The Dark Light – 1951

A Hammer production released by Exclusive Films

Opening credit:- “We gratefully acknowledge the kind co-operation of the Elder Brethren of Trinity House, the Royal Navy at H.M. Dockyard, Portsmouth and in particular the keepers of the Nab Tower Lighthouse in the making of this picture.”

Black & White 66 minutes

Storyline

The Thimble Rock Lighthouse is discovered by the crew of a passing vessel, its light out, completely deserted apparently in a hurry, a warm teapot still on the table – echoes of the Marie Celeste! What on earth could have happened? In flashback, the strange story unfolds; a story of a brave lighthouse crew and a gang of bank robbers, on the run from the law, plucked by them from the sea.

Watch a clip from the film on YouTube

Crew


Function	Credited	Age at Release	Birth	Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info					Credited	Uncredited	Total
Ast. Director	John Arnold	29	3 Sep 1921	May 2003	81	2		2
Casting	Prudence Sykes					11	2	13
Chief Technician	Jack Curtis					3	23	26
Continuity	Doris Martin	45	1906	May 1993	87	2		2
Director	Vernon Sewell	47	4 Jul 1903	21 Jun 2001	97	6		6
Director of Photog.	Moray Grant	33	13 Nov 1917	17 Sep 1977	59	29		29
Editor	Francis Bieber	43	1908	1960	52	2		2
In Charge of Production	Anthony Hinds	28	18 Sep 1922	30 Sep 2013	91	84	1	85
Musical Director	Frank Spencer	39	19 Jun 1911	Feb 1975	63	21	1	22
Producer	Michael Carreras	23	21 Dec 1927	19 Apr 1994	66	82	3	85
Recordist	John Bramall	27	18 Aug 1923	13 Jun 2000	76	23		23
Writer	Vernon Sewell	47	4 Jul 1903	21 Jun 2001	97	6		6

Cast


Character	Actor	Age at Release	Birth	Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info					Credited	Uncredited	Total
Joan	Joan Carol	45	1 Dec 1905	29 May 1986	80	2		2
Johnny	David Greene	30	22 Feb 1921	7 Apr 2003	82	1		1
Linda	Catherine Blake	29	11 Sep 1921	1 Mar 1991	69	1		1
Luigi	Martin Benson	32	10 Aug 1918	28 Feb 2010	91	4		4
Mark	Albert Lieven	44	23 Jun 1906	22 Dec 1971	65	1		1
Matt	Jack Stewart	38	22 Mar 1913	1 Jan 1966	52	4		4
Rigby	Norman MacOwan	74	2 Jan 1877	31 Dec 1961	84	2		2
Roger	John Harvey	39	27 Sep 1911	19 Jul 1982	70	12	1	13
Stephen	John Longden	50	11 Nov 1900	26 May 1971	70	4		4

Production


FILMING BEGAN	January 1951
UK RELEASE	23 July 1951
STUDIO	Gilston Park, Hertfordshire, England

Footnotes

Although he had worked for Exclusive for some years, this is the first film to credit Michael Carreras as Producer.

Vernon Sewell was a journeyman director whose only other films for Hammer were “The Jack of Diamonds” (1949) and “The Black Widow (1951). Much later on, for Tony Tenser’s Tigon company, he directed “The Blood Beast Terror” (1967, with Peter Cushing) and “Curse of the Crimson Altar” (1968, with Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee). His many other films include the modest but eerie ghost story “House of Mystery” (1961) and “Some May Live” (1966, with Peter Cushing).

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