Tread Softly

1952 1h 10m EN

😐

5.7

MID

★5.7TMDB · 6

Mystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Story of a chorus girl who is "discovered" and finds romance during the unraveling of a mystery in a once derelict theatre.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Frances Day
Madeleine Peters
Patricia Dainton
Tangye Ward
John Bentley
Keith Gilbert
John Laurie
Angus McDonald
Olaf Olsen
Philip Defoe
Nora Nicholson
Mrs Mayne
Harry Locke
Nutty Potts
Betty Baskcomb
Olivia Winters

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David MacDonald
Writers: Gerald Verner
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 70-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

74 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David MacDonald, shot by Reginald H. Wyer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jean Barker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Frances Day and Patricia Dainton and John Bentley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0045256 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David MacDonald directs. Reginald H. Wyer behind the camera. Jean Barker cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 70-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
274 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by David MacDonald, shot by Reginald H. Wyer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Jean Barker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Frances Day and Patricia Dainton and John Bentley carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0045256 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Reginald H. Wyer
Editing: Jean Barker
Makeup / hair: Philip Leakey
Runtime: 70 min · 1h 10m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Tread Softly (1952)

Also by

David MacDonald

Community reviews

What people are saying

dennyjt2022-08-11
★ 3/10
Odd mix of light, frivolous musical and dark murder mystery. Bentley's new musical needs a theatre so he arranges to hire old lady Nicholson's disused hall. Trouble is, they find a body behind the stage. The cast aren't phased by this and carry on rehearsing their silly songs and dances while the gruff cops investigate. After another murder, things get serious, but not much. A decidedly second-rate movie with a second-league cast of no distinction., only the backstage setting is of interest.
CinemaSerf2022-09-09
★ 5/10
A complete cannibalisation of loads of other stories, but it's still quite a watchable little drama based on the BBC radio serial "The Show Must Go On". An actress (Frances Day) walks out on a production days before curtain up and Patricia Dainton is selected to fill her shoes. Next thing we know, folks start dropping like flies (including Day) and John Bentley and Ronald Leigh-Hunt get their investigating caps on. We soon discover that 40 years ago, there was a murder in the same theatre...might it be a ghost? It is as well it is set in a theatre, as there are at least half a dozen, decently performed full-length theatrical or nightclub numbers.