Face the Music – 1954

A Hammer production released by Exclusive Films (UK) and Lippert Films (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, England
Black & White 84 minutes
Storyline
Jazz trumpeter James Bradley (“Brad”) is working in a show at the London Palladium when he meets beautiful night-club singer Maxine Halbard. He takes her back to her flat, but absent-mindedly leaves his trumpet behind when he leaves. The next day the police return it to him – Maxine has been murdered and it seems that he was the last person to see her alive. Now under suspicion of the crime, Brad sets out to clear his name…
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 | J. Elder Wills | 53 | 26 Apr 1900 | 1970 | 69 | 22 | 22 | ||
Ast. Director | Jimmy Sangster | 26 | 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 | |
Director | Terence Fisher | 49 | 23 Feb 1904 | 18 Jun 1980 | 76 | 31 | 31 | ||
Director of Photog. | Walter Harvey BSc | 51 | 9 Feb 1903 | 1979 | 75 | 34 | 34 | ||
Editor | Maurice Rootes | 36 | 12 Apr 1917 | 17 Jun 1997 | 80 | 7 | 7 | ||
From the novel "Face the Music” by | Ernest Borneman | 38 | 12 Apr 1915 | 4 Jun 1995 | 80 | 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 | |
Musical Director | Kenny Baker | 32 | 1 Mar 1921 | 7 Dec 1999 | 78 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Producer | Michael Carreras | 26 | 21 Dec 1927 | 19 Apr 1994 | 66 | 82 | 3 | 85 | |
Production Manager | Mickey Delamar | 46 | 1908 | 1971 | 63 | 7 | 1 | 8 | |
Screenplay | Ernest Borneman | 38 | 12 Apr 1915 | 4 Jun 1995 | 80 | 2 | 2 | ||
Sound Recording | George Burgess | 57 | 1897 | Feb 1956 | 59 | 3 | 3 | ||
Sound Recording | Bill Salter | 1983 | 17 | 17 | |||||
Trumpet Theme and Special Arrangements | Kenny Baker | 32 | 1 Mar 1921 | 7 Dec 1999 | 78 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Wardrobe | Molly Arbuthnot | 45 | 19 Dec 1908 | 31 Oct 2001 | 92 | 48 | 4 | 52 | |
Uncredited | |||||||||
Boom Operator | Percy Britten | 34 | 1 Oct 1919 | 1996 | 76 | 21 | 21 | ||
Camera Operator | John Reid | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Camera Operator | Tom Day | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Clapper Loader | Tom Friswell | 24 | 1930 | 2002 | 72 | 18 | 18 | ||
First Ast. Editor | Alfred Cox | 29 | 1925 | 1 Jan 2005 | 80 | 21 | 4 | 25 | |
Focus Puller | Harry Oakes | 33 | 16 Jan 1921 | 11 Dec 2012 | 91 | 53 | 53 | ||
Production Secretary | Doreen Soan | 28 | 1 Jan 1926 | 97 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
Second Ast. Director | Spencer Reeve | 30 | 10 Dec 1923 | 15 Dec 1975 | 52 | 8 | 2 | 10 | |
Second Ast. Director | Fred Slark | 31 | 8 Oct 1922 | 22 Dec 1988 | 66 | 1 | 1 | ||
Sound Camera Operator | Don Alton | 40 | 1914 | 18 Jan 1987 | 73 | 9 | 9 | ||
Sound Maintenance | J. Woodiwiss | 44 | 14 Jun 1909 | 1987 | 77 | 1 | 1 | ||
Still Photog. | John Jay | 33 | 14 Nov 1920 | 29 Apr 2005 | 84 | 13 | 22 | 35 |
Cast
Character | Actor | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Productions | |||
Click a link for more info | Credited | Uncredited | Total | ||||||
Barbara Quigley | Eleanor Summerfield | 32 | 7 Mar 1921 | 13 Jul 2001 | 80 | 3 | 3 | ||
Bellboy | Melvyn Hayes | 19 | 11 Jan 1935 | 88 | 4 | 4 | |||
Gloria Lewis Colt | Paula Byrne | 11 Jul 2008 | 1 | 1 | |||||
Inspector Mulrooney | Martin Boddey | 46 | 16 Apr 1907 | 24 Oct 1975 | 68 | 4 | 4 | ||
James Bradley | Alex Nicol | 38 | 20 Jan 1916 | 29 Jul 2001 | 85 | 2 | 2 | ||
Jeff Colt | Arthur Lane | 43 | 11 Jun 1910 | 28 Apr 1987 | 76 | 2 | 2 | ||
Johnny Sutherland | Paul Carpenter | 32 | 8 Dec 1921 | 12 Jun 1964 | 42 | 5 | 5 | ||
Maurice Green | Geoffrey Keen | 37 | 21 Aug 1916 | 3 Nov 2005 | 89 | 4 | 4 | ||
Max Margulis | John Salew | 52 | 1 Jan 1902 | 14 Sep 1961 | 59 | 1 | 1 | ||
Maxine | Ann Hanslip | 20 | 25 Jan 1934 | 9 Jan 2013 | 78 | 1 | 1 | ||
The Inspector | Fred Johnson | 54 | 6 Aug 1899 | 4 Dec 1971 | 72 | 6 | 2 | 8 | |
Uncredited | |||||||||
Band Member | Michael Carreras | 26 | 21 Dec 1927 | 19 Apr 1994 | 66 | 82 | 3 | 85 | |
Bandleader | Kenny Baker | 32 | 1 Mar 1921 | 7 Dec 1999 | 78 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Card Player | Arthur Howell | 34 | 5 Jan 1920 | Aug 2003 | 83 | 5 | 5 | ||
Constable | Frank Pettit | 54 | 16 Oct 1899 | 27 Mar 1964 | 64 | 1 | 1 | ||
Doctor | Robert Sansom | 50 | 19 May 1903 | 9 Jan 1979 | 75 | 1 | 1 | ||
Dresser | Leo Phillips | 40 | 1 Feb 1914 | 3 | 3 | ||||
Gambler | Martin Lyder | 31 | 30 Sep 1922 | 12 Jan 2003 | 80 | 4 | 4 | ||
Gatekeeper | Ben Williams | 61 | 6 Oct 1892 | Dec 1960 | 68 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
Mickey - Barman | James Carney | 43 | 16 Jan 1911 | 25 Aug 1955 | 44 | 1 | 1 | ||
Policeman | Patrick Jordan | 30 | 20 Oct 1923 | 10 Jan 2020 | 96 | 1 | 1 | ||
Recording Technician | Jeremy Hawk | 35 | 20 May 1918 | 15 Jan 2002 | 83 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Stage Callboy | Tony Hilton | 25 | 1 Apr 1928 | 28 Oct 1984 | 56 | 1 | 1 | ||
Stage Manager | Freddie Tripp | 8 Dec 1968 | 1 | 1 | |||||
Trumpet Salesman | Frank Birch | 64 | 5 Dec 1889 | 14 Feb 1956 | 66 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Waiter | Mark Singleton | 34 | 2 Mar 1919 | 24 Jul 1986 | 67 | 2 | 2 | ||
With | Gordon Crier | 41 | 2 Oct 1912 | 16 Sep 1984 | 71 | 1 | 1 |
Production
FILMING BEGAN | 1 June 1953 | |
UK RELEASE | 22 February 1954 | |
STUDIO | Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England |
Footnotes
American actor Alex Nicol made one more film for Hammer – “The House Across the Lake” (1954).
Fred Johnson was another of those character actors who was employed quite regularly by Hammer. His films for them include “The Curse of Frankenstein” (1957), “The Brides of Dracula” (1960) and “Taste of Fear” (1961). He probably had his quietest role in “Taste of Fear”, playing a corpse which keeps turning up throughout the film!
Details were complied viewing the actual film.
Source of viewing copy – The Hammer Graveyard Collection