IMDb > The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)
The List of Adrian Messenger
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The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   1,568 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Contact:
View company contact information for The List of Adrian Messenger on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
29 May 1963 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
5 Great Stars Challenge You to Guess the Disguised Roles they Play! more
Plot:
Messenger asks a friend to check into a list of names before leaving on a trip. When his plane is blown out of the sky... more | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
User Comments:
The gimmick - I disagree more (39 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Tony Curtis ... Cameo

Kirk Douglas ... George Brougham / Vicar Atlee / Mr. Pythian / Arthur Henderson

Burt Lancaster ... Cameo

Robert Mitchum ... Cameo

Frank Sinatra ... Himself

George C. Scott ... Anthony Gethryn

Dana Wynter ... Lady Jocelyn Bruttenholm
Clive Brook ... Marquis of Gleneyre
Gladys Cooper ... Mrs. Karoudjian
Herbert Marshall ... Sir Wilfrid Lucas
Jacques Roux ... Raoul Le Borg
John Merivale ... Adrian Messenger
Marcel Dalio ... Max Karoudjian
Bernard Archard ... Insp. Pike
Tony Huston ... Derek Bruttenholm (as Walter Anthony Huston)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
98 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Fourth of seven films that Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster made together. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: Gwendolynne La Doll's address is shown on the manuscript as being on Fulham Road, London S.W.8., and later dialogue describing the location as "the Fulham Road" makes it clear that this means the main street of that name. But this runs from Fulham to Brompton, whereas the SW8 postal district lies across the Thames in districts such as Battersea and Wandsworth. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Immoral Mr. Phillips (2004) (V) more

FAQ

One of the makeups meant to be Kirk Douglas is clearly Jan Merlin. Does anyone know why Merlin was substituted for Douglas? Was Douglas' skin sensitive after wearing makeup so long that someone else needed to stand in for him?
more
7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful.
The gimmick - I disagree, 14 April 2005
8/10
Author: Julie Hoverson from Seattle

I wanted to say something in praise of the masked star gimmick - something I haven't seen anyone else mention.

Rather than viewing the various "heavily made-up" characters as a spot the star contest, look at it from the other side and, suddenly, the gimmick becomes an ingenious way of covering up the killer - hiding him from the audience. Since the filmmakers knew they couldn't find a way to make a full head latex "invisible" to the audience, (and presumably didn't want to go with a completely other actor) they went the Purloined Letter route and threw in a bunch of such "spottable" characters to keep the audience from guessing which one was the killer.

Much like the movie The Spanish Prisoner - where every person seems somehow fakey UNTIL you watch from the viewpoint of "spot the scam" and realize the EVERYONE sounds fake (i.e., like they're scamming someone) so you CAN'T spot the con artists.

Brilliant, really. In both cases.

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The List of the Adrian Messenger in DVD? gary-behun
Fascinating mystery thriller starring Kirk Douglas and George C. Scott clive-38
Mitchum's mobility problem chrislyons12
Book by Philip MacDonald and Region 2 DVD edwstraker
Is the boy Martin Stephens? homeimp
This is a great movie worth seeing! SPOILER WARNING! wtl471629
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