Dear Murderer **** (1947, Eric Portman, Greta Gynt, Dennis Price, Maxwell Reed, Jack Warner, Hazel Court, Andrew Crawford, Jane Hylton) – Classic Movie Review 13,377

The 1947 British crime thriller film noir Dear Murderer stars Eric Portman as a jealous businessman who thinks that he has committed the perfect murder.

Director Arthur Crabtree’s 1947 British crime drama thriller film noir Dear Murderer is based on the play by St John Leigh Clowes, and stars Eric Portman, Greta Gynt, Dennis Price, Maxwell Reed, Jack Warner, Hazel Court, Andrew Crawford, and Jane Hylton.

Eric Portman stars as a pathologically jealous businessman called Lee Warren, who thinks that he has committed the perfect murder when he bumps off his devious unfaithful wife Vivien (Greta Gynt)’s latest lover, lawyer Richard Fenton (Dennis Price), and makes it look like suicide after getting him to write her a farewell letter.

But then he finds out she has another lover as well, Jimmy Martin (Maxwell Reed), so he has to change his plans and frame Martin for the crime, making it seem that Martin killed Fenton.

An excellent, creepy performance by Portman, who does menacing and sinister brilliantly, strongly helps to sustain this well-plotted, involving and satisfyingly complicated thriller, based on the popular 1946 London West End hit play by St John Leigh Clowes. It is also a very good showcase role for Greta Gynt as the wife Vivien.

Of course, this claustrophobic movie is as far from real life as possible with its totally artificial and impossible plot, but it does the trick of making you believe in it 100 per cent while it lasts.

Since Greta Gynt was Norwegian, the film was honoured with a Royal Command Performance in Oslo, Norway, though she does play a promiscuous murderess. This kind of film would never have had a Royal Command Performance in London.

The film rights were bought by Sydney Box, and it was one of the first films he made at Gainsborough Pictures after taking over as head of production, who gave it to his sister Betty Box to produce. The screenplay by Sydney Box, his wife Muriel Box, and Peter Rogers faithful to the faithful to the play.

The cast

The cast are Eric Portman as Lee Warren, Greta Gynt as Vivien Warren, Dennis Price as Richard Fenton, Maxwell Reed as Jimmy Martin, Jack Warner as Inspector Pembury, Hazel Court as Avis Fenton, Jane Hylton as Rita, Andrew Crawford as Sgt Fox, John Blythe as Ernie, Ernest Butcher, Charles Rolfe, Howard Douglas, Vic Hagan, Helene Buris, Valerie Ward and Judith Carol.

Eric Portman (13 July 1901 – 7 December 1969)

Eric Portman is best remembered for his roles in three 1940s films for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger: 49th Parallel (1941), One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942), and A Canterbury Tale (1944).

He also the thrillers Wanted for Murder (1947), Dear Murderer (1947) and The Mark of Cain (1947), played a hangman in Daybreak (1948), and made Corridor of Mirrors (1948) and The Blind Goddess (1948).

Later he appeared in The Whisperers (1967) and Deadfall (1968) for director Bryan Forbes.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,377

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