Maurice Elvey Movies
A man of modest beginnings, director Maurice Elvey elevated himself to the highest echelons of the British film industry. Born into poverty, Elvey never spent a day in school. At age 9, he was working as a streetseller; within a few years, he had advanced to hotel pageboy; and in his teens, he emulated many another low-born, uneducated British youth by becoming an itinerant actor. In 1911, he organized the Adelphi Play Society, installing himself as director.It was in this same capacity that Elvey entered films, helming the 1913 actioner The Great Gold Robbery. Ultimately Elvey would become England's most prolific filmmaker, directing over 300 feature films during a 44-year period. He tackled literally every movie genre, from historical drama to slapstick comedy. Like many of his colleagues, he directed a great many adaptations of popular plays and novels (he called the shots on all of actor Eille Norwood's Sherlock Holmes films, including 1920's Hound of the Baskervilles); unlike those colleagues, however, Elvey avoided the static, stagey style common to British silents, preferring a fluid, fully cinematic approach. His 1920 At the Villa Rose rose well-above the usual run of British films of the period; utilizing a wide range of tints and tones, and adopting an innovative flashback-flashforward approach to his material, Elvey transformed a standard, cut-and-dried melodrama into a minor classic. In a different vein, his 1927 adaptation of the stage perennial Hindle Wakes (which he'd previously filmed in 1917) is a model of "open-air" filmmaking, transcending the musty theatrical limitations of the source material with some remarkable near-documentary exterior shots of the Northern industrial regions--not to mention a vivid fun-fair sequence, complete with a subjective-camera roller-coaster ride.
In 1924, Elvey was wooed to Hollywood by the Fox Film Corporation, where for the next two years he made such surefire audience pleasers as Curly Top (1925) and Every Man's Wife (1926). He then returned to England, there to remain except for a brief foray to Germany's UFA studios in 1930. Making the transition to sound with his customary efficiency, Elvey directed such money-spinners as the 1931 Gracie Fields vehicle Sally in Our Alley. He also helmed two prime "fantastic cinema" endeavors: the Claude Rains-Fay Wray thriller The Clairvoyant (1935) and the prophetic Transatlantic Tunnel (1935). Appearing in many of his films was actress Isobel Elsom, to whom he was once married. In the 1940s and 1950s, Elvey's status in the industry slipped a bit; his last films were essentially programmers, seldom any better than their scripts. Despite the ever-lessening quality of his output, the indefatigable Maurice Elvey did not retire until the age of seventy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this comedy, a pair of newlywed workers at an ad agency find themselves unable to honeymoon when she is suddenly assigned to work in the US. While she is gone, her husband begins falling for his sexy secretary, but then realizes he is making a terrible mistake and decides to stay true to his wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Stars in Your Eyes is a glorified "vaudeville" picture, tied together by the thinnest of plotlines. As the top British vaudeville houses begin closing their doors, a great many entertainers are thrown out of work. At the instigation of music-hall headliners Sally Bishop (Patricia Kirkwood) and Jimmy Knowles (Nat Jackley), a group of veteran performers decide to reopen one of the old theatres, staging a gala opening revue to attract the customers. Financing this project is the wife of alcoholic ex-songwriter David Laws (Bonar Colleano). A gang of crooks tries to sabotage the show, but all ends happily -- especially for Laws, who is reunited with his loving spouse. Among the guest performers in Stars in Your Eyes is Vera Lynn, the sweetheart of WW II, whose famous rendition of "We'll Meet Again" was heard in the unforgettable finale of Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nat Jackley, Patricia Kirkwood, (more)
- 1956
Droll British farceur Fred Emney is the star of Fun at St. Fanny's. Emney plays Dr. Septimus Jankers, headmaster of an exclusive boy's college. When the insititution is threatened with a shutdown instigated by its creditors, Dr. Jankers decides to "shake down" a wealthy, middle-aged student threatening to withhold that worthy's long-overdue student accreditation. The overaged "schoolboy" is played by music hall-TV comedian Cardew Robinson, who in 1956 was at the height of his popularity--so much so that he plays "himself'. Fun at St. Fanny's is chock full of the sort of healthily vulgar humor indigenous to the British stage of the 1940s and 1950s; even the title is a cheeky double-entendre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Emney, Cardew Robinson, (more)
- 1956
Though his Hollywood career had petered out, Tom Conway continued to star in British films throughout the 1950s. In Last Man to Hang, Conway heads the cast as Roderick, who at present is on trial for his life. Accused of poisoning his wife, Roderick's fate rests in the hands of the jury, who must decide whether or not the death was accidental. The most damning evidence is provided by Roderick's housekeeper Mrs. Tucker (Freda Jackson), who will do anything to see her ex-employer swinging from a gibbet. The title refers to the British Parliament's mid-1950s efforts to outlaw capital punishment; this legislation would in fact not come about until after the miscarriage of justice dramatized in 1972's Ten Rillington Place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Conway, Elizabeth Sellars, (more)
- 1955
In this comedy, a widow tries living with each of her three sons. She becomes quite upset when her favorite son heads for America. In the end, the young men rally together and buy her a cottage of her own in the village. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1955
This British comedy pokes fun at the rigors of army life as it chronicles the exploits of an army surplus salesman who must serve two weeks in the reserve. There he must contend with a tough old sergeant-major whom he despises. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
What Every Woman Wants!, at least according to this British comedy-drama, is a roof over her head. Elsy Albin and Patric Doonan play Jane and Mark, a newlywed couple with no home of their own. Forced to live with Jane's parents, the young marrieds are never permitted a moment's privacy. Complicating matters is the arrival of returning soldier Jim Barnes (William Sylvester), whom Mark thick-headedly regards as a romantic rival. Also gumming up the works is a local labor dispute which results in several heated family arguments. What Every Woman Wants! is based on Edwin Lewis' short story Relations are Best Apart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Sylvester, Elsy Albiin, (more)
- 1954
In this British comedy, a wealthy, hypochondriac gets unwittingly entangled in counterfeiters' plans when he comes to own the printing plates the gang is after. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A dog's best friend is not always his man, as is seen in this comedy set against the backdrop of professional dog racing. The story centers around a man and his supposedly beloved greyhound. The man spends most of his time caring for the speedy canine. But when the man hears of a dog that could actually beat his, he actually goes out and bets against his own. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wilfred Pickles, Petula Clark, (more)
- 1954
Postman Evans helps 3 women who wish for better lives after throwing coins into a wishing well in this drama. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Petula Clark, Donald Houston, (more)
- 1953
James Hayter plays the chairman of a British football club. Hayter's fondness for gambling results in his involvement with the criminal element. As a result, he becomes mixed up in a few underhanded business deals. The presence of the luscious Diana Dors is perhaps the primary reason that the distinctively British Great Game was finally released to the US in 1956, two years after its completion. The film was based on the seriocomic stage play Shooting Star by Basil Thomas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
When a hitchhiker gets a ride with a woman driving to meet a blackmailer, the hitchhiker is blamed for the murder of the blackmailer when he dies due to electrocution by high tension wires. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1953
Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? never really answers its own question, but has no difficulty delivering laughs in full measure. U.S. officer Laurie Vining (Bonar Colleano) hopes to spend a romantic honeymoon in London with new bride Gillian (Diana Decker). Unfortunately, Vining's former wife Candy (Diana Dors) flounces into view, claiming that their divorce is invalid. Legal advisor Frank Bettertorn (David Tomlinson) is brought in to straighten things out--only to find himself in a compromising position of his own. Based on a play by E. V. Tidmarsh, Is Your Husband Really Necessary was shot in two different versions: the British print permitted audiences a view of Diana Dors in a skimpy bikini, while the American version covered up her ample frame with a nightie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Tomlinson, Diana Dors, (more)
- 1952
In this farce, a soldier returns home after six years to find that his home is now also a boardinghouse, and he becomes enemies with a well-liked lodger. Everything turns out all right when the soldier learns that he has inherited a ranch in Texas and the lodger turns out to be a criminal. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- 1951
In this crime drama, an innocent man is accused of killing a major crime lord. Fortunately, a canny police inspector believes he didn't do it and launches his own investigation. It pays off and he discovers that the crime boss is alive and simply feigned his death by killing a colleague and making the body resemble him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1951
Obsessed was based on the William Dinner-William Moray play The Late Edwina Black, which also served as the film's original British title. The play had a cast of four: a Scotland Yard inspector, a schoolteacher, the schoolteacher's illicit lover, and his late wife's housekeeper. The film expands the cast list somewhat, though most of the dramatic weight is carried on the shoulders of the four protagonists. When Gregory's (David Farrar) wife dies of arsenic poisoning, suspicion immediately falls upon Gregory, his mistress Elizabeth (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and housekeeper Ellen (Jean Cadell). It's up to the Inspector (Roland Culver) to determine the guilty party -- a difficult task, inasmuch as the three suspects work overtime casting doubts on one another. Released in the U.S. by United Artists, Obsessed was copyrighted under the name of Stuart Scheftel, then the husband of star Geraldine Fitzgerald. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Farrar, Geraldine Fitzgerald, (more)
- 1946
Based on a novel by Stefan Zweig, this is the story of a baroness who believes she has found love with an officer but discovers that his marriage proposal was not made for love but because of her physical handicap and his pity for her. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lilli Palmer, Albert Lieven, (more)
- 1945
In this drama, a farmer marries an uptown chorus girl and tries to help her settle down to the simplicity of farm living by giving her a little heifer. Unfortunately, she does not settle down right away and begins spending their money so freely that the farmer soon loses everything. When it looks like all is lost, the woman takes off on her horse. She ends up suffering a fatal fall, leaving her hapless husband destitute and filled with guilt. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hartnell, Carol Raye, (more)
- 1944
A proud but aging WW I war-horse is deeply offended when his offer to lead during WW II is rejected by the government that once lauded his bravery with a series of medals. Embittered and despondent over their callousness, he heads back to his isolated country estate where he plots his permanent escape from the cold cruel world. When the government sends six mischievous cockney youths to stay with him during the bombing of London, the despondent old man must abandon his suicidal musings and attend to the ensuing chaos of the rambunctious rapscallions. This touching British drama follows the tough general's attempts to control and understand the energetic little hellions. As he comes to know them, he reluctantly begins to care and in so doing, finds renewed zest for life ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Godfrey Tearle, Jeanne de Casalis, (more)
- 1943
Whenever one sees a title like The Gentle Sex, one braces oneself for an ironic switcharound. The supposedly gentle girls of the title--seven in all--are actually determined young British moderns who go into military service during World War II. In true "Army bomber crew" fashion, the film explores the widely varied backgrounds of the ladies involved, showing the events which led them to their patriotic commitment. As propaganda, Gentle Sex served its wartime purpose; as entertainment, it holds up reasonably well after five decades. The film was coproduced and codirected by actor Leslie Howard, who functions as narrator and (according to one source) can be glimpsed from behind in a couple of scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Gates, Joan Greenwood, (more)
- 1943
Monica Dickens' novel One Pair of Feet was the source of the sociological drama The Lamp Still Burns. Like the original novel, the film is a plea for better conditions in English hospitals-and, more specifically, for better treatment of England's selfless nurses. Rosamund John is a tower of strength as Hilary Clarke, a young woman who sacrifices all in pursuit of a nursing career. The many trials and tribulations facing Hilary in her daily work are amplified in wartime, when she and her colleagues are forced to work under appalling conditions in air raid shelters, subway cars and amidst the rubble of bombed-out buildings. The Lamp Still Burns was produced by actor Leslie Howard, who was killed in the service of his country not long after the film was released. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosamund John, Godfrey Tearle, (more)
- 1942
Despite its fervently flag-waving title, the British Salute John Citizen is a simple, low-pressure study of the wartime "home front." Edward Rigby plays Mr. Bunting, an out-of-work clerk who is rehired during the manpower shortage of World War II. Bunting's son Ernest (Jimmy Hanley) is determined to stay out of the line of fire, but changes his mind after witnessing the horrors of the London Blitz. In its own quiet, unassuming war, Salute John Citizen paints a truer portrait of a proud populace besieged by war than the more celebrated Mrs. Miniver. The film was based on a brace of novels by Robert Greenwood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Rigby, Mabel Constanduros, (more)
- 1940
In this thriller, a corrupt talent agent's illegal actions are discovered by his partner. To silence him, the agent kills the partner. Unfortunately, the killing is witnessed by a young woman. Now the agent is after her. He makes one attempt but fails. Fortunately for him, the encounter rendered her an amnesiac. She is sent to her home to recover. The agent follows and decides to try again before her memory returns. Fortunately, a detective and his clever wife take the case and stop him before it is too late. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Derrick de Marney, Diana Churchill, (more)
- 1940
The British Room for Two takes place in a back-lot Venice. Womanizing Englishman Vic Oliver takes a fancy to married tourist Frances Day. In a plot device right out of Charley's Aunt, Oliver disguises himself in drag and hires on as Day' maid (female impersonation was a valuable part of music-hall favorite Oliver's repertoire). When Day's philandering hubby Basil Radford comes home, the laughs start rolling in. Room for Two is based on a stage farce by Gilbert Wakefield. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
