They Can't Hang Me
Encyclopedia
They Can't Hang Me is a 1955 British
drama film
directed by Val Guest
and starring Terence Morgan
, Yolande Donlan
and Anthony Oliver
. It was based on a novel by Leonard Mosley
.
The plot revolves around a senior civil servant, Pitt (Morell), who has been convicted of a murder and sentenced to death. Days before his execution, Pitt reveals that he has been passing on top secret information to an agent of a foreign power and offers to reveal the identity of his handler in exchange for a reprieve. With only five days before Pitt's execution, debonair Special Branch Inspector Ralph Brown (Morgan) takes on the task of identifying the spy before he flees the country.
The starring role of Brown was an unusual part for Morgan, who was better known in British film for playing villains and criminals.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Val Guest
Val Guest
Val Guest was a British film director, best known for his science-fiction films for Hammer Film Productions in the 1950s, but who also enjoyed a long, varied and active career in the film industry from the early 1930s up until the early 1980s.-Early life and career:He was born Valmond Maurice...
and starring Terence Morgan
Terence Morgan
Terence Ivor Grant Morgan was an English actor in theatre, cinema and television. He was the nephew of British character actor Verne Morgan...
, Yolande Donlan
Yolande Donlan
Yolande Donlan is an American actress who has worked extensively in the United Kingdom.She is the daughter of James Donlan, who was a hard working character actor in Hollywood films of the 1930s...
and Anthony Oliver
Anthony Oliver
-Selected filmography:* Once a Jolly Swagman * The Happy Family * To Dorothy a Son * They Can't Hang Me * Eyewitness * The Entertainer * H.M.S. Defiant * Danger by My Side...
. It was based on a novel by Leonard Mosley
Leonard Mosley
Leonard Mosley was a British journalist, historian, biographer and novelist. His works include five novels and biographies of General George Marshall, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, Walt Disney, Charles Lindbergh, Du Pont family, Eleanor Dulles, Allen Welsh Dulles, John Foster Dulles and Darryl...
.
The plot revolves around a senior civil servant, Pitt (Morell), who has been convicted of a murder and sentenced to death. Days before his execution, Pitt reveals that he has been passing on top secret information to an agent of a foreign power and offers to reveal the identity of his handler in exchange for a reprieve. With only five days before Pitt's execution, debonair Special Branch Inspector Ralph Brown (Morgan) takes on the task of identifying the spy before he flees the country.
The starring role of Brown was an unusual part for Morgan, who was better known in British film for playing villains and criminals.
Cast
- Terence MorganTerence MorganTerence Ivor Grant Morgan was an English actor in theatre, cinema and television. He was the nephew of British character actor Verne Morgan...
- Inspector Ralph Brown - Yolande DonlanYolande DonlanYolande Donlan is an American actress who has worked extensively in the United Kingdom.She is the daughter of James Donlan, who was a hard working character actor in Hollywood films of the 1930s...
- Jill Wilson - Anthony OliverAnthony Oliver-Selected filmography:* Once a Jolly Swagman * The Happy Family * To Dorothy a Son * They Can't Hang Me * Eyewitness * The Entertainer * H.M.S. Defiant * Danger by My Side...
- Inspector Newcombe - André MorellAndré MorellAndré Morell was a British actor. He appeared frequently in theatre, film and on television from the 1930s to the 1970s...
- Robert Isaac Pitt - Reginald BeckwithReginald BeckwithReginald Beckwith was a British film and television actor, who made almost one hundred film and television appearances in his career.-Filmography:* Freedom Radio * Scott of the Antarctic...
- Harold - Ursula HowellsUrsula HowellsUrsula Howells was an English actress whose elegant presence kept her much in demand for roles in film and television....
- Antonia Pitt - Guido LorraineGuido LorraineGuido Lorraine was a Polish-born actor, musician and singer, known primarily for his roles in war films. He was also sometimes known by the stage name Guy Borucki. Lorraine appeared in twenty-eight films during his career, as well as many theater productions.Lorraine was born Gwidon Borucki in...
- Pietr Revski - Basil DignamBasil DignamBasil Dignam was an English character actor.Basil Dignam, a native of Sheffield, acted on film and television between 1951 and 1975. He often appeared as an authority figure, such as a police officer, army general or peer....
- Wing Commander Riddle - John HorsleyJohn HorsleyJohn Horsley was a British archaeologist and antiquarian famous for his book Britannia Romana. He was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle....
- Assistant Commissioner - Mark DignamMark DignamMark Dignam was a prolific English actor.Born in London, the son of salesman in the steel industry, Dignam grew up in Sheffield and was educated at the Jesuit College where he appeared in numerous Shakespearean plays....
- Prison Governor - Raymond Rollett - Sir Robert Rosper
- Fred JohnsonFred JohnsonFred Johnson may refer to:* Fred Johnson , American football player and coach* Fred Johnson , Major League Baseball player who played for the New York Giants and the St. Louis Browns* Fred Gustus Johnson , U.S...
- Professor Robinson-Heston - Arnold Marlé - Professor Karl Kopek
- Barry Lowe - Private Eric Colter
- Richard Cuthbert - Judge
- Diana Lambert - Young Woman