The Limping Man (1953 film)

The Limping Man
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Cy Endfield
Produced by	Donald Ginsberg
Written by	Anthony Verney (novel) Ian Stuart Black Reginald Long
Starring	Lloyd Bridges Moira Lister Leslie Phillips Alan Wheatley
Music by	Arthur Wilkinson
Cinematography	Jonah Jones
Edited by	Stanley Willis
Production company	Banner Films
Distributed by	Eros Films Lippert Films (US)
Release dates	November 1953 (1953-11)
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Limping Man is a 1953 British Film Noir directed by Cy Endfield (as Charles de Lautour) and starring Lloyd Bridges, Moira Lister and Leslie Phillips.^[1] The film was based on Anthony Verney's novel Death on the Tideway and was released in the United States by Lippert Pictures.

This film is now in the public domain.^[2]

Plot

Former soldier Frank Prior arrives in London to visit a wartime girlfriend, whom he hasn't seen in six years. His plane's landing at the airport coincides with a fellow passenger being killed by a sniper.

Scotland Yard inspector Braddock and detective Cameron are assigned to investigate. The dead man, identified as Kendal Brown, is carrying forged documents as well as a photograph that leads them to Pauline French, an actress.

Pauline is the woman Frank has come to see. She also happens to be an expert marksman with a rifle. After they kiss, Pauline tells Frank that she had tried unsuccessfully to notify him to delay his visit.

An autographed picture of another actress, Helene Castle, is found in Kendal Brown's flat. The detectives learn that Helene is the victim's ex-wife. In the meantime, Frank spends a few hours with Pauline on her boat. When they later go to a pub, a limping man seems to menace and unnerve Pauline, who runs away.

Pauline confesses to Frank that she once let Kendal Brown use her boat for a smuggling operation. He began blackmailing her with letters she wrote, which Helene now possesses. At the theater, the limping man turns out to be George, the stage manager. But to everyone's shock, the late Kendal Brown turns up very much alive. The victim on the plane was a man he'd hired to impersonate him.

After knocking the limping man unconscious, Kendal Brown ends up in a fistfight with Frank in the theater's balcony. But as these events reach their climax, a huge surprise is revealed, one involving Frank and his fellow passengers from the plane.

Cast

• Lloyd Bridges as Frank Prior
• Moira Lister as Pauline French
• Alan Wheatley as Inspector Braddock
• Leslie Phillips as Detective Cameron
• Hélène Cordet as Helene Castle
• André van Gyseghem as George, stage doorman
• Tom Gill as Stage Manager
• Bruce Beeby as Kendal Brown
• Rachel Roberts as the Barmaid
• Lionel Blair as Dancer
• Robert Harbin as Harper LeStrade, magician
• Jean Marsh as the Landlady's daughter

External links

• The Limping Man at the Internet Movie Database
• The Limping Man is available for free download at the Internet Archive

References