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When she drifts off to sleep, he gets a pillow and smothers her to death, although this is not explicitly shown. Dan then opens the safe and steals the money. He prepares to burn the house down, only to be interrupted by Olivia, who has come back and discovered her aunt's dead body. She tells Dan she
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Belsize and some other officers arrest Dan. Dora and Mrs
Terrence are also present. Olivia tries to implicate herself in the crime, but Dan will not let her, confessing that it was all his own work. Before he is dragged away, he looks in the mirror and talks to himself, proving he is in fact insane.
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One day, Dora reveals she is pregnant. Mrs
Bramson considers dismissing her, but then decides to persuade the father of Dora's unborn child to marry her. The father turns out to be a suave, handsome young man named Dan. He almost immediately charms Mrs Bramson, causing her to forget all about Dora's
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Then one night, a human hand is found in the rubbish outside the house. Later on, a body is discovered in the woods — it is that of the missing woman, only without a head. Olivia now fears that Dan is a murderer. She also believes he keeps the head in a small hat box that he brought with him.
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Olivia, however, isn't as taken in by the charming Dan as her aunt is; she feels that he is putting on a facade and lying to hide something sinister. Her suspicions grow when, a few days later, it is reported that a local beauty has gone missing. Believing Dan to be involved, she, the servants, and
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who has come to briefly question Olivia and Dan in connection with the murder. While interviewing Dan, Belsize discovers the locked hat box. He asks Dan for the key, but Dan says it is not his. As
Belsize grows more persistent and suspicious, Olivia comes in and states that the hat box is hers and
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locked away in a safe in the middle of the living room. Olivia warns her that it is not wise to leave a safe in plain sight, but Mrs
Bramson refuses to listen. Later that night, Olivia tries again to confront Dan and he tells her about his past. She tells him why she puts up with her aunt, even
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her pompous admirer, Hubert, go through Dan's things when he is not around, finding a picture of him and the missing woman buried among his belongings. This shocking discovery strengthens Olivia's suspicions and determination to prove that Dan is not what he seems.
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has figured him out. Dan confesses. Just then, they see the lights of a police car coming to the house. Olivia says that the police must not get in, showing that she has fallen for Dan.
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as Mrs. Bramson and
Charlotte Fryer as Olivia Grayne. It lasted barely two months amid terrible reviews, not least for Donovan's attempt at a Welsh accent.
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saying that she wished she could kill her, to which Dan replies that she probably couldn't. The two share a brief moment of understanding.
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as Dan. The station re-aired the dramatisation in 1987, the year of Emlyn
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Mrs. Bramson, a bitter, fussy, self-pitying elderly woman, resides in a remote part of
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starred as Dan in a
Broadway revival which ran from 2 February to 27 June 1999 at the
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Blood on the Stage 1925–1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and
Detection
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and directed by Emlyn
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One night, Mrs Bramson reveals to Olivia that she has hundreds of
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took the part of Mrs. Bramson in a 1969 production for
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They are interrupted by Belsize, a police officer from
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A 1954 adaptation on the television anthology series
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pregnancy and take Dan on as her private assistant.
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999:. Harrisburg Telegraph. 18 October 1941. p. 27
726:broadcast another production of the play, starring
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51:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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610:, but was not as successful as the original film.
281:Then he grabs Olivia and passionately kisses her.
913:"Backstage Whispers overheard by Richard Andrews"
401:opened on Broadway on 28 September 1936, at the
919:. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018.
666:was adapted for the 12 April 1946 broadcast of
458:The most recent West End revival opened at the
342:. The play ran in London for 436 performances.
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111:Learn how and when to remove this message
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346:Eric Stanley ... The Lord Chief Justice
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872:Night Must Fall: A Play in Three Acts
772:Night Must Fall: A Play in Three Acts
446:Matthew Boulton ... Inspector Belsize
382:Matthew Boulton ... Inspector Belsize
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49:adding citations to reliable sources
946:"Night Must Fall Haymarket, London"
16:1935 play written by Emlyn Williams
959:from the original on 21 June 2022.
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422:Angela Baddeley ... Olivia Grayne
1355:British plays adapted into films
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322:premiered on 31 May 1935 at the
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462:on 14 October 1996. It starred
367:Dorothy Langley ... Nurse Libby
36:needs additional citations for
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1170:Night Must Fall
318:, the original production of
973:. Internet Broadway Database
431:Shirley Gale ... Nurse Libby
699:27 March 1948. May Whitty,
419:May Whitty ... Mrs. Bramson
397:The New York production of
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1255:A Murder Has Been Arranged
1175:Internet Broadway Database
832:Internet Broadway Database
798:Kabatchnik, Amnon (2010).
628:24 October 1941. Starring
416:... The Lord Chief Justice
1375:Victor Gollancz Ltd books
1263:The Late Christopher Bean
1030:"Philip Morris Playhouse"
929:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
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1086:The Screen Guild Theater
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649:The Screen Guild Theater
1360:Plays by Emlyn Williams
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460:Theatre Royal Haymarket
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686:as Inspector Belsize.
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190:psychological thriller
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802:. Lanham, Maryland:
488:as Mrs. Bramson and
484:. The cast included
137:First edition (1935)
45:improve this article
1191:- "Night Must Fall"
955:. 15 October 1996.
877:Samuel French, Inc.
777:Samuel French, Inc.
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336:Newcastle upon Tyne
1311:The Wind of Heaven
1287:The Light of Heart
1089:. Internet Archive
993:""Playhouse" Star"
901:. 28 October 1996.
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899:"Night Must Fall"
828:"Night Must Fall"
622:was presented on
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38:verification
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779:p. 144
724:BBC Radio 4
716:BBC Radio 4
705:Richard Ney
678:as Olivia,
652:, starring
592:Clive Exton
588:Karel Reisz
542:, and Dame
496:Adaptations
414:Ben Webster
101:August 2015
1350:1935 plays
1344:Categories
1198:Best Plays
1109:"Suspense"
1055:"Suspense"
734:References
544:May Whitty
534:, starred
435:Doris Hare
350:May Whitty
285:Production
160:1935-05-31
143:Written by
71:newspapers
879:p. 8
332:Edinburgh
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1319:Accolade
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957:Archived
925:cite web
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769:(1935).
696:Suspense
567:starred
466:as Dan,
454:Revivals
393:New York
226:(1964).
1173:at the
1003:21 July
554:and in
388:... Dan
340:Glasgow
301:at the
158: (
85:scholar
1330:(1953)
1322:(1950)
1314:(1945)
1306:(1943)
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1258:(1930)
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255:pounds
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176:London
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192:, by
92:JSTOR
78:books
1152:2015
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