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
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 Credits |
Art Director | J. Elder Wills | 52 | 26 Apr 1900 | 1970 | 69 | 22 |
Assistant Director | Jimmy Sangster | 25 | 2 Dec 1927 | 19 Aug 2011 | 83 | 65 |
Camera Operator | Len Harris | 36 | 19 May 1916 | 21 Feb 1995 | 78 | 52 |
Continuity | Renee Glynne | 26 | 3 Aug 1926 | Living | 94 | 38 |
Dialogue Director | Molly Terraine | 64 | 4 Jul 1888 | 22 Dec 1963 | 75 | 1 |
Directed by | Terence Fisher | 48 | 23 Feb 1904 | 18 Jun 1980 | 76 | 31 |
Director of Photography | Walter Harvey Bsc | 49 | 9 Feb 1903 | 1979 | 75 | 33 |
Editor | Maurice Rootes | 35 | 12 Apr 1917 | 17 Jun 1997 | 80 | 7 |
Fur Models by | Molho | 2 | ||||
Hairdresser | Nina Broe | 1993 | 10 | |||
Make-up | Phil Leakey | 44 | 4 May 1908 | 26 Nov 1992 | 84 | 48 |
Musical Director | Ivor Slaney | 31 | 27 May 1921 | 20 Mar 1998 | 76 | 2 |
Original Screenplay by | Jan Read | 35 | 18 Nov 1917 | 29 Nov 2012 | 95 | 11 |
Played by | The New Symphony Orchestra | 1 | ||||
Produced by | Michael Carreras | 25 | 21 Dec 1927 | 19 Apr 1994 | 66 | 83 |
Production Facilities kindly granted by | Worth (London) Ltd | 1 | ||||
Production Manager | Mickey Delamar | 45 | 1908 | 1971 | 63 | 7 |
Sound Recording | Bill Salter | No Data | 1983 | 17 | ||
Sound Recording | George Burgess | 56 | 1897 | 1 Feb 1956 | 59 | 3 |
Special Gowns Created by | Ben Pearson | 2 | ||||
Wardrobe Mistress | Molly Arbuthnot | 44 | 19 Dec 1908 | 1 Nov 2001 | 92 | 48 |
Cast
Character | Actor | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Appearances |
Captain Simpson | Andrew Osborn | 42 | 9 Apr 1910 | 11 Mar 1985 | 74 | 3 |
Chelsea | Delphi Lawrence | 20 | 23 Mar 1932 | 11 Apr 2002 | 70 | 3 |
Detective Sergeant | Thomas Heathcote | 45 | 9 Sep 1907 | 5 Jan 1986 | 78 | 4 |
Eddie | Michael Ripper | 39 | 27 Jan 1913 | 28 Jun 2000 | 87 | 34 |
Fernande | Eileen Way | 41 | 2 Sep 1911 | 16 Jun 1994 | 82 | 1 |
Gina | Naomi Chance | 25 | 1 Dec 1927 | 18 Mar 2003 | 75 | 4 |
Helen Pascall | Mila Parely | 35 | 7 Oct 1917 | 14 Jan 2012 | 94 | 1 |
Lady Marchant | Margaret Halstan | 73 | 25 Dec 1879 | 8 Jan 1967 | 87 | 1 |
Macleod | Richard Wattis | 40 | 25 Feb 1912 | 1 Feb 1975 | 62 | 6 |
Mercedes | Eric Pohlmann | 39 | 18 Jul 1913 | 25 Jul 1979 | 66 | 7 |
Tom Conway | Tom Conway | 48 | 15 Sep 1904 | 22 Apr 1967 | 62 | 2 |
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 feature 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