The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939)

During a charity soccer match between top professional side Arsenal and touring amateur side Trojans, the Trojan's new star player collapses. When he dies, Inspector Slade of Scotland Yard ... See full summary »

Director:

Thorold Dickinson

Writers:

Leonard Reginald Gribble (original story), Thorold Dickinson (adaptation),

Stars:

Leslie Banks, Greta Gynt, Ian McLean

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leslie Banks	...	Inspector Anthony Slade
Greta Gynt	...	Gwen Lee
Ian McLean	...	Sergeant Clinton (as Ian Maclean)
Liane Linden	...	Inga Larson
Anthony Bushell	...	John Doyce - Trojan Team Member
Esmond Knight	...	Raille - Trojan Team Member
Brian Worth	...	Philip Morring - Trojan Team Member
Richard Norris	...	Setchley - Trojan Team Member
Wyndham Goldie	...	Kindilett
Alastair MacIntyre	...	Carter (as Alastair Macintyre)
George Allison	...	Himself
Tom Whittaker	...	Himself
E.V.H. Emmett	...	Himself
Dennis Wyndham	...	Commissionaire
David Keir	...	Dr. Meadow

Storyline

During a charity soccer match between top professional side Arsenal and touring amateur side Trojans, the Trojan's new star player collapses. When he dies, Inspector Slade of Scotland Yard is called in and declares it was murder. It takes all his ingenuity and another death before the motive is discovered and the killer revealed.

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Plot Keywords:

soccer | soccer football | detective | based on novel

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Sport | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1939 (UK)

Also Known As:

Arsenalmysteriet

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Greenspan & Seligman Enterprises Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The football match from which the main action sequences were taken was between Arsenal and Brentford, and took place on Saturday 6th May 1939 with The Bees playing in a a special striped kit to simulate The Trojans. (Closer shots feature the Oxford and Cambridge Blues as the Trojans.)

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Goofs

When Slade and Clinton are searching Doyce's flat, at one point Slade leans on the telephone wire and accidentally pulls the receiver off the hook.

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Quotes

[Arsenal manager giving pre-game talk]
George Allison: ...they don't play your game, they play the attacking game.

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Soundtracks

"Sons of the Brave"
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Bidgood

User Reviews

Amusing For Dubious Reasons

The dialogue at the start of THE ARSENAL STADIUM MYSTERY had me lost: " Inside left..wing backs ... five forwards " it wasn't until the manager of the home team said " The Trojans don't play like us , they have an attacking team " that I realised the plot involved Arsenal football club . It's strange watching this movie nowadays since the game has changed so much . In 1940 all footballers were

A ) White

B) Spoke Queen's English

C) Smoked a pipe .

While all supporters

A ) Engaged in cheeky banter with the ref

B ) Didn't sing foul mouthed songs

C ) Were members of British Equity .

But it's when a Trojan team member dies that the amusement really kicks off because the man leading the murder investigation is none other that Harry Enfield's Grayson character . No seriously he is , watch an edition of HARRY ENFIELD AND CHUMS and you'll see where the idea came from . There's even a subplot involving a Swedish blond which just goes to show that Sven Goran Erickson is much older than he looks .