Number 17 (1932)

A gang of thieves gather at a safe house following a robbery, but a detective is on their trail.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Joseph Jefferson Farjeon (as J. Jefferson Farjeon), Joseph Jefferson Farjeon (play) (as J. Jefferson Farjeon)

Stars:

Leon M. Lion, Anne Grey, John Stuart

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Leon M. Lion	...	Ben
Anne Grey	...	Nora Brant - the Girl
John Stuart	...	Barton - the Detective
Donald Calthrop	...	Brant - Nora's Escort
Barry Jones	...	Henry Doyle
Ann Casson	...	Rose Ackroyd
Henry Caine	...	Mr. Ackroyd
Garry Marsh	...	Sheldrake

Storyline

Detective Gilbert is searching for a necklace robbed by a gang of thieves. In the beginning, the gang is in a house in London, then they are running away from police. It will not be easy for the detective to recover the jewel.

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Plot Keywords:

shadow | based on play | based on novel | number in title | pretending to be deaf | 

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Alfred Hitchcock did not want to make this movie. He had wanted to direct a prestige production of John Van Druten's play "London Wall", but to punish Hitchcock for the financial failure of "East of Shanghai (1931)," "British International Pictures" head John Maxwell took him off "London Wall" and put him on this movie instead. Hitchcock has referred to this movie as "a terrible picture, very cheap melodrama."

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Goofs

Barton is shot in his right wrist early in the film, and his wrist is bandaged. The bandage is visible for most of the movie, but when Barton jumps in the water to save Nora, we don't see the bandage any longer. Barton is able to pull Nora to safety with his right arm, and afterward, when he is talking to Doyle, we still don't see the bandage, and Barton puts his right hand in his pocket repeatedly, not showing any sign of injury.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ben: Oh! Oh, Gawd! Oh, Gawd! Oh, Gawd! Oh!
Fordyce/Barton: How do you feel? Now, where's that candle? Here, have some of this.

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Connections

Featured in Poirot: The ABC Murders (1992)

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Soundtracks

I Don't Need a Television
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Shalson
Lyrics by John Malvern

User Reviews

Pretty good, but watch it twice and listen carefully

This might just be a problem with only me, but I tend not to be able to clearly hear some of the speech of the actors in old movies like this. It could be that the film is old or the actors don't annunciate(not sure if I spelled that right) enough. Overall, the film is like what the other reviewer said: slow at first, but once you know generally what is happening, it draws you in immediately. Also, this is one film that I demand to be remade, for it looks quite dated in some parts, even a little cheesy. Another reason is that this movie should be given a wider audience. It deserves it. The remake might have to be a bit longer, though, since I'm not sure how a modern crowd would feel about paying money to see only a 63 minute movie. In summary, see this to be entertained but prepare to be forgiving for the, shall we say, "time gap."

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 1932 (UK)

Also Known As:

Number 17

Filming Locations:

Elstree, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British International Pictures (BIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

66 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1