Noose [The Silk Noose] *** (1948, Nigel Patrick, Carole Landis, Derek Farr, Joseph Calleia, Stanley Holloway) – Classic Movie Review 13,095

American cinema release poster of Noose.

The capable and colourful 1948 British black and white crime thriller film Noose [The Silk Noose] stars Carole Landis in her final movie, Nigel Patrick, Derek Farr, Joseph Calleia, and Stanley Holloway.

Director Edmond T Gréville’s 1948 British black and white crime thriller film Noose [The Silk Noose] stars Carole Landis in her final movie, Nigel Patrick, Derek Farr, Joseph Calleia, and Stanley Holloway.

Richard Llewellyn’s hit West End play Noose, about London Soho black marketeer wideboys, is turned into a capable and colourful American-style thriller, complete with visiting stars Joseph Calleia (as an Italian mob boss, black-market racketeer Sugiani) and Carole Landis (as an American intrepid reporter, Linda Medbury).

Among the British home team, Stanley Holloway scores as a Scotland Yard man, Inspector Kendall, as does Nigel Patrick as a fast-talking wideboy, Bar ‘Gorm’ Gorman, a cockney spiv character the actor regularly enjoyed playing as a change from his usual urbane persona. The actor’s real surname was Gorman: he was Nigel Dennis Patrick Wemyss-Gorman, here re-creating his hit stage role.

American fashion journalist Linda Medbury (Carole Landis) and her ex-British Commando army captain fiancé Captain Jumbo Hoyle (Derek Farr) try to bring black market racketeers to justice with the help of a gang from a local gym, Bason’s Gymnasium, run by Pudd’n Bason (John Slater). The gang also frequents the Blue Moon nightclub, run by Italian immigrant Sugiani.

It’s a shame about the cheap-looking production, but nevertheless there is a decent little yarn here and attractive performances from a nice, interesting cast, and it is all very flavoursome and rather well done.

Richard Llewellyn adapts his own play for the screen.

Llewellyn also wrote the popular 1939 novel that was made into the classic Hollywood film How Green Was My Valley. He also wrote the 1938 mystery play Poison Pen, which was made into the 1939 film Poison Pen starring Flora Robson, Ann Todd and Robert Newton.

Also in the cast are Hay Petrie, John Slater, Ruth Nixon, Carol van Derman, Leslie Bradley, Reginald Tate, Edward Rigby, John Salew, Robert Adair, Uriel Porter, Ella Retford, Brenda Hogan, Michael Ripper, Ben Williams, Kenneth Buckley, and Arthur Lovegrove.

It was shot in January and February 1948 at Teddington Studios, London.

Release date: 28 September 1948.

It was released in the United States as The Silk Noose.

Noose [The Silk Noose] is directed by Edmond T Gréville, runs 98 minutes, is made by Associated British Picture Corporation, is released by Pathé Pictures, is written by Richard Llewellyn, is shot in black and white by Hone Glendinning, is produced by Edward Dryhurst, is scored by Charles Williams, and is designed by Bernard Robinson.

The cast are Carole Landis as Linda Medbury, Joseph Calleia as Sugiani, Derek Farr as Captain Jumbo Hoyle, Stanley Holloway as Inspector Rendall, Nigel Patrick as Bar ‘Gorm’ Gorman, John Slater as Pudd’n Bason, Edward Rigby as Slush, Leslie Bradley as Basher, Reginald Tate as The Editor, Hay Petrie as The Barber, John Salew as Greasey Anderson, Ruth Nixon as Annie Foss, Carol van Derman as Marcia Lane, Robert Adair, Uriel Porter, Ella Retford, Brenda Hogan, Michael Ripper, Ben Williams, Kenneth Buckley, and Arthur Lovegrove.

The final movie of Carole Landis

This was the final movie Carole Landis made before her death. She filmed Brass Monkey at Twickenham Studios in England in autumn 1947 and filmed Noose in January and February 1948.

Landis had landed a contract with 29th Century-Fox and begun a sexual relationship with studio boss Darryl F. Zanuck. But when Landis ended her relationship, her career suffered and she was given roles in B-movies. Her final two films, Brass Monkey and Noose, were both made in the UK and released in 1948.

Landis began a relationship with Rex Harrison, who was then married to Lilli Palmer. Harrison refused to divorce his wife for her. Unable to cope, Landis died by suicide on July 5, 1948 in her Pacific Palisades home by taking an overdose of Seconal. Harrison was the last person to see her, dining with her the night before. The next afternoon, Harrison and Landis’s maid discovered her on the bathroom floor. Harrison waited several hours before he called a doctor and the police.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,095

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