Tom Walls
Encyclopedia
Tom Kirby Walls was a popular English
stage and motion-pictures character actor
, and film director
. He has claim to be one of the most influential figures in British comedy.
, Walls was the son of a plumber
. After leaving school, he spent a year in Canada
and joined the police on his return. After these false starts, he settled on a stage career in 1905. Over the next few years he worked steadily, appearing in the West End
as well as touring Britain, Australia and North America. By 1912 he was firmly established as a West End star. He had a principal role in the musical Kissing Time
in 1919 and in Whirled into Happiness
in 1922.
By the 1920s, Walls established a long association with London's Aldwych Theatre
, where he produced, directed and starred in a string of popular farces written by Ben Travers
, and featuring an ensemble cast including Ralph Lynn
, Robertson Hare
and Yvonne Arnaud
. Walls functioned as both star and director in the first Aldwych-produced farce transferred to the cinema; box-office success Rookery Nook. In 1922, together with Leslie Henson
, Walls co-produced and starred in the farce Tons of Money at the Shaftesbury Theatre
. Their next project was It Pays to Advertise. They moved to the Aldwych Theatre for this one and thus inaugurated the Aldwych Farce series of comedies. With its regular team of Henson, Walls, Mary Brough
, Ralph Lynn
, Robertson Hare
, Yvonne Arnaud
, Winifred Shotter and others, and its usual writer Ben Travers
, the series developed a strain of British comedy which featured silly-asses, henpecked husbands, battleaxe mothers-in-law and lots of innocent misunderstandings.
.
Walls continued to act in both comedies and dramas until his death, often appearing as a character actor in other directors' films. In 1943, he appeared in Undercover, as the father of a guerrilla leader in Yugoslavia. Walls' final film was 1949's The Interrupted Journey
.
, where he trained his own horse, April the Fifth
to win the 1932 Epsom Derby
.
Director
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 and motion-pictures character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
, and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. He has claim to be one of the most influential figures in British comedy.
Early career
A native of NorthamptonNorthampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, Walls was the son of a plumber
Plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable water, sewage, and drainage in plumbing systems. The term dates from ancient times, and is related to the Latin word for lead, "plumbum." A person engaged in fixing metaphorical "leaks" may also be...
. After leaving school, he spent a year in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and joined the police on his return. After these false starts, he settled on a stage career in 1905. Over the next few years he worked steadily, appearing in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
as well as touring Britain, Australia and North America. By 1912 he was firmly established as a West End star. He had a principal role in the musical Kissing Time
Kissing Time
thumb|right|[[Leslie Henson]] and [[Phyllis Dare]] Kissing Time, an earlier version of which was titled The Girl Behind the Gun, is a musical comedy with music by Ivan Caryll, book and lyrics by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, and additional lyrics by Clifford Grey...
in 1919 and in Whirled into Happiness
Whirled into Happiness
Whirled into Happiness is a musical comedy with music by Robert Stolz, and book and lyrics by Harry Graham, adapted from Stolz's Der Tanz ins Glück, with a libretto by Robert Bodanzky and Bruno Hardt-Warden...
in 1922.
By the 1920s, Walls established a long association with London's Aldwych Theatre
Aldwych Theatre
The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Aldwych in the City of Westminster. The theatre was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200.-Origins:...
, where he produced, directed and starred in a string of popular farces written by Ben Travers
Ben Travers
Ben Travers AFC CBE in London) was a British playwright best remembered for his farces.Born in the London borough of Hendon, Travers was educated at Charterhouse, where today there is a theatre named for him...
, and featuring an ensemble cast including Ralph Lynn
Ralph Lynn
Ralph Lynn was a British stage and screen actor.Lynn was born in Manchester and began his acting career in Wigan in 1900 in King of Terrors. After years spent touring regional theatres and a spell in America he made his West End debut in 1915 at the Empire theatre in By Jingo...
, Robertson Hare
Robertson Hare
John Robertson Hare was an English comedy actor, popularly known as Bunny, who came to fame in the Aldwych farces. He is known for routinely losing his trousers on-stage, at which point he would utter his catchphrase "Oh Calamity"...
and Yvonne Arnaud
Yvonne Arnaud
Yvonne Arnaud was a French-born pianist, singer and actress.Germaine Yvonne Arnaud was born in 1892. She entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 9, studying piano under Alphonse Duvernoy and other teachers...
. Walls functioned as both star and director in the first Aldwych-produced farce transferred to the cinema; box-office success Rookery Nook. In 1922, together with Leslie Henson
Leslie Henson
Leslie Lincoln Henson was an English comedian, actor, producer for films and theatre, and film director. He initially worked in silent films and Edwardian musical comedy and became a popular music hall comedian who enjoyed a long stage career...
, Walls co-produced and starred in the farce Tons of Money at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End Theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The theatre was designed for the brothers Walter and Frederick Melville by Bertie Crewe and opened on 26 December 1911 with a production of The Three Musketeers, as the New...
. Their next project was It Pays to Advertise. They moved to the Aldwych Theatre for this one and thus inaugurated the Aldwych Farce series of comedies. With its regular team of Henson, Walls, Mary Brough
Mary Brough
Mary Bessie Brough was an English actress in theatre, silent films and early talkies, including several Aldwych farces....
, Ralph Lynn
Ralph Lynn
Ralph Lynn was a British stage and screen actor.Lynn was born in Manchester and began his acting career in Wigan in 1900 in King of Terrors. After years spent touring regional theatres and a spell in America he made his West End debut in 1915 at the Empire theatre in By Jingo...
, Robertson Hare
Robertson Hare
John Robertson Hare was an English comedy actor, popularly known as Bunny, who came to fame in the Aldwych farces. He is known for routinely losing his trousers on-stage, at which point he would utter his catchphrase "Oh Calamity"...
, Yvonne Arnaud
Yvonne Arnaud
Yvonne Arnaud was a French-born pianist, singer and actress.Germaine Yvonne Arnaud was born in 1892. She entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 9, studying piano under Alphonse Duvernoy and other teachers...
, Winifred Shotter and others, and its usual writer Ben Travers
Ben Travers
Ben Travers AFC CBE in London) was a British playwright best remembered for his farces.Born in the London borough of Hendon, Travers was educated at Charterhouse, where today there is a theatre named for him...
, the series developed a strain of British comedy which featured silly-asses, henpecked husbands, battleaxe mothers-in-law and lots of innocent misunderstandings.
Later career
When the talkies arrived, Walls moved his focus away from the theatre and to the movies. He made an early foray into the silver screen in 1924 in the film version of Tons of Money, though he didn't reprise his role. He directed seventeen films between 1930 and 1938, acting in most of them. He directed his last film towards the end of the 1930s, Old IronOld Iron
Old Iron is a 1938 British drama film directed by Tom Walls and starring Richard Ainley, Henry Hewitt, Eva Moore and Cecil Parker.-Cast:* Tom Walls as Sir Henry Woodstock* Eva Moore as Lady Woodstock* Cecil Parker as bernette...
.
Walls continued to act in both comedies and dramas until his death, often appearing as a character actor in other directors' films. In 1943, he appeared in Undercover, as the father of a guerrilla leader in Yugoslavia. Walls' final film was 1949's The Interrupted Journey
The Interrupted Journey
The Interrupted Journey is a 1949 British thriller film directed by Daniel Birt and Valerie Hobson, Richard Todd, Christine Norden and Tom Walls. A man fleeing with his mistress narrowly escapes a train crash after he pulls the emergency chord and is wracked with guilt...
.
Horseracing
Walls also established a horseracing stable at EpsomEpsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
, where he trained his own horse, April the Fifth
April the Fifth
April the Fifth was a thoroughbred racehorse which was bred and trained in England. He won the 1932 Epsom Derby.-Breeding:April the Fifth was sired by Craig an Eran, winner of the 1921 2,000 Guineas and Eclipse Stakes and runner-up by a neck in the Epsom Derby. April the Fifth was bred by Sydney...
to win the 1932 Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
.
Filmography
Actor- Rookery Nook (1930)
- On ApprovalOn Approval (1930 film)On Approval is a 1930 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls and also featuring Yvonne Arnaud, Winifred Shotter and Robertson Hare...
(1930) - Canaries Sometimes SingCanaries Sometimes SingCanaries Sometimes Sing is a 1930 British romantic comedy film, directed by Tom Walls. The film is a four-hander, starring Walls, Cathleen Nesbitt, Athole Stewart and Yvonne Arnaud...
(1930) - PlunderPlunder (1931 film)Plunder is a British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also features Ralph Lynn, Winifred Shotter and Robertson Hare...
(1931) - A Night Like This (1932)
- Thark (1932)
- Leap YearLeap Year (1932 film)Leap Year is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Tom Walls, who co-stars with Anne Grey, Edmund Breon and Ellis Jeffreys. It was written by A.R. Rawlinson, and produced by Herbert Wilcox...
(1932) - The Blarney Stone (1933)
- Leave It to SmithLeave It to SmithLeave It to Smith is a 1933 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also featured Carol Goodner, Anne Grey, Peter Gawthorne and Basil Radford...
(1933) - A Cuckoo in the Nest (1933)
- Turkey Time (1933)
- A Cup of KindnessA Cup of KindnessA Cup of Kindness is a 1934 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also featured Ralph Lynn, Robertson Hare, Dorothy Hyson and Claude Hulbert...
(1934) - Lady in DangerLady in DangerLady in Danger is a 1934 British comedy thriller film directed by Tom Walls and starring Walls, Yvonne Arnaud and Anne Grey. The screenplay was by Ben Travers.-Cast:* Tom Walls - Richard Dexter* Yvonne Arnaud - Queen of Ardenberg* Anne Grey - Lydia...
(1934) - Fighting StockFighting StockFighting Stock is a 1935 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also features Robertson Hare, Lesley Wareing and Herbert Lomas. A Brigadier retires to a country cottage for some quiet fishing, but it soon overtaken by madcap events. The film is based on the farce by Ben Travers....
(1935) - Me and MarlboroughMe and MarlboroughMe and Marlborough is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Cicely Courtneidge, Tom Walls, Barry MacKay, Peter Gawthorne, Henry Oscar and Cecil Parker.-Plot summary:...
(1935) - Stormy Weather (1935)
- Foreign AffairesForeign AffairesForeign Affaires is a 1935 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls based on an Aldwych Farce written by Ben Travers. It also features Ralph Lynn, Robertson Hare, Norma Varden and Cecil Parker. The film is set on the French Riviera where two hard-living British spongers become mixed...
(1935) - Pot Luck (1936)
- Dishonour BrightDishonour BrightDishonour Bright is a 1936 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also featured Eugene Pallette, Betty Stockfeld and Diana Churchill and was based on a story by Ben Travers.-Plot:...
(1936) - For Valour (1937)
- Second Best BedSecond Best BedSecond Best Bed is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Tom Walls and starring Walls, Jane Baxter and Veronica Rose. It was based on a story by Ben Travers...
(1938) - Strange BoardersStrange BoardersStrange Boarders is a 1938 British comedy thriller film, directed by Herbert Mason for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Tom Walls, Renée Saint-Cyr, Googie Withers and Ronald Adam. The film is an adaptation of the 1934 espionage novel The Strange Boarders of Palace Crescent by E. Phillips...
(1938) - Crackerjack (1938)
- Old IronOld IronOld Iron is a 1938 British drama film directed by Tom Walls and starring Richard Ainley, Henry Hewitt, Eva Moore and Cecil Parker.-Cast:* Tom Walls as Sir Henry Woodstock* Eva Moore as Lady Woodstock* Cecil Parker as bernette...
(1938) - Undercover (1943)
- They Met in the DarkThey Met in the DarkThey Met in the Dark is a 1943 British thriller film directed by Karel Lamac and starring James Mason, Joyce Howard and Edward Rigby. A cashiered Royal Naval officer and a young woman join forces to solve a murder and hunt down a German spy ring.-Cast:...
(1943) - The Halfway HouseThe Halfway HouseThe Halfway House is a 1944 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Tom Walls, Mervyn Johns and Glynis Johns. It also features the French actress Françoise Rosay...
(1944) - Love StoryLove Story (1944 film)Love Story is a 1944 British romance film directed by Leslie Arliss and starring Margaret Lockwood, Stewart Granger and Patricia Roc. It is based on a short story by J.W. Drawbell.-Synopsis:...
(1944) - Johnny FrenchmanJohnny FrenchmanJohnny Frenchman is a 1945 British film produced by Ealing Studios and directed by Charles Frend. The film was produced by Michael Balcon from a screenplay by T.E.B...
(1945) - This Man Is MineThis Man Is Mine (1946 film)This Man Is Mine is a 1946 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Tom Walls, Glynis Johns and Jeanne De Casalis. A Canadian soldier is billeted with a British family for the Christmas holidays to the delight of the two unmarried daughters...
(1946) - Master of BankdamMaster of BankdamThe Master of Bankdam is a 1947 British historical film directed by Walter Forde from the novel, The Crowthers of Bankdam, by Thomas Armstrong. It starred Anne Crawford, Dennis Price, Tom Walls, Stephen Murray, Linden Travers and David Tomlinson...
(1947) - While I LiveWhile I LiveWhile I Live is a 1947 British drama film, directed by John Harlow. While I Live is best remembered for its musical theme "The Dream of Olwen" composed by Charles Williams, reprised at intervals throughout the film, which became hugely popular in its time and is still regularly performed...
(1947) - Spring in Park LaneSpring in Park LaneSpring in Park Lane is a 1948 British romantic comedy film directed by Herbert Wilcox.-Plot:The film tells the story of a footman, Richard, played by Michael Wilding, who is employed by Joshua Howard , an eccentric art collector. His niece and secretary, Judy , has her doubts that Richard is the...
(1948) - Maytime in MayfairMaytime in MayfairMaytime in Mayfair is a 1949 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding, Nicholas Phipps, and Tom Walls...
(1949) - The Interrupted JourneyThe Interrupted JourneyThe Interrupted Journey is a 1949 British thriller film directed by Daniel Birt and Valerie Hobson, Richard Todd, Christine Norden and Tom Walls. A man fleeing with his mistress narrowly escapes a train crash after he pulls the emergency chord and is wracked with guilt...
(1949)
Director
- Tons of Money (1930)
- Leap YearLeap Year (1932 film)Leap Year is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Tom Walls, who co-stars with Anne Grey, Edmund Breon and Ellis Jeffreys. It was written by A.R. Rawlinson, and produced by Herbert Wilcox...
(1932) - Dirty WorkDirty Work (1934 film)Dirty Work is a 1934 British comedy crime film directed by Tom Walls and starring Ralph Lynn, Gordon Harker, Robertson Hare and Basil Sydney...
(1934)