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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 British films during the Second World War. Johns was known for his "mostly mild-mannered, lugubrious, amusing, sometimes moving ‘little men’" in over 100 films and television series. After training in Camden and Primrose Hill, Johns began his career in repertory theatre in 1923. He made his screen debut with ''Lady in Danger'' in 1934 and went on to become an indelible part of British wartime cinema, with starring roles in such films as ''Saloon Bar'' (1940), ''The Next of Kin'' (1942), ''Went the Day Well?'' (1942), ''The Halfway House'' (1944), ''Twilight Hour'' (1945), and ''Dead of Night'' (1945). In the postwar era, he worked regularly at Ealing Studios, first with starring roles in such films as '' They Knew Mr. Knight'' (1946), ''The Captive Heart'' (1946), '' Captain Boycott'' (1947), and ''Easy Money'' (1948), and later ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Halfway House
''The Halfway House'' is a 1944 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Mervyn Johns, his daughter Glynis Johns, Tom Walls and Françoise Rosay. The film tells the story of ten people who are drawn to stay in an old Welsh countryside inn. Location scenes were shot at Barlynch Priory on the Devon/Somerset border. BFI Screenonline writes, "The high-quality personnel involved and the tight, professional scripting mark the film out as one of the earliest templates of what would become the traditional Ealing style." Plot During the Second World War, various people converge on the Halfway House, an inn in the Welsh countryside. In flashback, we see the events which have led them there. In Cardiff, David Davies, a famous orchestra conductor, is advised by his doctor to cancel a tour and rest, or he will live for only about three months. In London, Richard and Jill French argue about the education of their young daughter Joanna, who overhears them agree to divorce; t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Repertory Theatre
A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawing her support from the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Horniman's Gaiety Theatre, Manchester, Gaiety Theatre opened its first season in September of 1908. The opening of the Gaiety was followed by the Citizens' Theatre in Glasgow and the Liverpool Repertory Theatre. Previously, regional theatre relied on mostly London touring ensembles. During the time the theatre was being run by Annie Horniman, a wide variety of types of plays were produced. Horniman encouraged local writers who became known as the Manchester School (writers), Manchester School of playwrights. They included Allan Monkhouse, Harold Brighouse, writer of ''Hobson's Choice (play), Hobson's Choice'', and William Stanley Houghton, Stanley Houghton, who wrote ''Hindle Wakes (play), Hind ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Television Play
A television play is a television programming genre which is a drama performance broadcast from a multi-camera television studio, usually live in the early days of television but later recorded to tape. This is in contrast to a television movie, which employs the single-camera setup of film production. United Kingdom From the 1950s until the early 1980s, the television play was a television programming genre in the United Kingdom. The genre was often associated with the social realist-influenced British drama style known as "kitchen sink realism", which depicted the social issues facing working-class families. ''Armchair Theatre'' (ABC, later Thames, 1956–1974), ''The Wednesday Play'' (BBC, 1964–1970) and ''Play for Today'' (BBC, 1970–1984) received praise from critics for their quality. ''Armchair Theatre'': 1956–1974 ''Armchair Theatre'' was a British television drama anthology series, which ran on the ITV network from 1956 until 1968 in its original form, and wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Easy Money (1948 Film)
''Easy Money'' is a 1948 British satirical film about a modern British tradition, the football pools. It is composed of four tales about the effect a major win has in four different situations in the post-war period. Written by Muriel and Sydney Box, based on the play "Easy Money" written by Arnold Ridley, and directed by Bernard Knowles, it was released by Gainsborough Pictures. Plot In the first story, a comedy, a content suburban family, headed by Jack Warner, is turned into an unhappy lot by their various reactions to a win on the football pools. When matters reach a point where they begin wishing that they had never won the money, the youngest daughter (Petula Clark) announces that in fact she forgot to post their entry, and they all regain their previously happy lives. But then it is discovered that it was a previous entry she had forgotten to post and the winning coupon was mailed, and they decide that they have learned a lesson and resolve not to let the money ruin thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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