{{Short description|1961 British film by Nigel Patrick}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}} {{Use British English|date=May 2016}} {{Infobox film | name = Johnny Nobody | image = "Johnny_Nobody"_(1961).jpg | caption = British quad poster | director = Nigel Patrick | producer = John R. Sloan | screenplay = Patrick Kirwan | based_on = story ''The Trial of Johnny Nobody'' by Albert Z. Carr | starring = Nigel Patrick<br>Yvonne Mitchell<br>William Bendix<br>Aldo Ray | music = Ron Goodwin | cinematography = Ted Moore | editing = Geoffrey Foot | studio = Viceroy Films Ltd.<br>Warwick Film Productions | distributor = Eros Films (UK) | released = {{Film date|1961|10}} | runtime = 88 minutes | country = United Kingdom | language = English | gross = }} '''''Johnny Nobody''''' is a 1961 British drama film made in Ireland and directed by Nigel Patrick, starring Yvonne Mitchell, William Bendix and Aldo Ray.<ref name="BFIsearch">{{Cite web |title=Johnny Nobody |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150042476 |access-date=2 December 2024 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}}</ref> It was written by Patrick Kirwan based on the story ''The Trial of Johnny Nobody'' by Albert Z. Carr. It was produced John R. Sloan for Viceroy Films, with Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli as executive producers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Johnny Nobody |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150042476 |access-date=31 October 2023 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}}</ref> A man arrested for murder claims to be suffering from amnesia. Father Carey investigates the case, and looks for the killer's motive.
== Story == Irish American writer James Ronald Mulcahy is murdered moments after he has dared God to strike him dead. His murderer looks for help from the man who must decide his fate, the local priest, Father Carey. The killer is tagged "Johnny Nobody" by the press because of his claim to have total amnesia, but further investigation by Carey leads him to question whether or not "Johnny" was acting for God or, as seems more likely, a woman known as Miss Floyd who turns out to be his wife.
==Cast== * Nigel Patrick as Father Carey * Yvonne Mitchell as Miss Floyd * William Bendix as James Ronald Mulcahy * Aldo Ray as Johnny Nobody * Cyril Cusack as Prosecuting Counsel O'Brien * Bernie Winters as photographer * Niall MacGinnis as Defending Counsel Sullivan * Noel Purcell as Brother Timothy * Eddie Byrne as Landlord O'Connor * John Welsh as Judge * Joe Lynch as Tinker * Jimmy O'Dea as postman Tim * Frank O'Donovan as Garda * T P McKenna as Garda * May Craig as Tinker's mother * Norman Rodway as Father Healey * Michael Brennan as Supt. Lynch
== Production == The film was announced in December 1958.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Heartening signs|magazine=Kine Weekly|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_kinematograph-weekly_1958-12-18_500_2679/page/n94/mode/1up?|date=18 December 1958|page=86}}</ref>
The film was shot at Ardmore Studios in Bray, Ireland.<ref name="bfi">{{cite web |title=Johnny Nobody (1960) |url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6ada3bea |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712041042/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6ada3bea |archive-date=2012-07-12 |work=BFI}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Irish, T. R. |date=May 17, 1960 |title=Ardmore to Make Two More Films |newspaper=The Irish Times |id={{ProQuest|523557996}}}}</ref> Filming started 23 May 1960 for Warwick Pictures although the film would be credited to Viceroy Films.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Kinematograph Weekly|date=19 May 1960|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_kine-weekly_1960-05-19_516_2746/page/29/mode/1up?|title=Production|page=5}}</ref><ref name="warwick">{{cite magazine|date=8 December 2025|access-date=8 December 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-film-moguls-cubby-broccoli-and-irving-allen/|title=Forgotten British Film Moguls: Cubby Broccoli and Irving Allen}}</ref>
In June 1960 Warwick announced it would not make films through major studios but would produce and distribute films itself with a slate of pictures worth $8 million a year: "three big films a year" plus eight others which it would finance through Eros (that would cost an estimated $3 million all up). Eros would distribute ''The Trials of Oscar Wilde'' in the UK and Warwick had just finished making ''Johnny Nobody''. <ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1960-06-29_219_5/page/n2/mode/1up?|date=29 June 1960|title=Broccoli-Allen self-financing|page=3, 26}}</ref> ==Release== In May 1961 Eros ran into financial difficulties, while distributing ''The Trials of Oscar Wilde'' and several staff were fired. Four films were awaiting distribution - ''Johnny Nobody'', ''Middle of Nowhere'', ''Carolina'' and ''Lies My Father Told Me''.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Eros, small Brit indie, runs into money trouble|url=https://archive.org/details/variety-1961-05/page/n198/mode/1up?|date=17 May 1961|page=14}}</ref>
The film did not come out until December 1961. "Why... [it] had to wait nearly 18 months for a booking, heaven alone knows," asked ''Kine Weekly''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_kine-weekly_1961-12-14_535_2828/page/132/mode/1up?|title=On release|date=14 December 1961|page=132}}</ref>
== Critical reception == ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' said "The combination of religion (or at any rate Providence) and an Irish setting has produced a story even more fantastic than ''The Singer Not The Song'' [1961], though the film itself is disappointing on any level. The plot resembles nothing so much as a cosy murder mystery, moving in the convulsive jerks of a lesser British Thirties thriller, while the unreal dialogue has a compulsive predictability. Intriguing films have been made from equally bizarre material. Unfortunately this is not one of them. ... The more one thinks of it, the more one is amazed that anyone should have thought a plot and players as uniformly unlikely as these could have worked out satisfactorily."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1 January 1961 |title=Johnny Nobody |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1305828652 |journal=Monthly Film Bulletin |volume=28 |issue=324 |pages=166 |id={{ProQuest|1305828652}} }}</ref>
''Variety'' wrote "Imported suspenser run-of-the-mill programmer despite stroger than usual casting. [The film] has a cast that compares for talent with many bigger-budgeted and more ambitious efforts. And that's about the only thing it has going for it."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1 December 1965 |title=Johnny Nobody |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1017123165 |journal=Variety |volume=241 |issue=2 |pages=6 |id={{ProQuest|1017123165}} }}</ref>
''Boxoffice'' said "An engrossing display of histrionic talents by an internationally known and respected cast. ... Nigel Patrick's delineation is at once sentimental and suave, penetrating and philiosophic."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=20 December 1965 |title=Johnny Nobody |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1476006645 |journal=Boxoffice |volume=88 |issue=9–10 |pages=a11 |id={{ProQuest|1476006645}}}}</ref>
Leslie Halliwell said: "A mysterious rigmarole which irritates more than entertains."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Halliwell |first=Leslie |title=Halliwell's Film Guide |publisher=Paladin |year=1989 |isbn=0586088946 |edition=7th |location=London |pages=541}}</ref>
== References == <references/>
== External links == * {{IMDb title|0055030}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071018154751/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/26455/Johnny-Nobody/overview Review] at ''The New York Times''
{{Redd Kross}}
Category:1961 drama films Category:1961 films Category:Films directed by Nigel Patrick Category:British drama films Category:Films scored by Ron Goodwin Category:Films with screenplays by Patrick Kirwan Category:Films about amnesia Category:Films about murderers Category:1961 English-language films Category:1961 British films Category:English-language drama films