A beautiful Austrian refugee in England--who is also a Nazi agent--marries a scholarly English pacifist. He lives near a secret military base she needs to get information about so she can help in Hitler's planned invasion of England.

Director: Frank Tuttle

Writers: Michael Hogan, W. Somerset Maugham (novel) |  

Stars: Franchot Tone, Veronica Lake, John Sutton

Frank Tuttle (I) (1892–1963)

Director | Writer | Producer

Writer / director Frank Tuttle, whose Hollywood career stretched from the silent movie era to the dawn of the 1960s, was born on August 6, 1892, in New York City. His first credit in the movie industry was as a screenwriter for the Monte Blue picture The Kentuckians (1921) in 1921 for Famous Players-Lasky (Paramount)

Franchot Tone (I) (1905–1968)

Actor | Soundtrack | Producer

President of the Dramatic Club at Cornell University, Franchot Tone gave up the family business for acting, making his Broadway debut in "The Age of Innocence". Tone then went into movies for MGM, making his film debut in The Wiser Sex (1932). With his theatrical background, Tone became one of the most talented movie actors in Hollywood.

Veronica Lake (1922–1973)

Actress | Soundtrack | Producer

Veronica Lake was born as Constance Frances Marie Ockleman on November 14, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York. She was the daughter of Constance Charlotta (Trimble) and Harry Eugene Ockelman, who worked for an oil company as a ship employee. Her father was of half German and half Irish descent, and her mother was of Irish ancestry. 

John Sutton (1908–1963)

Actor

Of British parentage, John Sutton was born in Rawalpindi, India (now part of Pakistan), on October 22, 1908. After graduating from Wellington College, he spent a decade or so working in various British colonies, including several in Africa, as a hunter, rancher and tea plantation manager. 

The Hour Before the Dawn (1944)

A beautiful Austrian refugee in England--who is also a Nazi agent--marries a scholarly English pacifist. He lives near a secret military base she needs to get information about so she can help in Hitler's planned invasion of England.

Director: Frank Tuttle

Writers: Michael Hogan, W. Somerset Maugham (novel)  

Stars: Franchot Tone, Veronica Lake, John Sutton