Doris Day

Rex Harrison

John Gavin

Myrna Loy

Roddy McDowall

Herbert Marshall

Natasha Parry

Hermione Baddeley

John Williams

Richard Ney

Anthony Dawson

Rhys Williams

Richard Lupino

Hayden Rorke

Doris Lloyd

Elspeth March

Peter Adams

Rex Evans

Anna Cheselka

Vladimir Oukhtomsky

Colin Kenny

Bert Stevens

Arthur Tovey

Brandon Beach

James Forrest

Ivan Goff

Martin Melcher

Janet Green

Russell F. Schoengarth

Frank Skinner

Ross Hunter

Russell Metty

David Miller

Ben Roberts

Leon Barsha

Irene

Waldon O. Watson

Joe Lapis

Robert Clatworthy

Alexander Golitzen

Larry Germain

Maxwell Anderson

David Webb

Leon Charles

Oliver Emert

Dolores Rubin

Joseph Gershenson

Joe Lubin

Bud Westmore

Edward Muhl

Jerome Howard

Phil Bowles

Allie Wrubel

Mystery

Thriller

Midnight Lace

Arwin Productions

Universal International Pictures

Ross Hunter Productions

United States of America

Matilda Shouted Fire.

Midnight Lace is directed by David Miller and adapted to screenplay by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts from the play Matilda Shouted Fire by Janet Green. It stars Doris Day, Rex Harrison, John Gavin, Myrna Loy, Roddy McDowall and Herbert Marshall. Music is by Frank Skinner and cinematography by Russell Metty.

Kit Preston (Day) is being stalked, but she can’t get anyone to believe her. Is she going mad?

The “woman in peril” thriller has always proved popular since the advent of film, Midnight Lace may not have the class or menace of something like Gaslight or the best of Hitchcock, but it’s a splendid mystery thriller yarn. Pic sets its goals out from the start, as the delightful Miss Day is pursued through the pea souper fog by person unseen. Then the phone calls start, a weird voice at the end of the line issuing less than complimentary advice, but nobody is sure if she is really suffering these harassments.

So, enter a whole ream of suspects from weasels and schemers to the unbalanced and the too suave to be true, red-herrings now rule the roost and it’s great fun. As things progress Kit’s hysteria goes up a notch at a time until it’s all out psychological bedlam. The big reveal is not exactly a surprise, but the enjoyment was in getting there. Unfortunately the production loses points for some sloppy editing and poor design for the London setting, the latter rendering the already fanciful story a fake feel that’s hard to shake off, the theatrical origins evident for sure. Which is a shame because Metty's photography is sublime, the principal colours positively spanking (check out those greens).

Still, Harrison and Day can pretty much sell these characters in their sleep, and they are backed up by Gavin and Loy enjoying themselves. It makes up for what it doesn’t have in atmospherics or freshness of formula, with honest to goodness entertainment values. 7/10

English

Midnight Lace (1960) ORIGINAL TRAILER

Dan Ireland on MIDNIGHT LACE