Blood Orange – 1953

Alternative title: Three Stops to Murder

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