The Gaunt Stranger [The Phantom Strikes] **** (1938, Sonnie Hale, Wilfrid Lawson, Louise Henry) – Classic Movie Review 10,853

Director Walter Forde’s 1938 The Gaunt Stranger [The Phantom Strikes] is a rock solid, very capably made, most entertaining little suspense thriller, adapted from Edgar Wallace’s cast-iron novel and play The Gaunt Stranger (also known as The Ringer), which Forde had previously adapted as The Ringer in 1931. That makes it a relatively rare case of a director remaking their own movie. It is made by and at Ealing Studios, their first film after Michael Balcon became as head of production.

[Spoiler alert] The story is about a mysterious master crook and a master of disguises called Dr Lomond (Alexander Knox), aka The Ringer, long believed to have died in Australia, who returns to England and announces to the police when he is going to bump off his evil ex-partner, solicitor Maurice Meister (Wilfrid Lawson), whom he believes is responsible for the death of his sister.

Scotland Yard detective Inspector Alan Wembury (Patrick Barr) is assigned to the case and, though disliking Meister, tries to protect him with reluctant aid from another criminal, Sam Hackett (Sonnie Hale), released from jail as the one person able to identify the Ringer.

[Spoiler alert] Detective Inspector Alan Wembury (Patrick Barr) and Inspector Bliss (John Longden, who was Inspector Wembury in the 1931 version called The Ringer) are not clever enough to protect the victim.

The fine cast is on splendid form and director Forde (obviously relishing remaking his 1931 version called The Ringer) is a dab hand at mixing chills with giggles, and so is Sidney Gilliat, who provides a lovely polished screenplay. It is also filmed (as The Ringer) in 1928, 1931, 1932 and 1952.

Also in the cast are Sonnie Hale as Sam Hackett, Wilfrid Lawson as Maurice Meister, Louise Henry as Cora Ann Milton, Alexander Knox as Dr Lomond, Peter Croft as John Lenley, George Merritt as Police Station Sergeant, Patrick Barr as Det. Insp. Alan Wembury, John Longden as Inspector Bliss, Patricia Roc as Mary Lenley, Arthur Hambling as Detective Sergeant Richards, Charles Eaton as Colonel Walford, with Cameron Hall as Drunken Scotsman (uncredited) and John Turnbull as Prison Governor (uncredited).

The screenplay by Sidney Gilliat is based on The Ringer by Edgar Wallace. It is another excellent film taken from Edgar Wallace’s famous thriller, the 1925 novel The Gaunt Stranger (renamed The Ringer in 1926) and 1929 play The Ringer.

The film uses the original novel title, though the opening credits state it is based on Wallace’s novel The Ringer.

It was ready for screening by UK censors on 4 October 1938 and premiered on 10 January 1939 at London’s Gaumont Haymarket cinema in a bewilderingly unsuitable double bill supporting the American Western romantic comedy The Cowboy and the Lady. But it had a British re-release in 1945 by Renown Pictures Corporation.

The opening credits are shown by a policeman shining his torch on theatre playbills.

There are three previous versions: in 1928 as the silent film The Ringer, in 1931 as The Ringer, and as The Ringer [Der Hexer] in 1932. And it was remade as The Ringer (1952) and Der Hexer (1964).

John Longden (11 November 1900 – 26 May 1971) appeared in 84 films between 1926 and 1964, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, scoring a notable success with Hitchcock’s Blackmail (1929).

The Gaunt Stranger [The Phantom Strikes] is directed by Walter Forde, runs 74 minutes, is made by Ealing Studios, is released by Associated British Film Distributors (1938) (UK) and Monogram Pictures (1939) (US), is written by Sidney Gilliat, based on Wallace’s novel The Ringer, is shot in black and white by Ronald Neame and Gordon Dines (uncredited), is produced by Michael Balcon and S C Balcon (associate producer), is scored by Ernest Irving (score and musical director, uncredited) and is designed by Oscar Friedrich Werndorff.

It is followed at Ealing Studios by The Ware Case (1938), their second film after Michael Balcon became as head of production.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 10,853

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