Edward Victor Henry Emmett, known as E. V. H. Emmett (17 June 1902, London - 7 June 1971, London), was a British
newsreader. Though his main job was as a commentator for
Gaumont British News, he was frequently used as a narrator for films from the 1930s to 1950s. In the first series of ''
Dad's Army
''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...
'' broadcast in 1968 he was the narrator over the humorous short Public Information Films of the platoon seen at the beginning of each episode. By the time of the colour episodes in 1969 the films had been discontinued.
Emmett was born in
Brixton
Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...
in London in 1902, the son of Elizabeth Annie ''née'' Denyer (1871–) and Josephus Walter Victor Emmett (1872–1941), an insurance clerk. In addition to his work as a narrator Emmett was also a screenwriter for ''
Under the Southern Cross'' (1957), ''
Dance Hall
Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and citi ...
'' (1950), ''
Bothered by a Beard'' (1945, which he also produced and directed), ''
The Lion Has Wings
''The Lion Has Wings'' is a 1939 British, black-and-white, documentary-style, propaganda film, propaganda war film that was directed by Adrian Brunel, Brian Desmond Hurst, Alexander Korda and Michael Powell. The film was produced by London Film ...
'' (1939) and ''
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...
'' (1936), along with additional dialogue for ''
Young Man's Fancy'' (1940), ''
The Ware Case'' (1938) and ''
Non-Stop New York
''Non-Stop New York'' (also known as ''Lisbon Clipper Mystery'') is a 1937 British science fiction crime film directed by Robert Stevenson and starring John Loder, Anna Lee and Francis L. Sullivan. It is based on the 1936 novel ''Sky Stewar ...
'' (1937).
He married Ethel M Stanton (1897-) in 1929 in London. In 1939 the couple were living in
Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary.
An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...
in London. The marriage was later dissolved. In 1949 he married Joyce Annette Stanley (1917-1997) in London.
E. V. H. Emmett lived at 4 Montpelier Court on Montpelier Road in Ealing, London W.5. On his death in
Ealing
Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan.
Ealing was histor ...
in 1971 he left £624 in his will.
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Edward Victor Henry Emmett (1971) - Ancestry.com
/ref>
Filmography
''Narrator unless otherwise noted.''
References
External links
*
*http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/560335/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emmett, E. V. H.
1902 births
1971 deaths
English male screenwriters
English film directors
English male voice actors
20th-century English male actors
People from Brixton
20th-century English screenwriters
20th-century English male writers