Felix Aylmer
Encyclopedia
Sir Felix Edward Aylmer Jones, OBE (21 February 1889 – 2 September 1979) was an English
stage actor
who also appeared in the cinema and on television.
, Wiltshire
, the son of Lilian (Cookworthy) and Thomas Edward Aylmer Jones. He was educated at King James's Grammar School, Almondbury near Huddersfield
, where he was a boarder from 1897 to 1900, Magdalen College School
, and Exeter College
, Oxford, where he was a member of Oxford University Dramatic Society
. He trained under the Victorian-era
actress and director Rosina Filippi before securing his first professional engagement at the London Coliseum in 1911.
He acted with Sir Laurence Olivier
in Shakepearean
films, appearing as Polonius in Hamlet
(1948), and often played wise old men, such as Merlin in Knights of the Round Table
(1953). He played the Archbishop of Canterbury in the film adaptation of Becket (1964), with Richard Burton
and Peter O'Toole
and gave elocution lessons to the young Audrey Hepburn
.
His memorable style of delivery was frequently mimicked by comedians such as Peter Sellers
and Kenneth Williams
. Williams observed that an impersonation of Aylmer was a speciality of a colleague during his days with ENSA
, the Armed Forces Entertainment Association, but he was certain that none of the troops knew who was being impersonated.
Aylmer was President of Equity from 1950 to 1969. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
in the 1950 King's Birthday Honours and knighted
in the 1965 Queen's Birthday Honours.
At the age of 80 Felix Aylmer played a villain in an episode of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
entitled "It's Supposed to be Thicker than Water
". His last major screen role was as the Abbot in the 1960s sitcom Oh, Brother!, opposite Derek Nimmo
. He died in a nursing home in Pyrford
, Surrey in 1979.
One of his younger siblings was Air Chief Marshal Sir John Whitworth-Jones
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
stage actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who also appeared in the cinema and on television.
Early life and career
Felix Aylmer was born in CorshamCorsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, the son of Lilian (Cookworthy) and Thomas Edward Aylmer Jones. He was educated at King James's Grammar School, Almondbury near Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, where he was a boarder from 1897 to 1900, Magdalen College School
Magdalen College School, Oxford
Magdalen College School is an independent school for boys aged 7 to 18 and girls in the sixth form, located on The Plain in Oxford, England. It was founded as part of Magdalen College, Oxford by William Waynflete in 1480....
, and Exeter College
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
, Oxford, where he was a member of Oxford University Dramatic Society
Oxford University Dramatic Society
The Oxford University Dramatic Society is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England...
. He trained under the Victorian-era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
actress and director Rosina Filippi before securing his first professional engagement at the London Coliseum in 1911.
He acted with Sir Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
in Shakepearean
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
films, appearing as Polonius in Hamlet
Hamlet (1948 film)
Hamlet is a 1948 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, adapted and directed by and starring Sir Laurence Olivier. Hamlet was Olivier's second film as director, and also the second of the three Shakespeare films that he directed...
(1948), and often played wise old men, such as Merlin in Knights of the Round Table
Knights of the Round Table (film)
Knights of the Round Table is a 1953 Technicolor Cinemascope historical film made by MGM. Directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S. Berman, it was the first film in Cinemascope made by that studio...
(1953). He played the Archbishop of Canterbury in the film adaptation of Becket (1964), with Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
and Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus Lorcan O'Toole is an Irish actor of stage and screen. O'Toole achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, and then went on to become a highly-honoured film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, and holds the record for most...
and gave elocution lessons to the young Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...
.
His memorable style of delivery was frequently mimicked by comedians such as Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
and Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
. Williams observed that an impersonation of Aylmer was a speciality of a colleague during his days with ENSA
Entertainments National Service Association
The Entertainments National Service Association or ENSA was an organisation set up in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes...
, the Armed Forces Entertainment Association, but he was certain that none of the troops knew who was being impersonated.
Aylmer was President of Equity from 1950 to 1969. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the 1950 King's Birthday Honours and knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in the 1965 Queen's Birthday Honours.
At the age of 80 Felix Aylmer played a villain in an episode of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman...
entitled "It's Supposed to be Thicker than Water
It's Supposed to be Thicker than Water
"It's Supposed to be Thicker than Water" is the twenty-second episode of the popular 1969 ITC British television series Randall and Hopkirk starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope and Annette Andre. The episode was first broadcast on 13 February 1970 on the ITV...
". His last major screen role was as the Abbot in the 1960s sitcom Oh, Brother!, opposite Derek Nimmo
Derek Nimmo
Derek Robert Nimmo was an English character actor. He was particularly associated with upper-class "silly-ass" roles, and clerical roles.-Career:...
. He died in a nursing home in Pyrford
Pyrford
Pyrford is an English village that for centuries had historical links with the monastery of Westminster, in whose possession it remained between the Norman Conquest and the Dissolution of the Monasteries nearly five hundred years later. It is thirty miles by road from central London and situated...
, Surrey in 1979.
One of his younger siblings was Air Chief Marshal Sir John Whitworth-Jones
John Whitworth-Jones
Air Chief Marshal Sir John Whitworth-Jones GBE, KCB, RAF was a World War I pilot and senior Royal Air Force commander during World War II...
.
Filmography
- EscapeEscape (1930 film)Escape is a 1930 British crime film directed by Basil Dean and starring Gerald du Maurier, Edna Best, Gordon Harker and Austin Trevor. A man escapes from Dartmoor Prison and is hunted across the moors by policemen to whom it is an unpleasant reminder of their experiences during the First World War....
(1930) - The Temporary WidowThe Temporary WidowThe Temporary Widow is a 1930 British-German comedy film by the Austrian director Gustav Ucicky, starring Laurence Olivier in his first film role, Lilian Harvey and Athole Stewart....
(1930) - The World, the Flesh, the DevilThe World, the Flesh, the DevilThe World, the Flesh, the Devil is a 1932 British crime film directed by George A. Cooper and starring Harold Huth, Isla Bevan and Victor Stanley. It was based on a play by Laurence Cowen...
(1932) - Home, Sweet Home (1933)
- The Ghost CameraThe Ghost Camera- Cast :*Henry Kendall as John Gray*Ida Lupino as Mary Elton*John Mills as Ernest Elton*Victor Stanley as Albert Sims*George Merritt as Police Detective*Felix Aylmer as Coroner*Davina Craig as Amelia Wilkinson, a maid*Fred Groves as Barnaby Rudd, landlord...
(1933) - The ShadowThe Shadow (1933 film)The Shadow is a 1933 British film directed by George A. Cooper.-Cast:* Henry Kendall as Reggie Ogden* Elizabeth Allan as Sonia Bryant* Felix Aylmer as Sir Richard Bryant* Jeanne Stuart as Moya Silverton* Cyril Raymond as Silverton...
(1933) - The Wandering Jew (1933)
- The ClairvoyantThe ClairvoyantThe Clairvoyant is a 1934 drama film made in the UK, starring Claude Rains, Fay Wray, and Jane Baxter, directed by Maurice Elvey, and based on the novel of the same name by Ernst Lothar.-Plot:...
(1934) - Whispering Tongues (1934)
- The Night Club Queen (1934)
- The Path of GloryThe Path of GloryThe Path of Glory is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Dallas Bower and starring Maurice Evans, Valerie Hobson, Felix Aylmer, Henry Daniell and Athole Stewart...
(1934) - The Iron DukeThe Iron Duke (film)The Iron Duke is a 1934 British historical film directed by Victor Saville and starring George Arliss, Ellaline Terriss, Gladys Cooper and Peter Gawthorne...
(1934) - My Old Dutch (1934)
- Doctor's OrdersDoctor's Orders (film)Doctor's Orders is a 1934 British, black-and-white, comedy film directed by Norman Lee and starring Leslie Fuller, John Mills Marguerite Allan and Ronald Shiner as Miggs. It was produced by British International Pictures.-Synopsis:...
(1934) - She Shall Have MusicShe Shall Have MusicShe Shall Have Music is a 1935 British musical comedy film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Jack Hylton, June Clyde and Claude Dampier. Hylton played himself in a story built around a millionaire shipowner who hires a band to publicise his ships. It was also released as Wherever She Goes....
(1935) - Hello, SweetheartHello, SweetheartHello, Sweetheart is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Claude Hulbert, Gregory Ratoff and Jane Carr. It is based on the play The Butter and Egg Man by George S. Kaufman...
(1935) - Old RosesOld RosesOld Roses is a 1935 British crime film directed by Bernard Mainwaring and starring Horace Hodges, Nancy Burne and Bruce Lester. An elderly man assists the police in solving a murder, but accidentally reveals his own criminal past in the process.-Cast:...
(1935) - CheckmateCheckmate (1935 film)Checkmate is a 1935 British crime film directed by George Pearson and starring Maurice Evans, Felix Aylmer and Evelyn Foster. It was based on a novel by Amy Kennedy Gould...
(1935) - The Divine SparkThe Divine SparkThe Divine Spark is a 1935 British musical film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Marta Eggerth, Phillip Holmes, Benita Hume and Donald Calthrop...
(1935) - The Ace of SpadesThe Ace of SpadesThe Ace of Spades is a 1935 British drama film directed by George Pearson and starring Michael Hogan, Dorothy Boyd and Richard Cooper....
(1935) - The Price of a SongThe Price of a SongThe Price of a Song is a British crime film, directed by Michael Powell. The Price of a Song was one of 23 quota quickies directed by Powell between 1931 and 1936 and features a largely forgotten cast – only Felix Aylmer, here in a minor role, would go on to a significant film...
(1935) - In the SoupIn the Soup (1936 film)In the Soup is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Henry Edwards and starring Ralph Lynn, Judy Gunn, Morton Selten and Nelson Keys. It was based on a play by Ralph Lumley...
(1936) - The Improper DuchessThe Improper DuchessThe Improper Duchess is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Harry Hughes and starring Yvonne Arnaud, Hugh Wakefield, Wilfrid Caithness and Arthur Finn. The film is based on the 1931 play of the same name by J. B...
(1936) - Rhodes of AfricaRhodes of AfricaRhodes of Africa is a 1936 British biographical film charting the life of Cecil Rhodes. It was directed by Berthold Viertel and starred Walter Huston, Oskar Homolka, Basil Sydney and Bernard Lee.-Cast:* Walter Huston - Cecil Rhodes...
(1936) - Tudor RoseTudor Rose (film)Tudor Rose is a 1936 British film starring Cedric Hardwicke and Nova Pilbeam and directed by Robert Stevenson....
(1936) - Her Last AffaireHer Last AffaireHer Last Affaire is a 1936 British drama film directed by Michael Powell and starring Hugh Williams, Viola Keats, Cecil Parker and Googie Withers. The wife of a politician is found dead at a country inn. It was based on the play S.O.S. by Walter Ellis....
(1936) - Royal EagleRoyal EagleRoyal Eagle is a 1936 British crime film directed by George A. Cooper and starring John Garrick, Nancy Burne, Felix Aylmer and Edmund Willard. The screenplay was written by Arnold Ridley.-Cast:* John Garrick - Jim Hornby* Nancy Burne - Sally Marshall...
(1936) - Seven SinnersSeven Sinners (1936 film)Seven Sinners is a 1936 British thriller film directed by Albert de Courville and starring Edmund Lowe, Constance Cummings and Felix Aylmer. An American detective and his sidekick are called to Britain to take on a gang of international criminals.-Cast:...
(1936) - As You Like ItAs You Like It (1936 film)As You Like It is a 1936 film, directed by Paul Czinner and starring Laurence Olivier as Orlando and Elisabeth Bergner as Rosalind. It is based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name...
(1936) - Dusty Ermine (1936)
- Man in the MirrorMan in the Mirror (film)Man in the Mirror is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Edward Everett Horton, Genevieve Tobin and Ursula Jeans. A withdrawn, mild mannered man is surprised when his reflection in the mirror comes to life. The reflection then begins to live the wild life that the man...
(1936) - SensationSensation (film)Sensation is a 1936 British crime film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring John Lodge, Diana Churchill, Francis Lister and Felix Aylmer...
(1936) - Jack of All TradesJack of All Trades (film)Jack of All Trades is a 1936 comedy film British directed by Robert Stevenson and Jack Hulbert. It stars Jack Hulbert and Gina Malo.-Cast:*Jack Hulbert as Jack Warrender*Gina Malo as Frances Wilson*Robertson Hare as Lionel Fitch...
(1936) - The Mill on the FlossThe Mill on the Floss (film)The Mill on the Floss is a 1937 British drama film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Frank Lawton, Victoria Hopper, Geraldine Fitzgerald and James Mason...
(1937) - The Live Wire (1937)
- Dreaming LipsDreaming LipsDreaming Lips is a 1937 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by Paul Czinner and Lee Garmes starring Ronald Shiner as the Friend and Raymond Massey as Miguel del Vayo. It was produced by Trafalgar Film Productions...
(1937) - The FrogThe FrogThe Frog is a 1937 British crime film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Noah Beery, Jack Hawkins and Richard Ainley. The police are on the trail of a criminal mastermind who goes by the name of The Frog. It was based on a novel by Edgar Wallace...
(1937) - Glamorous NightGlamorous Night (film)Glamorous Night is a 1937 British drama film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Mary Ellis, Otto Kruger and Victor Jory. It is an adaptation of the play Glamorous Night by Ivor Novello.-Cast:* Mary Ellis ... Melitza Hjos...
(1937) - The Vicar of BrayThe Vicar of Bray (film)The Vicar of Bray is a 1937 British historical film directed by Henry Edwards and starring Stanley Holloway, Hugh Miller, Felix Aylmer and Margaret Vines.The film has recently been released onto DVD-Plot:...
(1937) - Action for SlanderAction for SlanderAction for Slander is a 1937 British drama film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Clive Brook, Ann Todd and Googie Withers. An army officer is falsely accused at cheating at cards by a man whose wife he had an affair with and struggles to clear his name...
(1937) - Victoria the GreatVictoria the GreatVictoria the Great is a 1937 British historical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Anton Walbrook and Walter Rilla. The film biography of Queen Victoria concentrating initially on the early years of her reign with her marriage to Prince Albert and her subsequent rule after...
(1937) - The RatThe Rat (1937 film)The Rat is a 1937 British drama film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Anton Walbrook, Ruth Chatterton, and René Ray. It is based on the play The Rat by Ivor Novello which had previously been made into a 1925 film The Rat starring Novello...
(1937) - South RidingSouth Riding (film)South Riding is a 1938 British drama film directed by Victor Saville and produced by Alexander Korda, starring Edna Best, Ralph Richardson, Edmund Gwenn and Ann Todd. A squire becomes involved in local politics. It is based on the novel South Riding by Winifred Holtby...
(1938) - Bank HolidayBank Holiday (film)Bank Holiday is a 1938 British drama film directed by Carol Reed and starring John Lodge, Margaret Lockwood, Hugh Williams and Kathleen Harrison...
(1938) - Kate Plus TenKate Plus Ten (film)Kate Plus Ten is a 1938 British thriller film directed by Reginald Denham and starring Jack Hulbert, Genevieve Tobin and Noel Madison. It was adapted from the Edgar Wallace novel Kate Plus Ten. It was also released as Queen of Crime. Kate, the leader of a gang of criminals, works as secretary to an...
(1938) - Break the NewsBreak the News (film)Break the News is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by René Clair and starring Jack Buchanan, Maurice Chevalier and June Knight. Two struggling performers decide to create a fake murder scandal in order to drum up publicity for their act...
(1938) - I've Got a Horse (1938)
- Sixty Glorious YearsSixty Glorious YearsSixty Glorious Years is a 1938 British film directed by Herbert Wilcox. The film is a sequel to the 1937 film Victoria the Great.The film is also known as Queen of Destiny in the US.- Cast :*Anna Neagle as Queen Victoria...
(1938) - The CitadelThe Citadel (film)The Citadel is a 1938 film based on the novel of the same name by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937. The film was directed by King Vidor and produced by Victor Saville.-Plot:...
(1938) - Just Like a WomanJust Like a Woman (1939 film)Just Like a Woman is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Felix Aylmer, Jeanne De Casalis and Fred Emney. A group of private detectives working for a jeweller pursue a gang of thieves in Argentina.-Cast:...
(1939) - Young Man's FancyYoung Man's Fancy (film)Young Man's Fancy is a 77 minute long 1940 British comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson, who also wrote the story, and starring Anna Lee and Griffith Jones. An aristocratic Englishman is unhappily engaged to a brewery heiress but meets a human cannonball during a visit to a circus and falls in...
(1939) - Night Train to MunichNight Train to MunichNight Train to Munich is a 1940 British thriller film. It was directed by Carol Reed, with writing credits by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder. It is liberally adapted from the Gordon Wellesley novel Report on a Fugitive.-Plot:...
(1940) - Girl in the NewsGirl in the NewsGirl in the News is a 1940 British thriller film directed by Carol Reed and starring Margaret Lockwood, Barry K. Barnes and Emlyn Williams.-Cast:* Margaret Lockwood - Anne Graham* Barry K...
(1940) - Spies of the AirSpies of the AirSpies of the Air is a 1940 British adventure film directed by David MacDonald and starring Edward Ashley, Felix Aylmer and Barry K. Barnes. It was based on the play Official Secret by Jeffrey Dell. A British test pilot is passing secret to the Germans....
(1940) - Charley's (Big-Hearted) AuntCharley's (Big-Hearted) AuntCharley's Aunt is a 1940 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde starring Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch as Oxford 'scholars'.The film is one of many to be made based on the farce Charley's Aunt.-Cast:...
(1940) - Dr. O'DowdDr. O'DowdDr. O'Dowd is a 1940 British drama film directed by Herbert Mason and starring Shaun Glenville, Peggy Cummins, Felix Aylmer and Irene Handl. The film is currently missing from the BFI National Archive, and is listed as one of the British Film Institute's "75 Most Wanted" lost films.-Cast:* Shaun...
(1940) - The Briggs FamilyThe Briggs FamilyThe Briggs Family is a 1940 British drama film directed by Herbert Mason and starring Edward Chapman, Felix Aylmer, Jane Baxter, Oliver Wakefield and Austin Trevor. During the Second World War, a special constable and former solicitor is called upon to defend his son who is accused of the theft of...
(1940) - The Case of the Frightened Lady (1940)
- Saloon Bar (1940)
- The Seventh SurvivorThe Seventh SurvivorThe Seventh Survivor is a 1941 British, black-and-white, spy, war film, directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Felix Aylmer, Jane Carr, Wally Patch, Linden Travers, Austin Trevor, Frank Pettingell, Ronald Shiner as Ernie and Martita Hunt...
(1941) - The Saint's VacationThe Saint's VacationThe Saint's Vacation is the title of a 1941 British-American adventure film produced by RKO Pictures. The film starred Hugh Sinclair as Simon Templar, a.k.a. "The Saint" a world-roving crimefighter who walks the fine edge of the law. This was one of a series of films based loosely upon the...
(1941) - The Ghost of St. Michael'sThe Ghost of St. Michael'sThe Ghost of St. Michael’s is a 1941 British comedy-thriller film, produced by Ealing Studios.-Plot:An ineffectual science teacher William Lamb is hired by a school recently transferred because of World War II to the remote Dunbain Castle on the Isle of Skye, Scotland...
(1941) - SpellboundSpellbound (1941 film)Spellbound is a 1941 British drama film directed by John Harlow. The film is based on the novel The Necromancer by Robert Hugh Benson. It was also released under the titles of Ghost Story and The Spell of Army Nugent.-Plot:...
(1941) - Major Barbara (1941)
- KippsKipps (1941 film)Kipps, also known as The Remarkable Mr. Kipps, is a 1941 comedy film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Carol Reed...
(1941) - Once a CrookOnce a CrookOnce a Crook is a 1941 British crime film directed by Herbert Mason and featuring Gordon Harker, Sydney Howard, Bernard Lee, Kathleen Harrison, and Raymond Huntley.-Cast:* Gordon Harker as Charlie Hopkins* Sydney Howard as Hallelujah Harry...
(1941) - Atlantic FerryAtlantic FerryAtlantic Ferry is a 1941 British film starring Michael Redgrave and Valerie Hobson. It was made at Teddington Studios...
(1941) - I Thank YouI Thank You (film)I Thank You is a 1941 British comedy filmdirected by Marcel Varnel and starring Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch, Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott. It was produced by Edward Black at Gainsborough Pictures.- Plot summary :...
(1941) - Hi Gang!Hi Gang! (film)Hi Gang! is a 1941 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Bebe Daniels, Ben Lyon and Vic Oliver. It was a spin-off from the popular radio series Hi Gang!.-Cast:* Bebe Daniels - The Liberty Girl* Ben Lyon - Her Other Half...
(1941) - South American GeorgeSouth American GeorgeSouth American George is a 1941 British, black-and-white, comedy film, directed by Marcel Varnel and starring George Formby, Linden Travers, Enid Stamp-Taylor, Felix Aylmer, Ronald Shiner as Swifty, Mavis Villiers and Herbert Lomas. It was produced by Columbia Productions....
(1941)
- The Peterville DiamondThe Peterville DiamondThe Peterville Diamond is a 1942 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Anne Crawford, Donald Stewart, Renee Houston, William Hartnell and Felix Aylmer. A thief tries to steal a diamond from the wife of a wealthy businessman, at her suggestion in an effort to get her husband to...
(1942) - The Black Sheep of WhitehallThe Black Sheep of WhitehallThe Black Sheep of Whitehall is a 1942 British, black-and-white, comedy, war film, directed by Will Hay and Basil Dearden, and; starring Will Hay as Professor Will Davis, John Mills and Basil Sydney...
(1942) - Sabotage at Sea (1942)
- The Young Mr PittThe Young Mr PittThe Young Mr Pitt is a 1942 British, black-and-white, biographical film, directed by Carol Reed and starring Robert Donat, Robert Morley and John Mills. It was produced by Edward Black, Maurice Ostrer, Twentieth Century Productions Ltd. and Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation.-Synopsis:The film...
(1942) - UncensoredUncensored (film)Uncensored is a 1942 British World War II drama, directed by Anthony Asquith for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Eric Portman and Phyllis Calvert...
(1942) - The Life and Death of Colonel BlimpThe Life and Death of Colonel BlimpThe Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a 1943 film by the British film making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger under the production banner of The Archers. It stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. The title derives from the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip by David...
(1943) - Thursday's Child (1943)
- The Demi-ParadiseThe Demi-ParadiseThe Demi-Paradise is a 1943 comedy film made by Two Cities Films and distributed in the U.S. by Universal Pictures. It starred Laurence Olivier as a Soviet inventor who travels to England to have his revolutionary propeller manufactured, and Penelope Dudley Ward as the woman who falls in love with...
(1943) - Escape to DangerEscape to DangerEscape to Danger is a 1943 British thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and Victor Hanbury and starring Eric Portman, Ann Dvorak and Karel Stepanek. During the Second World War a British schoolteacher working in Denmark is caught up when the Germans invade.-Cast:* Eric Portman ... Arthur...
(1943) - English Without TearsEnglish Without TearsEnglish Without Tears is a 1944 British Comedy film directed by Harold French and starring Michael Wilding, Penelope Dudley-Ward and Lilli Palmer. The niece of a British aristocrat falls in love with the butler.-Cast:* Michael Wilding ... Tom Gilbey...
(1944) - Time FliesTime Flies (film)Times Flies is a 1944 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Tommy Handley, Evelyn Dall, Felix Aylmer and Moore Marriott. A music hall performer travels back to Elizabethan times using a time machine.-Cast:* Tommy Handley - Tommy...
(1944) - Mr. EmmanuelMr. EmmanuelMr Emmanuel is a British film directed by Harold French, based on a 1938 novel by Louis Golding, who adapted the novel for the screen.-Plot synopsis:...
(1944) - Henry VHenry V (1944 film)Henry V is a 1944 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. The on-screen title is The Cronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France . It stars Laurence Olivier, who also directed. The play was adapted for the screen by Olivier, Dallas...
(1944) - The Way to the StarsThe Way to the StarsThe Way to the Stars, also known as Johnny in the Clouds, is a 1945 British war drama film made by Two Cities Films and released by United Artists. It was produced by Anatole de Grunwald and directed by Anthony Asquith...
(1945) - The Wicked LadyThe Wicked LadyThe Wicked Lady is a 1945 film starring Margaret Lockwood in the title role as a nobleman's wife who secretly becomes a highwayman for the excitement...
(1945) - Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
- The Years BetweenThe Years Between (film)The Years Between is a 1946 British film starring Michael Redgrave, Valerie Hobson and Flora Robson in an adaptation of The Years Between by Daphne du Maurier...
(1946) - The Magic BowThe Magic BowThe Magic Bow is a 1946 British musical film based on the life of the Italian violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini. It was directed by Bernard Knowles...
(1946) - The Laughing LadyThe Laughing LadyThe Laughing Lady is a 1946 British musical drama film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Anne Ziegler, Webster Booth and Francis L. Sullivan. During the French Revolution, a young aristocrat makes a deal with Robespierre that he will locate and steal some diamonds from Britain in order to save...
(1946) - Green FingersGreen FingersGreen Fingers is a 1947 British drama film directed by John Harlow and starring Robert Beatty, Carol Raye and Nova Pilbeam. After returning from fighting in a war, a young man discovers he has what appear to be healing powers.-Cast:...
(1947) - The Man WithinThe Man Within (film)The Man Within is a 1947 British, Technicolor, adventure, crime, drama film, directed by Bernard Knowles and starring Ronald Shiner as Cockney Harry, Michael Redgrave, Jean Kent, Joan Greenwood and Richard Attenborough. It was produced by Triton Films and Production Film Service. The film was also...
(1947) - The October ManThe October ManThe October Man is a 1947 mystery film starring John Mills and Joan Greenwood, based on a novel by Eric Ambler, who also adapted it and produced...
(1947) - A Man About the HouseA Man About the House (1947 film)A Man About the House is a black-and-white British film directed by Leslie Arliss and released in 1947. The film is a melodrama, adapted for the screen by J.B. Williams from the 1942 novel of the same name by Francis Brett Young...
(1947) - The Ghosts of Berkeley SquareThe Ghosts of Berkeley SquareThe Ghosts of Berkeley Square is a 1947 British comedy film, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Robert Morley and Felix Aylmer. The film is an adaptation of the novel No Nightingales by Caryl Brahms and S. J. Simon, inspired by the enduring reputation of the property at 50 Berkeley Square as...
(1947) - The CalendarThe Calendar (1948 film)The Calendar is a 1948 British drama film directed by Arthur Crabtree and starring Greta Gynt, John McCallum, Raymond Lovell and Leslie Dwyer...
(1948) - HamletHamlet (1948 film)Hamlet is a 1948 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, adapted and directed by and starring Sir Laurence Olivier. Hamlet was Olivier's second film as director, and also the second of the three Shakespeare films that he directed...
(1948) - Quartet (1948)
- Edward, My SonEdward, My SonEdward, My Son is a 1949 American/British drama film directed by George Cukor that stars Spencer Tracy and Deborah Kerr. The screenplay by Donald Ogden Stewart is based on the play by Noel Langley and Robert Morley.-Plot:...
(1949) - Alice in WonderlandAlice in Wonderland (1949 film)Alice in Wonderland is a 1949 French film based on Lewis Carroll's fantasy novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Directed by Dallas Bower, the film stars Carol Marsh as Alice, Stephen Murray as Lewis Carroll, and Raymond Bussières as The Tailor...
(1949) - Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus (film)Christopher Columbus is a 1949 British biographical film starring Fredric March as Christopher Columbus and Florence Eldridge as Queen Isabella. It was based on the novel Christopher Columbus by Rafael Sabatini.-Cast:...
(1949) - Prince of FoxesPrince of Foxes (film)Prince of Foxes is a 1949 film based on the Samuel Shellabarger novel Prince of Foxes. The movie starred Tyrone Power as Orsini and Orson Welles as Cesare Borgia.-Plot:...
(1949) - Your WitnessYour Witness (film)Your Witness is a 1950 British drama film directed by and starring Robert Montgomery. It also featured Leslie Banks, Felix Aylmer and Andrew Cruickshank. A leading American lawyer travels to London to defend an old friend from the Second World War who is facing a charge of murder...
(1950) - So Long at the FairSo Long at the FairSo Long at the Fair is a 1950 British thriller film directed by Terence Fisher and Anthony Darnborough, and starring Jean Simmons and Dirk Bogarde. It was adapted from the 1947 novel of the same name by Anthony Thorne...
(1950) - TrioTrio (1950 film)Trio is a 1950 British anthology film based on three short stories by W. Somerset Maugham: "The Verger", "Mr. Know-All" and "Sanatorium". Ken Annakin directed "The Verger" and "Mr...
(1950) - She Shall Have MurderShe Shall Have MurderShe Shall Have Murder is a 1950 British drama film directed by Daniel Birt and starring Rosamund John, Derrick De Marney and Felix Aylmer. A law office clerk who aspires to be a crime writer, turns into a detective when someone at her work is murdered....
(1950) - No HighwayNo Highway in the SkyNo Highway in the Sky is a 1951 British disaster film directed by Henry Koster and starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich...
(1951) - The Lady with the LampThe Lady with the Lamp (film)The Lady With The Lamp is a 1951 British historical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding and Felix Aylmer...
(1951) - Quo VadisQuo Vadis (1951 film)Quo Vadis is a 1951 epic film made by MGM. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist, from a screenplay by John Lee Mahin, S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien, adapted from Henryk Sienkiewicz's classic 1896 novel Quo Vadis. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa and the cinematography...
(1951) - The House in the SquareThe House in the SquareThe House in the Square, also titled I'll Never Forget You and Man of Two Worlds, is a 1951 science fiction film about an American atomic scientist who is transported to the 18th century, where he falls in love. It starred Tyrone Power and Ann Blyth. It was adapted from the play Berkeley Square by...
(1951) - IvanhoeIvanhoe (1952 film)Ivanhoe is a 1952 historical film made by MGM. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S. Berman. The cast featured Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Emlyn Williams, Finlay Currie and Felix Aylmer...
(1952) - The Man Who Watched the Trains Go ByThe Man Who Watched the Trains Go ByThe Man Who Watched Trains Go By is a crime drama film, released in the United Kingdom with an all-European cast, including Claude Rains in the lead role. Rains plays the role of Kees Popinga, who is infatuated with Michele Rozier . The film was released in the United States in 1953 under the...
(1952) - Knights of the Round TableKnights of the Round Table (film)Knights of the Round Table is a 1953 Technicolor Cinemascope historical film made by MGM. Directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S. Berman, it was the first film in Cinemascope made by that studio...
(1953) - The Master of BallantraeThe Master of Ballantrae (film)The Master of Ballantrae is a 1953 British adventure film starring Errol Flynn, Roger Livesey, and Anthony Steel. It is a loose and highly truncated adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel of the same title...
(1953) - The Love LotteryThe Love LotteryThe Love Lottery is a 1954 Ealing Studios comedy film, directed by Charles Crichton and starring David Niven as a celluloid heart-throb taking part in a "love lottery".-Cast:* David Niven as Rex Allerton* Peggy Cummins as Sally...
(1954) - The Angel Who Pawned Her HarpThe Angel Who Pawned Her HarpThe Angel Who Pawned Her Harp is a 1956 British black and white part-fantasy comedy film directed by Alan Bromly and starring Felix Aylmer as a second hand store owner, and Diane Cilento as the Angel....
(1954) - Loser Takes AllLoser Takes All (film)Loser Takes All is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Glynis Johns, Rossano Brazzi and Robert Morley. It was based on a screenplay by Graham Greene.-Cast:* Glynis Johns as Cary* Rossano Brazzi as Bertrand...
(1956) - AnastasiaAnastasia (1956 film)Anastasia is a 1956 American historical drama film directed by Anatole Litvak for 20th Century Fox. The film stars Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner, and Helen Hayes. Supporting players include Akim Tamiroff, Martita Hunt, and, in a small role, Natalie Schafer...
(1956) - Saint Joan (1957)
- I Accuse!I Accuse!I Accuse! is a 1958 biographical drama film directed by and starring José Ferrer. The film is based on the true story of the Dreyfus Case, in which a Jewish captain in the French Army is falsely accused of treason.-Plot synopsis:...
(1958) - The Two-Headed SpyThe Two-Headed SpyThe Two-Headed Spy is a 1958 British spy thriller, set in World War II. It starred Jack Hawkins and was directed by Andre De Toth. It also starred Gia Scala, Erik Schumann and Alexander Knox.-Plot:...
(1958) - The Doctor's DilemmaThe Doctor's Dilemma (film)The Doctor's Dilemma is a 1958 British comedy drama film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Leslie Caron, Dirk Bogarde, Alastair Sim, Robert Morley and Terence Alexander. It is based on the 1906 play The Doctor's Dilemma by George Bernard Shaw....
(1958) - Separate TablesSeparate Tables (film)Separate Tables is a 1958 American drama film based on two one-act plays by Terence Rattigan that were collectively known by this name. It was directed by Delbert Mann, and adapted by Rattigan, John Gay and an uncredited John Michael Hayes. Mary Grant designed the film's costumes.The film took the...
(1958) - The MummyThe Mummy (1959 film)The Mummy is a 1959 Technicolor British Hammer Horror film starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.Though the title suggests Universal Pictures' 1932 film of the same name, the film actually derives its plot and characters entirely from two later Universal films, The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's...
(1959) - Never Take Sweets from a StrangerNever Take Sweets from a StrangerNever Take Sweets from a Stranger is a 1960 British film, directed by Cyril Frankel and released by Hammer Film Productions. The screenplay was developed by John Hunter from the play The Pony Trap by Roger Garis. It stars Patrick Allen, Gwen Watford and Felix Aylmer, the latter being cast...
(1960) - From the TerraceFrom the TerraceFrom the Terrace is a 1960 American drama film directed by Mark Robson and starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Myrna Loy, Barbara Eden, Ina Balin, and Leon Ames....
(1960) - ExodusExodus (film)Exodus is a 1960 epic war film made by Alpha and Carlyle Productions and distributed by United Artists. Produced and directed by Otto Preminger, the film was based on the 1958 novel Exodus, by Leon Uris. The screenplay was written by Dalton Trumbo, which represented the breaking of the Hollywood...
(1960) - The Hands of OrlacThe Hands of Orlac (1960 film)The Hands of Orlac is a 1960 British-French horror film directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Mel Ferrer, Christopher Lee and Dany Carrel. It is based on the novel by Maurice Renard.-Cast:* Mel Ferrer ... Stephen Orlac...
(1960) - The Road to Hong KongThe Road to Hong KongThe Road to Hong Kong starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Joan Collins, was the last in the long-running Road to … series and the only episode not produced by Paramount Pictures, though reference to the other films in the series are shown in Maurice Binder's opening title sequence...
(1962) - The BoysThe Boys (1962 film)The Boys is a 1962 British courtroom drama film, directed by Sidney J. Furie and with a screenplay by Stuart Douglass.-Plot:A night watchman at a garage is found murdered, and four teddy boys are put on trial for the crime...
(1962) - The Affair (1963)
- The Running ManThe Running Man (1963 film)The Running Man is a 1963 British drama film directed by Carol Reed, starring Laurence Harvey as a man who fakes his own death in a glider accident, then runs into trouble when an insurance investigator starts taking a close interest....
(1963) - Becket (1964)
- The Chalk GardenThe Chalk Garden (film)The Chalk Garden is a 1964 British-American film directed by Ronald Neame. It stars Deborah Kerr and Hayley Mills and is an adaptation of the 1955 play of the same name...
(1964) - Masquerade (1965)
- Decline and Fall... of a BirdwatcherDecline and Fall... of a BirdwatcherDecline and Fall... of a Birdwatcher is a 1968 British comedy film directed by John Krish and starring Robin Phillips, Geneviève Page and Donald Wolfit...
(1968) - Hostile WitnessHostile WitnessFor the legal term, please see Hostile witnessHostile Witness is a 1968 British courtroom-based drama film based on a play by Jack Roffey, directed by Ray Milland and starring Milland, Sylvia Sims, Raymond Huntley and Julian Holloway.-Cast:* Ray Milland as Simon Crawford - Q.C.* Sylvia Syms as...
(1968) - The Thief and the CobblerThe Thief and the CobblerThe Thief and the Cobbler is an animated feature film, famous for its animation and its long, troubled history. The film was conceived by Canadian animator Richard Williams, who worked 28 years on the project. Beginning production in 1964, Williams intended The Thief and the Cobbler to be his...
(1993)