Face the Music

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…

Production Details

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

Filming Began: 1st June 1953
UK Release: 22nd February 1954

Studio:
Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire

Stills from film

Click an image for enlarged slideshow

Cast & Crew

Red = Uncredited


Crew	Name	Age at Release	Birth	Hidden	Death	Age	Hammer Credited	Hammer Uncredited	Total Hammer
Art Director	J. Elder Wills	53	26 Apr 1900		1 Jan 1970	69	22		22
Assistant Director	Jimmy Sangster	26	2 Dec 1927		19 Aug 2011	83	65	2	67
Band Member	Michael Carreras	26	21 Dec 1927		19 Apr 1994	66	82	5	87
Boom Operator	Percy Britten	34	1 Oct 1919		1 Jan 1996	76		21	21
Camera Operator	John Reid							2	2
Camera Operator	Tom Day							1	1
Camera Operator	Len Harris	37	19 May 1916		21 Feb 1995	78	52	1	53
Clapper Loader	Tom Friswell	24	1 Jan 1930		1 Jan 2002	72		18	18
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 Photography	Walter Harvey BSc	51	9 Feb 1903		1 Jan 1979	75	34		34
Editor	Maurice Rootes	36	12 Apr 1917		17 Jun 1997	80	7		7
First Assistant Editor	Alfred Cox	29	1 Jan 1925		1 Jan 2005	80	21	4	25
Focus Puller	Harry Oakes	33	16 Jan 1921		11 Dec 2012	91		53	53
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	5	87
Production Manager	Mickey Delamar	46	1 Jan 1908		1 Jan 1971	63	7	1	8
Production Secretary	Doreen Soan	28	01 Jan 1926	01.01.1926		98	3	3	6
Screenplay	Ernest Borneman	38	12 Apr 1915		4 Jun 1995	80	2		2
Second Assistant Director	Fred Slark	31	8 Oct 1922		22 Dec 1988	66		1	1
Second Assistant Director	Spencer Reeve	30	10 Dec 1923		15 Dec 1975	52	8	2	10
Sound Camera Operator	Don Alton	40	1 Jan 1914		18 Jan 1987	73		9	9
Sound Maintenance	J. Woodiwiss	44	14 Jun 1909		1 Jan 1987	77		1	1
Sound Recording	Bill Salter				1983		17		17
Sound Recording	George Burgess	57	1 Jan 1897		1 Feb 1956	59	3		3
Still Photographer	John Jay	33	14 Nov 1920		29 Apr 2005	84	13	22	35
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

Cast	Name	Age at Release	Birth	Hidden	Death	Age	Hammer Credited	Hammer Uncredited	Total Hammer
Bandleader	Kenny Baker	32	1 Mar 1921		7 Dec 1999	78	2	1	3
Barbara Quigley	Eleanor Summerfield	32	7 Mar 1921		13 Jul 2001	80	3		3
Bellboy	Melvyn Hayes	19	11 Jan 1935	11.01.1935		89	4		4
Card Player	Arthur Howell	34	5 Jan 1920		1 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		1 Dec 1960	68	1	3	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
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		2
Stage Callboy	Tony Hilton	25	1 Apr 1928		28 Oct 1984	56		1	1
Stage Manager	Freddie Tripp				8 Dec 1968			1	1
The Inspector	Fred Johnson	54	6 Aug 1899		4 Dec 1971	72	6	2	8
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

Original Poster

Click to enlarge

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!

1954 BBFC Cert. “A”

Production Details

Stills from film

Cast & Crew

Original Poster

Footnotes