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 Credits |
Art Director | J. Elder Wills | 53 | 26 Apr 1900 | 1970 | 69 | 22 |
Assistant Director | Jimmy Sangster | 26 | 2 Dec 1927 | 19 Aug 2011 | 83 | 65 |
Camera Operator | Len Harris | 37 | 19 May 1916 | 21 Feb 1995 | 78 | 52 |
Continuity | Renee Glynne | 27 | 3 Aug 1926 | Living | 94 | 38 |
Directed by | Terence Fisher | 49 | 23 Feb 1904 | 18 Jun 1980 | 76 | 31 |
Director of Photography | Walter Harvey Bsc | 50 | 9 Feb 1903 | 1979 | 75 | 33 |
Editor | Maurice Rootes | 36 | 12 Apr 1917 | 17 Jun 1997 | 80 | 7 |
From the novel "Face the Music" by | Ernest Borneman | 38 | 12 Apr 1915 | 4 Jun 1995 | 80 | 2 |
Hairdresser | Nina Broe | 1993 | 10 | |||
Make-up | Phil Leakey | 45 | 4 May 1908 | 26 Nov 1992 | 84 | 48 |
Musical Directors | Ivor Slaney | 32 | 27 May 1921 | 20 Mar 1998 | 76 | 11 |
Musical Directors | Ken Barker (1) | 32 | 1 Mar 1921 | 7 Dec 1999 | 78 | 2 |
Produced by | Michael Carreras | 26 | 21 Dec 1927 | 19 Apr 1994 | 66 | 83 |
Production Manager | Mickey Delamar | 46 | 1908 | 1971 | 63 | 7 |
Screenplay by | Ernest Borneman | 38 | 12 Apr 1915 | 4 Jun 1995 | 80 | 2 |
Sound Recording | Bill Salter | 1983 | 17 | |||
Sound Recording | George Burgess | 57 | 1897 | 1 Feb 1956 | 59 | 3 |
Trumpet Theme and Special Arrangements by | Ken Barker | 32 | 1 Mar 1921 | 7 Dec 1999 | 78 | 2 |
Wardrobe | Molly Arbuthnot | 45 | 19 Dec 1908 | 1 Nov 2001 | 92 | 48 |
Cast
Character | Actor | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Appearances |
Barbara Quigley | Eleanor Summerfield | 32 | 7 Mar 1921 | 13 Jul 2001 | 80 | 3 |
Bellboy | Melvyn Hayes | 18 | 11 Jan 1935 | Living | 86 | 4 |
Gloria Lewis Colt | Paula Byrne | 1 | ||||
Inspector Mulrooney | Martin Boddey | 46 | 16 Apr 1907 | 24 Oct 1975 | 68 | 4 |
James Bradley | Alex Nicol | 37 | 20 Jan 1916 | 29 Jul 2001 | 85 | 2 |
Jeff Colt | Arthur Lane | 43 | 11 Jun 1910 | 28 Apr 1987 | 76 | 2 |
Johnny Sutherland | Paul Carpenter | 32 | 8 Dec 1921 | 12 Jun 1964 | 42 | 5 |
Maurice Green | Geoffrey Keen | 37 | 21 Aug 1916 | 3 Nov 2005 | 89 | 4 |
Max Margulis | John Salew | 52 | 1902 | 14 Sep 1961 | 59 | 1 |
Maxine | Ann Hanslip | 19 | 25 Jan 1934 | 9 Jan 2013 | 78 | 1 |
The Inspector | Fred Johnson | 54 | 6 Aug 1899 | 4 Dec 1971 | 72 | 6 |
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