She-Wolf of London (1946)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Jean Yarbrough

Writers:

Dwight V. Babcock (story)
George Bricker (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 May 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Plot:

A young heiress finds evidence suggesting that at night she acts under the influence of a family curse and has begun committing ghastly murders in a nearby park.

Plot Keywords:

Family Curse | Interfering Relative | Family Legend | Hypnotic Drug | Greed

Cast

Don Porter	...	Barry Lanfield
June Lockhart	...	Phyllis Allenby
Sara Haden	...	Martha Winthrop
Jan Wiley	...	Carol Winthrop
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Detective Latham
Dennis Hoey	...	Inspector Pierce
Martin Kosleck	...	Dwight Severn
Eily Malyon	...	Hannah, the housekeeper
Frederick Worlock	...	Park Patrol Constable-in-Charge Ernie Hobbs (as Frederic Worlock)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Clara Blandick	...	Mrs. McBroom (scenes deleted)
Joan Wells	...	Phyllis - as a Child (scenes deleted)
James Finlayson	...	Constable With Hobbs and Latham (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten	...	Constable Albert (uncredited)
Warren Jackson	...	Constable (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Bobby (uncredited)
David Thursby	...	Constable (uncredited)

Directed by
Jean Yarbrough

Writing credits
Dwight V. Babcock		(story)
George Bricker		(screenplay)

Produced by
Ben Pivar	....	producer

Original Music by
William Lava		(uncredited)
Frank Skinner		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Maury Gertsman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Paul Landres

Art Direction by
Abraham Grossman
Jack Otterson

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman
Leigh Smith

Costume Design by
Vera West		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Jack P. Pierce	....	director of makeup

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ralph Slosser	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Bernard B. Brown	....	sound director
Joe Lapis	....	sound technician

Music Department
William Lava	....	musical director

Other crew
Raymond Kessler	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1946) (USA) (theatrical)
• Realart Pictures (1951) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Screen Gems (1957) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

The Curse of the Allenbys (UK)

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1947) | Finland:K-7 (2004) | Germany:6

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Filming completed on Christmas Eve 1945.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Creature Features: Mark of the Vampire/She-Wolf of London (#1.26)" (1971)

Miss Lockhart alone justifies the effort.

Apart from excellent settings and costumes, not to mention the always reliable pulchritude and charm of June Lockhart, this Val Lewton wannabe is mainly a misfire.

More's the pity too, since it abounds in shadowy night scenes, fog, and much cloak and daggery, including a final act complete with tilted camera angles, and poisoned milk, (a la Hichcock's "Suspicion").

But there is no real grue and no real tension, and what we are left with is a lame, (though slickly produced) thriller whose main interest accrues from its interesting cast and glossy staging.

Still, given the paucity of Victorian melodramas at your local cineplex--you could do much worse.