Blackout (1954) Murder by Proxy (original title)

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Richard H. Landau
Helen Nielsen (novel)

Release Date:

19 March 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Drama

Plot:

An American in London, down on his luck, runs into a beautiful blonde in a bar who offers him a lot of money to marry her...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | London England | British Noir | Based On Novel

Cast

Dane Clark	...	Casey Morrow
Belinda Lee	...	Phyllis Brunner
Betty Ann Davies	...	Mrs. Alicia Brunner
Eleanor Summerfield	...	Margaret 'Maggie' Doone
Andrew Osborn	...	Lance Gordon
Harold Lang	...	Travis / Victor Vanno
Jill Melford	...	Miss Nardis
Alvys Maben	...	Lita Huntley (as Alvis Maben)
Michael Golden	...	Inspector Johnson
Nora Gordon	...	Casey's Mother (as Nora Gorden)
Alfie Bass	...	Ernie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ann Gow	...	(uncredited)
Cleo Laine	...	Singer (uncredited)
Delphi Lawrence	...	Linda (uncredited)

Directed by
Terence Fisher

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Richard H. Landau		(as Richard Landau)
Helen Nielsen		novel

Produced by
Michael Carreras	....	producer

Original Music by
Ivor Slaney		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Walter J. Harvey		(as Jimmy Harvey)

Film Editing by
Maurice Rootes

Art Direction by
J. Elder Wills

Makeup Department
Nina Broe	....	hair stylist
Philip Leakey	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Mickey Delamar	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jimmy Sangster	....	assistant director

Sound Department
George Burgess	....	sound recordist
Bill Salter	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Len Harris	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Molly Arbuthnot	....	wardrobe
Ben Pearson	....	gowns: Belinda Lee

Music Department
Ivor Slaney	....	musical director

Other crew
Renée Glynne	....	continuity
Andrew Osborn	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• Hammer Film Productions

Distributors

• Exclusive Films (1954) (UK) (theatrical)
• Lippert Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical)
• Kit Parker Films (2004) (USA) (all media) (copyright holder)
• VCI Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• VCI Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Murder by Proxy" - UK (original title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Soundtrack:

Le Soir

Brit "noir" is of mild interest.

Dane Clark plays an American drifter in London who meets a stunning blonde while on a bender at a bar. The girl tricks him into marrying him while he is in a drunken stupor and he wakes up with 500 pounds in his pocket. He then discovers he is involved in a murder and an inheritance scam.

MURDER BY PROXY (a.k.a. BLACKOUT) is one of several British attempts to duplicate the American "film noir." Sometimes they even cast a genuine American "noir" star, in this case Dane Clark. Clark was in this as well as the British "noir" PAID TO KILL. However, the results were almost always that these "Brit Noir's" were never as satisfying as the American films. MURDER BY PROXY has fairly interesting plot, but things begin to get confusing, and like most "Brit Noir's", MURDER BY PROXY builds up to its climax to slowly. There is an overly long and pointless scene where Clark visits his mother and English step father and introduces himself to his new "bride." They then throw a party. This takes ups to much time and adds nothing to story.