''Ask Beccles'' is a 1933 British

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

Redd Davis Redd Davis (1896–?) was a Canadian film director and producer who directed more than twenty films between 1932 and 1942. He was born in Canada in 1896, but he moved to Britain where he directed his first film '' The Spare Room'' in 1932. He wor ...

and starring

Garry Marsh Garry Marsh (21 June 1902 – 6 March 1981) was an English stage and film actor. Born Leslie Marsh Gerahty in St Margarets, Surrey, his parents were George and Laura. His elder brothers were the author Digby George Gerahty and the journalist ...

Lilian Oldland Lilian Mary Oldland (7 February 1903 – 29 September 1984) was an English actress who appeared in more than twenty films between 1925 and 1935. Born in Gloucester in 1903, she made her film debut in '' The Secret Kingdom'' and was soon cast as ...

Abraham Sofaer Abraham Isaac Sofaer (1 October 1896 – 21 January 1988) was a Burmese-born British actor who began his career on stage and became a familiar supporting player in film and on television in his later years. Life and career Although Sofaer was b ...

and John Turnbull. The film was based on a play by

Cyril Campion Cyril Theron Campion (1894–1961) was an English playwright and screenwriter. He was the father of the actor Gerald Campion. Selected filmography * ''Channel Crossing'' (1933) * ''It's You I Want'' (1936) * ''Debt of Honour'' (1936) * ''Convict ...

. It was made at

British and Dominions Elstree Studios Imperial Studios were the studios of the British and Dominions Film Corporation, a short-lived British film production company located at Imperial Place, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. The studios (one of several facilities historica ...

as a

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. D ...

for release by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Premise

A man steals a priceless

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...

, but returns it when an innocent man is arrested for the theft.

Cast

as Eustace Beccles *

as Marion Holforth *

as Baki *

Allan Jeayes Allan John Jeayes (19 January 1885 – 20 September 1963) was an English stage and film actor. Jeayes was born in London Borough of Barnet, Barnet, Hertfordshire, the son of Isaac Herbert Jeayes, archivist and Assistant Keeper of Manuscript ...

as Matthew Blaise * John Turnbull as Inspector Daniels *

Evan Thomas Evan Welling Thomas III (born April 25, 1951) is an American journalist, historian, and author. He is the author of nine books, including two ''New York Times'' bestsellers. Early life and career Thomas was born in Huntington, New York, and r ...

as Sir Frederick Boyne * Eileen Munro as Mrs. Rivers *

Fewlass Llewellyn Fewlass Llewellyn (5 March 1886 – 16 June 1941) was a Welsh actor, playwright and theatrical producer. Previously an engineer, he made his stage debut in 1890, and appeared in various film roles, often as authority figures. A play he co-wrote w ...

as Sir James Holforth

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

* 1933 films Films directed by Redd Davis British black-and-white films British and Dominions Studios films Films shot at Imperial Studios, Elstree British films based on plays Quota quickies British crime comedy films 1930s crime comedy films 1933 comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{comedy-crime-film-stub