IMDb on iPhone and iPod touch Learn more Learn more Download from the App Store
IMDb > Dead of Night (1945)
Dead of Night
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Dead of Night (1945) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 16 | slideshow)

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   3,180 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Alberto Cavalcanti (co-director)
(more)
Writers:
H.G. Wells (original story) &
E.F. Benson (original story) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Dead of Night on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
15 February 1946 (Finland) more
Plot:
Architect Walter Craig, seeking the possibility of some work at a country farmhouse, soon finds himself once again stuck in his recurring nightmare... more | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(10 articles)
User Reviews:
And I thought I might have dreamed up the whole thing! more (95 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)
Mervyn Johns ... Walter Craig
Roland Culver ... Eliot Foley
Mary Merrall ... Mrs Foley
Googie Withers ... Joan Cortland
Frederick Valk ... Dr. Van Straaten
Anthony Baird ... Hugh Grainger (as Antony Baird)
Sally Ann Howes ... Sally O'Hara
Robert Wyndham ... Dr. Albury
Judy Kelly ... Joyce Grainger
Miles Malleson ... Hearse Driver
Michael Allan ... Jimmy Watson
Barbara Leake ... Mrs O'Hara
Ralph Michael ... Peter Cortland
Esme Percy ... Antiques Dealer (as Esmé Percy)
Basil Radford ... George Parratt
Naunton Wayne ... Larry Potter
Peggy Bryan ... Mary Lee
Allan Jeayes ... Maurice Olcott
Michael Redgrave ... Maxwell Frere
Elisabeth Welch ... Beulah
Hartley Power ... Sylvester Kee
Magda Kun ... Mitzi
Garry Marsh ... Harry Parker
Renee Gadd ... Mrs. Craig (as Renée Gadd)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Bonifas ... French Nightclub Patron in 'Ventriloquist's Dummy' Segment (uncredited)
Peter Jones ... Fred - Barman in 'Golfing Story' Segment (uncredited)
John McGuire ... Hugo Fitch in 'Ventriloquist's Dummy' Segment (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
Alberto Cavalcanti (co-director) (as Cavalcanti)
Charles Crichton (co-director) (segment "Golfing Story") (uncredited)
Basil Dearden (co-director) (segments "Hearse Driver" and "Linking Narrative") (uncredited)
Robert Hamer (co-director) (segment "The Haunted Mirror") (uncredited)
Alberto Cavalcanti (segments "Christmas Party" and "The Ventriloquist's Dummy") (uncredited)
 
Writing credits
H.G. Wells (original story) &
E.F. Benson (original story) &
John Baines (original story) &
Angus MacPhail (original story) (as Angus Macphail)

John Baines (screenplay) &
Angus MacPhail (screenplay) (as Angus Macphail)

T.E.B. Clarke (additional dialogue)

John Baines  writer (segments "The Haunted Mirror" and "The Ventriloquist's Dummy") (uncredited)
E.F. Benson  writer (segments "Hearse Driver" and linking narrative) (uncredited)
Angus MacPhail  writer (segment "Christmas Party") (uncredited)
H.G. Wells  writer (segment "Golfing Story") (uncredited)

Produced by
Michael Balcon .... producer
Sidney Cole .... associate producer
John Croydon .... associate producer
 
Original Music by
Georges Auric (music composed by)
 
Cinematography by
Stanley Pavey (lighting) (as Stan Pavey)
Douglas Slocombe 
 
Film Editing by
Charles Hasse 
 
Art Direction by
Michael Relph 
 
Costume Design by
Marion Horn (dresses)
Bianca Mosca (dresses)
 
Makeup Department
Tom Shenton .... make-up
 
Production Management
Ronald Brantford .... unit manager
Hal Mason .... production supervisor
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Rowland Douglas .... assistant director (uncredited)
Norman Hipwell .... second assistant director (uncredited)
Claude Hudson .... third assistant director (uncredited)
P. Potter .... third assistant director (uncredited)
Billy Russell .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Heather Armitage .... draughtsman (uncredited)
Jim Morahan .... assistant art director (uncredited)
Len Wills .... draughtsman (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Len Page .... recordist
A.E. Rudolph .... recordist
Eric Williams .... sound supervisor
W. Boulatoff .... boom operator (uncredited)
Mary Habberfield .... dubbing editor (uncredited)
Tom Otter .... boom operator (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
Lionel Banes .... special effects (as L. Banes)
Cliff Richardson .... special effects (as C. Richardson)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
H. Julius .... camera operator
Jack Parker .... camera operator
Roy Gough .... still photographer (uncredited)
Gerry Levy .... clapper loader (uncredited)
Michael Shepherd .... focus puller (uncredited)
Gerry Turpin .... focus puller (uncredited)
John Winbolt .... clapper loader (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
Leslie Allen .... assembly cutter (uncredited)
Daphne Heathcote .... assistant editor (uncredited)
Seth Holt .... second assistant editor (uncredited)
E. Leverett .... second assistant editor (uncredited)
F. Thomson .... second assistant editor (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Ernest Irving .... music conductor
Frank Weir .... band leader: Frank Weir and his Sextet
Bruce Campbell .... music arranger: song (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Gwen Bartle .... continuity (uncredited)
M. Hamilton .... assistant continuity (uncredited)
Daphne Heathcote .... continuity (uncredited)
Elaine Schreyeck .... continuity (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
103 min | USA:77 min | Germany:95 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA)
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Parratt and Potter, the very-English characters portrayed by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne in the Golfing Story are derivatives of Charters and Caldicott, created for Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (1938). The double-act proved to be so popular that Radford and Wayne were paired up as similar sport-obsessed gentlemen (or occasionally reprising their original rôles) in a number of productions, including this one. The name-change neatly sidestepped any copyright issues. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: As Peter Cortland stands looking into the mirror his wife-to-be has bought him, the stripes on his tie run from his left side, down to his right. A reverse shot shows the stripes on his tie running in the same direction; obviously not a mirror image. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
[Walter Craig drives up to Foley's farmhouse and looks around with an expression part suspicious and part dumbfounded]
Eliot Foley: Ah! Walter Craig?
Walter Craig: How do you do. You're Eliot Foley.
[They shake hands]
Eliot Foley: That's right. So glad you were able to come. Let's have your bag. I'll put the car away afterwards. You know, it struck me, after I'd telephoned you, rather cheek on my part to ask a busy architect like yourself to come down and spend the weekend with a set of complete strangers.
Walter Craig: [to himself] Not complete.
Eliot Foley: You see, we're pretty cramped for space here. We need at least two more bedrooms.
Walter Craig: And with only one living room.
Eliot Foley: Yes, only one living room. However, we'll go into all that in the morning, shall we?
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Why Do You Pass Me By? more

FAQ

How many stories are in this anthology film?
What "Twilight Zone" episodes are similar to these stories?
List: Ventriloquists who have disturbing relationships with their dummies
more
21 out of 30 people found the following review useful.
And I thought I might have dreamed up the whole thing!, 11 March 2004
Author: cleda from Pittsburgh

For years I've wondered if I really saw a movie that served as the source for innumerable childhood dreams and fears. I tried telling folks about seeing this British film on TV in the 1960s, but it was so jumbled in my memory that I really couldn't describe it properly. I knew it led to a lifelong dread of ventriloquist dummies, but I couldn't figure out how that tied to an architect at a country house party.

For no apparent reason today I put "ventriloquist movie" into yahoo and skimmed down to Dead of Night - British 1945. At long last I knew that I hadn't imagined the whole thing - and boy am I relieved! I'm also delighted to find that I've been "haunted" by a classic of the genre that has had a big impact on so many others.

I'm looking forward to ordering it and watching it again.

Was the above review useful to you?
more (95 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Dead of Night (1945)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
TCM missing opening? JadeJaguar
The ending kris_cummins
Strange occurance with 'Dead of Night' mickeyone
Michael Redgrave sequence Dave_BobW
slightly unrelated bhuna1
Is this available on DVD? WVHokie
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Tales of Terror Der Fangschuß Madhouse Gone with the Wind Eyes Wide Shut
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Horror section IMDb UK section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.