with her, an employer wants to pay her to work for somebody else, and a detective, convinced that she was wrongly convicted, tries despite her protests to protect her from further trouble.
Cast
- Maureen Swanson as Audrey Bedford
- Allan Cuthbertson as Lacey Marshalt
- Geoffrey Keen as Torrington
- Ronald Howard as Dick Shannon
- Sandra Dorne as Dora Elton
- Alan Tilvern as Gordon Seager
- Leslie French as Witkins
- Catherine Feller as Jinette
- Richard Shaw as Kornfeldt
- Sheila Allen as Frau Kornfeldt
- Edward Cast as Laker
Production
Anglo Amalgamated bought he rights to a number of mysteries by Edgar Wallace, and eventually filmed over forty. The Clue of the Twisted Cande was first, followed by Marriage of Convenience, The Malpas Mystery and Then Man Who Was Nobdody. Malpas would be the only one not produced by Jack Greenwood. Filming started 27 June 1960.
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "As intriguing as most films featuring an apparently maimed, shaggy and faceless recluse holed up in a derelict house, The Malpas Mystery grips because a sparkling pace manages to conceal most of its narrative shortcomings. Slightly above the average of Merton Park's recent Edgar Wallace adaptations, it is competently made [and] maintains its air of mystery."
Kine Weekly wrote: "Intriguing mystery melodrama. ... The plot is a tangled skein, but the cast and drirector quickly unravel it in circumstances that furnish all round lively entertainment."
Variety said: "Very complicated plot, involving jewel thieves and the reunion of a father with a long-lost daughter can be followed if attention is paid. Maureen Swanson makes an appealing heroine, her vulnerability adding to the suspense."
References
External links
- The Malpas Mystery at IMDb
- The Malpas Mystery at BFI
- The Malpas Mystery at Letterbox
- The Malpas Mystery at Spinning Image
- The Malpas Mystery at ReelStreets
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