Footsteps in the Fog

Synopsis: To his Victorian London friends, Stephen Lowry is a heartbroken widower. Only his housemaid Lily knows that far from dying of gastroenteritis his wife was slowly poisoned by her husband - information she is happy to use to improve her position in the household and to make sure she stays close to Stephen. As his own prospects improve with a business partnership and a romance more of his own class, Stephen decides that Lily must go. Unfortunately for him, his first attempt gives her even more of a hold over him.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director(s): Arthur Lubin
Production: Columbia Pictures
  1 win.
 
IMDB:
7.0
APPROVED
Year:
1955
90 min
70 Views


Unto almighty God we commend the soul

of our sister departed

and commit her body to the ground,

in the sure and certain hope

of the resurrection unto eternal life.

Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Let us pray.

Our Father, which art in Heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done

In earth, as it is in Heaven

Give us this day our daily bread...

- Well...

- Stephen.

Why not come and stay a few days with us?

That's very good of you, sir, but...

I must face that empty house sooner or later.

- But Father...

- Don't, Elizabeth.

The longer one puts off an ordeal,

the worse it becomes.

He's quite right. I must learn to be alone.

You've all of you been kind beyond words.

Bless you.

He looks so lost.

Ooh! I do like to see a widower grieving proper.

It lends tone to a funeral.

I thought he was going to fall in a dead faint.

That would have been lovely!

But he was as white as a corpse, himself.

Huh! Look at Her Ladyship!

Quick as greased lightning, if it's for the Master.

Mooning around the kitchen

till he wants something,

and then she hops like a blooming kangaroo!

Look what you've done now, you clumsy...

And the best china, too!

I'll see it's taken out of your wages.

You get another cup, and be quick about it!

And you'd best be changing your ways,

you little guttersnipe,

if you want to keep your place here.

Get along with that tray and hurry back,

if you know what's good for you.

That is, if you can tear yourself away

from the Master.

Huh! What I have to put up with,

with trash like her in my kitchen.

- Oh, it's you, Lily.

- Yes, sir.

- I thought you'd like your tea by the fire, sir.

- That's very thoughtful of you. Thank you.

- Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?

- Yes.

- You could take the cat away.

- Missy?

There you are.

Poor little thing.

Wandering around like a lost soul, she is.

Lonesome for your mistress, aren't you?

It's been a very difficult time

for all the household.

I'm very grateful for everyone's help,

especially for your devotion to Mrs Lowry.

Oh, sir, you were the devoted one,

waiting on her hand and foot, like you did,

never letting anyone else near her!

I... did all I could.

You... You know, it's strange, sir, but...

whenever I look at her picture,

I get such a... queer feeling.

It's almost as if she's trying to tell me something.

A shiftless, good-for-nothing hussy,

and getting worse every day!

I thought I told you

not to call me names any more.

I'll call you names

so long as you're in my kitchen.

The fire's getting low.

Pop down and fetch up some coal.

Get it yourself. I'm not dirtying my hands.

Well! Hark at the duchess!

Why, you haven't had a clean pair of hands

since you can remember.

You was born dirty. Get that coal and step lively.

Keep wagging your tongue. The more words

you say, the more you'll have to eat.

Me, eat my words?

Why, you mangy little alley cat!

Stop it! Do you hear? Don't ever call me names

like that again - not ever. Or you'll be sorry!

We'll soon see who's the sorry one,

when I'm put in charge here as housekeeper.

And when I am, it'll be back to the gutter for you,

my girl, where you belong!

- Oh! Oh! Oh!

- Here! Here! What's all this?

Have you no decency about you?

No respect for your grieving master,

or the poor lady not yet cold in her grave?

It's from her room!

Supposing it's the poor lady herself

come back to haunt you?

If you weren't so stupid,

you'd know it was Mr Lowry up there!

Some day, I'm going to forget I'm a lady

and wipe up the floor with that nasty little...

Come in.

- Yes, sir?

- Oh, Lily...

Your mistress usually kept her jewels in this box.

Do you know what's happened to them?

Nothing, sir. She gave them to me.

- Gave them to you?

- Yes, sir, just before she died.

You're lying! Do you think for a moment

anyone would believe that?

They all believe she died of gastroenteritis,

don't they, sir? One's as true as the other.

- I haven't a clue what you're talking about.

- Oh, you will, sir, when I've explained it to you.

You see, you may not have known it

the other night, but...

I brought some fresh coal in for the fire,

just as your poor wife was dying.

And while the doctor was pulling the sheet

over her face,

I saw you quickly take the bottle of medicine

and put it behind your back.

And then you hid it in a place

where you thought it might be safe.

- What have you done with it?

- I did some experiments with it.

On the rats in the cellar, sir.

And I don't think the police would believe

they died of gastroenteritis, do you, sir?

They might dig them up

to see if there was some kind of poison in them,

and if they did that with the rats, sir,

they might start wondering

about Mrs Lowry, and do the same with her.

Wouldn't they?

All right. You can keep the jewels.

Thank you, sir.

Oh, one other thing, sir.

I'd like to be housekeeper here.

You? Housekeeper?

Yes, sir, I'd set my heart on it.

Very well.

I think it's your place

to tell Mrs Parks and Grimes

that they are to take their orders from me

from now on.

They're downstairs in the kitchen now.

You realise, of course,

that with the death of Mrs Lowry,

I need to make new domestic arrangements.

- The same thought had occurred to me, sir.

- And me, sir.

This house needs someone

to take it over properly.

My very words, sir.

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Dorothy Davenport

Fannie Dorothy Davenport, Dorothy Davenport (March 13, 1895 – October 12, 1977) was an American actress, screenwriter, film director and producer. Davenport's family was heavily involved in the theater. Her father Harry Davenport was a comedian and her mother Alice Davenport was a well-known actress. At a young age she began working in the fledgling film industry, and subsequently moved to California to work at Nestor Film Company. Davenport was a Hollywood star at age 17. While working at Nestor, Davenport met her future husband, actor Wallace Reid whom she married in 1913. After the birth of her son in 1917, Davenport began to act less; however, she again gained notoriety when her husband Wallace Reid's career took off. Reid soon came under the spotlight as reports that he was a severely ill drug addict began to surface. Subsequently, Davenport became the source of information about her husband's condition, and after his death in January 1923 she co-produced Human Wreckage (1923). The film explores the dangers of narcotics addiction, and Davenport played the role of a drug addict's wife. Billed as "Mrs. Wallace Reid", she followed its success with other social-conscience films such as Broken Laws (1924) and The Red Kimono (1925) . After the release of The Red Kimono, California socialite Gabrielle Darley sued Davenport for 50,00 for using her name and life story without approval. As her on-screen roles continued to diminish, she transitioned to directing, producing and screenwriting. Davenport's successful transition is often attributed to her range of positions in life, including mother, widow, Hollywood producer and social activist.While Davenport's company dissolved in the late 1920s, she continued to take on smaller writing and directing roles. In 1929 Davenport directed Linda a film about a woman who gives up her happiness for the sake of men and social expectations. Davenport directed her last film in 1934; however, she continued in the film industry in other roles until her last known credit in 1956 as dialogue supervisor of The First Traveling Saleslady. Davenport died in October 1977 at the age of 82. more…

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