Footsteps in the Fog (1955)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Dorothy Davenport (screenplay) and
Lenore J. Coffee (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

June 1955 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

CLOSE ENOUGH TO KISS...OR KILL! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

To his Victorian London friends, Stephen Lowry is a heartbroken widower. Only his housemaid Lily knows...

Plot Keywords:

Housemaid | Employer Employee Relationship | Fog | Blackmail | Maid

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 21

8:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Stewart Granger	...	Stephen Lowry
Jean Simmons	...	Lily Watkins
Bill Travers	...	David Macdonald
Belinda Lee	...	Elizabeth Travers
Ronald Squire	...	Alfred Travers
Finlay Currie	...	Inspector Peters
William Hartnell	...	Herbert Moresby
Frederick Leister	...	Dr. Simpson
Percy Marmont	...	Magistrate
Marjorie Rhodes	...	Mrs. Park (as Margery Rhodes)
Peter Bull	...	Brasher
Barry Keegan	...	Constable Burke
Sheila Manahan	...	Rose Moresby
Norman Macowan	...	Grimes
Cameron Hall	...	Corcoran

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #17413) | UK:PG (tv rating) | Finland:K-16 | Spain:7 | Sweden:15 | UK:A

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Frankovich Productions

Quotes:

Stephen Lowry: Another woman once thought she owned me. Don't drive me too far!

Atmospheric Victorian melodrama

When we first see Stephen Lowry (Stewart Granger)he seems to be a grieving widower as he stands beside his late wife's grave in Victorian London .The truth is another thing altogether and we soon learn that he has murdered his wife ,by poison ,and concealed the evidence .Unfortunately for him he was observed by the ambitious and put upon parlour maid Lily Watkins (Jean Simmons)who blackmails him into giving her the job of housekeeper and takes possession of the deceased's jewels .She is also in love with Lowry and he strings her along with promises of marriage while plotting to kill her and marry the dutiful Elizabeth (Belinda Lee)the daughter of his business partner Alfred Travis(Ronald Squire).much to the consternation of straight arrow lawyer David Mcdonald (Bill Travers)who is in love with Elizabeth and who harbours the gravest suspicion about Lowry.

This is a well made movie ,with lavish interiors ,some striking Tecnicolor photography and a moody score .It is strikingly well acted especially by Granger who always appeared at ease in period roles .Simmons struggles a tad with the Cockney accent but still manages to convince as an opportunistic female with a pathetically unrequited love for Lowry .Strong support from Marjorie Rhodes as her nagging boss ,Peter Bull as a prosecuting attorney and William Hartnell as an oily blackmailer also boost proceedings .The whole thing is lushly and slickly made melodrama that stands out from the run of the mill studio product of its time