The Phantom of the Opera – 1962

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

RCA Sound Recording
Produced at Bray Studios, England
Eastmancolor by Pathe 84 mins

Storyline

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….

Watch the trailer on YouTube

Crew


Function	Credited	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
Art Director	Don Mingaye	33	1 Jan 1929		8 Nov 2017	88	26	14	40
Associate Producer	Basil Keys	45	1917		2009	92	4	1	5
Ast. Director	John Peverall	31	1 Jan 1931		3 Oct 2009	78	21		21
Based on the Composition by	Gaston Leroux	94	6 May 1868		15 Apr 1927	58	1		1
Camera Operator	Len Harris	46	19 May 1916		21 Feb 1995	78	52	1	53
Continuity	Tilly Day	59	1903		1994	91	13	1	14
Director	Terence Fisher	58	23 Feb 1904		18 Jun 1980	76	31		31
Director of Photog.	Arthur Grant BSc	47	1915		1972	56	30		30
Editor	Alfred Cox	37	1925		2005	80	21	4	25
Hair Stylist	Frieda Steiger	58	29 Dec 1903		19 Aug 1993	89	28		28
Make-up Artist	Roy Ashton	53	16 Apr 1909		10 Jan 1995	85	36	4	40
Music Composed & Conducted by	Edwin Astley	40	12 Apr 1922		19 May 1998	76	3		3
Opera Scenes	Dennis Maunder	39	1923		2012	88	1		1
Producer	Anthony Hinds	39	18 Sep 1922		30 Sep 2013	91	84	1	85
Production Designer	Bernard Robinson	49	28 Jul 1912		2 Mar 1970	57	46	3	49
Production Manager	Clifford Parkes	35	1927		2014	87	12		12
Screenplay	Anthony Hinds	39	18 Sep 1922		30 Sep 2013	91	84	1	85
Sound Editor	James Groom	37	1 Jan 1925		17 May 2016	91	13	3	16
Sound Recordist	Jock May	57	1 Jan 1905		8 Jan 1991	86	30	1	31
Supervising Editor	James Needs	42	17 Oct 1919		4 Feb 2003	83	110	1	111
Wardrobe Mistress	Rosemary Burrows						36	5	41
Wardrobe Supervisor	Molly Arbuthnot	53	19 Dec 1908		31 Oct 2001	92	48	4	52
Uncredited
Ast. Editor	Chris Barnes	24	1 Jan 1938		5 Jun 2009	71	21	12	33
Construction Manager	Arthur Banks						18	29	47
Focus Puller	Harry Oakes	41	16 Jan 1921		11 Dec 2012	91		53	53
Publicity Director	Dennison Thornton	52	23 Aug 1909		1977	67		9	9
Singing Voice: Heather Sears	Patricia Clark							1	1
Special Effects	James Groom	37	1 Jan 1925		17 May 2016	91	13	3	16
Still Photog.	Tom Edwards				1999			26	26
Stunt Double	Jack Cooper	39	1923		2010	87	1	5	6
Sound Camera Operator	Alan Lavender	20	30 Sep 1941	30.09.1941		81		2	2
Special Effects	Brian Johnson	22	29 Jun 1939	29.06.1939		84	3	7	10

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

Cast


Character	Actor	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
1st Cabby	Michael Ripper	49	27 Jan 1913		28 Jun 2000	87	34	2	36
2nd Cabby	Miles Malleson	74	25 May 1888		15 Mar 1969	80	4		4
Bill	Harold Goodwin	44	22 Oct 1917		3 Jun 2004	86	5	2	7
Charwoman	Miriam Karlin	37	23 Jun 1925		3 Jun 2011	85	2		2
Christine	Heather Sears	26	28 Sep 1935		3 Jan 1994	58	1		1
Harry	Edward De Souza	29	4 Sep 1932	04.09.1932		90	2		2
Lattimer	Thorley Walters	49	12 May 1913		6 Jul 1991	78	6		6
Lord Ambrose D'Arcy	Michael Gough	45	23 Nov 1916		17 Mar 2011	94	3		3
Maria	Liane Aukin	25	17 Aug 1936		18 Aug 2016	80	1	1	2
Mrs Tucker	Renee Houston	59	24 Jul 1902		9 Feb 1980	77	2		2
Ratcatcher	Patrick Troughton	42	25 Mar 1920		28 Mar 1987	67	5		5
Rossi	Martin Miller	62	2 Sep 1899		26 Aug 1969	69	1		1
Sergeant Vickers	John Harvey	50	27 Sep 1911		19 Jul 1982	70	12	1	13
The Dwarf	Ian Wilson	60	2 Jul 1901		Dec 1987	86	4	4	8
The Phantom/Professor Petrie	Herbert Lom	44	11 Sep 1917		27 Sep 2012	95	3		3
Weaver	Keith Pyott	60	9 Mar 1902		6 Apr 1968	66	2	2	4
Xavier	Marne Maitland	47	18 Dec 1914		Mar 1992	77	8		8
Yvonne	Sonya Cordeau	29	5 Jun 1933	05.06.1933		89	1		1
Uncredited
Chorus Girl	Waveney Lee	17	1945	01.01.1945		78		1	1
Chorus Girl	Jane Merrow	20	26 Aug 1941	26.08.1941		81	1	1	2
Cleaner in Theatre	Lucy Griffiths	43	24 Apr 1919		29 Sep 1982	63	1	3	4
Forbes	Laurie Main	39	29 Nov 1922		8 Feb 2012	89		1	1
Frenchman	Geoff L'Cise	26	4 Apr 1936		13 Feb 2014	77		1	1
Minor Role	Emille Stemmler	51	1911					6	6
Murdered Stagehand's Wife	Cicely Walper	63	6 Feb 1899		18 Jan 1981	81		1	1
Police Insp. Dawson	John Maddison	50	5 Feb 1912		24 Dec 2000	88		1	1
Police Insp. Ward	Liam Redmond	48	27 Jul 1913		28 Oct 1989	76	1	1	2
Sait Joan Cast	Patrick Halpin	61	4 Mar 1901		21 May 1971	70		5	5
Shocked Tympanist	Ray Cooper							1	1
Stagehand	Fred Wood	40	26 Oct 1921		25 Jan 2003	81		19	19
Teresa	Leila Forde							1	1

Production


FILMING BEGAN	1 November 1961
UK RELEASE	25 June 1962
STUDIO	Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England
LOCATION	New Wimbledon Theatre, The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, England	Theatre auditorium interiors

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).

Details were complied viewing the actual film.
Source of viewing copy – The Hammer Graveyard Collection