The Spider's Web (1960 film)
The Spider's Web is a 1960 British mystery film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Glynis Johns, John Justin, Cicely Courtneidge and Jack Hulbert.[1] It was an adaptation of the 1954 play Spider's Web by Agatha Christie, and a rare Technicolor 'A' feature from the Danzigers. It was remade as a television special starring Penelope Keith and broadcast on 26 December 1982.
| The Spider's Web | |
|---|---|
.jpg) British quad poster | |
| Directed by | Godfrey Grayson |
| Produced by | Edward J. Danziger Harry Lee Danziger |
| Written by | Agatha Christie (play) Albert G. Miller Eldon Howard |
| Starring | Glynis Johns John Justin Cicely Courtneidge Jack Hulbert |
| Music by | Tony Crombie |
| Cinematography | James Wilson |
| Edited by | Bill Lewthwaite |
Production company | Danziger Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date | November 1960 |
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The poster tagline read, "DON'T TELL YOUR FRIENDS THE ENDING ... THEY WON'T BELIEVE IT!!!" [2]
Premise
The story of an ambassador's wife who must hide the corpse of her stepdaughter's unlikeable stepfather from her husband who is bringing before important visitors to their country home.[3]
Cast
- Glynis Johns as Clarissa Hailsham-Brown
- John Justin as Henry Hailsham-Brown
- Jack Hulbert as Sir Rowland Delahaye
- Cicely Courtneidge as Miss Peake
- Ronald Howard as Jeremy
- David Nixon as Elgin
- Wendy Turner as Pippa
- Basil Dignam as Hugo
- Joan Sterndale-Bennett as Mrs Elgin
- Ferdy Mayne as Oliver
- Peter Butterworth as Inspector Lord
- Anton Rodgers as Sergeant Jones
- Robert Raglan as Dr. Berry
Critical reception
TV Guide wrote, "an entertaining film version of Agatha Christie's 1954 stage play about a diplomat's wife who hides the corpse of her stepdaughter's father. Though there is no Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot to push this programmer along, it still moves at a lively pace."[4]