Clifford Mills (aka Emlie Clifford, née Bennet) (1863–1933) was a British playwright, best known for the plays ''
Where the Rainbow Ends
''Where the Rainbow Ends'' is a children's play, originally written for Christmas 1911 by Clifford Mills and John Ramsey. The incidental music was composed by Roger Quilter.
''Where the Rainbow Ends'' is a fantasy story which follows the journe ...
'' and ''
The Luck of the Navy.''
Career
Mills's real name was Emlie (aka Emilie) Clifford.
She adopted the pseudonym Clifford Mills because, as a woman writer, she was unable to get published under her own name. Clifford Mills was derived from her husband's name Harold Mills Clifford, who she married in 1889.
The inspiration for the fairy story play ''Where the Rainbow Ends'' came from a poem written by her daughter Evelyn. The play was co-authored with
John Ramsay with music by
Roger Quilter
Roger Cuthbert Quilter (1 November 1877 – 21 September 1953) was a British composer, known particularly for his art songs. His songs, which number over a hundred, often set music to text by William Shakespeare and are a mainstay of the En ...
. Ramsay did not contribute to the content of the play but helped with the technical aspects of play wrighting. It was first staged in December 1911 and was presented at Christmas time from then until 1959, only missing two years.
''Where the Rainbow Ends'' was also published as a book in 1912.
Mills wrote seven plays including the comedy ''The Basker'' and ''
The Luck of the Navy'' a spy story which was turned into a
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
in 1927.
''The Luck of the Navy'' was first performed in 1918 but continued to be performed post-war in London and by touring companies. Between 1919 and 1930 it was performed over 900 times in 148 theatres.
It was also performed internationally:
in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
in 1920,
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
in 1928 and
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
in 1920. ''In Nelson's Days'' was a romantic historical drama.
Evelyn Shillington (d. 1981), Mills's daughter, kept diaries of her life as a military wife during World War II; they were published as ''Eve's War.''
Mills died on 2 July 1933 in London and is buried in Highgate cemetery.
Selected works
Plays
* ''One of these Little Ones'' (1909)
* ''Where the Rainbow Ends'' (1911)
* ''The Basker'' (1916)
* ''The Luck of the Navy'' (1918)
* ''Virginia'' (1921)
* ''In Nelson's Days'' (1922)
* ''The Man from Hong Kong'' (1925)
Books
* ''Where the Rainbow Ends'' (1912)
References
Further reading
* Maslen, Rob (2019)
The City of Lost Books. Imperialist Fantasy: Clifford Mills, Where the Rainbow Ends' (1912). Fantasy MLitt, Glasgow University.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Clifford
British women dramatists and playwrights
1863 births
1933 deaths
English women dramatists and playwrights