The Arsenal Stadium Mystery is a 1939 British mystery film and one of the first feature films wherein football is a central element in the plot. The film was directed by Thorold Dickinson, and shot at Denham Film Studios and on location at the original Arsenal Stadium in Highbury. It was written by Dickinson, Donald Bull, and Alan Hyman, adapted from a 1939 novel by Leonard Gribble.[3][1][2]
| The Arsenal Stadium Mystery | |
|---|---|
 Arsenal manager George Allison gives a tactical team-talk to his players | |
| Directed by | Thorold Dickinson |
| Written by | Thorold Dickinson Donald Bull Patrick Kirwan Alan Hyman |
| Based on | The Arsenal Stadium Mystery by Leonard Gribble.[1][2] |
| Produced by | Josef Somlo |
| Starring | Leslie Banks Greta Gynt Ian McLean Liane Linden Anthony Bushell Esmond Knight |
| Cinematography | Desmond Dickinson |
| Edited by | Sidney Stone |
| Music by | Miklós Rózsa |
Production companies | Greenspan & Seligman (G&S Films) Denham Studios |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editThe film is a murder mystery set at the original Arsenal Stadium, Gillespie Road, Highbury, London, the then home of Arsenal Football Club, who were at the time one of the dominant teams in English football. The backdrop is a friendly match between Arsenal and The Trojans, a fictitious amateur side. One of the Trojans' players drops dead during the match and when it is revealed he has been poisoned, suspicion falls on his teammates as well as his former mistress. Detective Inspector Slade is called in to solve the crime.[1]
The victim has been poisoned by a powerful digitalis-based chemical. There is evidence that he was being blackmailed.
The investigation gets complicated when the girlfriend (a prime suspect) is also murdered by the same method.
The police set a trap by putting a chemical on top of the poison, which turns the skin black after a few hours. The player responsible is then spotted whilst playing.
Cast
edit- Leslie Banks as Insp. Anthony Slade
- Greta Gynt as Gwen Lee
- Ian McLean as Sgt. Clinton
- Liane Linden as Inga Larson
- Anthony Bushell as John Doyce
- Esmond Knight as Raille
- Brian Worth as Phillip Morring
- Richard Norris as Setchley
- Wyndham Goldie as Kindilett
- Alastair Macintyre as Carter
- E. V. H. Emmett as Mr Peach
- George Allison as himself[4]
Production
editThe film stars several Arsenal players and members of staff such as Cliff Bastin and Eddie Hapgood, although only manager George Allison has a speaking part. The Trojans' body doubles on the pitch were players from Brentford, filmed during the First Division fixture between the two sides on 6 May 1939; this was the last match of the 1938–39 season and Arsenal's last official league fixture before the outbreak of the Second World War. Brentford’s players wore white shirts for the match because their first choice red and white stripes would have clashed with Arsenal's red and white jerseys. The Trojans’ players therefore wore similar white shirts in close up sequences which were then cut in with the match action.[1]
Dickinson planned a follow-up, The Denham Studio Mystery, which was intended to incorporate footage from the abortive film I Claudius, but this fell through.[5][1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "50. The Arsenal Stadium Mystery". Arsenal.com.
- ^ a b "The Arsenal Stadium Mystery, by Leonard Gribble". Independent.co.uk.
- ^ "The Arsenal Stadium Mystery". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ "The Arsenal Stadium Mystery". Radio Times.com.
- ^ Horne, Philip (5 August 2005). "He was a premier-league director". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 January 2010.