''Educated Evans'' is a 1936 British comedy film, directed by

William Beaudine William Washington Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres. Life and car ...

and starring Max Miller. The film, set in the world of horse racing, was based on the 1924 novel of the same name by the prolific

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...

. It is one of five films starring Miller which is not known to be extant, and is classed as "missing, believed

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

". A sequel ''

Thank Evans ''Thank Evans'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Max Miller. The film is sequel to '' Educated Evans'' (1936), with Miller, Hal Walters and Albert Whelan all returning to reprise their roles as the haples ...

'' was released in 1938; it too is missing. The story was later adapted into a BBC television series '' Educated Evans'' in 1957. The film was made at

Teddington Studios Teddington Studios was a large British television studio in Teddington, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky1 and others. The complex also provide ...

, with sets designed by

Peter Proud Peter Proud (born Ralph Priestman Proud, 6 May 1913, Glasgow – 1989, London) was a British film art director. He made a major contribution to wartime camouflage and deception operations in the Western Desert, especially in the siege of Tobru ...

Plot

Cockney racing tipster Evans (Miller) is asked by a nouveau riche and socially aspirant couple to train a racehorse they have bought. The couple know nothing about horse racing, but believe that ownership of a successful racehorse will be their entrée into the high society racing set. Evans does not own a stable, so the horse has to live with him and his two lodgers in an urban mews. He has to keep constantly on his toes, as circumstances continually threaten to reveal to the horse's owners the ramshackle conditions in which the animal is kept. Despite its less than ideal training environment, the horse turns out to have a natural talent and great racing potential. It does well in its outings, and is entered for a prestigious race. Shortly before the big day, disaster strikes when the horse is stolen. Evans has to track down and outwit the crooks, and manages to recover the horse in the nick of time. Feeling confident of the horse's chances, Evans places a substantial bet on it to win the race. In his excitement however, he makes a mistake and accidentally lays the bet on a no-hope nag at ridiculously long odds. The race turns out to be a sensation, with all the favourites including Evans' horse failing to finish for one reason or another. The hopeless carthorse Evans backed in error crosses the line first and he makes a huge financial profit.

Cast

* Max Miller as Educated Evans *

Clarice Mayne Clarice Mayne (6 February 1886 – 16 January 1966) was a music hall and variety theatre singer and performer. Life and career Clarice Mabel Dulley, whose stage name was Clarice Mayne, was born in London in 1886. She is best known for the s ...

as Emily Hackett *

Hal Walters Henry Paul "Hal" Walters (29 January 1892 – 7 September 1940) was a British actor. He was best known for his role in ''The Four Feathers'' (1939). He was killed by a bomb in an air raid during the London Blitz. Selected filmography * ''Just ...

as Nobby * Albert Whelan as Sgt. Challoner *

Nancy O'Neil Nancy O'Neil (born Nancy Muriel Smith; 25 August 1907 - 5 March 1995) was an Australian-born British actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional ...

as Mary * George Merritt as Joe Markham *

Frederick Burtwell Augustus Frederick Burtwell (23 December 1894 – 16 November 1948) was an English actor, on stage from 1914, who featured in supporting roles in over 40 British films of the 1930s and 1940s. Partial filmography * '' Other People's Sins'' ...

as Hubert *

Julien Mitchell Julien Mitchell (13 November 1888 – 4 November 1954) was an English actor, in films from the mid-1930s. Mitchell supported comedians George Formby and Will Hay, and appeared in some Hollywood films in the early war years, but is perhaps ...

as Arthur Hackett *

Percy Walsh Percy Walsh (24 April 1888 in Luton, Bedfordshire – 19 January 1952 in London) was a British stage and film actor. His stage work included appearing in the London premieres of R.C.Sherriff's ''Journey's End'' (1928) and Agatha Christie's ''And ...

as Captain Reed *

Prince Monolulu Ras Prince Monolulu (26 October 1881 – 14 February 1965), whose real name was Peter Carl Mackay (or McKay), was a horse-racing tipster, and something of an institution on the British racing scene from the 1920s until the time of his death. He ...

as Himself

Reception

''Educated Evans'' received a positive reception from contemporary reviewers. This was Miller's seventh film, and it had previously been a commonly held opinion that the line in fast-talking patter which had made Miller a stage star did not necessarily translate effectively to the screen, particularly as Miller reportedly refuted any suggestion that he should try to slow down or moderate his delivery to better suit the cinema vernacular; however critics seemed to agree that on this occasion it worked very well. ''

Kine Weekly ''Kinematograph Weekly'', popularly known as ''Kine Weekly'', was a trade paper catering to the British film industry between 1889 and 1971. History ''Kinematograph Weekly'' was founded in 1889 as the monthly publication ''Optical Magic Lantern a ...

'' termed the film "an excellent popular booking... already past the box-office post". ''McCarthy's Report'' agreed that "though a one man show, there is plenty of popular entertainment to be found in the dialogue, the animated racecourse scenes and many tricks of the trade". As one of the most favourably received of Miller's films in its day, ''Educated Evans'' is included on the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

's " 75 Most Wanted" list of missing British feature films.

References

External links

BFI 75 Most Wanted entry
with extensive notes *
''Educated Evans''
at BFI Film & TV Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Educated Evans 1936 films 1936 comedy films British comedy films British black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films based on works by Edgar Wallace Films directed by William Beaudine Films set in England British horse racing films Lost British films Films shot at Teddington Studios Warner Bros. films 1930s British films