The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939)

During a charity soccer match between top professional side Arsenal and touring amateur side Trojans, the Trojan's new star player collapses. When he dies, Inspector Slade of Scotland Yard ... See full summary »

Director:

Thorold Dickinson

Writers:

Leonard Reginald Gribble (original story), Thorold Dickinson (adaptation)

Stars:

Leslie Banks, Greta Gynt, Ian McLean

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leslie Banks	...	Inspector Anthony Slade
Greta Gynt	...	Gwen Lee
Ian McLean	...	Police Sgt. Clinton (as Ian Maclean)
Liane Linden	...	Inga Larson
Anthony Bushell	...	John Doyce - Trojan Team Member
Esmond Knight	...	Raille - Trojan Team Member
Brian Worth	...	Philip Morring - Trojan Team Member
Richard Norris	...	Setchley - Trojan Team Member
Wyndham Goldie	...	Kindilett
Alastair MacIntyre	...	Carter (as Alastair Macintyre)
George Allison	...	George Allison
Tom Whittaker	...	Tom Whittaker
E.V.H. Emmett	...	E.V.H. Emmett
Dennis Wyndham	...	Commissionaire
David Keir	...	Dr. Meadow

Storyline

During a charity soccer match between top professional side Arsenal and touring amateur side Trojans, the Trojan's new star player collapses. When he dies, Inspector Slade of Scotland Yard is called in and declares it was murder. It takes all his ingenuity and another death before the motive is discovered and the killer revealed.

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Plot Keywords:

soccer match | murder | soccer | soccer club | police detective | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Sport | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The football match from which the main action sequences were taken was between Arsenal and Brentford, and took place on Saturday 6th May 1939 with The Bees playing in a a special striped kit to simulate The Trojans (closer shots feature the Oxford and Cambridge Blues as the Trojans).

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Goofs

When Slade and Clinton are searching Doyce's flat, at one point Slade leans on the telephone wire and accidentally pulls the receiver off the hook.

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Quotes

[Arsenal manager giving pre-game talk]
George Allison: ...they don't play your game, they play the attacking game.

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Soundtracks

Sons of the Brave
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Bidgood

User Reviews

Interesting curio for soccer fans and vintage mystery lovers

Arsenal Football Club were the leading lights of English soccer in the 1930's and this diverting ,and very British ,movie is an attempt to capitalise on the acclaim they rightly had --and still enjoy today.

A star member of an amateur team playing a charity match at the Arsenal ground in North London is killed and Scotland Yard is called in to investigate.The Inspector -played with tongue firmly in cheek by Leslie Banks-is a decidedly eccentric character ,one who sports a range of diverse headgear throughout .His methods are effective however and the case brought to a successful conclusion.

Thorold Dickinson directs with shrewd attention to detail and the movie while no masterpiece works as a murder mystery while the little utilised soccer background adds interest especially for students of the game curious to see how the media of the time treated "the beautiful game"

Guest slots from Arsenal stars of the period add interest.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1939 (UK)

Also Known As:

Arsenalmysteriet

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Greenspan & Seligman Enterprises Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1