Ladies in Retirement (1941): Cast & Plot
Ladies in Retirement is a 1941 drama thriller directed by Charles Vidor, starring Ida Lupino as Ellen Creed, Isobel Elsom and Louis Hayward. It runs 1 hour 31 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 31m (91 min)
- Director
- Charles Vidor
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Columbia Pictures
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Ladies in Retirement About?
The premise of Ladies in Retirement without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Set in the English countryside, housekeeper Ellen Creed looks after Leonora Fiske, a retired actress living in a remote manor. When Ellen’s eccentric sisters arrive, old rivalries flare and secrets emerge, turning the quiet home into a tense melodrama that ends in a shocking murder.
Ladies in Retirement Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- crazy sisters
- uninvited guests
- overstaying one's welcome
- housekeeper
- year 1885
- piano
- forgery
- letter
- necklace
- blackmail
- murder
- marsh
+38 more Show fewer
- retired actress
- jewels
- country cottage
- horse drawn cart
- live in companion
- aunt nephew relationship
- sister sister relationship
- reference to london england
- bread oven
- attic
- woman strangled
- religious shrine
- attempted robbery
- ink blot
- mirror
- disguise
- wig
- attempted blackmail
- fugitive captured
- playing piano
- reference to the river thames
- reference to piccadilly circus
- cellar
- nun
- screenplay adapted by author
- eviction
- unreliable narrator
- dark and stormy night
- gaslighting
- ink blotter
- dysfunctional family
- borrowing money
- paid companion
- maid
- reference to the mikado
- horse cart
- spyglass
- dead bird
Ladies in Retirement Cast & Characters
Ida Lupino leads the cast as Ellen Creed, with Isobel Elsom as Leonora Fiske and Louis Hayward as Albert Feather. Directed by Charles Vidor; 9 actors are credited in all.
- Director Charles Vidor
- Ida Lupino as Ellen Creed
- Isobel Elsom as Leonora Fiske
- Louis Hayward as Albert Feather
-
Elsa Lanchester as Emily Creed
Also Starring in Ladies in Retirement
· 5 more- Edith Barrett Louisa Creed
- Evelyn Keyes Lucy
- Emma Dunn Sister Theresa
- Clyde Cook Bates
- Queenie Leonard Sister Agatha
Ladies in Retirement Plot Summary
What happens in Ladies in Retirement from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Ellen Creed, a proud spinster fallen on hard times, has spent the past two years as housekeeper and companion to her old friend Leonora Fiske, a wealthy retiree who in her youth had been a chorus girl “of easy virtue.” Ellen receives a threatening letter warning that unless she can tame her two peculiar sisters, the police will be called and the sisters will be evicted from their lodgings for outlandish behaviour. Leonora allows Ellen to invite her sisters to visit, hoping perhaps for a calmer household and some relief.
Full summary
The whole story of Ladies in Retirement, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Ladies in Retirement?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Who is the proud spinster who works as housekeeper and companion to Leonora?
Ladies in Retirement Also Known As
6 alternative titles, including “Das Geheimnis der drei Schwestern” and “El misterio de Fiske Manor”.
- Also known as
-
- Das Geheimnis der drei Schwestern
- El misterio de Fiske Manor
- Дамы в уединении
- 雾起荒原
- Tenebre
- Skuggornas hus
Seen Ladies in Retirement?
Movies Like Ladies in Retirement
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Ladies’ Man, Ladies in Lavender. and Kind Lady.
Ladies in Retirement FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Ladies in Retirement, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Ladies in Retirement?
Ladies in Retirement runs 1 hour 31 minutes (91 minutes).
When was Ladies in Retirement released?
Ladies in Retirement was released on September 9, 1941.
Who directed Ladies in Retirement?
Ladies in Retirement was directed by Charles Vidor.
More films by Charles Vidor Who is in the cast of Ladies in Retirement?
Ladies in Retirement stars Ida Lupino as Ellen Creed, Isobel Elsom as Leonora Fiske and Louis Hayward as Albert Feather, among 9 credited actors.
Does Ladies in Retirement have a post-credit scene?
No. Ladies in Retirement has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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