Dr Morelle and the Case of the Missing Heiress ** (1949, Valentine Dyall, Julia Lang, Philip Leaver, Jean Lodge, Peter Drury, Hugh Griffith) – Classic Movie Review 13,017

Dyall M for Murder

Hammer Films’ 1949 B-movie British mystery film Dr Morelle and the Case of the Missing Heiress stars Valentine Dyall as the popular radio detective Dr Morelle investigating the case of a wealthy young woman who has vanished.

Director Godfrey Grayson’s 1949 B-movie Hammer Films British mystery film Dr Morelle and the Case of the Missing Heiress stars Valentine Dyall, Julia Lang, Philip Leaver, Jean Lodge, Peter Drury and Hugh Griffith.

The popular radio detective Dr Morelle, created by Ernest Dudley, hits the big screen in this convoluted, involved, but forgettable tale of the mysterious events surrounding the death of the sister of Morelle’s secretary Miss Frayle (Julia Lang). The brave doctor (Dyall) suspects foul play and he is soon hot on the trail of the villains.

The late Roy Plomley (originator of BBC radio’s Desert Island Discs) co-writes the predictable though sometimes witty script with Ambrose Grayson.

But Dyall’s commanding, imperious presence makes a routine thriller with an ultra-cheap production certainly worth a look. And Julia Lang as Miss Frayle and Hugh Griffith as Bensall the butler are also entertaining presences.

It is another short Hammer Films thriller from the days when the studio was making a pleasant income bringing radio serials to the screen (Dick Barton, The Man in Black, PC 49, etc).

It is also known as Dr Morelle, Dr Morelle: The Case of the Missing Heiress, and The Case of the Missing Heiress.

Alas, if a series was planned, it turned out to be a one-off.

Release date: 27 June 1949 (UK).

The cast are Valentine Dyall as Doctor Morelle, Peter Drury as Peter Lorrimer, Hugh Griffith as butler Bensall, Julia Lang as Miss Frayle, Jean Lodge as Cynthia Mason, Philip Leaver as Samuel Kimber, Sidney Vivian as Inspector, James Raglan, and Bruce Walker.

Ernest Dudley (aka Vivian Ernest Coltman-Allen, 23 July 1908 – 1 February 2006) was the creator of the hit BBC radio crime series Dr Morelle — ‘the man you love to hate!’ — which was hugely popular during the 1940s and 1950s and originally starred Dennis Arundell. Dudley created Dr Morelle for the BBC Radio anthology programme Monday Night at Eight during World War Two. He featured the character in many short stories and novels, as well as the stage play Dr Morelle, written with Arthur Watkyn.

The film was shot in Dial Close Court, Winter Hill, a country mansion in Cookham, Berkshire, hired by Hammer for £25 a week. The same mansion was used for The Adventures of P.C. 49 (1949) and Celia (1949).

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,017

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