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 |
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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 |
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Jack Palance | ... | ||
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Constance Smith | ... | |
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Byron Palmer | ... |
Insp. Paul Warwick
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| Frances Bavier | ... | ||
| Rhys Williams | ... |
William Harley
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Sean McClory | ... |
Constable #1
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Leslie Bradley | ... |
Constable #2
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Tita Phillips | ... |
Daisy (the maid)
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Lester Matthews | ... |
Chief Insp. Melville
(as Lester Mathews)
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Harry Cording | ... |
Detective Sgt. Bates
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Lisa Daniels | ... |
Mary Lenihan
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Lilian Bond | ... | |
| Isabel Jewell | ... |
Katy
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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? Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
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.