The Long Dark Hall – 1951 | 86 mins | Crime, Drama | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Gloomy courtroom melodrama starring Rex Harrison as a married man charged with the murder of his chorus girl mistress. The film is compact but fails to grip due to a lack of energy and tension in the storyline, despite the presence of suavely sinister Anthony Dawson playing a character reminiscent of his outing in Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder.

Set in post-war London, a murderer is stalking lonely women. Arthur Groome (Rex Harrison), a married man with a couple of children has been cheating on his loyal wife, Mary (Lilli Palmer), with attractive chorus girl Rose (Patricia Cutts). When he discovers his mistress murdered in her bedsit, Arthur races home to his wife without informing anybody, leaving behind circumstantial evidence implicating himself in the murder.

Chief Insp. Sullivan (Raymond Huntley) takes charge of the investigation and charges Groome with Rose’s murder. Groome is put on trial and the lawyer for the prosecution emphasises the importance of circumstantial evidence. Watching the events unfold with interest are the real killer, who ingratiates himself to Mary, and a witness who could provide Groome with an alibi.