Man in the Attic (1953)

After an enigmatic, self-described pathologist rents the attic room of a Victorian house, his landlady begins to suspect her lodger is Jack the Ripper.

Director:

Hugo Fregonese

Writers:

Robert Presnell Jr. (screenplay), Barré Lyndon (screenplay),

Stars:

Jack Palance, Constance Smith, Byron Palmer

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jack Palance	...	Slade
Constance Smith	...	Lily Bonner
Byron Palmer	...	Insp. Paul Warwick
Frances Bavier	...	Helen Harley
Rhys Williams	...	William Harley
Sean McClory	...	Constable #1
Leslie Bradley	...	Constable #2
Tita Phillips	...	Daisy (the maid)
Lester Matthews	...	Chief Insp. Melville (as Lester Mathews)
Harry Cording	...	Detective Sgt. Bates
Lisa Daniels	...	Mary Lenihan
Lilian Bond	...	Annie Rowley
Isabel Jewell	...	Katy

Storyline

London, 1888: on the night of the third Jack the Ripper killing, soft-spoken Mr. Slade, a research pathologist, takes lodgings with the Harleys, including a gloomy attic room for "experiments." Mrs. Harley finds Slade odd and increasingly suspects the worst; her niece Lily (star of a decidedly Parisian stage revue) finds him interesting and increasingly attractive. Is Lily in danger, or are her mother's suspicions merely a red herring?

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Plot Keywords:

pathologist | jack the ripper | attic | suspicion | serial killer | 

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Taglines:

He loved her and hated her!

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 December 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der unheimliche Untermieter

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Panoramic Productions, Leonard Goldstein, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many believe the prime suspect in the murders was Montague John Druitt, a recently discharged teacher at a boys' school, who committed suicide in the Thames in December 1888 just as Slade apparently does in he film. After the discovery of his partially decomposed body the hunt for the Ripper was ostensibly deactivated.

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Goofs

It is obvious during the horse and carriage scene that it is a stuntman, not Palance, participating.

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Quotes

Slade: Yes, I will tell you. My mother was an actress. She was one of the most angelically beautiful women who ever lived, exquisitely graceful, talented, and captivating. I loved her deeply... deeply. She had the face of heaven and the wretched heart of Jezebel. For every aspect of beauty she possessed, she contained a double portion of evil. I hated her!
Lily Bonner: But I thought you said you loved her?
Slade: I can love the beauty and hate the evil. Didn't you know that, Miss Bonner?

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Connections

Remake of The Lodger (1944)

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Soundtracks

"COME AND DO THE NEW PARISIAN TROT"
Written by Lionel Newman, lyrics Eliot Daniel
Sung and danced by Constance Smith and chorus

User Reviews

Rather pedestrian revisiting of The Lodger

Not a very unique nor special film in any way, and very typical early 1950s Hollywood fare with a back-lot version of London, and plenty of French can-can style dancing for titillation.

Not boring either, and Jack Palance is fine as the mysterious lodger who may or may not be Jack the Ripper. But he's done better, and is not a good enough reason to pick up this film. In fact, the only particularly good reason to pick it up is if you wish to collect all varieties of Jack the Ripper films available, or if you want the double-feature Midnight Movie release of it because it also has the superior thriller, A Blueprint for Murder.