The Crimes of Stephen Hawke (1936)

A crazed killer known as "The Spinebreaker" is terrorizing London with a series of grisly murders. The police seem powerless to stop him.

Director:

George King

Writers:

Jack Celestin (scenario), Frederick Hayward (screenplay)

Stars:

Tod Slaughter, Marjorie Taylor, D.J. Williams

Cast

Credited cast:
Tod Slaughter	...	Stephen Hawke
Marjorie Taylor	...	Julia Hawke
D.J. Williams	...	Joshua Trimble
Eric Portman	...	Matthew Trimble
Graham Soutten	...	Nathaniel (as Ben Soutten)
Gerald Barry	...	Miles Archer
George M. Slater	...	Lord Brickhaven
Charles Penrose	...	Sir Franklin
Norman Pierce	...	Landlord
Flotsam and Jetsam	...	Themselves
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
B.C. Hilliam	...	Himself (as Flotsam)
Malcolm 'Mr. Jetsam' McEachern	...	Himself (as Jetsam)

Storyline

The film begins in a BBC studio with the 100th edition of "In Town Tonight". Flotsam and Jetsom open with a "topical number". Then there is an interview with a distinguished actor, which dissolves into a performance of one of his famous melodramas about a wicked moneylender etc.

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Plot Keywords:

melodrama | london england | broken back | slaughter | serial killer | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1936 (UK)

Also Known As:

Crimen y pasión

Company Credits

Production Co:

George King Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Doom Asylum (1987)

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Soundtracks

An der schönen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314
(uncredited)
Music by Johann Strauss

User Reviews

Getting to grips with greed

Meandering tale of meek money lender Steven Hawke (Slaughter) who moonlights as a callous killer nicknamed "The Spine Breaker" for his bone crushing exploits. When his alter ego is exposed, he's forced to flee London, pursued by a relentless hunter but must make a daring return after hearing news that his daughter has been coerced into marrying a blackmailing prison warden.

Great comical thrills with the inimitable Tod Slaughter delivering his trademark psychopath with pompous relish. Eric Portman is the principal adversary and preferred suitor to the twisted killer's beloved daughter (Taylor), demonstrating the thespian skills for which he became better known throughout the next three decades.

If you're unaccustomed to the Tod Slaughter experience, then this I'd regard to be one of the better samples to gain a taste of the stage-borne flavour with which he interprets his twisted characterisations. The dialogue is poetic, loaded with double-entendres, witty quips and of course, hopelessly clichéd plot. Despite the low budget, it works like a charm, such is Slaughter's unique charisma and presence.