The House of the Seven Gables (1940)

Director:

Joe May

Writers:

Lester Cole (screen play)
Harold Greene (adaptation)
(more)

Release Date:

12 April 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

AN ANCIENT HOUSE! A MURDER SECRET! A HIDDEN TREASURE! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Fighting over an inheritance, one Pyncheon brother frames the other for murder.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Abolitionist | Inheritance | House | Mansion

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

George Sanders	...	Jaffrey Pyncheon
Margaret Lindsay	...	Hepzibah Pyncheon
Vincent Price	...	Clifford Pyncheon
Dick Foran	...	Matthew Holgrave
Nan Grey	...	Phoebe Pyncheon
Cecil Kellaway	...	Philip Barton
Alan Napier	...	Fuller
Gilbert Emery	...	Gerald Pyncheon
Miles Mander	...	Deacon Foster
Charles Trowbridge	...	Judge
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hal Budlong	...	Driver (uncredited)
Caroline Cooke	...	Town Gossip (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Blacksmith Hawkins (uncredited)
Kernan Cripps	...	Workman (uncredited)
Robert Dudley	...	Jury Foreman (uncredited)
Martin Faust	...	Town Gossip (uncredited)
Margaret Fealy	...	Town Gossip (uncredited)
Sibyl Harris	...	Mrs. Foster (uncredited)
Ellis Irving	...	Man Drinking From Cup (uncredited)
P.J. Kelly	...	Man With Rake (uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	Court Bailiff (uncredited)
Ann Kunde	...	Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Jane Loofbourrow	...	Town Gossip (uncredited)
Murdock MacQuarrie	...	Town Gossip (uncredited)
Michael Mark	...	Ex-Convict Reading Tribune (uncredited)
Nelson McDowell	...	Coroner in Courtroom (uncredited)
Mira McKinney	...	Mrs. Reynolds (uncredited)
Edgar Norton	...	Phineas Weed - Jaffrey's Servant (uncredited)
Lon Poff	...	Juror (uncredited)
Russ Powell	...	Grocer / Juror (uncredited)
Allen D. Sewall	...	Juror (uncredited)
Jack C. Smith	...	Prison Guard (uncredited)
Hugh Sothern	...	Reverend Jeremiah Smith (uncredited)
Harry Stubbs	...	Jeremiah - Man in Pub (uncredited)
Claire Whitney	...	Witness (uncredited)
Harry Woods	...	Mr. Wainwright (uncredited)

Directed by
Joe May

Writing credits
Lester Cole		(screen play)
Harold Greene		(adaptation)
Nathaniel Hawthorne		(based on the novel by)

Produced by
Burt Kelly	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Frank Skinner

Cinematography by
Milton R. Krasner		(director of photography) (as Milton Krasner)

Film Editing by
Frank Gross		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Jack Otterson

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman		(as R.A. Gausman)

Costume Design by
Vera West		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Jack P. Pierce	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Phil Karlson	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Richard H. Riedel	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Bernard B. Brown	....	sound supervisor
William Hedgcock	....	technician

Music Department
Charles Previn	....	musical director
Hans J. Salter	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Lester Cole	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures (presents) (as Universal) (A Universal Picture)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• Realart Pictures Inc. (1953) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Universal Vault Series)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #6107) | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Colonial Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Vincent Price was brought in at the last minute to substitute for Robert Cummings, who had become indisposed through illness.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Trumbo (2007)

Soundtrack:

THE COLOR OF YOUR EYES

It could have been better.

I must say I was a little disappointed with this movie. It strayed far from the book written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I had to do a term paper in college on this story and thought that by watching the movie I could better understand what Hawthorne was writing about. It is a good thing I read the book first. It would have been much better had they followed the book. They skipped so much of the original story that it barely resembled THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES.