The 1940 British production of Gaslight was the first of two cinema adaptations of Patrick Hamilton's play. Oozing faux continental charm, Anton Walbrook inveigles his way into the confidence of the young mistress ( Diana Wynyard ) of a large Victorian mansion. Walbrook is searching for the rubies that he'd stolen from the previous owner of the house—whom he'd also murdered. Suspecting that Wynyard is about to catch on to his secret, Walbrook enlists the aid of a sluttish maidservant to drive his loving bride crazy. The ploy almost works, but Wynyard is rescued by an unexpected ally. Gaslight was released in the US as Murder in Thornton Square , then withdrawn entirely on the occasion of MGM's expensive 1944 remake of Gaslight , which starred Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman . Partly to eliminate confusion, and partly to avoid unfavorable comparison to the shorter and far superior British film, MGM allegedly ordered that all prints of the original Gaslight be destroyed. Evidently that order was not honored to the letter, since the 1940 Gaslight is still safely available for both theatrical and TV exhibition. — Hal Erickson