Blood Orange – 1953

A Hammer production released by Exclusive Films (UK) and Astor (USA)
Copyright 1953 by Exclusive Films Ltd.
All characters in this photoplay are fictitious and bear no resemblance to any real person, living or dead
RCA Sound System
Produced at Exclusive Studios, Bray
Production Facilities kindly granted by Worth (London) Ltd
New Symphony Orchestra
Black & White 76 minutes
Storyline
Private Detective Tom Conway is hired by jeweller Mercedes to investigate the theft of jewels from a London fashion house. But things take a sinister turn when two women, model Chelsea and the elderly Lady Marchant, are murdered, both while wearing a newly designed dress called “Blood Orange”. Conway suspects there must be a connection linking the crimes.



Crew
Function | Credited | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Productions | ||
Click link for more info | Credited | Uncredited | Total | |||||
Art Director | J. Elder Wills | 53 | 26 Apr 1900 | 1970 | 69 | 22 | 22 | |
Ast. Director | Jimmy Sangster | 25 | 2 Dec 1927 | 19 Aug 2011 | 83 | 65 | 2 | 67 |
Camera Operator | Len Harris | 37 | 19 May 1916 | 21 Feb 1995 | 78 | 52 | 1 | 53 |
Continuity | Renee Glynne | 27 | 3 Aug 1926 | 6 Apr 2022 | 95 | 38 | 3 | 41 |
Dialogue Director | Molly Terraine | 65 | 4 Jul 1888 | 22 Dec 1963 | 75 | 1 | 1 | |
Director | Terence Fisher | 49 | 23 Feb 1904 | 18 Jun 1980 | 76 | 31 | 31 | |
Director of Photog. | Walter Harvey BSc | 50 | 9 Feb 1903 | 1979 | 75 | 34 | 34 | |
Editor | Maurice Rootes | 36 | 12 Apr 1917 | 17 Jun 1997 | 80 | 7 | 7 | |
Fur Models | Molho | 2 | 2 | |||||
Hairdresser | Nina Broe | 1993 | 10 | 10 | ||||
Make-up | Phil Leakey | 45 | 4 May 1908 | 26 Nov 1992 | 84 | 48 | 48 | |
Musical Director | Ivor Slaney | 32 | 27 May 1921 | 20 Mar 1998 | 76 | 11 | 1 | 12 |
Original Screenplay | Jan Read | 35 | 18 Nov 1917 | 29 Nov 2012 | 95 | 1 | 1 | |
Producer | Michael Carreras | 25 | 21 Dec 1927 | 19 Apr 1994 | 66 | 82 | 3 | 85 |
Production Manager | Mickey Delamar | 45 | 1908 | 1971 | 63 | 7 | 1 | 8 |
Sound Recording | George Burgess | 56 | 1897 | Feb 1956 | 59 | 3 | 3 | |
Sound Recording | Bill Salter | 1983 | 17 | 17 | ||||
Special Gowns Created | Ben Pearson | 1993 | 2 | 2 | ||||
Wardrobe Mistress | Molly Arbuthnot | 44 | 19 Dec 1908 | 31 Oct 2001 | 92 | 48 | 4 | 52 |
Uncredited | ||||||||
Ast. Editor | Margaret Murison | 1 | 1 | |||||
Boom Operator | Percy Britten | 34 | 1 Oct 1919 | 1996 | 76 | 21 | 21 | |
Clapper Loader | Tom Friswell | 23 | 1930 | 2002 | 72 | 18 | 18 | |
Focus Puller | Harry Oakes | 32 | 16 Jan 1921 | 11 Dec 2012 | 91 | 53 | 53 | |
Second Ast. Dorector | Fred Stark | 2 | 2 | |||||
Second Camera Operator | John Read | 32 | 14 Nov 1920 | 13 Apr 2006 | 85 | 1 | 1 | |
Sound Camera Operator | Don Alton | 39 | 1914 | 18 Jan 1987 | 73 | 9 | 9 | |
Sound Library Editor | Arthur Cox | 4 | 1 | 5 | ||||
Sound Maintenance | J. Woodiwiss | 44 | 14 Jun 1909 | 1987 | 77 | 1 | 1 | |
Still Photog. | John Jay | 32 | 14 Nov 1920 | 29 Apr 2005 | 84 | 13 | 22 | 35 |
Third Ast. Director | John Draper | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Cast
Character | Actor | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Productions | ||
Click link for more info | Credited | Uncredited | Total | |||||
Captain Simpson | Andrew Osborn | 43 | 9 Apr 1910 | 11 Mar 1985 | 74 | 3 | 3 | |
Chelsea | Delphi Lawrence | 21 | 23 Mar 1932 | 11 Apr 2002 | 70 | 3 | 3 | |
Detective Sergeant | Thomas Heathcote | 46 | 9 Sep 1907 | 5 Jan 1986 | 78 | 4 | 4 | |
Eddie | Michael Ripper | 40 | 27 Jan 1913 | 28 Jun 2000 | 87 | 34 | 2 | 36 |
Fernande | Eileen Way | 42 | 2 Sep 1911 | 16 Jun 1994 | 82 | 1 | 1 | |
Gina | Naomi Chance | 26 | 18 Sep 1927 | 18 Mar 2003 | 75 | 4 | 4 | |
Helen Pascall | Mila Parely | 36 | 7 Oct 1917 | 14 Jan 2012 | 94 | 1 | 1 | |
Lady Marchant | Margaret Halstan | 73 | 25 Dec 1879 | 8 Jan 1967 | 87 | 1 | 1 | |
Macleod | Richard Wattis | 41 | 25 Feb 1912 | 1 Feb 1975 | 62 | 6 | 6 | |
Mercedes | Eric Pohlmann | 40 | 18 Jul 1913 | 25 Jul 1979 | 66 | 7 | 7 | |
Tom Conway | Tom Conway | 49 | 15 Sep 1904 | 22 Apr 1967 | 62 | 2 | 2 | |
Uncredited | ||||||||
Blonde | Christina Forrest | 23 | 5 Feb 1930 | 1 Oct 1990 | 60 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Chauffeur | John H Watson | 30 | 17 Jul 1923 | 24 Dec 2000 | 77 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Commissionaire | Denis Cowles | 64 | 12 Sep 1889 | 26 Aug 1970 | 80 | 1 | 1 | |
Fashion Show Attendee | Jack Manderville | 32 | 21 Aug 1921 | 2 May 1995 | 73 | 2 | 2 | |
George | Davy Leon | 1 | 1 | |||||
Harry - Night Watchman | Leo Phillips | 39 | 1 Feb 1914 | 3 | 3 | |||
Heath | Reed de Rouen | 32 | 10 Jun 1921 | 11 Jun 1986 | 65 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Marlowe, Murderer-thief | Roger Delgado | 35 | 1 Mar 1918 | 18 Jun 1973 | 55 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
Miss Betty | Betty Cooper | 43 | 1 May 1910 | 3 Feb 1979 | 68 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Nightclub Patron | John Lynn | 3 | 3 | |||||
Seamstress | Dorothy Robson | 44 | 12 Sep 1909 | 26 Dec 1994 | 85 | 1 | 1 | |
Stevenson | Robert Moore | 1 | 1 | |||||
Vivian | Cleo Rose | 3 | 3 |
Production
FILMING BEGAN | 1 February 1953 |
UK RELEASE | 3 November 1953 |
STUDIO | Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England |
Footnotes
For some reason, Tom Conway, who was the brother of fellow actor George Sanders, plays a character in this film called – Tom Conway! This was his only appearance for Hammer, although he later narrated the featurette “Copenhagen” (1956) for them. In the 1940’s he acted in horror films for RKO producer Val Lewton, such as “Cat People” (1942), “I Walked with a Zombie” and “The Seventh Victim” (both 1943), as well as playing the detective character ‘The Falcon’, a part he inherited from his brother, in a series of second features also for RKO. In 1956, he appeared in the Grade-Z American International schlock horror movies, “Voodoo Woman” and “The She-Creature”.
Details were complied viewing the actual film.
Source of viewing copy – The Hammer Graveyard Collection