Inspector Hornleigh

Inspector Hornleigh - 1939 | 76 mins | Comedy, Mystery | B&W

The Production Team

Director: Eugene J. Forde.
Producer: Robert T. Kane.
Script: Gerald Elliott, Richard Llewellyn and Bryan Edgar Wallace. (based on British radio characters created by Hans Wolfgang Priwin)
Cinematography: Derick Williams and Philip Tannura.
Editing: James B. Clark.
Original Music: Bretton Byrd.

The Cast

Gordon Harker - Inspector Hornleigh
Alastair Sim - Sgt. Bingham
Miki Hood - Ann Gordon
Wally Patch - Sam Holt
Steven Geray - Kavanos
Edward Underdown - Peter Dench
Hugh Williams - Bill Gordon
Gibb McLaughlin - Alfred Cooper
Ronald Adam - Wittens
Eliot Makeham - Leather Worker

Plot Synopsis

Wordy but well told comedic thriller inspired by the characters created for the popular BBC radio detective serial Monday Night at Seven by Hans Priwin. Inspector Hornleigh was successful enough to spawn two cinematic sequels: Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday (1939) and Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It (1941).

Inspector Hornleigh (Gordon Harker), along with bumbling sidekick Sergeant Bingham (Alastair Sim) investigate a murder involving the theft of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s bag. The murder leads the Inspector on to an inn run by Bill Gordon (Hugh Williams), and then the home of chief suspect Kavanos (Steve Geray), a foreign millionaire. Bill becomes yet another murder victim before Hornleigh and Bingham uncover a plot to profit from advance knowledge of the government budget details.