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Room to Let
Room to Let
Directed by	Godfrey Grayson
Written by	Margery Allingham (radio drama); John Gilling; Godfrey Grayson;
Produced by	Anthony Hinds
Starring	Jimmy Hanley; Valentine Dyall; Constance Smith;
Cinematography	Cedric Williams
Edited by	James Needs
Music by	Frank Spencer
Production; company	Hammer Films
Distributed by	Exclusive Films
Release date	15 May 1950;
Running time	68 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Room to Let is a 1950 British second feature ('B')^[1] historical thriller film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Jimmy Hanley, Valentine Dyall and Constance Smith.^[2] It was adapted by John Gilling and Grayson from the BBC radio play by Margery Allingham, broadcast in 1947.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Plot

After a fire at an insane asylum during the Edwardian era, a young journalist becomes convinced that one of the patients has escaped and taken lodgings at a local middle-class household. The mysterious "Doctor Fell" comes to dominate the three women in the house – mother, daughter and maid – and increasingly shuts them off from outside contact. Despite a lack of assistance from the authorities, the journalist suspects that the Doctor is in fact the notorious Jack the Ripper who is planning a fresh series of attacks.

Cast

Jimmy Hanley as Curly Minter
Valentine Dyall as Doctor Fell
Christine Silver as Mrs. Musgrave
Merle Tottenham as Alice
Constance Smith as Molly Musgrave
Charles Hawtrey as Mike Atkinson
Aubrey Dexter as Harding
Anthony La Penna as JJ
Reginald Dyson as Sergeant Cranbourne
Laurence Naismith as editor
John Clifford as Atkinson
Stuart Saunders as porter
Cyril Conway as Doctor Mansfield
Charles Houston as Tom
Harriet Petworth as matron
Charles Mander as P.C. Smith
H. Hamilton Earle as orderly
F. A. Williams as butler
Archie Callum as night watchman

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Valentine Dyall is suitably sinister in this Victorian period piece, but the film is protracted and tedious."^[6]

Picturegoer wrote: "As a film, it has very little out of the ordinary to commend it .... The story has an unusual ending, which is not, unfortunately, entirely convincing. Constance Smith, a newcomer to the screen, deals rather more than adequately with a part that does not constitute an exactly ideal opening to her career, and looks quite charming in Victorian costume."^[7]

Picture Show wrote: "Effective but rather grim."^[8]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Well-acted; tedious at times."^[9]

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "Hammer Films took a step towards its future speciality with this early B-feature ... Modest, but enjoyable. "^[10]

TV Guide gave the film two out of five stars, calling it "A fairly disturbing programmer which remains suspenseful to the end."^[11]

References

^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
^ "Room to Let". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
^ "Room to Let". BBC Programme Index. 11 November 1947. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
^ "Room to Let (1950)". Archived from the original on 3 October 2017.
^ Jones, Julia (12 January 2018). The Adventures of Margery Allingham. Golden Duck UK Ltd. ISBN 9781899262014 – via Google Books.
^ "Room to Let". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 17 (193): 49. 1 January 1950. ProQuest 1305812198 – via ProQuest.
^ "Room to Let". Picturegoer. 19: 19. 4 May 1950. ProQuest 1705085582 – via ProQuest.
^ "Room to Let". Picture Show (magazine). 54 (1419): 12. 10 June 1950. ProQuest 1879634009 – via ProQuest.
^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 242. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 788. ISBN 9780992936440.
^ "Room To Let". TVGuide.com.