Footsteps in the Fog (1955)

In early 1900s England, a maid tries to blackmail her master into romancing her when she discovers he murdered his wife.

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Dorothy Davenport (screenplay) (as Dorothy Reid), Lenore J. Coffee (screenplay) (as Lenore Coffee)

Stars:

Stewart Granger, Jean Simmons, Bill Travers

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stewart Granger	...	Stephen Lowry
Jean Simmons	...	Lily Watkins
Bill Travers	...	David Macdonald
Belinda Lee	...	Elizabeth Travers
Ronald Squire	...	Alfred Travers
Finlay Currie	...	Inspector Peters
William Hartnell	...	Herbert Moresby
Frederick Leister	...	Dr. Simpson
Percy Marmont	...	Magistrate
Marjorie Rhodes	...	Mrs. Park (as Margery Rhodes)
Peter Bull	...	Brasher
Barry Keegan	...	Constable Burke
Sheila Manahan	...	Rose Moresby
Norman MacOwan	...	Grimes (as Norman Macowan)
Cameron Hall	...	Corcoran

Storyline

To his Victorian London friends, Stephen Lowry is a heartbroken widower. Only his housemaid Lily knows that far from dying of gastroenteritis his wife was slowly poisoned by her husband - information she is happy to use to improve her position in the household and to make sure she stays close to Stephen. As his own prospects improve with a business partnership and a romance more of his own class, Stephen decides that Lily must go. Unfortunately for him, his first attempt gives her even more of a hold over him.

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Plot Keywords:

british noir | death by poison | accidental suicide | murder disguised as natural death | testifying under oath | 

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Taglines:

CLOSE ENOUGH TO KISS...OR KILL! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 1955 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Des pas dans le brouillard

Filming Locations:

Chalvey Park, Slough, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Frankovich Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Colour by) (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Opening credits: All characters portrayed in this film are purely fictional and any resemblance to any actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

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Goofs

Lowry tells Elizabeth that he has something to ask her father, who has just entered the room. When Alfred replies, "Something I think I'm already aware of," his lips do not move.

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Quotes

Stephen Lowry: Don't ever use her perfume.

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Soundtracks

Westminster Quarters
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

Perfect "Late Late Show" British thriller

Fascinating British drama, notable for having two depraved, totally unlikeable protagonists--a murderer and the blackmailer who loves him. All the trimmings are here for perfect Late Late Show credentials: Gothic mansion, bickering servants, thick fog, the portrait over the fireplace, poison, blood stains, secret letters, a clueless blonde ingénue, a hooded figure in the dark...but filmed in lush Hammer-style color, rather than a more appropriate b/w, which gives the film a ghoulish modern edge. Stewart Granger and Gene Simmons get high marks for underplaying this vile pair...particularly Simmons, who nails her final scene. What a great, unsung actress.