Hell is a City – 1960

An Associated British-Hammer production released through Warner-Pathe Distributors Limited
Copyright MCMLIX by Hammer Film Productions Ltd – All rights reserved
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
RCA Sound Recording
Produced at Associated British Elstree Studios, England
Black & White 85 mins Hammerscope
Storyline
Don Starling, a vicious criminal who has escaped from jail, organises a robbery on a wealthy local Manchester bookmaker, forcing the girl carrying the cash into his getaway car. But things go horribly wrong when the girl is killed and Inspector Martineau sets out to track down his old enemy, who is now wanted for murder.
Watch the trailer on YouTube
Crew
Function | Credited | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits |
Art Director | Robert Jones | 6 | ||||
Assistant Casting | David Booth | 2 | ||||
Assistant Director | Philip Shipway | 45 | 21 Feb 1914 | 20 Apr 1968 | 54 | 1 |
Based on the Novel by | Maurice Procter | 53 | 4 Feb 1906 | 1973 | 66 | 1 |
Camera Operator | Moray Grant | 42 | 13 Nov 1917 | 17 Sep 1977 | 59 | 29 |
Casting Director | Robert Lennard | 49 | 16 May 1910 | 1 Aug 1999 | 89 | 1 |
Continuity | Doreen Dearnaley | 31 | 20 Nov 1928 | 3 Feb 1992 | 63 | 13 |
Directed by | Val Guest | 48 | 11 Dec 1911 | 10 May 2006 | 94 | 29 |
Director of Photography | Arthur Grant, BSc | 45 | 1915 | 1972 | 57 | 30 |
Editor | John Dunsford | 33 | 11 Oct 1926 | 1995 | 68 | 5 |
Hairdresser | Pauline Trent | 2 | ||||
Make-up Artist | Colin Garde | 44 | 16 Jul 1915 | 1 Dec 1990 | 75 | 1 |
Music Composed and Conducted | Stanley Black | 46 | 14 Jun 1913 | 26 Nov 2002 | 89 | 5 |
Produced by | Michael Carreras | 32 | 21 Dec 1927 | 19 Apr 1994 | 66 | 82 |
Production Manager | Don Weeks | 55 | 15 Nov 1904 | 1 Mar 1988 | 83 | 30 |
Recording Director | A.W. Lumkin | 46 | 2 Feb 1913 | 25 Oct 1985 | 72 | 30 |
Screenplay by | Val Guest | 48 | 11 Dec 1911 | 10 May 2006 | 94 | 29 |
Sound Recordists | Len Shilton | 49 | 30 Apr 1910 | 1 Jun 1985 | 75 | 4 |
Sound Recordists | Les Hammond | 51 | 6 Jun 1908 | 8 | ||
Supervising Editor | James Needs | 40 | 17 Oct 1919 | 2003 | 83 | 110 |
Wardrobe Mistress | Jackie Jackson | 1 |
Cast
Character | Actor | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Appearances | |
Bert Darwin | Peter Madden | 55 | 9 Aug 1904 | 24 Feb 1976 | 71 | 6 | |
Bragg | Dickie Owen | 33 | 26 Mar 1927 | 7 Apr 2015 | 88 | 3 | |
Cecily | Lois Daine | 18 | 5 Dec 1941 | 80 | 3 | ||
Chloe Hawkins | Billie Whitelaw | 27 | 6 Jun 1932 | 21 Dec 2014 | 82 | 1 | |
Commercial Traveller | Warren Mitchell | 33 | 14 Jan 1926 | 14 Nov 2015 | 89 | 4 | |
Devery | Geoffrey Frederick | 26 | 29 Jan 1933 | 89 | 1 | ||
Don Starling | John Crawford | 39 | 13 Sep 1920 | 21 Sep 2010 | 90 | 1 | |
Hawkins | Donald Pleasence | 40 | 5 Oct 1919 | 2 Feb 1995 | 75 | 1 | |
Inspector Martineau | Stanley Baker | 31 | 28 Feb 1928 | 28 Jun 1976 | 48 | 5 | |
Jakes | Joby Blanshard | 40 | 7 Nov 1919 | 26 Nov 1992 | 73 | 2 | |
Julie Martineau | Maxine Audley | 36 | 29 Apr 1923 | 23 Jul 1992 | 69 | 2 | |
Lovett | Charles Morgan | 50 | 21 Jul 1909 | 1 May 1994 | 84 | 2 | |
Lucky Lusk | Vanda Godsell | 37 | 17 Nov 1922 | 2 Apr 1990 | 67 | 3 | |
Roach | Charles Houston | 29 | 1931 | 2006 | 75 | 5 | |
Sam | Alastair Williamson | 41 | 17 Jun 1918 | 19 May 1999 | 80 | 3 | |
Savage | George A. Cooper | 34 | 7 Mar 1925 | 16 Nov 2018 | 93 | 3 | |
Silver Steele | Sarah Branch | 21 | 7 Jan 1938 | 10 Nov 2007 | 69 | 2 | |
Steele | Joseph Tomelty | 49 | 5 Mar 1910 | 7 Jun 1995 | 85 | 1 | |
Superintendent | Russell Napier | 49 | 28 Nov 1910 | 19 Aug 1964 | 53 | 5 |
Production
FILMING BEGAN | 21 September 1959 | |
UK RELEASE | 1 May 1960 | |
STUDIO | Associated British Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England | |
LOCATION | The Star and Garter, Fairfield Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, England | Lacy Arms interior |
Refuge Assurance Building, Oxford Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, England | Roof top chase | |
The Fatted Calf, Cromford Court, Manchester, Greater Manchester, England | Lacy Arms exterior |
Footnotes
This gritty police drama caused a bit of a stir back in 1959, thanks to a very brief nude scene featuring Billie Whitelaw.
The film enjoys a sufficiently high reputation to have merited a re-release in the cinema in 1998.
Welshman Sir Stanley Baker was a much respected actor, whose films include Olivier’s “Richard III” (1955), “Hell Drivers” (1957) and “The Guns of Navarone” (1961); he also appeared in two other Hammer productions – “Whispering Smith Hits London” (1952) and “Yesterday’s Enemy” (1959).
However, his greatest moment in the cinema probably came in 1963, when he starred in and co-produced the epic film “Zulu”. He died in 1976.
Details were complied viewing the actual film.
Source of viewing copy – The Hammer Graveyard Collection