Devil on Horseback

1954 British film by Cyril Frankel

Neil Paterson
Montagu Slater
Geoffrey Orme

Story byJames CurtisProduced byJohn Grierson
Isobel PargiterStarring

Googie Withers
John McCallum
Jeremy Spenser

CinematographyDenny DenshamEdited bySidney StoneMusic byMalcolm Arnold

Production
company

Group 3 Films

Distributed byBritish Lion Films

Release date

17 March 1954 (1954-03-17)

Running time

88 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglish

Devil on Horseback is a 1954 British sports drama film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Googie Withers, John McCallum and Jeremy Spenser.^[1] Its plot involves a boy who pursues his ambition to be a jockey. The screenplay was by Scottish writer Neil Paterson. It was made at Beaconsfield Studios with sets designed by Michael Stringer.

Cast

Googie Withers as Mrs Cadell
John McCallum as Charles Roberts
Jeremy Spenser as Moppy Parfitt
Meredith Edwards as Ted Fellowes
Liam Redmond as Scarlett O'Hara
Sam Kydd as Darky
Bill Shine as Steward
Lucy Griffiths as Maid
Brian Oulton as Villiers
Malcolm Knight as Squib
Peter Lindsay as Len
Eric Francis as Reg Guest
Vic Wise as Fred Cole
Peter Swanwick as Mr Parfitt
Betty Hardy as Mrs Parfitt
Roger Maxwell as Chief Steward
Arthur Lovegrove as Valet
Tom Walls Jr. as Starter
Frederick Piper as Miner
Harry Locke as Lorry Driver
Tony Sympson as Musician
Dudley Jones as Publican
Lucy Griffiths as Maid
George Rose as Blacksmith

Critical reception

Leonard Maltin called it an "inconsequential racing yarn" ;^[2] the Radio Times said, "it's strong on atmosphere and story. Sadly, the film suffers from lack of pace, disappointing racing sequences and an overdose of sentimentality" ;^[3] but TV Guide called it a "good racetrack drama, with excellent performances all around."^[4]

References

^ "Devil on Horseback (1954)". BFI. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009.
^ "Devil on Horseback (1954) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
^ Robin Karney. "Devil on Horseback". RadioTimes.
^ "Devil On Horseback". TVGuide.com.