Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (1952)

User Rating:

2.4/10   

Director:

John Gilling

Writer:

Val Valentine (writer)

Release Date:

1952 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Plot:

The mysterious figure known as the Vampire comes to England to complete experiments in his mad bid to gain control of the world...

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Constable | Sequel | Crossover | Police Officer

Cast

Arthur Lucan	...	Mrs. Riley
Bela Lugosi	...	Von Housen
Dora Bryan	...	Tilly
Philip Leaver	...	Anton Daschomb
Richard Wattis	...	Police Constable Freddie
Graham Moffatt	...	Yokel (as Graham Moffat)
María Mercedes	...	Julia Loretti
Roderick Lovell	...	Douglas
David Hurst	...	Mugsy
Judith Furse	...	Freda
Ian Wilson	...	Hitchcock, the butler
Hattie Jacques	...	Mrs. Jenks
Dandy Nichols	...	Humphrey's Wife
George Benson	...	Humphrey the Drunk
Bill Shine	...	Mugsy's Assistant

Also Known As:

Dracula's Desire
Mother Riley Runs Riot
My Son, the Vampire (USA)
Old Mother Riley Meets the Vampire
The Robot and the Vampire (USA) (pre-release title)
The Vampire and the Robot (USA) (pre-release title)
Vampire Over London (USA)

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | UK:U

Company:

Fernwood Productions

Trivia:

This was the only film in the series in which the main character is not called "Old Mother Riley" in the title. Still, many sources have incorrectly referred to this film as "Old Mother Riley Meets the Vampire."

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Head of film crewman clearly visible at left bottom of screen as robot enters Mother Riley's bedroom.

Quotes:

Mrs. Riley: [singing to Mister Pain] Poor Mother Hubbard, what would she do? I'm so broke I don't have a bone to throw at you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook (1991)

Soundtrack:

I Hold Up My Finger and I Say Tweet Tweet

Odd little horror comedy

The "Mother Riley" series was a British made series of low budget comedies starring Arthur Lucan, who played, in drag, a dotty old working class woman. These films often satired British government, and how it handles it's working class. When you watch MOTHER RILEY MEETS THE VAMPIRE, much of the gags about Brit leadership will fly past modern day American audiences.

It was the last chance to see the great Bela Lugosi in his full talent, as, of course, a vampire. Later that year, 1952, addiction and poverty sank in deeper, and he would turn to working with a certain Edward Wood.