David MacDonald (director)
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David MacDonald (director)
David MacDonald (9 May 1904 in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire – 22 June 1983 in London) was a Scottish film director, writer and producer. Career MacDonald was the son of a wealthy landowner. His intention was to become a doctor but changed his mind and aged 17 went to Malaya to work on a rubber plantation for seven and a half years. When he had leave to return to Scotland, he travelled via Hollywood and became interested in filmmaking.Macdonald, D. (1948)"David MacDonald"''The Tatler and Bystander'', 188(2439), 14. He returned to Malaya and worked at a plantation in Kedah. According to one story, while in Malaya he met Douglas Fairbanks who encouraged MacDonald to try his luck in Hollywood. Hollywood MacDonald broke into Hollywood by getting a job as technical adviser on a film ''Prestige''. After that he was out of work for nine months. He eventually gained a job working for Cecil B. DeMille. MacDonald worked as DeMille's assistant on '' The Sign of the Cross'' (1932), '' ...
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Helensburgh
Helensburgh (; gd, Baile Eilidh) is an affluent coastal town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local government reorganisation in 1996. Geography and geology Helensburgh is northwest of Glasgow. The town faces south towards Greenock across the Firth of Clyde, which is approximately wide at this point. Ocean-going ships can call at Greenock, but the shore at Helensburgh is very shallow, although to the west of the town the Gareloch is deep. Helensburgh lies at the western mainland end of the Highland Boundary Fault. This means that the hills to the north of Helensburgh lie in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands, whereas the land to the south of Helensburgh is in the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands or Central Belt of Scotland. Consequently, there is a wide variety of landscape in the surrounding area – for example, Loch Lomond (part of Scotland's ...
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Quota Quickie
The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 ('' 17 & 18 Geo. V'') was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry. It received Royal Assent on 20 December 1927 and came into force on 1 April 1928. Description The act introduced a requirement for British cinemas to show a quota of British films for a duration of 10 years. Its supporters believed that it would promote the emergence of a vertically integrated film industry, with production, distribution and exhibition infrastructure controlled by the same companies. As the vertically integrated American film industry had rapid growth in the years immediately following the end of World War I, the intention was to counter Hollywood's perceived economic and cultural dominance by promoting similar business practices among British studios, distributors and cinema chains. By creating an obligatory market-section for British films, it was hoped that the increased economic activity in the prod ...
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Dead Men Tell No Tales (1938 Film)
''Dead Men Tell No Tales'' is a 1938 British thriller film directed by David MacDonald and starring Emlyn Williams, Sara Seegar and Hugh Williams. It is based on the 1935 novel ''The Norwich Victims'' by Francis Beeding. The film was made at Welwyn Studios.Wood p.94 Plot An English schoolteacher wins a French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ... lottery, but on her way to Paris she is murdered and an imposter attempts to claim her prize. Cast * Emlyn Williams as Dr. Headlam * Sara Seegar as Marjorie * Hugh Williams as Detective Inspector Martin * Marius Goring as Greening * Lesley Brook as Elizabeth Orme * Christine Silver as Miss Haslett * Clive Morton as Frank Fielding * Ann Wilton as Bridget * Jack Vyvian as Crump * Marjorie Dale as The Singer ...
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Barry K
Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 1950), former dancer at National Basketball Association games Places Canada *Barry Lake, Quebec *Barry Islands, Nunavut United Kingdom * Barry, Angus, Scotland, a village ** Barry Mill, a watermill * Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, a town ** Barry Island, a seaside resort ** Barry Railway Company ** Barry railway station United States * Barry, Illinois, a city * Barry, Minnesota, a city * Barry, Texas, a city * Barry County, Michigan * Barry County, Missouri * Barry Township (other), in several states * Fort Barry, Marin County, California, a former US Army installation Elsewhere * Barry Island (Debenham Islands), Antarctica * Barry, New South Wales, Australia, a village * Barry, Hautes-Pyrénées, France, a commune Arts and ent ...
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This Man Is News
''This Man is News'' is a 1938 British comedy mystery film directed by David MacDonald and starring Barry K. Barnes, Valerie Hobson, Alastair Sim and Edward Lexy. The screenplay concerns a journalist who solves a crime of which he himself is suspected . A "quota quickie", it was made for a mere £6,000, but "was among the highest grossing films of 1938". It was loosely modelled on the American '' Thin Man'' series of films. A sequel, ''This Man in Paris'', was made in 1939. Plot Simon Drake (Barnes) has predicted the death of a prominent man in advance, which makes him Scotland yard's top suspect for his murder; the only one who believes in his innocence is his loyal wife Pat (Hobson). Meanwhile, Macgregor (Sim) is Drake's beleaguered city editor, who hires and fires him multiple times depending on how guilty or innocent he looks at the moment. Cast * Barry K. Barnes as Simon Drake * Valerie Hobson as Pat Drake * Alastair Sim as Lochlan Macgregor * Edward Lexy as Inspector H ...
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Anthony Havelock-Allan
Sir Anthony James Allan Havelock-Allan, 4th Baronet (28 February 1904 – 11 January 2003) was a British film producer and screenwriter whose credits included ''This Happy Breed'', '' Blithe Spirit'', '' Great Expectations'', '' Oliver Twist'', the 1968 version of '' Romeo and Juliet'' and ''Ryan's Daughter''. Personal life and career Havelock-Allan was born at the family home of Blackwell Grange near Darlington, County Durham, and was educated at Charterhouse and schools in Switzerland. Before becoming a film producer, he worked as a stockbroker, jeweller, record company executive and cabaret manager. In 1935, Havelock-Allan joined the short-lived British and Dominions Imperial Studios, producing films with them like '' Lancashire Luck'' (1937) until and even shortly after the studios burnt down in 1936. After working with her on ''This Man in Paris'', Havelock-Allan married actress Valerie Hobson on 12 April 1939. Their sons were Simon Anthony Clerveaux Havelock-Allan (1 ...
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Meet Mr
Meet may refer to: People with the name * Janek Meet (born 1974), Estonian footballer * Meet Mukhi (born 2005), Indian child actor Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Meet'' (TV series), an early Australian television series which aired on ABC during 1957 * Meet Bros, music director duo from Gwalior *Meet (2021 series),is an Indian Television Series broadcasting on ZeeTV in India * "Meet", an episode of '' Heartstopper'' Convention or meeting * Meet, a competitive event in track and field athletics ** All-comers track meet, usually small local track and field competitions * Swap meet (or flea market), a type of bazaar that rents or provides space to people who want to sell or barter merchandise * Train meet, a railroad term referring to the event of the meeting of two trains * Google Meet, a video communication service developed by Google Other uses * Meet (mathematics) In mathematics, specifically order theory, the join of a subset S of a partially ordered set P is the supr ...
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A Spot Of Bother (1938 Film)
''A Spot of Bother'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by David MacDonald (director), David MacDonald and starring Robertson Hare, Alfred Drayton, Sandra Storme and Kathleen Joyce. The film is a farce in which a bishop unwisely decides to loan the cathedral funds to a dubious businessman. Meanwhile, his secretary is involved with smuggled goods. It was shot at Pinewood Studios and adapted from a play by Vernon Sylvaine. The film's sets were designed by Wilfred Arnold. Cast * Robertson Hare as Mr Rudd * Alfred Drayton as Mr Watney * Sandra Storme as Sadie * Kathleen Joyce as Margaret Watney * Ruth Maitland as Mrs Watney * Gordon James (actor), Gordon James as Joe * Robert Hale as Colonel Pigge * Fewlass Llewellyn as Bishop of Barchester * Drusilla Wills as Miss Hagworthy * Julian Vedey as Scheipman * O. B. Clarence as Butler * Edie Martin as An Occasional Bar-Lady * Hay Petrie as McTavish the Golf Club Official Critical reception ''TV Guide'' called the film a "decent co ...
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Make It Three
''Make It Three'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by David MacDonald and starring Hugh Wakefield, Edmund Willard and Diana Beaumont. The screenplay concerns a bank clerk who is left a very large inheritance on condition that he first serve three months in prison. It was the last film produced by Julius Hagen who had owned Twickenham Studios. The film was a quota quickie, made for release by MGM.Wood p.95 Cast * Hugh Wakefield as Percy Higgin * Edmund Willard as Big Ed * Diana Beaumont as Annie * Sydney Fairbrother as Aunt Aggie * Jack Hobbs as Charlie * Olive Sloane as Kate * Alexander Field as Sam * C. Denier Warren Charles Denier Warren (29 July 1889 – 27 August 1971) was an Anglo-American actor who appeared extensively on stage and screen from the early 1930s to late 1960s, mostly in Great Britain. Life He was born in Chicago the son of Charles Warren ... as Cackleberry References Bibliography * Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. Ge ...
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Riding High (1937 Film)
''Riding High'' is a 1937 British comedy film directed by David MacDonald and starring Claude Dampier, John Garrick, Kathleen Gibson and Helen Haye. It is very loosely based on the story of the inventor Thomas McCall, who came up with a radically new design for a bicycle in Victorian Britain. It was made at Shepperton Studios.Wood p.96 Cast * Claude Dampier as Septimus Earwicker * Helen Haye as Miss Ada Broadbent * John Garrick as Tom Blake * Kathleen Gibson as Grace Meadows * John Warwick as George Davenport * Billy Merson as Popping * Mae Bacon as Mrs. Winterbottom * Peter Gawthorne Peter Gawthorne (1 September 1884 – 17 March 1962) was an Anglo-Irish actor, probably best known for his roles in the films of Will Hay and other popular British comedians of the 1930s and 1940s. Gawthorne was one of Britain's most called-upo ... as Sir Joseph Wilmot * Billy Holland as Jack Adamson * Billy Bray as Ted Rance * Aileen Latham as Fanny * The Georgian Sing ...
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Death Croons The Blues
''Death Croons the Blues'' is a 1937 British crime film directed by David MacDonald and starring Hugh Wakefield, Antoinette Cellier and George Hayes.Wood p.94 The film was made at Twickenham Studios by the producer Julius Hagen whose ownership of the company was about to be ended due to financial problems. Synopsis A reporter manages to prove a man innocent of murdering a singer. Cast * Hugh Wakefield as Jim Martin * Antoinette Cellier as Lady Constance Gaye * George Hayes as Hugo Branker * Hugh Burden as Viscount Brent * Gillian Lind Gillian Lind (25 August 1904 - 25 October 1983) was a British stage, film and television actress. In 1930 she starred in Edgar Wallace's play '' On the Spot'' in the West End.Kabatchnik p.172 She went on to enjoy a long career in film and tel ... * John Turnbull * Barbara Everest References Bibliography *Chibnall, Steve. ''Quota Quickies: The Birth of the British 'B' Film''. British Film Institute, 2007. *Low, Rachael. '' ...
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The Last Curtain
''The Last Curtain'' is a 1937 British crime film directed by David MacDonald and starring Campbell Gullan, Kenne Duncan and Greta Gynt. The film blends drama and comedy and its plot follows an insurance investigator who examines a series of robberies that have taken place. Much of the action takes place backstage at the fictitious Trafalgar Theatre. It was made at Pinewood Studios as a quota quickie.Wood p.95 The film's sets were designed by John Bryan. It was the first film for comedy actor Joss Ambler who went on to star with such comedy stalwarts as George Formby and Will Hay. Cast * Campbell Gullan as Sir Alan Masterville * Kenne Duncan as Joe Garsatti * Greta Gynt as Julie Rendle * John Wickham as Bob Fenton * Sara Seegar as Molly * Joss Ambler as Ellis * W.G. Fay as Milligam * Eric Hales as Barrington * Mervyn Johns Mervyn Johns (born David Mervyn John; 18 February 18996 September 1992) was a Welsh stage, film and television character actor who became a star of Brit ...
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