Saloon Bar
| Saloon Bar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Walter Forde |
| Written by | John Dighton Angus MacPhail |
| Based on | Saloon Bar by Frank Harvey |
| Produced by | Michael Balcon Culley Forde |
| Starring | Gordon Harker Elizabeth Allan Mervyn Johns |
| Cinematography | Ronald Neame |
| Edited by | Ray Pitt |
| Music by | Ernest Irving |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Associated British Film Distributors |
Release date | November 2, 1940 |
Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Saloon Bar is a 1940 British
Plot
The action takes place in London over one evening in the saloon bar of the Cap & Bells pub, just before Christmas. The regulars discuss the forthcoming execution for robbery and murder of the boyfriend of one of the barmaids. A pound note from the robbery is found in the till. Convinced of the condemned man's innocence, and led by bookie Joe Harris, they trace how the note came to be there and unmask the true killer.
Cast
- Gordon Harker as Joe Harris
- Elizabeth Allan as Queenie
- Mervyn Johns as Wickers
- Joyce Barbour as Sally
- Anna Konstam as Ivy
- Cyril Raymond as Harry Small
- Judy Campbell as Doris
- Al Millen as Fred
- Norman Pierce as Bill Hoskins
- Alec Clunes as Eddie Graves
- Mavis Villiers as Joan
- Felix Aylmer as Mayor
- O. B. Clarence as Sir Archibald
- Aubrey Dexter as Major
- Helena Pickard as Mrs Small
- Manning Whiley as evangelist
- Laurence Kitchin as Peter
- Roddy Hughes as doctor
- Gordon James as Jim
- Annie Esmond as Mrs. Truscott
- Eliot Makeham as meek man
- Roddy McDowall as boy
- Julie Suedo as Eleanor
- Torin Thatcher as Mr. Garrod
Production
The film's sets were designed by the art director Wilfred Shingleton.
Critical reception
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "good", writing: "Verbose but winning mixure of mystery and comedy, with nice pub atmosphere."[5]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "Gordon Harker was a familiar face in British thrillers during the 1930s, his mournful expression and throaty cockney accent enabled him to play characters on either side of the law. In this engaging Ealing whodunnit, he has a fine old time as a bookie playing detective in his local. Director Walter Forde makes effective use of the claustrophobic set to build tension, and he is well served by an efficient cast of suspects."[6]
Leslie Halliwell said: "Amusing, well-made little suspenser from a West End success."[7]
References
- ^ "Saloon Bar". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ISBN 978-0415076845.
- ^ "Production of Saloon Bar | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
- Kine Weekly. 280 (1729): 10. 6 June 1940 – via ProQuest.
- ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
- ISBN 9780992936440.
- ISBN 0586088946.
External links
- Saloon Bar at IMDb
- Saloon Bar at ReelStreets
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