The Dummy Talks Explained
| The Dummy Talks |
| Director: | Oswald Mitchell |
| Producer: | Wallace Orton |
| Based On: | the story by Jack Clifford & Con West |
| Music: | Kennedy Russell (uncredited) |
| Cinematography: | James Wilson |
| Studio: | British National Films |
| Distributor: | Anglo-American Film Corporation (UK) |
| Runtime: | 85 minutes |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
The Dummy Talks is a 1943 British crime film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Jack Warner, Claude Hulbert and Beryl Orde.[1] It marked the film debut of Jack Warner.[2]
Synopsis
Set over the course of one night, the story takes place in and around a London theatre. A series of contemporary acts are seen both performing on stage and socialising backstage. The murder of a ventriloquist takes place and two policemen, who happen to be at the theatre tracking a banknote forger, set to work finding the culprit. Ultimately, the key suspects are rounded up and a mind-reader puts on a show to reveal the killer. He's helped by a midget dressed as the dummy, hence the title.
Cast
- Jack Warner as Jack
- Claude Hulbert as Victor Harbord
- Beryl Orde as Beryl
- Evelyn Darvell as Peggy
- Hy Hazell as Maya (credited as Derna Hazell)
- Manning Whiley as Russell Warren
- Charles Carson as Marvello ("The Man With the Radio Mind")
- G. H. Mulcaster as Piers Harriman
- John Carol as Jimmy Royce
- Gordon Edwards as Marcus
- Max Earl as Yates
- Ivy Benson and her all Ladies Band as Themselves
- Frederick Sylvester & Nephew (Eric Mudd also played the "dummy") as Themselves
- Tommy Manley & Florence Austin ("Music Hath Charms") as Themselves
- Cecil Ayres with the Skating Avalons as Themselves
- Mann & Read ("Jugglers with Fun") as Themselves
- Five Lai Founs (" Modern Chinese Wonders") as Themselves
- Jeannie White and her Stepsisters as Themselves
Critical reception
Britmovie noted "a number of genuine variety acts add a flavour of the period, although they provide rather too much of the film’s running time";[2] and TV Guide called it "a weird but engaging second feature."[3]
Bibliography
- Murphy, Robert. Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48. Routledge, 1989.
Notes and References
- Web site: The Dummy Talks (1943). https://web.archive.org/web/20090117082042/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/193510. dead. 2009-01-17.
- Web site: The Dummy Talks 1943 Britmovie Home of British Films . www.britmovie.co.uk . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924182934/http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/The-Dummy-Talks_1943/ . 2015-09-24.
- Web site: The Dummy Talks.
