The Phantom of the Opera

At the London theatre where the first night of the obnoxious Lord Ambrose D’Arcy’s new opera “Joan of Arc” is taking place, there is talk that the place is haunted by a mysterious phantom. Then, during the performance, the hanged body of a stagehand rips through a backdrop and swings out on to the stage in full view of the horrified house. Later that night, Christine, a rising young singer, hears a weird, disembodied voice in her dressing room….

Original Trailer

Production Details

A Hammer film production released by Universal Pictures
Copyright MCMLXII Universal Pictures Company Incorporated – All rights reserved
MPAA Approved Certificate

The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious and any similarity to the name, character, or history of any person is entirely accidental and unintentional

Based on the composition by Gaston Leroux

Opera Scenes staged by Dennis Maunder by permission of the General Administrator, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

RCA Sound Recording
Eastmancolor by Pathe 84 mins

Filming dates: 21st November 1961 – 26th January 1962
UK Release: 25th June 1962

Studio:
Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire

Location:
New Wimbledon Theatre, The Broadway, Wimbledon, London – Theatre auditorium interiors

Stills from film

Click an image for enlarged slideshow

Cast & Crew

Cast – Complete, awaiting verification
Crew – Believed complete

CREW	NAME	CREDITED	AGE AT RELEASE	BIRTH	Hidden	DEATH	AGE	CREDITS	UNCREDITED	TOTAL HAMMER
Art Director	Don Mingaye	Yes	33	1929		8 Nov 2017	88	28	15	43
Assistant Director	John Peverall	Yes	31	1931		3 Oct 2009	78	21		21
Assistant Editor	Chris Barnes	No	24	1938		5 Jun 2009	71	21	13	34
Associate Producer	Basil Keys	Yes	45	1917		2009	92	4	1	5
Camera Operator	Len Harris	Yes	46	19 May 1916		21 Feb 1995	78	63	2	65
Construction Manager	Arthur Banks	No						19	29	48
Continuity	Tilly Day	Yes	59	1903		1994	91	14	1	15
Director	Terence Fisher	Yes	58	23 Feb 1904		18 Jun 1980	76	31		31
Director of Photography	Arthur Grant	Yes	47	1915		1972	57	34		34
Editor	Alfred Cox	Yes	37	1925		2005	80	21	4	25
Focus Puller	Harry Oakes	No	41	16 Jan 1921		11 Dec 2012	91	3	56	59
Hair Stylist	Frieda Steiger	Yes	58	29 Dec 1903		19 Aug 1992	88	28		28
Make-up Artist	Roy Ashton	Yes	53	16 Apr 1909		10 Jan 1995	85	36	4	40
Music Composed & Conducted by	Edwin Astley	Yes	40	12 Apr 1922		19 May 1998	76	4		4
Opera Scenes	Dennis Maunder	Yes	39	1923		2012	89	1		1
Producer	Anthony Hinds	Yes	39	18 Sep 1922		30 Sep 2013	91	87	3	90
Production Designer	Bernard Robinson	Yes	49	28 Jul 1912		2 Mar 1970	57	46	4	50
Production Manager	Clifford Parkes	Yes	34	10 Jul 1928		20.11.2014	87	12		12
Publicity Director	Dennison Thornton	No	52	23 Aug 1909		1977	67		9	9
Screenplay	Anthony Hinds	Yes	39	18 Sep 1922		30 Sep 2013	91	87	3	90
Second Assistant Director	Peter Medak	Yes	24	23 Dec 1937			87	1	1	2
Singing Voice: Heather Sears	Patricia Clark	No							1	1
Sound Camera Operator	Alan Lavender	No	20	30 Sep 1941			83		3	3
Sound Editor	James Groom	Yes	37	1925		17 May 2016	91	13	2	15
Sound Recordist	Jock May	Yes	57	1905		8 Jan 1991	86	31	1	32
Special Effects	Brian Johnson	No	22	29 Jun 1939			86	3	7	10
Still Photographer	Tom Edwards	No				1999			27	27
Stunt Double	Jack Cooper	No	39	1923		2010	87	1	5	6
Supervising Editor	James Needs	Yes	42	17 Oct 1919		4 Feb 2003	83	113	112	114
Wardrobe Mistress	Rosemary Burrows	Yes						36	5	41
Wardrobe Supervisor	Molly Arbuthnot	Yes	53	19 Dec 1908		31 Oct 2001	92	48	5	53
CAST
1st Cabby	Michael Ripper	Yes	49	27 Jan 1913		28 Jun 2000	87	34	2	36
2nd Cabby	Miles Malleson	Yes	74	25 May 1888		15 Mar 1969	80	4		4
Bill	Harold Goodwin	Yes	44	22 Oct 1917		3 Jun 2004	86	4	3	7
Charwoman	Miriam Karlin	Yes	37	23 Jun 1925		3 Jun 2011	85	2		2
Chorus Girl	Waveney Lee	No	17	1945	1 Jan 1945		80		1	1
Chorus Girl	Jane Merrow	No	20	26 Aug 1941			83	1	1	2
Christine	Heather Sears	Yes	26	28 Sep 1935		3 Jan 1994	58	1		1
Cleaner in Theatre	Lucy Griffiths	No	43	24 Apr 1919		29 Sep 1982	63	1	3	4
Forbes	Laurie Main	No	39	29 Nov 1922		8 Feb 2012	89		1	1
Frenchman	Geoff LCise	No	26	4 Apr 1936		13 Feb 2014	77		1	1
Harry	Edward De Souza	Yes	29	4 Sep 1932			92	2		2
Lattimer	Thorley Walters	Yes	49	12 May 1913		6 Jul 1991	78	6		6
Lord Ambrose DArcy	Michael Gough	Yes	45	23 Nov 1916		17 Mar 2011	94	3		3
Maria	Liane Aukin	Yes	25	17 Aug 1936		18 Aug 2016	80	1	1	2
Minor Role	Emille Stemmler	No	51	1911		2001			6	6
Mrs Tucker	Renee Houston	Yes	59	24 Jul 1902		9 Feb 1980	77	2		2
Murdered Stagehands Wife	Cicely Walper	No	63	6 Feb 1899		18 Jan 1981	81		1	1
Police Insp. Dawson	John Maddison	No	50	5 Feb 1912		24 Dec 2000	88		1	1
Police Insp. Ward	Liam Redmond	No	48	27 Jul 1913		28 Oct 1989	76	1	1	2
Ratcatcher	Patrick Troughton	Yes	42	25 Mar 1920		28 Mar 1987	67	5		5
Rossi	Martin Miller	Yes	62	2 Sep 1899		26 Aug 1969	69	1		1
Saint Joan Cast	Patrick Halpin	No	61	4 Mar 1901		21 May 1971	70		6	6
Sergeant Vickers	John Harvey	Yes	50	27 Sep 1911		19 Jul 1982	70	12	1	13
Shocked Tympanist	Ray Cooper	No							1	1
Stagehand	Fred Wood	No	40	26 Oct 1921		25 Jan 2003	81		19	19
Teresa	Leila Forde	No							1	1
The Dwarf	Ian Wilson	Yes	60	2 Jul 1901		Dec 1987	86	5	3	8
The Phantom/Professor Petrie	Herbert Lom	Yes	44	11 Sep 1917		27 Sep 2012	95	3		3
Weaver	Keith Pyott	Yes	60	9 Mar 1902		6 Apr 1968	66	2	2	4
Xavier	Marne Maitland	Yes	47	18 Dec 1914		Mar 1992	77	9		9
Yvonne	Sonya Cordeau	Yes	29	5 Jun 1933		10 Jan 2022	88	1		1

Original Poster

Click to enlarge

Footnotes

This was the third time that Universal had taken on The Phantom of the Opera, the other versions having been made in 1925 and 1943. The famous scene in which Lon Chaney’s horrific make-up is unmasked in the silent 1925 film remains one of the classic moments of screen terror.

English-born Hollywood star Cary Grant was originally intended for the title role in this film, but eventually decided against it and was replaced by Herbert Lom. Lom himself later became best known for his performances as Peter Sellers’ increasingly demented boss Commissioner Dreyfuss in the “Clouseau/Pink Panther” series of films.

Character actor Thorley Walters also appeared for Hammer in Dracula – Prince of Darkness (1966), Frankenstein Created Woman (1966), Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) and Vampire Circus (1971).

BBC TV’s second Doctor Who, Patrick Troughton, has a small part here as a rat-catcher, his other films for Hammer are The Gorgon (1964), The Viking Queen (1967), Scars of Dracula (1969) and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973).

1962 BBFC Cert. “A”

Production Details

Stills from film

Cast & Crew

Original Poster

Footnotes

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