THE CRIMES OF STEPHEN HAWKE (1936) Tod Slaughter, Marjorie Taylor & D.J. Williams | Crime | B&W

The Crimes of Stephen Hawke is a 1936 British historical melodrama film directed by George King and starring Tod Slaughter as the nefarious Stephen Hawke - who masquerades as the 'Spine-Breaker'. It also features Marjorie Taylor, D. J. Williams and Eric Portman. It was made at Shepperton Studios, with sets designed by Philip Bawcombe.

SYNOPSIS
A crazed killer known as "The Spinebreaker" is terrorizing London with a series of grisly murders. The police seem powerless to stop him.

A seemingly kindly money-lender who dotes on his daughter Julia, has however a double life as the notorious 'Spine-Breaker', Victorian England's most maniacal serial killer.

CAST & CREW
Tod Slaughter as Stephen Hawke
Marjorie Taylor as Julia Hawke
D.J. Williams as Joshua Trimble
Eric Portman as Matthew Trimble
Graham Soutten as Nathaniel
Gerald Barry as Miles Archer
George M. Slater as Lord Brickhaven
Charles Penrose as Sir Franklin
Norman Pierce as Landlord
Flotsam and Jetsam (Bentley Collingwood Hilliam and Malcolm McEachern) as Themselves
Cecil Bevan as Small Boys' Father
Annie Esmond as Small Boys' Nanny
Harry Terry as 1st Prisoner In Cell
Ben Williams as Prison Warder

Directed by George King
Written by Jack Celestin, Frederick Hayward, H. F. Maltby, Tod Slaughter, Paul White
Cinematography Ronald Neame
Edited by John Seabourne Sr.
Production company George King Productions
Distributed by MGM
Release date May 12th, 1936
Running time 69 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English

NOTES
This is the third of Tod Slaughter's film outings, billed as a 'new-old melodrama'. In the introduction Slaughter appears in person, in a BBC studio, where he describes with relish his murderous activities in his two previous films: Maria Marten or Murder in the Red Barn (1935) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936).