Alias John Preston (1955)

Wealthy John Preston arrives in small town Deanbridge. He invests in local businesses and gets involved in community affairs. Eventually, he meets a local belle, Sally, and wins her from ... See full summary »

Director:

David MacDonald

Writer:

Paul Tabori (original story and screenplay)

Stars:

Betta St. John, Alexander Knox, Christopher Lee

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Betta St. John	...	Sally Sandford
Alexander Knox	...	Dr. Peter Walton
Christopher Lee	...	John Preston
Sandra Dorne	...	Sylvia - in dream / Maria
Patrick Holt	...	Sylvia's Husband in Dream (as Pat Holt)
John Stuart	...	Dr. Underwood
Bill Fraser	...	Joe Newton
Gabrielle Gay
Peter Grant	...	Bob Newton
Betty Ann Davies	...	Mrs. Sandford
John Longden	...	Richard Sandford
Guido Lorraine
Dinah Anne Rogers

Storyline

Wealthy John Preston arrives in small town Deanbridge. He invests in local businesses and gets involved in community affairs. Eventually, he meets a local belle, Sally, and wins her from her current boyfriend. She agrees to marry him. Then, he begins to have strange dreams about Sylvia, a beautiful woman from his past, who comes to Deanbridge to blackmail him. In his dream, Preston strangles the scheming woman, but is then confronted by a strange Frenchman. He tells his dream to Dr. Walton, who feels Preston is suppressing things in his past, and should regain his memory before marrying Sally

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Plot Keywords:

dream | memory | community | board of directors | england | 

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Taglines:

The Story of a Strange Man...Who Had Dreams of Death and Murder! (original US poster)

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1955 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Danziger Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

66 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The last feature of Betty Ann Davies.

User Reviews

Alias John Prescott

Christopher Lee stars as the mysterious John Preston, a World War II veteran of obscure provenance who settles in the rural English town of Deanbridge. Preston is a super intense type 'A' personality who intends to bring some much wanted new blood to Deanbridge, and he immediately makes a good impression on local banker Sandford (John Longden). He also makes a play for Sandford's daughter Sally (American actress Betta St. John), who's already betrothed to bank clerk Bob (Peter Grant), who has an odd trans-Atlantic accent that sets him apart from the locals. Preston's magnetic personality convinces Sally to take his hand in marriage, and he soon finds himself serving on the board of the local hospital. Indeed, everything seems to be coming up roses for young John--until newly appointed consultant psychiatrist Dr. Peter Walton (Canadian-born Alexander Knox) shows up and starts asking some probing questions. This cheap-jack Danziger Brothers production is engaging enough, but it is somewhat distracting listening to Lee speak in the odd accent he adopted for the role. It's not a bad picture, but you'll probably forget it as soon as it's over.