Patrick Holt and Diana Dors arrive at their new home in the country. He plans to start his new murder mystery, when in stalks Cicely Courtneidge demanding a room for the night and giving orders. The next morning, the couple discovers her dead in an armchair. PC Jack Hulbert shows up, followed by Inspector Joss Ambler.
It's the first movie with Hulbert and Miss Courtneidge in more than a decade, and this comedy-mystery is directed by Leslie Arliss at farce speeds. Unfortunately, there's little in it witty and very funny once Miss Courtneidge is reduced to a corpse. Holt and Miss Dors are a bit too sedate, Ambler is grouchy, and A.E. Matthews shows up at the beginning; he's funny, but then he vanishes, irrelevant to the plot.
It's a common issue with comedies that have a story to tell: the laughs are in the beginning, then the fun is abandoned in favor of the plot. It's a fair mystery, and it's good to see Hulbert and Miss Courtneidge on the screen, but despite some bits and bobs, it's dull.
Dead by Morning
1955
Action / Comedy / Crime
Dead by Morning
1955
Action / Comedy / Crime
Plot summary
A crime writer and his wife go for a break to a country cottage. They receive an unexpected visitor, the bossy Miss Tulip, who needs shelter for the night. In the morning there is a dead body in the house.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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Movie Reviews
Good To See Hulbert And Miss Courtneidge, But...
What possessed the bfi
Now I appreciate that the BIG has to negotiate for rights to films it releases on DVD so what persuaded them to invest time and effort into releasing this load of rubbish.The cast is interesting on paper but in reality they don't tell.What on earth is Diana Ford doing in this,shortly before her trip to America to try and do for TOO what Monroe had done for Fox.Can anyone seriously believe that Patrick Holt is her husband.Lovely Courtneidge who always acted as if she had a bad case of st vitus dance.Her husband Jack Gilbert smuggling his way through the film.The plot is virtually non existent and if you thought that you were going to see a serious thriller well you will have to think again.At 65 minutes it feels more like 2 hours.
Pleasant undemanding entertainment
I wrote this after seeing the film on TV and reading the other reviews which i felt were very harsh. The main problem with the film is that it seems to fall between comedy and mystery with not quite enough of either, also the pace is poorly judged with a lot of messing around in the first 90% of the film before the mystery is solved in the last 5 minutes . It reminded me of long ago school homework when you start well but lose interest and put down anything to get it finished. But despite that this is basically a harmless glimpse of a world which is nowadays almost forgotten. There are some good lines, Diana Dors looks gorgeous and Hulbert and Courtneidge are charming in their roles and overall this is pleasantenough way of filling an afternoon.