I Killed the Count explained

I Killed the Count
Setting:	London
Premiere:	10 December 1937
Place:	Whitehall Theatre, London
Orig Lang:	English

I Killed the Count is a 1937 play by Alec Coppel. Its success launched Coppel's career.^[1]

1937 London production

Cast

• Eric Maturin as Count Victor Mattoni
• Athole Stewart as Viscount Sorrington
• Alec Clunes as Detective Raines
• Anthony Hollesas Samuel Diamond
• Kathleen Harrison as Polly
• George Merritt as Divisional Inspector Davidson
• Meriel Forbes as Renee La Lune
• Barbara Francis as Louise Rogers
• Edward Petley as Johnson
• Hugh E. Wright as Mullet
• Anthony Bushell as Bernard K. Froy
• John Oxford as PC Clifton
• Frederick Cooper as Martin.

1942 Broadway production

The play was produced on Broadway in 1942.^{[2] [3]}

1939 novelisation

A novelisation of the play was published in 1939.^[4]

1939 film adaptation

See main article: I Killed the Count (film).

Radio adaptations

The play was adapted for Australian radio in 1941. Max Afford did the adaptation.^{[5] [6]}

It was also adapted for BBC radio in 1938, 1945,^[7] 1950 (with Jack Hulbert), and 1962.

1948 BBC TV adaptation

A second adaptation I Killed the Count was made by the BBC in 1948.^[8] It was directed by Ian Atkins.

• Freda Bamford as Polly
• Philip Leaver as Count Victor Mattoni
• Frederick Bradshaw as Detective Sergeant Raines
• Frank Foster as Detective Inspector Davidson
• Erik Chitty as Martin
• Diarmuid Kelly as P.C. Clifton
• Olga Edwardes as Louise Rogers
• Mildred Shay as Renee la Lune
• Val Norton as Samuel Diamond
• Howard Douglas as Johnson
• Arthur Goulett
• Guy Kingsley Poynter as Bernard K. Froy
• Bruce Belfrage as Viscount Sorrington

1956 ITV TV adaptation

The play was adapted by ITV in 1956.^[9] The cast included Terence Alexander and Honor Blackman.

1957 Alfred Hitchcock Presents version

See I Killed the Count (Alfred Hitchcock Presents)

1959 Belgian TV version

The play was adapted for Belgian TV in 1959.^[10]

External links

• • • • I Killed the Count at the British Film Institute
    • Who is Guilty? review at Motion Picture Daily
• Who is Guilty? review at Film Daily

Notes and References

1. Stephen Vagg, "Alec Coppel : Australian playwright and survivor", Australasian Drama Studies, 56, April 2010, 219-232
2. Web site: I Killed the Count. IBDB. 2015-10-19.
3. https://archive.org/details/variety147-1942-09/page/n105/mode/1up?q=%22ben+lyon%22+%22i+killed+the+count%22 Review of 1942 Broadway production
4. http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C382051 Novel version
5. http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/8013921 1941 radio adaptation
6. News: I KILLED THE COUNT . . XXXIII . 9888 . New South Wales, Australia . 21 February 1941 . 11 June 2016 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
7. http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/6432107 1945 Radio adaptation
8. http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/6392130 1948 TV Adaptation
9. http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/6392298 1956 TV Version
10. http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/6416049 1959 Belgian TV version