The Saint in London

"He's at it again! Fiction's fighting man of mystery! Chasing down the most dramatic crime in London legend! Shock-charged drama--with a peppery bit of love on the side! You'll laugh--shiver--THRILL!"

1939 1h 12m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 20

MysteryDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Suave soldier of fortune Simon Templer gets mixed up with a gang of counterfeiters who've murdered and robbed an European count of 1,000,000 pounds. He is aided reluctantly by Scotland Yard inspector Teal, who's convinced that Templar himself pulled off the heist, and less reluctantly by light-fingered Dugan and dizzy socialite Penny Parker.

“He's at it again! Fiction's fighting man of mystery! Chasing down the most dramatic crime in London legend! Shock-charged drama--with a peppery bit of love on the side! You'll laugh--shiver--THRILL!”

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Cast

George Sanders
Simon Templar
Sally Gray
Penny Parker
David Burns
Dugan
Gordon McLeod
Inspector Claud Teal
Athene Seyler
Mother Buckley
Henry Oscar
Bruno Lang
John Abbott
Count Stephen Duni
Ralph Truman
Kussella

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Paddy Carstairs
Writers: Lynn Root, Frank Fenton, Leslie Charteris
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 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 72-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

87 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Saint (RKO Radio Pictures) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Paddy Carstairs, shot by Claude Friese-Greene. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

George Sanders and Sally Gray and David Burns carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He's at it again! Fiction's fighting man of mystery! Chasing down the most dramatic crime in London legend! Shock-charged drama--with a peppery bit of love on the side! You'll laugh--shiver--THRILL!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Paddy Carstairs directs. Claude Friese-Greene behind the camera. Douglas Robertson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 72-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
287 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "The Saint (RKO Radio Pictures) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by John Paddy Carstairs, shot by Claude Friese-Greene. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Douglas Robertson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7George Sanders and Sally Gray and David Burns carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "He's at it again! Fiction's fighting man of mystery! Chasing down the most dramatic crime in London legend! Shock-charged drama--with a peppery bit of love on the side! You'll laugh--shiver--THRILL!".
9IMDB entry: tt0031891 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 20 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Claude Friese-Greene
Editing: Douglas Robertson
Makeup / hair: Mel Berns
Runtime: 72 min · 1h 12m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Saint in London (1939)

Part of

The Saint (RKO Radio Pictures) Collection

Debonair thief-turned-detective Simon Templar circles the globe to solve cases with charm and cunning in a series of fast-paced films full of clever banter and cleverer twists. Based on stories by bestselling author Leslie Charteris.