
The Ladykillers
- 1955 film
Classic Ealing comedy starring Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers. A gang of robbers meet their match in a little old lady. Also features Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom, Danny Green, Jack Warner, Katie Johnson and more.

Key details
- Genre
- Film
- Released
- 1955
- Stars
- Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers, Danny Green, Jack Warner, Katie Johnson, Philip Stainton and more
- Writer
- William Rose
- Director
- Alexander Mackendrick
- Producers
- Michael Balcon and Seth Holt
- Company
Mrs. Wilberforce is an eccentric old lady who lives in a house suffering from subsidence near King's Cross Station. She is offering rooms to let, an offer which is taken up by the sinister Professor Marcus.
Marcus claims that he wants to use the rooms so that he can practice with his string quintet, consisting of Major Courtney, Harry Robinson, 'One-Round' Lawson and Louis Harvey. In fact, they are armed robbers who manipulate the unwittingly naïve and intrinsically honest Mrs. Wilberforce into helping them steal £60,000 from a bank delivery van.
Having pulled off the scheme with aplomb, the gang are about to make their exit when one tiny blunder leads Mrs. Wilberforce to discover what is going on. Failing to convince her not to go to the police, they resolve that the only way to get around the problem is to kill her - but does anyone have the guts?
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Additional details
- UK certificate
- U
- Duration
- 97 minutes
- UK release
- Thursday 8th December 1955
- Produced
- 1955
- Distributors
- Production
- Studio
- Camera set-up
- Single camera
- Picture
- Colour
- Soundtrack
- Music composed by Tristram Cary, performed by the Sinfonia of London, conducted by Dock Mathieson.
Website links
- BFI: Screen Online
An entry on The Ladykillers from the British Film Institute. - Ealing Studios
An article about The Ladykillers from Ealing Studios. - IMDb
- Wikipedia
Broadcast details
- Next repeats
-
- Sunday at 2pm on Sky Arts
- Most recent repeats
-
- Thursday 20th February 2025 at 9:00pm on Sky Arts
- Tuesday 17th December 2024 at 12:15pm on Sky Arts
- Sunday 10th November 2024 at 4:25pm on Sky Arts