Celia

An actress is persuaded by her boyfriend, the head of a private-detective agency, to take a job as a housekeeper in the home of a wealthy elderly woman. It seems that no one has seen the woman for a while, and her new young husband is claiming that she is ill and doesn’t want to see anybody and is refusing to let anyone in the house.

Production Details

Edward J. Mason’s popular B.B.C. Feature. A Hammer Films Production Distributed by Exclusive Films

All characters in this photoplay are fictitious and bear no relation to any real person, living or dead.

Black & White 55 minutes

Filming began: April 1949
UK Release 29th August 1949

Studio:
Dial Close Court, Winter Hill, Cookham, Berkshire

Stills from the film

Click an image for enlarged slideshow

Cast & Crew

Crew – Believed complete

Red = Uncredited


Crew	Name	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Credits	Uncredited	Total Hammer
Additional Dialogue	Roy Plomley	35	20 Jan 1914		28 May 1985	71	2		2
Art Director	Denis Wreford	44	1905		1988	83	5		5
Assistant Director	Leon Bijou	35	25 May 1914				3		3
Camera Operator	Peter Bryan	29	28 Sep 1919		Sep 1972	52	28		28
Casting	Mary Harris						5	2	7
Clapper Loader	Michael Read							1	1
Continuity	https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/renee-glynne/#	23	3 Aug 1926		6 Apr 2022	95	41	3	44
Cutter	B.C. Cox						1		1
Director	Francis Searle	40	14 Mar 1909		31 Jul 2002	93	15		15
Director of Photography	Cedric Williams	36	1913		1999	86	7		7
Editor	Clifford Turner	36	27 Jun 1913		Jan 1997	83		2	2
Electrician	Charles Mullett							1	1
Electrician	Jack Curtis						3	24	27
Electrician	Percy Harms							1	1
Focus Puller	Neil Binney	18	Jun 1931	01.06.1931		93	17	10	27
Hair Stylist	Monica Hustler	21	21 Nov 1927			96	18		18
Hats by	Edna Wallace						1		1
Hats by	Gertrude Harris						2		2
Make-up	https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/phil-leakey/#	41	4 May 1908		26 Nov 1992	84	50		50
Musical Director	Frank Spencer	38	19 Jun 1911		Feb 1975	63	22	1	23
Musical Director	Rupert Grayson						8		8
Pre-production	Prudence Sykes						11	2	13
Producer	https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/anthony-hinds/#	26	18 Sep 1922		30 Sep 2013	91	87	3	90
Production Manager	Arthur Barnes	63	1886		1956	70	20		20
Screenplay	A.R. Rawlinson	55	9 Aug 1894		20 Apr 1984	89	4		4
Screenplay	Edward J Mason	37	8 May 1912		3 Feb 1971	58	3		3
Screenplay	Francis Searle	40	14 Mar 1909		31 Jul 2002	93	18		18
Second Assistant Director	https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/jimmy-sangster/#	21	2 Dec 1927		19 Aug 2011	83	66	2	68
Sound	Edgar Vetter	36	27 Jan 1913		15 Dec 1988	75	15		15
Sound	Gordon Everett	26	18 Mar 1923		9 Jun 1991	68	1	6	7
Sound	Michael Lyons							1	1
Sound	Percy Britten	29	1 Oct 1919		1996	76		23	23
Sound	Tom Money	32	1917		1974	57	2	21	23
Still Photographer	https://www.hammer-graveyard.org.uk/john-jay/#	28	14 Nov 1920		29 Apr 2005	84	13	22	35
Supervising Editor	Ray Pitt						5	3	8

Cast	Name	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Credits	Uncredited	Total Hammer
Antonio	Ferdy Mayne	33	11 Mar 1916		30 Jan 1998	81	4		4
Aunt Nora	Elsie Wagstaff	50	1 Jul 1899		16 Jul 1985	86	2		2
Celia	Hy Hazel	29	4 Oct 1919		10 May 1970	50	2		2
Desk Seargent	Martin Boddey	42	16 Apr 1907		24 Oct 1975	68	4		4
Dr. Cresswell	Lockwood West	44	28 Jul 1905		28 Mar 1989	83	2	1	3
Grocer	Charles Paton	75	31 Jul 1874		10 Apr 1970	95	1		1
Inspector Parker	James Raglan	48	6 Jun 1901		15 Nov 1961	60	3	1	4
Jiimmy	Jack Manderville	28	21 Aug 1921		2 May 1995	73		3	3
Larry Peters	Bruce Lester	37	6 Jun 1912		13 Jun 2008	96	1		1
Lester Martin	John Bailey	37	26 Jun 1912		11 Feb 1989	76	4		4
Miss Arnold	Jasmine Dee	30	30 Aug 1918		28 Jun 2019	100	2		2
Mr Haldane	John Sharp	29	5 Aug 1920		26 Nov 1992	72	5		5
Mrs Haldane	Joan Hickson	43	5 Aug 1906		17 Oct 1998	92	2		2
Ruby	June Elvin	25	23 May 1924		31 Jul 2019	95	1		1
Woman in shop	Grace Denbeigh-Russell	59	6 Jun 1890		28 Jan 1969	78	2		2
Woman in shop	Olive Walter	50	1 Sep 1898		4 Sep 1961	63	1		1

Footnotes

Hy Hazel also appeared in Hammer’s 1950 film The Lady Craved Excitement. Her last role was in Marty Feldman’s Every Home Should Have One (1970). She was called Britain’s answer to Betty Grable and was described as having “the longest legs in showbusiness”. She died on May 10 1970, at the age of 50, when she choked on a steak whilst dining at a Westminster restaurant.

Roy Plomley, who was credited with additional dialogue here, also co-wrote Hammer’s Doctor Morelle and the Case of the Missing Heiress (1949). He also devised the BBC Radio show Desert Island Discs presenting 1791 editions over a 43 year period.

Filming Location: Dial Close Court, (a large 23 bedroomed country house) at Winter Hill, Cookham, Berkshire, England, was used as the mansion. This house was also used by Hammer in Dr Morelle: The Case of the Missing Heiress (1949), and The Adventures of P.C. 49: Investigating the Case of the Guardian Angel (1949)

1949 BBFC Cert. “A”

Production Details

Stills from the film

Cast & Crew

Footnotes

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