Tread Softly is a 1952 British crime film with musical overtones, directed by David MacDonald and starring Frances Day, Patricia Dainton and John Bentley.[3][4] A chorus girl investigates a series of mysterious happenings at a derelict theatre.
| Tread Softly | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | David MacDonald |
| Written by | Gerald Verner Donald Ginsberg Vivian Cox |
| Based on | BBC radio serial & novel The Show Must Go On by Gerald Verner[1][2] |
| Produced by | Vivian Cox Donald Ginsberg |
| Starring | Frances Day Patricia Dainton John Bentley |
| Cinematography | Reginald H. Wyer |
| Edited by | Jean Barker |
| Music by | Ivor Slaney |
Production company | Albany Films |
| Distributed by | Apex Film Distributors (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 70 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
It was made at Marylebone Studios and at the Granville Theatre in Fulham. While made as a second feature it also had aspirations to top the bill in some cinemas.[5]
Set in a theatre it allows an odd combination of light musical numbers with a murder crime story. It includes several elaborate dance routines.
Cast edit
- Frances Day as Madeleine Peters
- Patricia Dainton as Tangye Ward
- John Bentley as Keith Gilbert
- John Laurie as Angus McDonald
- Olaf Olsen as Philip Defoe
- Nora Nicholson as Isobel Mayne
- Harry Locke as Nutty Potts
- Betty Baskcomb as Olivia Winter
- Robert Urquhart as Clifford Brett
- Ronald Leigh-Hunt as Inspector Hinton
- Michael Ward as Alexander Mayne
- Nelly Arno
- Hamilton Keene
- Betty Hare
- Colin Croft as Dancer
- Kenneth MacMillan as Dancer
- Keith Sawbridge as Pianist
- Anthony Verner
References edit
- ^ Gifford, Denis (1 April 2016). British Film Catalogue: Two Volume Set - The Fiction Film/The Non-Fiction Film. Routledge. ISBN 9781317740636 – via Google Books.
- ^ Verner, Gerald (1 January 1950). "The Show Must Go on: The Novel of the B.B.C. Serial Play". Wright & Brown – via Google Books.
- ^ "Tread Softly (1952)". Archived from the original on 11 February 2017.
- ^ Chibnall, Stephen; McFarlane, Brian (23 October 2009). The British 'B' Film. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781844575749 – via Google Books.
- ^ Chibnall & McFarlane p.127
Bibliography edit
- Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. The British 'B' Film. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.
External links edit
- Tread Softly at IMDb
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