36 Hours (1953)

Director:

Montgomery Tully

Writer:

Steve Fisher (story)

Release Date:

4 December 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

Her frame was the only build-up to the frame-up!

Plot:

An American pilot AWOL from the states is framed for his wife's murder and has just 36 hours to prove his innocence.

Plot Keywords:

Pilot | Salvation Army | Blackmail | Soup Kitchen | Norwegian

Cast

Dan Duryea	...	Major Bill Rogers
Elsie Albiin	...	Katherine 'Katie' Rogers (as Elsy Albiin)
Gudrun Ure	...	Sister Jenny Miller (as Ann Gudrun)
Eric Pohlmann	...	Slossen, the smuggler
John Chandos	...	Orville Hart
Kenneth Griffith	...	Henry Slosson
Harold Lang	...	Harry Cross, desk clerk
Jane Carr	...	Soup Kitchen Supervisor
Michael Golden	...	The Inspector
Marianne Stone	...	Pam Palmer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Christine Adrian	...	Mrs. Hart (uncredited)
Sheila Berry	...	Wren (uncredited)
Gabrielle Blunt	...	Wren (uncredited)
Kenneth Brown	...	Cop (uncredited)
Richard Ford	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Angela Glynne	...	Wren (uncredited)
Robert Henderson	...	Pop, the pilot (uncredited)
Jacqueline McKenzie	...	Canteen Waitress (uncredited)
Russell Napier	...	Detective at Ann's Apartment (uncredited)
Robert O'Neal	...	Driver (uncredited)
Lee Patterson	...	Joe (uncredited)
Cleo Rose	...	Wren (uncredited)
Stephen Vercoe	...	Ned Palmer (uncredited)
John Warren	...	Clerk (uncredited)
John Wynn	...	Detective Sergeant Blake (uncredited)

Directed by
Montgomery Tully

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Steve Fisher		story and screenplay

Produced by
Anthony Hinds	....	producer

Original Music by
Ivor Slaney

Cinematography by
Walter J. Harvey		(as Walter Harvey)

Film Editing by
James Needs

Art Direction by
J. Elder Wills

Makeup Department
Nina Broe	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Philip Leakey	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
John 'Pinky' Green	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jimmy Sangster	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Bill Salter	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Len Harris	....	camera operator (as Leonard Harris)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Molly Arbuthnot	....	wardrobe mistress (uncredited)

Music Department
Ivor Slaney	....	conductor
Malcolm Arnold	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
John Hollingsworth	....	music supervisor (uncredited)

Other crew
Renée Glynne	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Hammer Film Productions (in association with)
• Lippert Films

Distributors

• Exclusive Films (1952) (UK) (theatrical)
• Lippert Pictures (1953) (USA) (theatrical)
• VCI Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Kit Parker Films (2003) (USA) (all media) (copyright holder)
• Weiss Global Enterprises (1981) (worldwide) (all media)

Also Known As:

Terror Street (USA)

Runtime:

80 min | 85 min (DVD)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Quotes:

Major Bill Rogers: Just a minute, let's get this straight. Who are you?
Henry Slosson: Henry Slosson.
Major Bill Rogers: And your uncle? What's he done so bad that Orville can shake him down?
Henry Slosson: He's a terrible man. My life has been corrupted and dirtied by him! He deals in every shady business in the gutter of mankind!

What street? What terror?

Despite its bad press, "36 Hours" (1953) is not a total write-off. True, Dan Duryea is miscast as hero rather than villain and the girls are not much to write home about. But it's beautifully photographed by "Heads" Harvey (called "Heads" because of his fondness for placing the top of the actors' heads right against the frame line) and directed with a surprising amount of style by Montgomery Tully. The support cast lines up as one of the most solid assembled by Hammer with Eric Pohlmann and John Chandos as the heavies, Russell Napier and Michael Golden as detectives, Kenneth Griffith as the psycho, Lee Patterson in a tiny role as the co-pilot, and best of all, Harold Lang as the desk clerk.