As war looms in Europe, a group of travellers gathers at a hotel in Bavaria. While they are waiting for their train, American Amanda Kelly drinks a bit too much and does an impersonation of Hitler, which does not go down well with the Nazi stormtroopers looking on. A scuffle breaks out, during which Amanda receives a hefty blow on the head. Later, aboard the train and feeling somewhat the worse for wear, she has breakfast with Miss Froy, a cheerful British nanny, and the two become friends. Then, after she has slept off her ‘illness’, Amanda tries to find Miss Froy again. But, now it seems that she has vanished and, even worse, her fellow passengers insist that the lady never existed!
Production Details
A Hammer film presented by The Rank Organisation and released by Rank Film Distributors Limited Copyright MCMLXXlX Rank Film Productions Limited – All rights reserved
MPAA Approved Certificate
All characters and events in this picture are fictitious. Any similarity to actual events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental and unintentional
Based on the novel by Ethel Lina White, and the screenplays by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder
This motion picture is protected under the laws of the United States and other countries and its unauthorised duplication distribution or exhibition may result in civil liability and criminal proceedings
Filmed at Pinewood Studios, London, England and on location in Austria with the (co-operation of the Austrian Federal Railways
Processed at Rank Film Laboratories 97 mins
Filming Began: 16th September 1978
UK Release: 5th May 1979
Studio:
Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire
Location:
Feistritz im Rosenthal, Karawanken Mountains, Carinthia, Austria
Klagenfurt – Rosenbach Railway Line, Carinthia, Austria
London, England
Stills from film
Click an image for enlarged slideshow
Cast & Crew
Cast – Verified complete
Red = Uncredited
Crew | Name | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits | Uncredited | Total Hammer | |
2nd Unit Camera | John Harris | 53 | 15 May 1925 | 3 Jul 2012 | 87 | 2 | 2 | ||
Art Direction | Georg von Kieseritzky | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Art Direction | Bill Alexander | 49 | 6 Jan 1930 | 6.01.1930 | 94 | 1 | 1 | ||
Assistant Director | Michael Mertineit | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Assistant Director | Michael Dryhurst | 41 | Mar 1938 | 01.03.1938 | 86 | 1 | 1 | ||
Assistant Editor | Albert Schwinges | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Assistant Editor | Nicholas Gillott | 34 | 27 Mar 1945 | 27.03.1945 | 79 | 1 | 1 | ||
Background Process Co-Ordinator | Don Hansard | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Camera Operator | Chic Waterson | 54 | 5 Jun 1924 | 30 Oct 1997 | 73 | 1 | 1 | ||
Carpenter | Steve Furneaux | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Casting Director | Allan Foenander | 49 | 17 Jul 1929 | 1 Jun 2021 | 91 | 1 | 1 | ||
Casting Director | Irene Lamb | 10 | 10 | ||||||
Chief Hairdresser | Stephanie Kaye | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Construction Engineer | Peter Fern | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Construction Manager | Tony Graysmark | 38 | 1941 | 01.01.1941 | 83 | 1 | 1 | ||
Continuity | Kay Rawlings | 61 | 1918 | Jul 1981 | 63 | 3 | 3 | ||
Costume Designer | Emma Porteous | 42 | 26 Jun 1936 | 26.06.1936 | 88 | 1 | 1 | ||
Director and Producer | Anthony Page | 43 | 21 Sep 1935 | 21.09.1935 | 89 | 1 | 1 | ||
Director of Photography | Douglas Slocombe | 66 | 10 Feb 1913 | 22 Feb 2016 | 103 | 2 | 2 | ||
Dubbing Mixer | Ken Barker | 61 | 1918 | 13 Feb 2001 | 83 | 7 | 7 | ||
Editor | Russell Lloyd ADE, GBFE | 63 | 16 Jan 1916 | 21 Jan 2008 | 92 | 1 | 1 | ||
Executive Producer | Alex Winitsky | 54 | 27 Dec 1924 | 14 Nov 2019 | 94 | 1 | 1 | ||
Executive Producer | Arlene Sellers | 57 | 7 Sep 1921 | 5 Mar 2004 | 82 | 1 | 1 | ||
Executive Producer | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/michael-carreras/# | 51 | 21 Dec 1927 | 19 Apr 1994 | 66 | 98 | 9 | 107 | |
First Camera Assistant | David Wynn-Jones | 34 | Aug 1944 | 01.08.1944 | 80 | 2 | 2 | ||
Focus Puller | Robin Vidgeon | 39 | 12 Aug 1939 | 12.08.1939 | 85 | 1 | 1 | ||
Furs designer | Ossie Clarke | 36 | 2 Jun 1942 | 6 Jun 1996 | 54 | 1 | 1 | ||
Gaffer | Steve Birtles | 64 | 12 Nov 1914 | 2003 | 88 | 14 | 15 | 29 | |
Location Manager | Christian Jungbluth | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Location Manager | Dusty Symonds | 35 | 3 May 1944 | 3.05.1944 | 80 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Make-up | Jill Carpenter | 4 Mar 2015 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||
Make-up Supervisor | Neville Smallwood | 57 | 11 Apr 1922 | Nov 2004 | 82 | 1 | 1 | ||
Music Composer | Richard Hartley | 34 | 28 Jul 1944 | 28.07.1944 | 80 | 1 | 1 | ||
Musical Director | https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/philip-martell/# | 71 | 6 Oct 1907 | 11 Aug 1993 | 85 | 104 | 1 | 105 | |
Producer | Mark L. Rosen | 32 | 6 Feb 1947 | 15 Aug 2012 | 65 | 1 | 1 | ||
Producer | Tom Sachs | 50 | 10 Apr 1929 | 10.04.1929 | 95 | 8 | 1 | 9 | |
Production Assistant | Sally Shewring | 39 | Mar 1940 | 01.03.1940 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
Production Designer | Wilfred Shingleton | 65 | 24 Jan 1914 | Jun 1983 | 69 | 1 | 1 | ||
Re-Recording Mixer | John Hayward | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Screenplay | George Axelrod | 56 | 9 Jun 1922 | 21 Jun 2003 | 81 | 1 | 1 | ||
Second Assistant Director | Andrew Montgomery | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Second Assistant Editor | Joe Gallagher | 26 | 27 Mar 1953 | 27.03.1953 | 71 | 1 | 1 | ||
Set decoration | Bernard Lodge | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Sound Editor | Alfred Cox | 54 | 1925 | 2005 | 80 | 21 | 5 | 26 | |
Sound Mixer | Peter Handford | 60 | 21 Mar 1919 | 6 Nov 2007 | 88 | 1 | 1 | ||
Sound Second Unit | Malcolm Davies | Feb 2019 | 2 | 2 | |||||
Special Unit Photographer | Michael J. Jacobs | 26 | 25 May 1952 | 25.05.1952 | 72 | 1 | 1 | ||
Still Photographer | Keith Hamshere | 33 | 1 Jan 1946 | 01.01.1946 | 78 | 1 | 1 | ||
Stunt Arrangements | Peter Brayham | 42 | 12 Jul 1936 | 7 Dec 2006 | 70 | 1 | 1 | ||
Stunt arrangements | Richard Graydon | 56 | 12 May 1922 | 22 Dec 2014 | 92 | 1 | 1 | ||
Stunt arrangements | Paul Weston | 39 | 7 Jan 1940 | 7.01.1940 | 84 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Theme song composer | Les Reed | 43 | 24 Jul 1935 | 15 Apr 2019 | 83 | 1 | 1 | ||
Wardrobe Supervisor | Jackie Cummins | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Cast | Name | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits | Uncredited | Total Hammer | |
1st Killer | Claus-Dieter Reents | 36 | 15 Mar 1943 | 27 Aug 1996 | 53 | 1 | 1 | ||
2nd Killer | Dan Van Husen | 34 | 30 Apr 1945 | 31 May 2020 | 75 | 1 | 1 | ||
Amanda | Cybill Shepherd | 29 | 18 Feb 1950 | 18.01.1950 | 74 | 1 | 1 | ||
Baroness | Jean Anderson | 71 | 12 Dec 1907 | 1 Apr 2001 | 93 | 1 | 1 | ||
Baronesss Maid | Jacki Harding | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Baronesss Manservant | Garry McDermott | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Bellboy | Pierre Franckh | 26 | 1 May 1953 | 01.05.1953 | 71 | 1 | 1 | ||
Caldicott | Ian Carmichael | 58 | 18 Jun 1920 | 5 Feb 2010 | 89 | 1 | 1 | ||
Charters | Arthur Lowe | 63 | 22 Sep 1915 | 15 Apr 1982 | 66 | 2 | 2 | ||
Daughter | Hillevi | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Dining Car Waiter | Jonathan Hackett | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Dr Hartz | Herbert Lom | 61 | 11 Sep 1917 | 27 Sep 2012 | 95 | 3 | 3 | ||
Evelyn Barnes | Rosalind Knight | 45 | 3 Dec 1933 | 19 Dec 2020 | 87 | 1 | 1 | ||
Frau Kummer | Barbara Markham | 68 | 9 Aug 1910 | 19 Dec 1983 | 73 | 1 | 1 | ||
German Officer | Peter Schratt | 47 | 4 Apr 1932 | 4 Mar 1996 | 63 | 1 | 1 | ||
Helmut | Wolf Kahler | 39 | 3 Apr 1940 | 3.04.1940 | 84 | 1 | 1 | ||
Hotel Manager | Heinz Winter | 53 | 28 May 1925 | 17 Mar 1991 | 65 | 1 | 1 | ||
Miss Froy | Angela Lansbury | 53 | 16 Oct 1925 | 11 Oct 2022 | 96 | 1 | 1 | ||
Mrs Todhunter | Jenny Runacre | 32 | 18 Aug 1946 | 18.08.1946 | 78 | 1 | 1 | ||
Nun | Madlena Nedeva | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Party Guest | Helen Lambert | 43 | 1936 | May 2016 | 80 | 1 | 1 | ||
Party Guest | Jeremy Bulloch | 34 | 16 Feb 1945 | 17 Dec 2020 | 75 | 1 | 1 | ||
Party Guest | William Hootkins | 30 | 5 Jul 1948 | 23 Oct 2005 | 57 | 2 | 2 | ||
Party Guest | John Alkin | 32 | 17 Jan 1947 | 17.01.1947 | 77 | 1 | 1 | ||
Party Guest | Jillianne Foot | 22 | 1957 | 01.01.1957 | 67 | 1 | 1 | ||
Porter | Uli Steigberg | 56 | 8 Feb 1923 | Sep 1987 | 64 | 1 | 1 | ||
Robert | Elliott Gould | 40 | 29 Aug 1938 | 29.08.1938 | 86 | 1 | 1 | ||
Rose Flood Porter | Madge Ryan | 60 | 8 Jan 1919 | 9 Jan 1994 | 75 | 1 | 1 | ||
Signal Box Man | Bruno Thost | 43 | 23 Apr 1936 | 28 Aug 2019 | 83 | 1 | 1 | ||
Station Master | Claus Fuchs | 36 | 16 Apr 1943 | 16.04.1943 | 81 | 1 | 1 | ||
Todhunter | Gerald Harper | 48 | 15 Feb 1931 | 15.01.1931 | 93 | 1 | 1 | ||
Trainmaster | Vladek Sheybal | 56 | 12 Mar 1923 | 16 Oct 1992 | 69 | 1 | 1 | ||
Waiter | Edgar Wenzel | 59 | 12 Sep 1919 | 1980 | 60 | 1 | 1 |
Original Poster
Click to enlarge
Footnotes
Remaking any classic film is dangerous, but remaking Hitchcock can be regarded as verging on the suicidal and, although Rank had some success the previous year with The Thirty-Nine Steps, The Lady Vanishes was a disaster, mauled by the critics and ignored by the paying public. It spelt the end of the road for Michael Carreras and very nearly for Hammer as well, which would have gone under had Roy Skeggs not returned to rescue the Company from oblivion. From now on, though, there would be no more feature films and the ‘new’ Hammer concentrated on works for television, notably the series Hammer House of Horror and Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense. Fortunately for us, however, a fine legacy of their many classics remains.
Elliott Gould’s films include The Night they Raided Minsky’s (1968), Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), M*A*S*H (1970), Capricorn One (1977), The Naked Face (1984) and The Player (1992).
Cybill Shepherd later starred in her popular comedy show Cybill.
Angela Lansbury’s films include The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945, for which she was Oscar-nominated), Samson and Delilah (1949), The Court Jester (1956), Blue Hawaii (1961), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and Death on the Nile (1978). In recent years, she has concentrated on her role as Jessica Fletcher in the long-running series Murder, She Wrote.
Ian Carmichael is one of Britain’s most popular comedy actors. His films include Private’s Progress (1956), Brothers in Law (1956), Lucky Jim (1957), I’m All Right, Jack (1959), School for Scoundrels (1960) Heavens Above! (1963), The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971) and Amicus’s From Beyond the Grave (1973).