''Emil and the Detectives'' is a 1935 British

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

adventure film directed by

Milton Rosmer Milton Rosmer (4 November 1881 – 7 December 1971) was a British actor, film director and screenwriter. He made his screen debut in '' The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' (1915) and continued to act in theatre, film and television until 1956. I ...

and starring John Williams, George Hayes and Mary Glynne. It is a remake of the 1931 German film '' Emil and the Detectives'' with the main setting moved from Berlin to London. Otherwise it follows the original very closely, largely using

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Hol ...

's screenplay, the music by Allan Gray, even recreating many of the same camera shots. It was made at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused ...

.Wood p.81

Plot

While on a train from his home in the countryside to stay with his grandfather in London, a boy named Emil suspects that he has been robbed of his money by a suspicious-looking man in the same carriage wearing a

bowler hat The bowler hat, also known as a billycock, bob hat, bombín (Spanish) or derby (United States), is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown, originally created by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler in 1849. It has traditionally been worn ...

. In London, with the help of a gang of street children, he pursues the suspect until he is eventually able to recover the money.

Cast

* John Williams as Emil Blake * George Hayes as The Man In The Bowler Hat - Sam Pinker * Mary Glynne as Mrs. Blake * Clare Greet as Grandma * George Merritt as PC * Marion Foster as Polly *

Donald Pittman Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

as Gussy *

Robert Rietti Robert Rietti, (born Lucio Rietti; 8 February 1923 – 3 April 2015), was an actor, and Oscar-nominated director of Anglo-Italian descent. With over 200 credits to his name, he had a highly prolific career in the American, British and Ita ...

as Professor * John Singer as Tuesday *

Derek Blomfield Derek Blomfield (31 August 1920 – 23 July 1964) was a British actor who appeared in a number of stage, film and television productions between 1935 and his death in 1964. Career He trained at LAMDA and made his first stage appearance a ...

as Jerry *

Norman Atkyns Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Nor ...

as Man *

Ricky Hyland Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic *Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky" ...

as The Flying Stag

References

Bibliography

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

External links

* 1935 films British children's adventure films British remakes of German films Films shot at Shepperton Studios Films based on works by Erich Kästner Films directed by Milton Rosmer Films set in England Films set in London Films shot in London British black-and-white films 1930s children's adventure films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{1930s-UK-film-stub