Michael Balcon

Michael Balcon

Birth : 1896-05-19, Birmingham, England, UK

Death : 1977-10-17

History

Sir Michael Elias Balcon (19 May 1896 – 17 October 1977) was an English film producer, known for his work with Ealing Studios. Balcon had earlier worked for Gainsborough Pictures, Gaumont British and MGM-British.

Profile

Michael Balcon

Movies

Sir John Mills' Moving Memories
Self (archive footage)
A film biography with a difference, Sir John Mills' Moving Memories charts the life of one of Britain's most distinguished actors. Compiled from interviews with the man himself and with his family and friends, it traces his career from humble beginnings to all-time great of British cinema. The many film clips reveal an electric screen presence and a willingness to undertake a range of difficult, challenging roles.
How the Myth Was Made: A Study of Robert Flaherty's Man of Aran
Self
American documentary film-maker George C. Stoney visits the Aran Islands to try and unravel some of the myths surrounding a film that had engrossed him as a youngster - Robert Flaherty's famous documentary "Man of Aran" released in 1934.
The Long and the Short and the Tall
Producer
Based on a play by Willis Hall. A troop of British soldiers are out in the jungle to record jungle noises and troop noises in the jungle so that the recordings can be played back by other troops to divert the enemy to their whereabouts. As they progress to what they think is closer to the base camp they find themselves farther and farther from radio range until the only channel they can get clearly is that of a Japanese broadcast. They now realize they are probably only 10 to 15 miles from a Japanese camp! The tension is added to by rowdy and openly admitted "non-hero" Private Bamforth who has nothing good to say about anyone and especially Corporal Johnstone (who holds an equal dislike for Bamforth). When a Japanese soldier is taken as their prisoner, the true colours of each man comes to the surface
The Scapegoat
Producer
An Englishman in France unwittingly is placed into the identity, and steps into the vacated life, of a look-alike French nobleman.
The Siege of Pinchgut
Producer
An escaped prisoner is trying to clear his name.
Nowhere to Go
Producer
A professional thief is sprung from prison with the assistance of a new partner who wants to know where he's hid his loot.
Dunkirk
Producer
A British Corporal in France finds himself responsible for the lives of his men when their officer is killed. He has to get them back to Britain somehow. Meanwhile, British civilians are being dragged into the war with Operation Dynamo, the scheme to get the French and British forces back from the Dunkirk beaches. Some come forward to help, others were less willing.
Davy
Producer
The Mad Morgans are a family song and dance act touring the British Music Halls. Young Davy is the star of the act but should he stay with his family or strike out on his own ? The last comedy to be produced at Ealing Studios.
Barnacle Bill
Producer
A seasick sea captain commands an amusement pier despite local opposition. Released in the U.S. as 'All at Sea'
The Shiralee
Producer
An Australian "swagman" finds his wife with another man, so he takes the daughter, Buster, with him. On the road together, going from town to town and from farm to farm, father and daughter explore new depths of understanding and bonding.
The Man in the Sky
Producer
The efforts of test pilot John Mitchell to make a better life for his wife Mary and their two children seem doomed to failure and he blames himself. At the Conway Aero-Manufacturing Company of Wolverhampton, Mitchell is to take the company's new rocket-propulsion transport plane up for tests, fully loaded and carrying two important passengers - Ministry official Crabtree and buyer's representative Ashmore. Mitchell learns from his boss, Reg Conway, that if Ashmore does not recommend the plane, the company will be out of business and Mitchell out of a job, since the plane is not even insured as the firm's entire capital is tied up in the plane. Aloft, an engine catches fire and the passengers and other crew bail out, but Mitchell refuses to obey orders to jettison the plane in the Irish Sea.
The Feminine Touch
Producer
Following a group of five very different student nurses during their first year of training at an NHS hospital in London called St. Augustine’s Hospital (filmed at Guy's Hospital), where they live in a dormitory. Susan (Belinda Lee) is reliable and sensible; Pat (Delphi Lawrence) is flighty and open; Maureen (Adrienne Corri) is Irish and loud; Ann (Henryetta Edwards) is a typical public school girl; and Liz (Barbara Archer) comes from a typical working class background. As they get to know each other, they bond in spite of their differences.
The Long Arm
Producer
Scotland Yard detectives attempt to solve a spate of safe robberies across England beginning with clues found at the latest burglary in London. The film is notable for using a police procedural style made popular by Ealing in their 1950 film The Blue Lamp. It is known in the US as The Third Key.
The Ladykillers
Producer
Five oddball criminals planning a bank robbery rent rooms on a cul-de-sac from an octogenarian widow under the pretext that they are classical musicians.
The Night My Number Came Up
Producer
At a fashionable dinner party in Hong Kong a Royal Navy officer is coaxed into revealing details of a dream in which eight persons take off from Bangkok in a Dakota bound for Tokyo and crash in the Japanese mountains. Amongst those listening is Air Marshal Hardie who is due to fly to Tokyo the next day. Hardie initially dismisses the dream because he is scheduled to fly out in a Liberator, but as Hardie arrives at the airport he discovers that the Liberator has developed mechanical problems and has been replaced by a Dakota. When, just before the flight is due to depart, two soldiers board the plane making a complement of eight, Hardie fears that the dream may be coming true and he is destined to die.
Lease of Life
Producer
The parson of a small rural community knows he is dying and this makes him reconsider his life so far and what he can still do to help the community.
West of Zanzibar
Producer
Game warden Bob Payton (Anthony Steel) tracks a ivory smuggling ring through some of the most treacherous passages of the Zanzibar territory.
The 'Maggie'
Executive Producer
The poor, elderly—and the wily, when it comes to parting those who can afford it from their money—Scottish skipper of a broken-down old 'puffer' boat tricks an American tycoon into paying him to transport his personal cargo. When the tycoon learns of the trick, he attempts to track down the boat and remove his possessions.
Meet Mr. Lucifer
Executive Producer
A TV set given as a retirement present is sold on to different households causing misery each time.
The Titfield Thunderbolt
Executive Producer
When British Railways announce the closure of the Titfield to Mallingford branch line a group of local residents make a bid to run it themselves, backed by a monied member of the community who is attracted by the complete lack of licensing hours on trains. Unfortunately the local bus company starts to use methods that can hardly be seen as fair competition.
Mandy
Producer
London, the early 1950s. Born deaf, Mandy is mute for most of her childhood. As she reaches school age her family itself is in danger of breaking up. Christine, Mandy's mother, has heard of a residential school for the oral education of the deaf.
Where No Vultures Fly
Producer
A true story about an Englishman working as a game warden in Kenya who is disgusted by the ongoing destruction of African wildlife, and decides to create a national park to protect them.
The Man in the White Suit
Producer
The unassuming, nebbishy inventor Sidney Stratton creates a miraculous fabric that will never be dirty or worn out. Clearly he can make a fortune selling clothes made of the material, but may cause a crisis in the process. After all, once someone buys one of his suits they won't ever have to fix them or buy another one, and the clothing industry will collapse overnight. Nevertheless, Sidney is determined to put his invention on the market, forcing the clothing factory bigwigs to resort to more desperate measures...
The Lavender Hill Mob
Producer
A meek bank clerk who oversees the shipments of bullion joins with an eccentric neighbor to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country.
Pool of London
Producer
Jewel thieves, murder and a manhunt swirl around a sailor (Bonar Colleano) off a cargo ship in London.
The Magnet
Producer
A classic Ealing comedy in which a young boy steals a magnet and becomes a hero.
Cage of Gold
Producer
A young woman, Judith Moray, deserts her prospective fiance, the nice doctor Alan Kearn, for an old flame, the dashing but roguish former wing commander Bill Glennan. Glennan makes her pregnant and marries her, but leaves her on the morning after the wedding when he learns that her father can't offer him financial support. Two years later she - having been told that Glennan is dead - has married Kearn and borne him a son. But then Glennan suddenly reappears and begins to blackmail her.
Bitter Springs
Producer
A family buy land set around a water hole in a remote location, that is occupied by native Australians. The two groups clash.
The Blue Lamp
Producer
P.C. George Dixon is a long-serving traditional copper who is due to retire shortly. He takes a new recruit under his aegis and introduces him to the easy-going night beat. Dixon is a classic ordinary hero but also anachronistic, unprepared and unable to answer the violence of the 1950s.
A Run for Your Money
Producer
Two Welsh coal-mining brothers win a trip to London to claim a monetary prize. They are supposed to meet a newspaper reporter who will be their escort. Instead, the brothers are launched into an adventure with some London riff-raff. It is up to the reporter to look out for the brothers, and what a job it turns out to be!
Passport to Pimlico
Producer
When an unexploded WWII bomb is accidentally detonated in Pimlico, it reveals a treasure trove and documents proving that the region is in fact part of Burgundy, France and thus foreign territory. The British government attempts to regain control by setting up border controls and cutting off services to the area.
Kind Hearts and Coronets
Producer
When his mother eloped with an Italian opera singer, Louis Mazzini was cut off from her aristocratic family. After the family refuses to let her be buried in the family mausoleum, Louis avenges his mother's death by attempting to murder every family member who stands between himself and the family fortune. But when he finds himself torn between his longtime love and the widow of one of his victims, his plans go awry.
Whisky Galore!
Producer
Based on a true story. The name of the real ship, that sunk Feb 5 1941 - during WWII - was S/S Politician. Having left Liverpool two days earlier, heading for Jamaica, it sank outside Eriskay, The Outer Hebrides, Scotland, in bad weather, containing 250,000 bottles of whisky. The locals gathered as many bottles as they could, before the proper authorities arrived, and even today, bottles are found in the sand or in the sea every other year.
Train of Events
Producer
A train disaster is told in four short stories to give character studies of the people involved, how it will affect them and how they deal with it.
Scott of the Antarctic
Producer
The true story of the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his ill-fated expedition to try to be the first man to discover the South Pole - only to find that the murderously cold weather and a rival team of Norwegian explorers conspire against him
Another Shore
Producer
A young Irishman comes up with an unusual plan to get the money to emigrate to Tahiti. One of the Ealing comedies.
Saraband for Dead Lovers
Producer
Sophie Dorothea is a young woman forced into a loveless marriage with Prince George Louis of Hanover. George Louis is later crowned King George I of England. Despairing of ever experiencing true love, the depressed queen finds life at court no solace. Sophie then falls for a dashing Swedish soldier of fortune, Count Konigsmark.
Against the Wind
Producer
A disparate group of volunteers are trained as saboteurs and parachuted into Belgium to blow up an office containing important Nazi records and to rescue a prominent S.O.E. agent, who is being interrogated by the Germans for vital information.
It Always Rains on Sunday
Producer
During a rainy Sunday afternoon, an escaped prisoner tries to hide out at the home of his ex-fiance.
Frieda
Producer
A young German girl marries an Englishman and moves into his family's household during the last days of World War II. The family and community have conflicting feelings about her presence in the community, and as a result, the family is forced to face their own moral code as they deal with their own prejudices and fears about the seemingly innocent German girl. The war ends, and she finally seems to be accepted into the family and community when her Nazi brother shows up to create havoc.
The Loves of Joanna Godden
Producer
Joanna Godden falls heir to a farm when her father dies.
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
Producer
A fatherless boy tries to make his fortune despite interference from his rich uncle.
Hue and Cry
Producer
A gang of street boys foil a master crook who sends commands for robberies by cunningly altering a comic strip's wording each week, unknown to writer and printer. The first of the Ealing comedies.
The Overlanders
Producer
It's the start of WWII in Northern Australia. The Japanese are getting close. People are evacuating and burning everything in a "scorched earth" policy. Rather than kill all their cattle, a disparate group decides to drive them overland half way across the continent, from Wyndham in Western Australia through the Northern Territory outback of Australia to pastures north of Brisbane, Queensland.
The Captive Heart
Producer
A series of stories about the lives and loves of nine men in a Prisoner of War Camp over five years. Location shooting in the British occupied part of Germany adds believability. The main story is of Hasek (Redgrave) a Czech soldier who needs to keep his identity a secret from the Nazis, to do this he poses as a dead English Officer and corresponds with the man's wife. Upon liberation they meet and decide to continue their lives together. The other inmates' stories are revealed episodically.
Pink String and Sealing Wax
Producer
Melodrama set in Victorian Brighton. Scheming pub landlady uses the timorous son of a domineering pharmacist to assist in the poisoning of her drunkard husband. (The title is from the way pharmacists used to wrap parcels containing poison).
Johnny Frenchman
Producer
The fisherman from a Cornish village have a friendly rivalry with the fishermen (and one formidable woman) from a French port. Then war comes and they must all rethink their petty differences.
Dead of Night
Producer
Architect Walter Craig, seeking the possibility of some work at a country farmhouse, soon finds himself once again stuck in his recurring nightmare. Dreading the end of the dream that he knows is coming, he must first listen to all the assembled guests' own bizarre tales.
Painted Boats
Producer
In this modest drama, set during World War II, two rival boat families battle it out for supremacy.
The Return of the Vikings
Producer
British war documentary
Fiddlers Three
Producer
Two British soldiers and a WREN take refuge at Stonehenge during a thunderstorm, they are struck by lightning and transported back to ancient Rome.
Champagne Charlie
Producer
A man from the countryside becomes London’s newest music hall sensation, and competes with a rival music hall performer for the audience’s attention.
For Those in Peril
Producer
A WWII flyer fails to join the RAF so he joins the Air - Sea Rescue instead. His boat is out in all conditions picking up downed pilots and taking them to safety.
The Halfway House
Producer
A group of travellers, each with a personal problem that they want to hide, arrive at a mysterious Welsh country inn. There is a certain strangeness in the air as they are greeted by the innkeeper and his daughter. Why are all the newspapers a year old? And why doesn't Gwyneth seem to cast a shadow?
San Demetrio London
Producer
British drama documentary from 1943, based on the true story of the 1940 rescue of the tanker MV San Demetrio by parts of her own crew after she had been set afire in the middle of the Atlantic by the German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer and then had been abandoned. When one of the lifeboats drifted back to the burning tanker the day after, and found that she still hadn't exploded, they decided to board her and put out the fires. Eventually, they managed to start the engine again and decided to try to reach Britain against all odds.
My Learned Friend
Producer
An insane murderer is on the loose, and gunning for the men who put him away. Will Hay is on the list, and co-opts Claude Hulbert to try and stop him from meeting a grisly end.
Undercover
Producer
Occupied Yugoslavia. With organised resistance shattered by the Nazi onslaught it is only the activity of small guerrilla bands that bring fresh hope to the people. But quislings and infiltrators are everywhere – and trusting the wrong person could easily get you killed...
The Bells Go Down
Producer
Comedian Tommy Trinder plays it straight in this tribute to the wartime AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service). The dedicated band who kept the fires of London under control during the blitz and fire bombings of WWII.
Nine Men
Producer
The Nine men of the title are a British WWII Army patrol stuck in a desert fort during the African campaign. The Men must defend the fort against the Italian and German troops until they can be relieved.
Went the Day Well?
Producer
The quiet village of Bramley End is taken over by German troops posing as Royal Engineers. Their task is to disrupt England's radar network in preparation for a full scale German invasion. Once the villagers discover the true identity of the troops, they do whatever they can to thwart the Nazis plans.
The Goose Steps Out
Producer
Schoolteacher William Potts is the double of a captured German spy, so he is sent to Germany by British Intelligence to obtain the plans of a new secret weapon, causing chaos in a Hitler Youth school in the process.
The Foreman Went to France
Producer
Based on the true story of Melbourne Johns, an aircraft factory foreman sent to France to prevent the Nazis getting hold of some vital equipment.
The Next of Kin
Producer
Wartime propaganda piece giving the warning "Be like Dad, Keep Mum". A gossipy housewife is overheard talking about what her son is doing by a Nazi spy.
The Black Sheep of Whitehall
Producer
A professor teaching at a correspondence school discovers that a Nazi agent is trying to prevent a trade treaty being signed between England and South America.
The Big Blockade
Producer
Wartime propaganda piece reporting on the success of the economic blockade of Germany in the early years of the war.
Find, Fix and Strike
Producer
Deals with the training of Fleet Air Arm pilots and crew during World War II.
Go to Blazes
Producer
Ministry of Information-sponsored comedy short showing wartime audiences how to deal with the threat of incendiary bombs.
Ships with Wings
Producer
Before the war, a Fleet Air Arm pilot is dismissed for causing the death of a colleague. Working for a small Greek airline when the Germans invade Greece, he gets a chance to redeem himself and rejoin his old unit on a British carrier. This is regarded the last of the conventional, rather stiff 1930's style Ealing war films, to be succeeded by much more realism and better storytelling.
Turned Out Nice Again
Producer
George Pearson, an employee at an underwear factory, is caught between his modern wife and his meddling mother. After buying a special yarn and getting his wife to promote it, he has an argument with his boss, Mr Dawson who insults Pearson's wife and refuses to apologise. Pearson then resigns. After finding out that the yarn is actually worth a fair amount, Mr Dawson tries to buy it from Pearson but he has some competition.
Yellow Caesar
Executive In Charge Of Production
Using edited archive footage, mockery is made of Italy's dictator Benito Mussolini.
Sailors Three
Producer
Three sailors get drunk while on shore leave and end up on the wrong ship. When they realise their mistake they scramble off it and onto their warship, HMS Ferocious. However, they soon realise that the vessel they have boarded is not the Ferocious but a German battleship.
Spare a Copper
Producer
George is an inept reserve policeman working in wartime Liverpool, who is chosen by a gang of Nazi saboteurs as the stooge for their planned destruction of the British battleship HMS Hercules. Framed by the villains and forced to go on the run, George sets out to clear his name with the aid of new girlfriend, Jane.
Young Veteran
Executive Producer
The first months of WWII as experienced by the new young recruits - the 'young Berts' - of the British Army.
Saloon Bar
Producer
A bookmaker with a fancy for detective work attempts to prevent the execution of a potentially innocent man.
Convoy
Producer
A tale of life on board a Royal Navy cruiser assigned to protect the vital convoys between America and England during WWII.
Let George Do It!
Producer
Shortly after the start of World War II, a ukelele player (George) takes the wrong boat and finds himself in (still uninvaded) Norway. He is mistaken for a fellow British intelligence agent by a woman (Mary), and becomes involved in trying to defeat Nazi agents.
All Hands
Producer
From a series of propaganda films made to raise awareness of the risks of idle gossip providing vital information to enemy spies and collaborators. This Ealing Studios production features well-known 1940s actor John Mills, playing a sailor whose girlfriend thoughtlessly blunders away vital wartime secrets. The consequences prove disastrous when his boat next leaves to cross the English Channel.
Dangerous Comment
Producer
A young pilot, annoyed at not being selected to take part in a raid on an enemy target, moans to his fiancée, who in turn chatters to a friend at a cocktail bar.
The Proud Valley
Producer
In a Welsh coal mining valley, a young man with a beautiful singing voice is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice when a pit disaster threatens.
Return to Yesterday
Producer
Robert Maine is torn between returning to the glamour of Hollywood and working with a small theatre company in England.
Now You're Talking
Producer
Commissioned by the Ministry of Information and specifically target working class audiences; ‘Now you’re talking’ follows a plant worker, who lets slip vital information about some overnight research on a captured enemy aircraft. This inevitably leads to this most important of secrets falling into the lap of the enemy.
Salvage with a Smile
Producer
Wartime propaganda short in which a professor enlists the help of a dustman to explain the importance of saving paper, bones and metal to help the war effort.
Cheer Boys Cheer
Producer
Shades of "Romeo and Juliet" with rival British Brewery owners who hate each other and their children who fall in love.
The Four Just Men
Producer
The Four Men of the title are British WWI veterans who decide to work secretly against enemies of the country. They aren't above a bit of murder or sabotage to serve their ends, but they consider themselves to be true patriots.
A Yank at Oxford
Producer
A brash young American aristocrat attending Oxford University gets a chance to prove himself and win the heart of his antagonist's sister.
Sabotage
Producer
Karl Anton Verloc and his wife own a small cinema in a quiet London suburb where they live seemingly happily. But Mrs. Verloc does not know that her husband has a secret that will affect their relationship and threaten her teenage brother's life.
Jack of All Trades
Producer
In this he's on the dole, hungry and ready to do any job but quickly light-heartedly scams his way into society and a highly regarded position at a bank next to the beleaguered Robertson Hare. Here he invents a fraudulent business plan (Merrivale - you remember it surely?), the manager and chairman and another finance company are suck(er)ed in and it all snowballs from there. With of course a love interest as a dynamo.
All In!
Producer
Archie Slott inherits a successful racing stable from his dissolute uncle, but his sanctimonious aunt tries to convince him to sell it off. In an attempt to avoid doing so, he accidentally buys a failing all-in wrestling stadium as well. Now Archie is faced with the tasks of ensuring success for his stable's Derby entry, paying the salaries of his newly-acquired wrestlers, and avoiding a plot to convert the stables into a holiday home.
The Man Who Changed His Mind
Producer
Dr. Laurence, a once-respectable scientist, begins to research the origin of the mind and the soul. The science community rejects him, and he risks losing everything for which he has worked. He begins to use his discoveries to save his research and further his own causes, thereby becoming... a Mad Scientist, almost unstoppable...
Tudor Rose
Producer
The tragic story of Lady Jane Grey, the young queen who reigned in England for nine days before she was executed.
Where There's a Will
Producer
Will Hay plays the pennyless, bungling solicitor Benjamin Stubbins, who arrives at his office to find his insolent office boy (Graham Moffatt) with his feet up on the desk, reading a wild west magazine, which Hay confiscates so that he can read it later. Stubbins later takes a job from a group of Americans who claim they want him to track down some ancestors of theirs in Scotland. In reality however they want to use his office so they can rob a safe in the room immediately below his office. Stubbins takes the job (which is designed to keep him out of the office). In the end Stubbins realises his mistake and at a Christmas Eve fancy dress party he informs a group of carol singing policeman about the Americans nefarious activities
Secret Agent
Producer
After three British agents are assigned to assassinate a mysterious German spy during World War I, two of them become ambivalent when their duty to the mission conflicts with their consciences.
Foreign Affaires
Producer
An ageing aristocrat schemes to secure his dwindling finances by any means - fair or foul!
The Passing of the Third Floor Back
Producer
The tenants of an old London boarding house spend their time in petty bickering and sniping until a mysterious stranger arrives at their door.
Bulldog Jack
Producer
While filling in for injured supersleuth Bulldog Drummond (Atholl Fleming), world-class cricket player Jack Pennington (Jack Hulbert) attempts to foil a criminal mastermind's (Ralph Richardson) impending heist that's targeting a valuable jewel necklace held within the British Museum. This comedic 1930s mystery features daring rescues, intense fistfights and an exciting edge-of-your seat finale aboard a runaway train.
Stormy Weather
Producer
Sir Duncan Craggs retires from the Colonial Service and returns to London with his new French wife. The couple are devoted to each other, but continually flirt with other people. Sir Duncan is appointed to the board of clothing retail chain. On his tour of inspection, he encounters a successful store run by the efficient Mr. Bullock. By contrast, a neighbouring shop is filled with unhelpful staff overseen by an incompetent and lazy manager, Raymond Penny, who is more interested in horseracing than running his shop. Craggs is unimpressed by Penny and summons him to a meeting in London. Both Bullock and his domineering wife travel up to London as well, fearing that Penny will tell Craggs malicious stories about them.
Me and Marlborough
Producer
A woman disguises herself in men's clothes in order to follow her husband to the wars.
Things Are Looking Up
Producer
Scatterbrain circus lady has to cover for her sour schoolmistress sister.
The Clairvoyant
Producer
A fake psychic suddenly turns into the real thing when he meets a young beauty. (TCM)
The 39 Steps
Producer
Richard Hanney has a rude awakening when a glamorous female spy falls into his bed - with a knife in her back. Having a bit of trouble explaining it all to Scotland Yard, he heads for the hills of Scotland to try to clear his name by locating the spy ring known as The 39 Steps.
Brown on Resolution
Producer
Forever England gives John Mills his first leading role as Brown. Born after a brief affair between his mother and a naval officer, he joins the Royal Navy during the First World War. There his bravery and marksmanship keeps a German ship in port so a British ship can sink it. He becomes a hero, but at what cost?
Oh, Daddy!
Producer
Member of a village Purity League branch find things much livelier on a trip to London.
Car of Dreams
Producer
Produced by the highly acclaimed Michael Balcon, the story revolves around Robert, the son of the owner of a musical instrument factory. He is in love with Vera, one of the factory workers, who is unaware of his position. So when she jokes one day that she would love a Rolls-Royce, Robert makes sure that she gets one. Then he decides to raise her salary out of all proportion to hint at who he is...
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Producer
While vacationing in St. Moritz, a British couple receive a clue to an imminent assassination attempt, only to learn that their daughter has been kidnapped to keep them quiet.
Road House
Producer
Road House is a 1934 British comedy crime film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Violet Loraine, Gordon Harker and Aileen Marson.
Jew Süss
Producer
A historical satire critical of the rising tide of Anti-Semitism in Germany. Based on the novel by Lionel Feuchtwanger, Jew Süss is the story of life in the 18th century Jewish ghetto of Württemberg. Süss (Veidt) works himself out of the ghetto and into a position of power himself with the help of an evil Duke.
My Song for You
Producer
In this opera-oriented musical, Riccardo Gatti, an Italian young tenor in Venice, meets a young woman who sneaks into the opera house to try and get her fiancé hired as the orchestra's pianist.
Aunt Sally
Producer
An ambitious girl who wants to be a cabaret star poses as "Zaza", a French chanteuse, to get a job in a prestigious nightclub. Unfortunately, she finds herself in the middle of a dispute between Mike Kelly, the club's Chicago-born owner, and a group of American gangsters bent on taking over the club. To put pressure on Kelly, the gangsters kidnap "Zaza".
A Cup of Kindness
Producer
A tale of two feuding families whose offspring cause uproar when they announce their marital plans.
Man of Aran
Producer
A documentary on the life of the people of the Aran Islands, who were believed to contain the essence of the ancient Irish life, represented by a pure uncorrupted peasant existence centred around the struggle between man and his hostile but magnificent surroundings. A blend of documentary and fictional narrative, the film captures the everyday trials of life on Ireland's unforgiving Aran Islands.
The Constant Nymph
Producer
Second of three versions of Margaret Kennedy’s novel about a sickly, sensitive Belgian schoolgirl, Tessa (Victoria Hopper), in love with world-famous composer Lewis Dodd (Brian Aherne), who marries her wealthy cousin Florence (Leonora Corbett). Undermining the already delicate Tessa’s health, the composer realises that life without Tessa is unbearable and leaves his unloving wife – but sadly too late.
I Was A Spy
Producer
During World War I, a young nurse in a hospital in German-occupied Belgium is secretly feeding military information to the British. Complicating matters is the guilt she feels when she has to treat the German casualties inflicted as a result of the information she's passed on, and the fact that the local German commandant is falling in love with her.
The Ghoul
Producer
Professor Morlant, a British Egyptologist, seeks immortality through the power of a jewel buried in the tomb of an Oriental idol. Upon his death, Morlant returns to earth to seek vengeance upon those who removed the jewel from his grave.
Orders Is Orders
Producer
A brash American movie producer arrives at an army base in England wanting to shoot a movie and use the soldiers as extras. The base commander doesn't want any part of it, but the producer and his secretary cook up a scheme to trick the officer into letting him use the base and its men. Their plan succeeds, but things don't turn out quite the way they were expecting.
Sleeping Car
Producer
A French sleeping-car attending with an eye for the ladies hooks up with a wealthy widow and they get married. What he doesn't know is that she married him because she wants to stay in France. Complications ensue.
The Good Companions
Producer
Film musical taken from JB Priestley's novel about three musicians joining together to save a failing concert party, the Dinky Doos.
Britannia of Billingsgate
Producer
The owner of a fish-and-chips shop in the Billingsgate area of London harbors a secret ambition: to become a movie star. It turns out that she has a beautiful singing voice, and when that fact comes to the attention of a movie studio, it begins to turn her and her family's lives upside down.
The Man from Toronto
Producer
According to the terms of a will two strangers must marry. Leila (Jessie Matthews) is a widow, and Fergus (Ian Hunter) is a Canadian bachelor. Both are bequeathed a fortune, but there is a condition to the receipt of it. The two much marry within a year. To aid matters, Leila disguises herself as Fergus' maid, and the two begin to fall in love. However when Fergus discovers the truth, he is less than pleased by the deception.
The Midshipmaid
Producer
Sir Percy Newbiggin visits the fleet to find ways to economize Naval expenditures. Daughter Celia tags along and organizes a morale-boosting show utilizing ship-board talent. Her fiancé shows up, and romantic complications ensue.
After the Ball
Producer
The wife of a diplomat in Geneva pretends to be a maid in order to continue her flirting with a handsome young courier.
Rome Express
Producer
The theft of a famous painting leads to murder and many suspects on a plush train speeding from Paris to Rome.
There Goes the Bride
Producer
A businessman's daughter runs away from an arranged marriage, only to find herself penniless and suspected of theft after she becomes the victim of a bag thief in the train. When she refuses to tell him who she really is, her accuser decides to take her home where he can keep an eye on her until 12 o'clock the next day, the time at which she has calculated that it will be safe to tell the truth! But when his fiancée arrives unexpectedly and then his 'guest' is mistaken for her, it all gets rather embarrassing...
Marry Me
Producer
A British musical comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele
Love on Wheels
Producer
A department store assistant becomes publicity conscious.
Jack's the Boy
Producer
With a title like Jack's the Boy, is it any surprise that the star of this breezy quota quickie is British music-hall favorite Jack Hulbert? The star plays the son of a celebrated Scotland Yard detective, who joins the force in hopes of following his father's footsteps. Unfortunately, Jack is something of a screw-up, and before long he has become the laughing stock of the force.
White Face
Producer
A doctor becomes a blackmailer and a jewel thief in order to raise funds for a hospital in East London but is uncovered by an ambitious reporter.
The Faithful Heart
Producer
Herbert Marshall and Edna Best, husband and wife in 1933, star in the British drama Faithful Hearts. Best plays the daughter of Marshall, who years earlier had run out on his family. When Edna re-enters Marshall's life, it causes him to reassess his values-and to end his engagement to his judgmental fiancee. When Faithful Hearts was released in the US, all the voices were redubbed by American actors; even Herbert Marshall, a fixture in Hollywood films since the dawn of the talkie era, was submitted to this electronic augmentation. Original titled The Faithful Heart (Americans must have more of everything!), the film was based on a play by Monckton Hoffe.
The Frightened Lady
Producer
A young woman goes to stay at the house of Lord Lebanon, but two murders in quick succession lead to the arrival of detectives and cause the woman to fear for her life.
Lord Babs
Producer
A steward inherits the estate of an earl. To repel the advances of an unwanted fiancee, he pretends that he has regressed to childhood behaviors.
Who Killed Doc Robin?
Producer
A short comedy film directed by W.P. Kellino
Sunshine Susie
Producer
Sunshine Susie was a remake of the German film The Private Secretary, and retained many of the originals general characteristics. Renete Muller who starred in the original, was again cast as the country girl seeking fame and fortune in the big city. She takes a secretarial job at a bank, and sets about catching the heart of her boss, Herr Hasel (Jack Hulbert).
A Gentleman of Paris
Producer
A prominent Parisian judge is a witness to a murder while he is at a rendezvous with his mistress. A woman is arrested for the crime and brought before him for trial. It turns out that the woman is his ex-mistress, and the judge knows that she is not the killer - but if he comes forward, he stands a good chance of ruining his marriage and his career.
P.C. Josser
Producer
The fumble fingered Josser finds himself thrown off the police force for his constant bungling, but by the picture's end, he manages to redeem himself by breaking up a ring of crooks who have been fixing horse-races by doping up the horses.
Michael and Mary
Producer
A young bride is deserted by her husband but finds happiness with another man. They contract a bigamous marriage for the sake of their child....
The Calendar
Producer
Racehorse owner Anson is swindled by a woman named Wenda and goes up in front of the Jockey Club where he is disqualified on race fixing allegations. He decides to get his own back with the help of Hillcott, an ex-burglar. Jill is the love interest
Hindle Wakes
Producer
A Lancashire mill girl has an illicit adventure with the owner's son while on holiday. Based on the once notorious Houghton play.
The Ghost Train
Producer
The Ghost Train is a 1931 British comedy thriller film directed by Walter Forde and starring Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge and Ann Todd. It is based on the play The Ghost Train by Arnold Ridley. The film's art direction is by Walter Murton. Only five reels of picture and two reels of soundtrack survive.
My Old China
Producer
'Newsreel cameramen wrest secret papers from Chinese bandit.' (British Film Catalogue)
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Producer
On his uncle's death Sir Henry Baskerville returns from abroad and opens up the ancestral hall on the desolate moors of Devonshire. Holmes uncovers a plot to have Sir Henry murdered by a terrible trained hound.
The Man They Couldn't Arrest
Producer
An amateur detective goes on the trail of a gang of violent criminals.
A Night in Montmartre
Producer
A young couple live under a café in Paris that, unknown to them, is owned by a brutal blackmailer. When he is murdered, they fall under suspicion. However, the husband's father, an amateur detective, believes in their innocence and sets out to find who really killed the blackmailer.
The Ringer
Producer
Scotland Yard detectives hunt for a dangerous criminal who has recently returned to England.
Bull Rushes
Producer
'Spain. English tourist gets drunk and fights bull.' (British Film Catalogue)
Harry Lauder Songs
Producer
'Scots star sings songs in music hall setting.' (British Film Catalogue)
Hot Heir
Producer
A comedy short directed by W.P. Kellino.
Aroma of the South Seas
Producer
'Shipwrecked valet saves affianced master from native girl.' (British Film Catalogue)
The Stronger Sex
Producer
A man rescues his wife's lover during a disaster at a coal mine
A Warm Corner
Producer
This early Gainsborough film is truly a lost treasure and easily one of the most daring and risque films ever made. At least half a dozen different tales seem to be going on at once all finally meeting in the end. The story starts in the Lido hotel where our "Pickles" remarks upon the fact that everyone in the register is called Smith. Hes trying to chat up Mimi so shell split up with her boyfriend as her boyfriends uncle has other plans for his nephew - alas what no one knows is that he and Mimi have already been married for a few months on the sly!
Symphony in Two Flats
Producer
A young composer goes blind, and shortly afterward enters his most recent work in a competition. He believes he's won, but doesn't know that his wife couldn't bear to tell him that he didn't. Complications ensue.
The Crooked Billet
Producer
'International spy seeks documents hidden in old inn.' (British Film Catalogue)
Just for a Song
Producer
A jealous agent uses a girl singer to break up a double act.
Taxi for Two
Producer
'Lady's son poses as chauffeur to woo girl who buys taxi.' (British Film Catalogue)
Armistice
Producer
'Songs of the 1914-18 war.' (British Film Catalogue)
The Wrecker
Presenter
The Wrecker is a British film that tells the story of a crook who organises train crashes to discredit the railway, in favour of a rival bus company. The stunts in this film were groundbreaking for 1920s British cinema A scene wich has been discribed as "the most spectacular rail crash in cinema history" was recorded by 22 cameras.
The City of Play
Producer
A British drama film directed by Denison Clift
Balaclava
Producer
A British army officer is cashiered, and re-enlists as Private to take part in the Crimean War. He succeeds in capturing a top Russian spy which results in the famous Charge of the Light Brigade to take the Balaclava Heights.
The Vortex
Producer
A young man is shocked to discover that his fiancé is the mistress of his mother's lover.
Easy Virtue
Producer
Larita Filton is named as correspondent in a scandalous divorce case. She escapes to France to rebuild her life where she meets John Whittaker. They are later married, but John's well-to-do family finds out Larita's secret.
The Constant Nymph
Producer
Sanger, an eccentric expatriate composer, dies in his house in the Austrian Alps, leaving his daughters penniless. The young composer Lewis Dodd, a longstanding friend of the family, falls in love with their cousin Florence when she comes to take the girls back to England. But little Tessa Sanger is in love with Lewis herself, and when she runs away from school and comes to live with Florence and her husband, their already-shaky marriage is further undermined
Downhill
Presenter
Roddy, first son of the rich Berwick family, is expelled from school when he takes the blame for his friend Tim's charge. His family sends him away and all of his friends leave him alone. Through many life choices that don't work out in his favor, Roddy begins to find his life slowly spiraling out of his control.
Downhill
Producer
Roddy, first son of the rich Berwick family, is expelled from school when he takes the blame for his friend Tim's charge. His family sends him away and all of his friends leave him alone. Through many life choices that don't work out in his favor, Roddy begins to find his life slowly spiraling out of his control.
Ghost Train
Producer
Mismatched travellers are stranded overnight at a lonely rural railway station. They soon learn of local superstition about a phantom train which is said to travel these parts at dead of night, carrying ghosts from a long-ago train wreck in the area. The travelers eventually get to the bottom of the things that go bump in the night.
Blighty
Producer
A chauffeur becomes an officer and later cares for his master's widow and child.
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
Producer
London. A mysterious serial killer brutally murders young blond women by stalking them in the night fog. One foggy, sinister night, a young man who claims his name is Jonathan Drew arrives at the guest house run by the Bunting family and rents a room.
The Pleasure Garden
Producer
Patsy Brand is a chorus girl at the Pleasure Garden music hall. She meets Jill Cheyne who is down on her luck and gets her a job as a dancer. Jill meets adventurer Hugh Fielding and they get engaged, but when Hugh travels out of the country, she begins to play around.
The Mountain Eagle
Producer
In the Kentucky hills a store keeper tries to win the love of an innocent schoolteacher. She runs away and seeks refuge with a hermit.
The Prude's Fall
Producer
A French captain persuades a rich widow to become his mistress, but it is a scheme to test her love.
Cut It Out
Producer
An intrusive censor interferes with the filming of a melodrama.
The Blackguard
Producer
A French violinist saves his beloved princess from the Russian revolution..
The Rat
Producer
When bored courtesan Zelie de Chaumet begs her lover, the corrupt and powerful Stetz, to take her slumming, the pair encounter Pierre Boucheron, alias 'The Rat' , boy-king of the Paris underworld, and the innocent Odile. Love, life and jewels are risked and lost in this powerful romantic melodrama as the four characters' lives are changed by this chance encounter for ever.
The White Shadow
Producer
The White Shadow is a British drama film directed by Graham Cutts based on the novel "Children of Chance" by Michael Morton. Alfred Hitchcock worked on it as assistant director and also handled the writing, editing, and art direction. The film was long thought to be lost. In August 2011, it was announced that the first three reels of the six-reel picture had been found in a garden shed and donated to the NFPF. The film cans were mislabled Two Sisters and Unidentified American Film and only later identified. The film was restored by Park Road Studios and is now in the New Zealand Film Archive.
Woman to Woman
Producer
David Compton leaves his expecting French girl-friend Louise Boucher, a dancer at the Moulin Rouge, for the war where he looses his memory. Building a new life from scratch after the war, he gets married in London. Louise, now a mother, thinks him dead. She becomes a famous dancer under the name Deloryse but falls gravely ill. One night, as David is in the audience of her show, he recovers his memory. When she learns that David is married to another woman, Louise turns her son in the care of David's new wife and accepting a dancing job at a party, she dies there of exhaustion and sorrow.