Seven Days to Noon (1950)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

John Boulting
Roy Boulting

Writers:

James Bernard (story)
Roy Boulting (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

18 December 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama

Plot:

An English scientist runs away from a research center with an atomic bomb. In a letter sent to the British...

Plot Keywords:

Scotland Yard | Atomic Bomb | Evacuation | Missing Person | Ultimatum

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Barry Jones	...	Professor John Malcolm Francis Willingdon
André Morell	...	Superintendent G.W. Folland
Hugh Cross	...	Stephen 'Steve' Lane
Sheila Manahan	...	Ann Willingdon
Olive Sloane	...	Goldie Phillips
Joan Hickson	...	Mrs. Emily Georgina Peckett
Ronald Adam	...	Honorable Arthur Lytton - the Prime Minister
Marie Ney	...	Mrs. Willingdon
Wyndham Goldie	...	Vicar
Russell Waters	...	Det. Davis
Martin Boddey	...	Gen. Willoughby
Frederick Allen	...	Himself - BBC Newsreader
Victor Maddern	...	Jackson (trigger-happy soldier)
Geoffrey Keen	...	Loudmouth in pub
Merrill Mueller	...	American commentator: by courtesy of the National Broadcasting Company
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joss Ackland	...	Station policeman (uncredited)
Gerald Anderson	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Jean Anderson	...	Mother at train station (uncredited)
Patrick Baring	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Gordon Bell	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Esme Beringer	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Van Boolen	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Ernest Clark	...	Barber (uncredited)
Maurice Colbourne	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Michael Conry	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Basil Cunard	...	Civil Defence Warden At Bus Queue (uncredited)
Glyn Davies	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Rupert Davies	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Robert Dean	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Charles Doran	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Edwin Ellis	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Alec Faversham	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Louise Gainsborough	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Willoughby Gray	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Chris Halward	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Mona Harrison	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Helen Harvey	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Walter Horsbrugh	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Peter Humphries	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Elaine Inescourt	...	Bit part (uncredited)
John Kevan	...	Major Fanshawe (uncredited)
James Knight	...	Mr. Cooper (Pawnbroker) (uncredited)
Sam Kydd	...	Soldier in house search (uncredited)
Denis Lehrer	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Gordon Littmann	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Kenneth Luckman	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Patrick Macnee	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Eve Martell	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Geoffrey Matthews	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Charles Maunsell	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Jack May	...	Ist Newspaper Seller (uncredited)
Henry McGee	...	Soldier marching next to Jackson (uncredited)
Malcolm Russell	...	Bit part (uncredited)
George Self	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Bruce Seton	...	Brigadier Grant - the officer in charge of transport (uncredited)
Leonard Sharp	...	Fred (Barman) (uncredited)
Arthur Skinner	...	Man in background (uncredited)
John Snagge	...	BBC Announcer (uncredited)
John Stamp	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Marianne Stone	...	Woman in phone box (uncredited)
John Stratton	...	Army Mechanic (uncredited)
George Street	...	Newspaper Editor (uncredited)
Robert Brooks Turner	...	Railwayman Pasting Labels (uncredited)
Dorothy Vernon	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Michael Ward	...	Cast Member (uncredited)
John Warren	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Barry Wicks	...	Bit part (uncredited)
John Wilder	...	Detective sergeant Carter (uncredited)
Ian Wilson	...	Sandwich-board man (uncredited)

Directed by
John Boulting
Roy Boulting

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
James Bernard		story
Roy Boulting		writer
Paul Dehn		story
Frank Harvey		writer

Produced by
John Boulting	....	producer
Roy Boulting	....	producer
Peter De Sarigny	....	associate producer

Original Music by
John Addison

Cinematography by
Gilbert Taylor

Film Editing by
John Boulting
Roy Boulting

Casting by
Dorothy Holloway		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
John Elphick

Costume Design by
Honoria Plesch

Makeup Department
U.P. Hutchinson	....	makeup artist
Peter Evans	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Ann Fordyce	....	assistant hair stylist (uncredited)
Joe Shear	....	supervising hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
John Palmer	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mike Johnson	....	assistant director
Gerard Bryant	....	first assistant director: second unit (uncredited)
Jimmy Shingfield	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Bert Eggleton	....	sound editor
Red Law	....	dubbing sound
Bert Ross	....	sound recordist
Eric Cass	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Cyril Collick	....	boom operator: second unit (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Dennis Fox	....	camera operator
Robert Huke	....	camera operator (as Bob Huke)
Gerald Moss	....	camera operator
Ray Sturgess	....	associate camera operator
S.D. Fox	....	focus puller: second unit (uncredited)
Alf Hicks	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Len Lee	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Tony Young	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Elsie Attryde	....	wardrobe mistress (uncredited)
A. Walsh	....	wardrobe master (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Max Benedict	....	assembly editor
Ann Chegwidden	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Hubert Clifford	....	conductor (as Dr. Hubert Clifford)

Other crew
Shirley Barnes	....	continuity (uncredited)
E. Kelly	....	continuity: second unit (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Boulting Brothers (in association with)
• London Film Productions (presents) (as London Films)
• British Lion Film Corporation (co-production)
• Charter Film Productions (co-production)

Distributors

• British Lion Film Corporation (1950) (UK) (theatrical)
• Arthur Mayer-Edward Kingsley (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• Filmsonor (1950) (France) (theatrical)
• Suomi-Filmi (1950) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Deutsche London-Film (1951) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Minerva (????) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Éclair-Journal (1950) (France) (theatrical) (16mm)
• J&J Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Automobile Association (AA)  special thanks
• British Government War Office  special thanks
• British Railways (Southern Region)  special thanks
• Citizens of London  special thanks
• London Film Symphony Orchestra  orchestra
• London Transport Executive  special thanks
• Metropolitan Police, The  special thanks
• Port of London Authority  special thanks
• Royal Automobile Club (RAC)  special thanks

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (new rating: 2001) | France:U | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:Btl | UK:A

Filming Locations:

Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London, England, UK

Company:

Boulting Brothers

Trivia:

First original cinema score of John Addison

Worth watching - more than once

A wonderful picture of London in the 50s, and an insight into the way people behaved, and were treated, during the war - patient crowds sitting on railway platforms waiting to be evacuated (Come along, ma! No, lad, you can't take that chicken!). I can't see or hear the married couples calling each other "darling" that another reviewer complained of - there's an engaged couple and he calls her "darling" about twice. Watch out for Joss Ackland as an eager copper and Jonathan Cecil as a young officer. The aging "actress" is simply wonderful and the relationship between her and Prof. Willingdon quite touching. ("He was a gentleman and I treated him as such - as he did me!") Lovely to see Joan Hickson as a cat-loving landlady, living in a house untouched for fifty years and crammed with Victorian nicknacks. What would they be worth now!