The Dummy Talks

CinematographyJames WilsonEdited byMusic byKennedy Russell (uncredited)Distributed byAnglo-American Film Corporation (UK)85 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

The Dummy Talks is a 1943 British crime film directed by Oswald Mitchell and starring Jack Warner, Claude Hulbert and Beryl Orde.^[1] It marked the film debut of Jack Warner.^[2]

Synopsis

Set over the course of one night, the story takes place in and around a London theatre. A series of contemporary acts are seen both performing on stage and socialising backstage. The murder of a ventriloquist takes place and two policemen, who happen to be at the theatre tracking a banknote forger, set to work finding the culprit. Ultimately, the key suspects are rounded up and a mind-reader puts on a show to reveal the killer. He's helped by a midget dressed as the dummy, hence the title.

Cast

• Jack Warner as Jack
• Claude Hulbert as Victor Harbord
• Beryl Orde as Beryl
• Evelyn Darvell as Peggy
• Hy Hazell as Maya (credited as Derna Hazell)
• Manning Whiley as Russell Warren
• Charles Carson as Marvello ("The Man With the Radio Mind")
• G. H. Mulcaster as Piers Harriman
• John Carol as Jimmy Royce
• Gordon Edwards as Marcus
• Max Earl as Yates
• Ivy Benson and her all Ladies Band as Themselves
• Frederick Sylvester & Nephew (Eric Mudd also played the "dummy") as Themselves
• Tommy Manley & Florence Austin ("Music Hath Charms") as Themselves
• Cecil Ayres with the Skating Avalons as Themselves
• Mann & Read ("Jugglers with Fun") as Themselves
• Five Lai Founs (" Modern Chinese Wonders") as Themselves
• Jeannie White and her Stepsisters as Themselves

Critical reception

Britmovie noted "a number of genuine variety acts add a flavour of the period, although they provide rather too much of the film’s running time" ;^[2] and TV Guide called it "a weird but engaging second feature."^[3]

References

Bibliography

• Murphy, Robert. Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48. Routledge, 1989.

External links

• The Dummy Talks at IMDb