Page "The Ladykillers" Paragraph 5

She is approached by an archly sinister character, ' Professor ' Marcus ( Alec Guinness ), who wants to rent rooms in her house.

Unbeknown to her, he has assembled a gang of hardened criminals for a sophisticated security van robbery at King's Cross Station: the gentlemanly con-man ' Major ' Courtney ( Cecil Parker ); the Cockney spiv Harry Robinson ( Peter Sellers ); the slow-witted ex-boxer ' One-Round ' Lawson ( Danny Green ); and the vicious continental gangster Louis Harvey ( Herbert Lom ).

As a cover, the Professor convinces the naive Mrs. Wilberforce that the group are an amateur string quintet using the room for rehearsal space.

To maintain the deception, the gang members carry musical instruments and play a recording of Boccherini's Minuet ( 3rd movement ) from String Quintet in E, Op.

11 No. 5 during their planning sessions.