The Dark Road

A cheap fiction writer is commissioned to write a crime story which deals with a young boy’s gradual decline through lack of parental control.

Production Details

Exclusive Films Presents, a Marylebone-Hammer Production

Black & White 67 minutes

Filming dates: 17th February – 23rd May 1947
UK Release: 28th July 1948

Filming:
Marylebone Studios, Marylebone , London – Studio
Blackpool , Lancashire – On location
Parkhurst Prison, Isle of Wight – On location
Lewes Prison, Sussex – On location

Stills from the film

Click an image for enlarged slideshow

Cast & Crew

CREW	NAME	CREDITED	AGE AT RELEASE	BIRTH	DEATH	AGE	CREDITS	UNCREDITED	TOTAL HAMMER
Art Direction	James Marchant	YES					4		4
Assistant Director	Eric Veendam	No	45	1 Jan 1903	1 Jan 1970	67	2		2
Camera Operator	Reg Selley	YES					1		1
Director	Alfred Goulding	YES	64	26 Jan 1884	25 Apr 1972	88	2		2
Director of Photography	Stanley Clinton MBKS	YES	41	1907	1988	81	4	1	5
Make-up	Harry Duvo	YES					1		1
Music	John Bath	YES	33	2 Jul 1915	23 Sep 2004	89	2		2
Producer	Henry Halsted	YES	41	1 Jan 1907	10 Mar 1970	63	4		4
Sound	Charles Hasher	No					1	1	2
Sound	Dick Farge	No						1	1
CAST
Andy Anderson	Michael Ripper	YES	35	27 Jan 1913	28 Jun 2000	87	34	2	36
Anne	Joyce Linden	YES	25	25 Aug 1923	1 Jan 2002	78	2		2
Ashcroft	MacKenzie Ward	YES	45	20 Feb 1903	1 Jan 1976	72	1	1	2
Baliff	Joe Phelps	No						7	7
Detective	Bill Rayment	No						2	2
Detective	Frank Forsyth	YES	42	19 Dec 1905	2 May 1984	78	3	2	5
Inmate at Dartmoor Prison	Lindsay Hooper	No						9	9
Jewell Buyer	Howard Douglas	No	52	12 Jan 1896	1 Jan 1973	76	1	1	2
Mr Jones	David Keir	YES	64	7 Feb 1884	30 Oct 1971	87	2	1	3
Nick Allen	Farnham Baxter	YES					1	1	2
Nightclub Dancer	Fred Davis	No		1 Sep 1936	26 Oct 1988	52		4	4
PC Davidson	Rory McDermot	YES	34	20 Dec 1913	7 Jul 1980	66	1		1
Police Inspector	Robert Brooks-Turner	No	66	28 Aug 1882	1 Jan 1963	80	1	2	3
Professor Corkew	Sydney Bromley	YES	39	24 Jul 1909	14 Aug 1987	78	5		5
Sidney Robertson	Charles Stuart	YES					1		1
The Chaplin	Roddy Hughes	YES	57	19 Jun 1891	22 Feb 1970	78	1		1
The Editor	Cyril Chamberlain	YES	39	8 Mar 1909	30 Apr 1974	65	1	1	2
With	Hay Petrie	No	53	16 Jul 1895	30 Jul 1948	53		1	1
With	Maxine Taylor	No						1	1
With	Peter Reynolds	No	27	16 Aug 1921	21 Apr 1975	53	1	1	2
With	Sefton Yates	YES						1	1
With	Anthony Holles	YES	47	17 Jan 1901	5 Mar 1950	49	1		1
With	Gale Douglas	YES					1		1
With	Gerald Pring	YES	60	16 Mar 1888	21 Oct 1970	82	1		1
With	Joanna Carter	YES					1		1
With	Patricia Hicks	YES	29	10 Jun 1919	25 May 2011	91	1		1
With	Roy Russell	YES	55	1 Jan 1893	13 Jan 1958	65	1		1
With	Veronica Rose	YES	37	8 Jul 1911	25 Jan 1968	56	2		2

Footnotes

This was Michael Ripper’s first film for Hammer. As Hammer’s most prolific actor, he went on to appear in 34 of their productions.

The film was based on the career of criminal Stanley Thurston, who appeared in the cast as a character based on himself. Thurston was famous for his numerous escapes from prison, 5 times in 15 years. He was released from prison in October 1946. The film had trouble with the British censors who thought the film glamorised a real life criminal. Thurston had to be billed as “Charles Stuart.”

1948 BBFC Cert. “A”

Production Details

Stills from the film

Cast & Crew

Footnotes

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