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Murder by Proxy

 Murder by Proxy
type
TVTItem
 Murder by Proxy
label
Murder by Proxy
 Murder by Proxy
page
MurderByProxy
 Murder by Proxy
comment
Murder by Proxy (a.k.a. Blackout) is a 1954 British Film Noir crime drama film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Dane Clark, Belinda Lee and Betty Ann Davies.In London, the down-and-out Casey Morrow finds himself at a crossroads when a captivating heiress named Phyllis Brunner approaches him with a tempting proposition: a substantial sum in exchange for marrying her. Yielding to the offer, Casey's world takes a dark turn as he awakens the next day in a stranger's apartment, his coat stained with the blood of Brunner's slain father. Now entangled in a web of intrigue, Casey must navigate a convoluted path to uncover the truth and clear his name. Along the way, he encounters a motley crew of dubious characters whose revelations only seem to deepen the complexities of his predicament.
 Murder by Proxy
fetched
2023-10-17T10:14:29Z
 Murder by Proxy
parsed
2023-10-17T10:14:29Z
 Murder by Proxy
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Murder by Proxy / int_13e1c444
type
Plot-Triggering Death
 Murder by Proxy / int_13e1c444
comment
Plot-Triggering Death: The murder of Phyllis' father—the industrialist Darius Brunner—and Casey waking with Darius' blood on his coat and no memory of how it got there is what kicks off the plot.
 Murder by Proxy / int_13e1c444
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_13e1c444
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 Murder by Proxy
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Murder by Proxy / int_13e1c444
 Murder by Proxy / int_1ba17583
type
The Ghost
 Murder by Proxy / int_1ba17583
comment
The Ghost: Phyllis' father, industrialist Darius Brunner, and his Private Investigator Carson B. Groot both have a major influence on the events of the film, but neither actually appears on screen.
 Murder by Proxy / int_1ba17583
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_1ba17583
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 Murder by Proxy
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Murder by Proxy / int_1ba17583
 Murder by Proxy / int_27ab0123
type
Offing the Offspring
 Murder by Proxy / int_27ab0123
comment
Offing the Offspring: Alicia Brunner attempts to manipulate Casey into killing her daughter Phyllis; planning to then either hand him over to the police or shoot him 'self-defence'.
 Murder by Proxy / int_27ab0123
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_27ab0123
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 Murder by Proxy
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Murder by Proxy / int_27ab0123
 Murder by Proxy / int_27ba9b64
type
What Did I Do Last Night?
 Murder by Proxy / int_27ba9b64
comment
What Did I Do Last Night?: The morning after Phyllis proposes to him, Casey wakes up in strange woman's flat with blood on his coat and no memory of what happened or how he got there.
 Murder by Proxy / int_27ba9b64
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_27ba9b64
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 Murder by Proxy
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Murder by Proxy / int_27ba9b64
 Murder by Proxy / int_2d363f63
type
Frame-Up
 Murder by Proxy / int_2d363f63
comment
Frame-Up: The murderer intends for Casey to take the fall for the murders of Darius, Lance and Phyllis.
 Murder by Proxy / int_2d363f63
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_2d363f63
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 Murder by Proxy
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Murder by Proxy / int_2d363f63
 Murder by Proxy / int_2f187e89
type
It Works Better with Bullets
 Murder by Proxy / int_2f187e89
comment
It Works Better with Bullets: Gordon ambushes Casey and pulls the trigger on his gun several times only for nothing to happen. It turned out his partner in crime had given him an empty gun; hoping that Casey would kill him.
 Murder by Proxy / int_2f187e89
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_2f187e89
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 Murder by Proxy
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Murder by Proxy / int_2f187e89
 Murder by Proxy / int_32e7cb8d
type
Waking Up Elsewhere
 Murder by Proxy / int_32e7cb8d
comment
Waking Up Elsewhere: After Phyllis Brunner picks up the very drunk Casey in the bar of his hotel, the next thing he knows he is waking up the next day in a stranger's apartment, his coat stained with the blood of Brunner's slain father.
 Murder by Proxy / int_32e7cb8d
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_32e7cb8d
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Murder by Proxy / int_32e7cb8d
 Murder by Proxy / int_375e702b
type
Brits Love Tea
 Murder by Proxy / int_375e702b
comment
Brits Love Tea: Maggie sends the American Casey out of the room while she removes Phyllis' wet clothing. Casey is completely befuddled by every aspect of the process as Maggie tries to talk him through it the door. She eventually tells him to just leave it and she'll do it.
 Murder by Proxy / int_375e702b
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 Murder by Proxy / int_375e702b
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Murder by Proxy / int_375e702b
 Murder by Proxy / int_44f5d199
type
Pretty in Mink
 Murder by Proxy / int_44f5d199
comment
Pretty in Mink: Phyllis is wearing a mink coat when she picks up Casey in the bar. It is one of the first things Casey comments on. Later, when Maggie undresses the soaking wet Phyllis, she comments it is a good thing that "mink doesn't shrink".
 Murder by Proxy / int_44f5d199
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 Murder by Proxy / int_44f5d199
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Murder by Proxy / int_44f5d199
 Murder by Proxy / int_4de1a4f7
type
Improvised Weapon
 Murder by Proxy / int_4de1a4f7
comment
Improvised Weapon: Casey slugs Lance Gordon with the handset of a telephone and knocks him out.
 Murder by Proxy / int_4de1a4f7
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 Murder by Proxy / int_4de1a4f7
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Murder by Proxy / int_4de1a4f7
 Murder by Proxy / int_5320ff11
type
This Is My Name on Foreign
 Murder by Proxy / int_5320ff11
comment
This Is My Name on Foreign: Casey's birth name was Casimir Morokowski. He changed it to the more 'American' sounding 'Casey Morrow'.
 Murder by Proxy / int_5320ff11
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_5320ff11
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 Murder by Proxy
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Murder by Proxy / int_5320ff11
 Murder by Proxy / int_6844f0d5
type
Undressing the Unconscious
 Murder by Proxy / int_6844f0d5
comment
Undressing the Unconscious: After the soaking wet Phyllis passes out in Casey arms, Maggie gets him to lay her down on the couch and then sends in out of the room to make some tea while she takes of Phyllis's wet clothes.
 Murder by Proxy / int_6844f0d5
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_6844f0d5
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 Murder by Proxy
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Murder by Proxy / int_6844f0d5
 Murder by Proxy / int_821bdd2c
type
Hey, Wait!
 Murder by Proxy / int_821bdd2c
comment
Hey, Wait!: Casey checks out of his hotel and tries to leave before the police investigating Phyllis' disappearance notice he matches the description of the man they are looking for. As he sneaks away towards the door, one of the bellhops sees him and calls out to him. He thinks he's been caught, but the bellhop only wanted to tell him he had forgotten his bag.
 Murder by Proxy / int_821bdd2c
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_821bdd2c
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Murder by Proxy / int_821bdd2c
 Murder by Proxy / int_8b568cb7
type
Posthumous Character
 Murder by Proxy / int_8b568cb7
comment
Posthumous Character: Phyllis' father, industrialist Darius Brunner, and his Private Investigator Carson B. Groot both have a major influence on the events of the film, but are murdered without ever appearing on screen.
 Murder by Proxy / int_8b568cb7
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_8b568cb7
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Murder by Proxy / int_8b568cb7
 Murder by Proxy / int_8ee710e7
type
Better Manhandle the Murder Weapon
 Murder by Proxy / int_8ee710e7
comment
Better Manhandle the Murder Weapon: According to Phyllis, when they arrived at her father's flat, the drunk Casey tripped over the poker that had been used to murder him in the dark and then picked it up; getting blood on his coat and his fingerprints on the murder weapon.
 Murder by Proxy / int_8ee710e7
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_8ee710e7
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 Murder by Proxy
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Murder by Proxy / int_8ee710e7
 Murder by Proxy / int_90b66e22
type
Femme Fatale
 Murder by Proxy / int_90b66e22
comment
Femme Fatale: The glamorous heiress Phyllis Brunner approaches the down-and-out Casey Morrow in the bar of his hotel and inveigles herself into conversation with him before offing him £500 for a simple job: marrying her.
 Murder by Proxy / int_90b66e22
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 Murder by Proxy / int_90b66e22
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Murder by Proxy / int_90b66e22
 Murder by Proxy / int_9b34ee31
type
Marriage of Convenience
 Murder by Proxy / int_9b34ee31
comment
Marriage of Convenience: Phyllis Brunner picks up Casey Morrow in a bar and offers him £500 to marry her, so she will have a legal reason not to marry her fiance whhile keeping control of her fortune.
 Murder by Proxy / int_9b34ee31
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1.0
 Murder by Proxy / int_9b34ee31
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Murder by Proxy / int_9b34ee31
 Murder by Proxy / int_9ce83619
type
The Corpse Stops Here
 Murder by Proxy / int_9ce83619
comment
The Corpse Stops Here: Gordon attempts to murder Casey. Casey throws his gun at Gordon's head and then ducks behind a door. He hears a shot and when he sticks his head around the door, he sees Gordon lying dead on the stairs. He goes to check the body and his landlady, who had heard the shots, sees him leaning over the body and assumes he is the killer and starts screaming bloody murder.
 Murder by Proxy / int_9ce83619
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 Murder by Proxy / int_9ce83619
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Murder by Proxy / int_9ce83619
 Murder by Proxy / int_b9c673a6
type
Market-Based Title
 Murder by Proxy / int_b9c673a6
comment
Market-Based Title: Released in the U.S. as Blackout.
 Murder by Proxy / int_b9c673a6
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 Murder by Proxy / int_b9c673a6
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Murder by Proxy / int_b9c673a6
 Murder by Proxy / int_bbeea2fe
type
Percussive Prevention
 Murder by Proxy / int_bbeea2fe
comment
Percussive Prevention: Casey knocks out Phyllis (without warning her) to make it look like he has murdered her, so the killer will assume she is already dead and target him instead.
 Murder by Proxy / int_bbeea2fe
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 Murder by Proxy / int_bbeea2fe
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Murder by Proxy / int_bbeea2fe
 Murder by Proxy / int_c2d978fe
type
Car Fu
 Murder by Proxy / int_c2d978fe
comment
Car Fu: Someone attempts to run Casey down as he is returning to the flat he rented with Phyllis. Phyllis, who was waiting in the hall for him, sees the car and is able to shout a warning; enabling him to dive out of the way.
 Murder by Proxy / int_c2d978fe
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 Murder by Proxy / int_c2d978fe
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Murder by Proxy / int_c2d978fe
 Murder by Proxy / int_f70710ae
type
Blackmail Backfire
 Murder by Proxy / int_f70710ae
comment
Blackmail Backfire: On learning of Darius Brunner's murder, Groot—the private detective he had hired—realises who the murderer must be, and attempts to blackmail them. At the end of the film, Inspector Johnson says that Groot's body had been pulled out of the Thames.
 Murder by Proxy / int_f70710ae
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Murder by Proxy

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
Better Manhandle the Murder Weapon / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
Blackmail Backfire / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
Brits Love Tea / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
Car Fu / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
Film Noir Index / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
Hey, Wait! / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
It Works Better with Bullets / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
Marriage of Convenience / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
Percussive Prevention / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
Posthumous Character / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
The Corpse Stops Here / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
This Is My Name on Foreign / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
Undressing the Unconscious / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
Waking Up Elsewhere / int_79ff8916
 Murder by Proxy
hasFeature
What Did I Do Last Night? / int_79ff8916